The young impish woman opened the door to the Sakovan leader’s office and marched to the desk, her long golden hair swaying about her waist as she walked. “We found him wandering aimlessly around the Sakova,” MoonFlow reported.
“Have you verified his identity?” RavenWing asked as he peered out the open door at the young man waiting in the corridor.
“He knows his father’s Sakovan name and bears his father’s ring,” MoonFlow responded. “I am afraid we have little information on Mekin in our files. He is around the right age and his physical description matches what is in the files. Is there some concern that he might be a spy?”
“There is always concern,” sighed RavenWing. “Send him in and I will speak with him. You should remain and see if you detect anything out of place.”
MoonFlow called to Mekin and the young man entered the office. His eyes darted left and right absorbing every detail of the office as he entered and came to a stop before RavenWing’s desk. He smiled at the white-haired old man and extended his hand in greeting.
“Thank you for saving me,” Mekin greeted. “I was beginning to wonder if I would travel the Sakova forever in search of you.”
RavenWing grasped the young man’s hand and held it firmly as if measuring the depth of the man behind it. “Tell me what happened to your father,” he ordered.
“It was fairly sudden,” Mekin explained. “The night before he was taken, he gave me his ring with instructions to come here if anything happened to him. He must have known they were on to him. He refused to elaborate further when I pressed him for an explanation of what was happening and why I should come here. My father never told me of the Sakovans before that night. I had no idea that I was Sakovan. You can imagine how confused I was by his abrupt disclosure. All he would tell me was that his name was GoldenEar and that I must come here. The next morning he was arrested while leaving the house. I hid in the rafters when I heard the noise and the guards that searched the house did not notice me.”
“What did you do then?” RavenWing asked as he released the young man’s hand and indicated that he should sit.
“At first I refused to believe that they would hold him,” frowned Mekin. “I remained hidden for a few days. At night I would sneak out and try to learn of his fate. Finally I heard that he was executed as a Sakovan spy. I could not believe my ears. I am afraid that I became hysterical for a while and lost track of time, still refusing to believe that he was gone and I was alone in the world.”
Mekin’s eyes dropped to the floor between his feet and he stopped talking. RavenWing walked around the desk and sat behind it. “Continue,” he prompted. “It is important that we know what happened to him.”
“There is nothing more I can tell you about him,” sniffed Mekin. “They issued a bulletin for my arrest and I knew that I had to flee. I had traveled extensively with my father and I knew most of the roads and trails out of the city so I set about escaping Okata. I managed to elude the patrols looking for me and made it to the Sakova, but I had no idea of what to do once I entered. I fear I might have died out there if your people had not found me.”
“Are you saying that you had no inkling that your father was a Sakovan spy?” RavenWing inquired.
“None,” Mekin shook his head. “I still find it hard to believe, but here I am so I guess it is true.”
RavenWing breathed a slight sigh of relief that GoldenEar had been so closemouthed. “What skills do you have?” he queried. “Can you cast magic? Handle a sword?”
“I am a merchant’s son,” replied Mekin. “I know how to trade and measure and negotiate a good deal. I have never known magic and my skill with a sword is minimal. I would never have been able to resist the Imperial Guard if they had found me. Only my knowledge of their patrols allowed me to get this far.”
RavenWing nodded noting the relatively unused condition of the young man’s short sword. He did not feel comfortable with unexpected visitors to the Sakova, but he had an obligation to care for all Sakovans and Mekin was alone after the death of his father. The young man certainly did not appear to be a threat to their security as long as he remained in StarCity, and remain he would until RavenWing was convinced that he was genuine.
“Very well,” RavenWing stated. “We share your loss of GoldenEar. You are alone no longer. We will take care of you. First we must get you situated in quarters and then we must see that you learn some skills to defend yourself. Please wait in the corridor while I speak with MoonFlow.”
The young man smiled and nodded as he left the room. “These are indeed strange times,” RavenWing sighed after Mekin’s departure. “Put him near the other outlanders,” he ordered. “Perhaps the comfort of people who share his culture will aid the healing process. Have him start sword practice with the two Omungan boys. They will be closer to his skill level.”
