The Secret Land of Otrâlmondé [1 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter Five

Two translucent walls rose from the floor and divided the room into three smaller chambers. Celestine looked at the tablet and began tapping on its screen. Nothing happened during the first few seconds.

"Sorry, I am not used to using this," Celestine said. After a while, a large target emerged from the wall behind her. It was about as tall as her and had ten concentric rings. A metal rod, which was around two meters tall and five centimeters thick, surfaced next to Stella. A transparent barrier formed around Celestine.

"So for our first lesson," she began, "you will learn to shoot lightning. Lightning is a very dangerous element; like fire, it is destructive and hard to control. I don't trust you to create your lightning yet, so you will conduct it through the metal rod next to you. Place your left hand on the rod."

Stella gripped the metal rod.

"Turn your right hand into a fist."

She clenched her right fist.

"Extend your index and middle finger from your right hand."

She pointed her two fingers and kept the rest curled.

"Aim at the target and align your fingers with your eyes. But don't make your arm straight—bend it a little, like this."

Celestine lifted her right arm, her bent elbow pointing towards the floor. Stella imitated her and aligned her fingertips with the bullseye. She could already feel the current from the rod flowing into her body through her left hand.

"Now to shoot, just give it a little push."

Celestine straightened her arm, her fingers propelled slightly forward. Stella nodded her head, peered at the target, and mimicked her.

Crack! Her right arm recoiled as a single bolt of electricity jumped from her fingertips and struck the target. A dark grey mark was left at the second innermost ring. Celestine smiled and slightly nodded her head.

"Ben fatto," she said, "now continue until you have hit the center. A bell will ring when you hit it."

Streaks of bright white, tinged with faint purple, continued to flash from Stella's fingers. A little smoke began to rise from her fingertips. Charcoal grey spots left by the bolts were spread around the target. Some spots were inches away from the bullseye; others were as far away as the ninth ring. Stella kept on shooting, her eyes peering at the center. Fifth ring. Seventh ring. Third ring. She sighed, aimed, and tried for the twelfth time.

Ding! The sound of a bell echoed throughout the chamber. A dark spot formed squarely in the middle of the target. "Bravo! Now try with your left hand," Celestine told her. Stella walked a few steps to her left, clutched the rod with her right hand, and began shooting with her other hand. It took her fifteen tries before she struck the bullseye once more.

"Now let's try something else," Celestine said.

She tapped her tablet a few more times. The metal rod sunk into the floor. A metal baton dropped from above a moment later, attached to the ceiling by a thin cord. Eight lines appeared on the floor, each one equidistant from the other, marking certain distances from the target.

"This time, we'll try from different distances," she went on. "Stand on the line closest to the target and fire using your right hand. After hitting the bullseye, try your left hand. After that, go to the next line and repeat."

Stella nodded her head. She outstretched her left arm, grabbed hold of the baton, and marched some steps forward. The target was only five meters away from her. She lifted her right arm, aimed, and fired. Crack! A dark grey spot formed a few centimeters from the center. She tried again. A purplish streak struck the bullseye. Without waiting for her aunt's instruction, she switched hands and continued to shoot. It took her only three tries to hit the bullseye. She turned her back, walked towards the next line, and resumed firing. It took her about twenty minutes to reach the furthest line, and about ten more minutes before she struck the center from both hands. Celestine tapped her tablet again. The lines, baton, and target disappeared. Two chairs materialized near the translucent wall.