His Hand In The Shadows

Chapter 11: Ih Manisupae Mahilat

Ayla backed up and ran deeper into the forest. They ran towards her and Zayd blocked their paths. A gust of wind knocked Zayd back into a tree. His back smashing against the trunk, he fell to the ground. The fire manipulator ran after Ayla. She latched on to the trunk of the tree and climbed up like she had claws. She grabbed on to a branch and ran across it to jump to the other tree. She leapt through the trees to reach the grove where the thicker bark trees grew so not to risk a forest fire in combat.

Her feet landed on a branch and she slipped from the jerk of the axe hacking into the trunk. She grabbed the branch and frog-jumped to another branch. He chased her on foot running through the trails of the forest almost as quickly as she moved through the trees. The earth sank beneath his feet and he leaped over it.

He threw the axe at her and she ducked. Her heart sank as it smashed through a large branch and disappeared into the forest. 'Just like sparring,' she told herself. 'Except no mistakes.' He started to climb after her and she quickened her jumps to get away. He was quick behind her. He grabbed her leg and she kicked him off. Hanging from a limb, she pulled herself up and defended her face from his quick jabs. The limbs of the fire resistant trees were bulkier, easier to keep her balance. But she slipped. A fist landed in her stomach and she ducked down and grabbed the limb. A trashing pain lingered in her stomach and she jumped down from the trees.

Panting, she pulled an earth sword from the ground and took her stance. She batted the fireball down to the dirt with her sword and retook her stance, standing on guard as he walked towards her. His steps were confident. He rotated his gloved fists over each other, forming a swirl of flames. They grew and she grinded her feet into the dirt, eager to stand her ground.

The flames were growing. Larger than her. Larger than him. Was he trying to start a fire? Wild flames came at her. A sword could not stop its destruction. The dirt was her best option. She dropped the sword and drew earth from the ground, it rose like a wall before her. She needed more. She stepped back as the fire grew behind the dirt wall.

The flames decreased until they thinned away. She dropped the dirt and the man fell to the ground with a hole through his shoulder.

"Are you hurt?" Zayd asked her.

She looked around at him, his eyes red and his arm bleeding through his shirt. She ran to him. "No. But you..."

"It's shallow." His voice was breathy when he spoke. "How do you run so brisk through the forest? I could not find you."

Ayla led him along the trail back to the house. "We played in the forests as children."

Trying to keep pace with her, he held her shoulder. "You seem shaken."

"I'm not!"

"Why did you not use your darkness? With its spread, it could counter the flames easily."

Training at Orhem with both magic types, she was slowly becoming more secure in her dark magic, but when faced with real enemies she made a choice. "I'm more confident in my earth."

"With the improvements I have seen in your dark magic, you could have managed. Or do you still have reservations about villagers?"

Ayla continued walking. Dark magic might be acceptable at Orhem but back in Belcrest, it was different.

"When your life is in danger you must play your best hand. Whatever it takes to stay alive."

Whatever it takes? "That's not what you said before?"

"Joining the military is different from self-defense, Ayla."

'So defense is justified? But unjustifiable when defending a country?'