World Leapers Book I: The Forest

The Training

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At some time, thousands of years before, the long, dark trail that twisted and trailed through the center of the chasm had perhaps been a raging riverbed or was formed by shifting plates of earth, some giant heavenly body falling from the sky or even ancient miners, explorers and adventurers roaming through the valley —but for now, the rough path of loose rock appeared the only route for Tamar, Aria, Enya and Naman to continue towards Castilla.    

Tamar took the lead, followed by Aria and Enya, with Naman trailing behind. They no longer had torches. But the stars and the light of the sister moons still shone down into the chasm enough for them to see the way forward. Forward was indeed their only choice. If they camped at the bottom of the chasm, the scithrin and the shramana would surely find their eventual way down. And it would soon be light. The Hordes were far less likely to reveal their wicked forms once the sun rose, but if they did give chase or remain at the top of the cliff after daybreak, waiting for their prey to reemerge, they would be disappointed to see that the party of four had long disappeared down the chasm.

As her leather boots bit into piles upon piles of dried, dusty rocks, Aria reached over and clutched her sister's hand.  Her fingers were still trembling as the screaming death wail of the horses resounded in her ears and the faces of lost Oreran scouts played over and over again in her mind. Until now, all of their training - the magic of the elements, the tasks assigned to them by Tamar, the formidable morning climbs up the mountain - had all seemed like a fun game. But now the game was real. Now there was blood, fear, and death. The Hordes roaming somewhere above were now silent, but she could still hear their fearsome howls echoing in her head.

As dawn approached, the group worked their way west towards Geweald, scrambling over boulders, jagged rocks and the poorly lit twists and turns through the chasm. Already the sky was beginning to grow lighter and as the first rays of sun shone down into the chasm, Aria could see that the thin trail seemed to stretch for miles beyond them.

Enya squeezed Aria's hand and pointed up at a branch that jutted off the side of the cliff. On the branch was a small bird. A chickadee. The sisters both stopped for a moment and studied it. It seemed different than other birds they had seen. It perched on a branch in a curious manner, staring at them with small beady eyes. Then it hopped around in a circle, faced west, and began to slowly flit back and forth across the walls of the chasm, always staying within their sight, and occasionally glancing back at them.

Aria watched Tamar also study the bird. The great knight seemed quite interested in the movements of the small creature, and to be following it.

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Terran tossed and turned. He knew the sun would rise soon and their training would commence. It felt very much like the first day of school. His forearm muscles were still burning deep from the previous day's work, for after the Royal brunch had ended, the Master had given him and River the task of meticulously cleaning their new sleeping quarters above the Royal Library.

He recited the Master's words in his head.

"...each night, you will clean everything. To clean a floor properly you need a scrubbing brush, rough cloth, hot water, hard soap and large towel. Get down on your knees and scrub with the whole weight of your body. Leave no trace or speck of dirt, gravel or grass. Then wipe the suds away with a wet towel, followed by a dry towel."