“It shall be done,” MoonFlow replied. “Perhaps when StarWind returns she can review his case. She has a much better knack at seeing the truth behind words.”
“Yes,” frowned RavenWing. “I am not sure why, but I am still uncomfortable about this visit, although he does not appear to be able to fight his way out of a closet. His hands are weak and have never seen a hard day’s work. Learning to use a sword will raise blisters on those tender hands. Perhaps I am just too skeptical these days.”
“It never hurts to be safe,” smiled MoonFlow. “I will see that he gets settled in.”
MoonFlow left the office and took Mekin to his room. He deposited his meager belongings and she took him down to the practice yard and introduced him to Syman, Antello, and the rest of the students assembled there. Mekin smiled and waved as MoonFlow left the yard.
***
Lyra felt the energy flare along her arm as her fingers sparkled with lightning. She remembered to adjust the spell for her magic ring and watched in amazement as the fireball grew in her hand. When it had reached the energy level she wanted, she tossed the flaming orb towards the lake. The fireball screamed through the air, trailing sparks and wisps of smoke before plunging into the calm water.
“Excellent,” pronounced LifeTender. “You have such power for one so young. You should remove the ring and see what real power you have.”
“No,” smiled Lyra. “I must learn to cast with it on. My concentration still wavers slightly when I remember what the ring did to my first attempt at casting fireballs. I must rid myself of those thoughts and wearing the ring will help.”
“As you wish,” conceded LifeTender. “We should concentrate on healing spells now. They are my specialty and you do not seem to be having any problems with the fireball. Your father taught you well on the fundamentals of the gentler magics and I think it will not be long before you surpass me in the healing arts.”
“You are too generous with your praise,” laughed Lyra. “My father taught me the basics of control and concentration. Most of the spells he taught me have no practical use.”
“Not true,” protested LifeTender. “I think he taught the spells but left the student to discover the application for them. Do you remember telling me about the calming spell you used on your friends during the attack?”
“Sure,” Lyra replied. “I was disturbed to find that they passed out from it.”
“That is because he taught you to use it for calming a patient,” instructed LifeTender. “The same spell can immobilize a sentry or guard and you do not need to have skin contact for it to work. The reason that Syman and Antello passed out is because you used more energy than you should have for the effect you wanted. You were distracted by the attack and did not concentrate on the spell. If you remember how your father taught that spell, I am sure you will recall that he said to cast it soothingly. Perhaps he told you to transfer the calmness of yourself into the patient?”
“Something similar to that,” Lyra agreed. “He stressed the smoothness of the touch and the need for concentration on the gentle flow of energy.”
“Exactly,” shined LifeTender. “Imagine utilizing the same spell in a confrontational setting.
LifeTender tossed her brown hair to one side and pointed to a clova not far off. “See that clova?” she asked. “Imagine that it is possessed with an evil spirit and that it intends to charge us and eat us.”
“A clova is going to eat us?” laughed Lyra. “Not unless we turn into grass.”
“Okay,” chuckled the small Sakovan healer. “Pretend that it is a rabid wolf then. I want you to calm the animal, but do not approach it. Visualize that your touch can reach it from where you stand and instead of trying to calm it, try to paralyze it.”
Lyra shook her head but followed the healer’s instructions. She easily visualized the extension of her arm and smiled when she could almost feel herself touching the clova. She cast the spell and nothing happened. Frowning she tried again and the clova bleated.
“Are you touching it?” asked LifeTender.
“Yes, yes,” answered Lyra. “I can almost feel it. Amazing. The spell, however, appears to have no effect on the animal.”
“You are casting the spell at a distance,” LifeTender stated. “You must supply more energy into the spell for it to work at such a distance. Try harder.”
Lyra nodded as she forced more energy into the spell. She could almost feel the wool rise to meet her hand as she cast the spell again. The clova bleated and rolled its head slightly.
“Harder,” prompted LifeTender. “You are being too gently with it.”
Lyra frowned as she concentrated on increasing the flow towards the animal. “I can’t get anymore into it,” she complained. “I guess I do not have the power.”
“Its teeth are sharp and pointed,” suggested LifeTender. “It is drooling foam.”
Lyra continued to struggle with the spell, her brow knitted in concentration and her teeth gritted.
“It’s attacking!” screamed LifeTender. “It is going to kill us.”
Lyra’s eyes opened wide as the energy flow shot through her arm. The clova bleated once and fell over and lay still in the grass.”
“Congratulations,” chuckled LifeTender.
Lyra shook her head in wonderment. “How?” she mumbled. “What happened?”
“You were clinging to your father’s teachings,” LifeTender declared. “You still believed that the spell could only calm. That knowledge was acting as a block to your energy. I waited until you were deep in concentration on increasing the energy flow and then tricked you. As long as you saw only a clova, you could not think of harming it, but when your distracted mind registered a threat, the block broke and your power flowed forth.”
“Is it hurt?” Lyra asked as they started to walk over to the still animal.
“No,” smiled LifeTender. “You have put it to sleep as surely as if you struck it over the head with a club, but you caused no pain to it. It sleeps peacefully.”
Lyra knelt and ran her hand gently along the wooly creature. She smiled as she felt it breathing. “You are a wonderful teacher,” she declared. “I could never have accomplished this from just reading.”
“Don’t be too sure of that,” LifeTender replied. “You have such power, the likes of which I have never seen. I think you just need to unlearn some things. You are filled with blocks, some your father instilled in you and some you have created on your own. Just about every spell you have shown me that you know has some offensive use in addition to the uses taught by Master Malafar.”
“But how do I learn the offensive uses for them?” quizzed Lyra.
“You have lived your life in a sheltered environment,” cautioned LifeTender. “You are a Sakovan now and you need to start thinking like one. Danger is always present for us. At any moment, we may be attacked or threatened. You must learn to live with a small fear always residing within you. When you have instilled that fear, you will look at each spell in a new light. You will realize that there are no passive spells. Every spell is a potential weapon. In the meantime, I will instruct you on new uses for the spells you already possess and teach you new ones as well.”
Lyra nodded and thought about how she had subdued the clova. There were wolves in her life now, she conceded, and some of them would undoubtedly appear in clova’s clothing. LifeTender was right. Lyra needed a different mindset now that she had found her home with the Sakovans.
“Do you have time for another session after the evening meal?” Lyra asked. “I do not want to take up all of your time, but I am anxious to learn as quickly as I can.”
“Certainly,” smiled LifeTender. “I am just as anxious as you are. I think your powers are extraordinary and I cannot wait to see what you are capable of. We will continue right after the evening meal.”
Lyra smiled and headed back to her room. She ran the entire way, exhilaration coursing through her, which she had never experienced with Master Malafar’s lessons. As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw Antello, Syman and a new person.
“Here’s Lyra now,” announced Antello. “Lyra, this is Mekin. He is just in from the capital, Okata. His father was a Sakovan spy.”
Lyra panted from her exertions, but took his offered hand with her own. “Welcome, Mekin,” she managed to get out.
“Greetings, Lyra,” Mekin smiled. “Sakova is starting to look better already. Syman and Antello have been showing me around. I just arrived this morning.”
“Well, you will certainly find it different from life in the city,” Lyra responded after catching her breath. “Does your father work for StarWind?”
“His father just died,” Syman interjected. “He was captured by the Imperial Guard.”
“I am sorry,” sympathized Lyra. “I didn’t know.”
“I prefer not to talk about it,” offered Mekin. “Antello says you are a mage. I have never met one up close before. Is it hard to learn?”
“It is difficult,” Lyra answered, “but I enjoy it. I am afraid that I do not know much yet, but I am hoping to learn.”
“I understand that this place is filled with magic,” Mekin said. “How does that magic portal work getting in here anyway?”
Lyra frowned at his question. Mekin wore the ring as she did. Even if he was not a mage, he should know an illusion when he saw one and not confuse it with some magic portal. “I don’t know,” she finally responded. “I want to get changed before the evening meal. Why don’t the three of you go on ahead and I will join you down there?”
“Not a bad idea,” Antello remarked. “I’m famished.”
“You are always hungry,” she heard Syman retort as they started down the stairs.
Lyra entered her room and bathed before changing her clothes. By the time she reached the dining hall, it was packed. Antello waved her over and Mekin slid along the bench to make room for her.
“That tunic looks good on you,” complimented Mekin as she sat down next to him. “Would you care to show me around the city after the meal?”
“Thank you,” Lyra responded. “I am afraid that I cannot tonight. I have to return to my magic lessons right after the meal.”
“That sounds exciting,” offered Mekin. “Perhaps I could come and watch you learn?”
“They do not allow spectators in the training area,” Lyra smiled. “Thanks for the offer though. Perhaps if you had some magical talent, you would be allowed to come. Have you ever been tested?”
“No,” Mekin replied. “I mean yes.” Smiling broadly he tried to explain. “I meant that I have been tested, but I have no capability. I guess I will just have to wait until you return from your lesson. Maybe we can go for a walk afterwards?”
“If it is not too late,” agreed Lyra. “This is my first evening lesson so I am not sure how long it will last.”
“So you really are just starting out?” quizzed Mekin. “Antello said you were already an accomplished mage.”
“Hardly,” Lyra laughed. “Antello does not know magic, so anyone who can recite the words of a spell is a Master to him. If anything, I am learning how little I know.”
Lyra finished the last of her food and stood. “I am sorry, but I must run. I will see you later.”
Lyra dashed out of the dining room to the mage practice area. LifeTender was off to one side fastening a large block of wood in a stone groove. Lyra helped her with the supports that braced the wood upright.
“You ate quickly,” noted LifeTender. “Tonight we are going to teach you the Force Bolt spell. It is similar to the fireball in some respects, but without the attention-grabbing flames. The force bolt is merely a column of pressure. You direct it more than throw it, but the principle is the same. You are familiar with the Move Object spell, correct?”
“Yes,” Lyra replied eagerly. “It is used to move small objects without touching them.”
“Right,” stated LifeTender. “The force bolt spell is a derivative of it, but with many times the power. You must gather the power within you, as you do with the fireball. Let it build, but instead of it building within your fingertips, let the power accumulate in your forearm. Let’s move back from the wood for this. The wood is your target.”
LifeTender led Lyra quite a ways back from the wood and took hold of her arm. She forced Lyra’s fingers to tighten into a fist and held her arm perpendicular to her body.
“You must remove the ring for this spell, Lyra,” she instructed. “The force bolt will definitely be affected by the magic of the ring.”
“The ring stays,” argued Lyra. “I must learn control with it on.”
“Lyra,” reasoned LifeTender, “the force bolt can dislocate your shoulder, or worse, if the ring interferes. It is a tremendous amount of power and if it is not all directed properly, the power feeds backward into your body. I do not wish to harm you during your training. Perhaps we should try a different spell.”
“No,” Lyra said quickly. “What if I use my other hand?”
“Your other hand?” queried LifeTender. “I have never seen a mage use either hand to cast a spell.”
“Well, why not?” asked Lyra. “We have two hands. I don’t see any reason why it should matter.”
“Perhaps it shouldn’t,” LifeTender responded with a puzzled look. “I would think that your concentration would not permit it though. I mean, it is like writing. I cannot write with my left hand. Those I know who can write left-handed, cannot write with their right hand. Why not put the ring on your left hand?”
“I can write with either hand,” Lyra assured her teacher. “Certainly not as well as with my right hand, but it should be good enough to learn the spell.”
“You need to abandon this obsession with the ring, Lyra,” cautioned LifeTender. “We will try it, but I am not happy with this deviation from training.”
Lyra nodded and followed LifeTender’s instructions for positioning her left arm and hand. She listened to the proper procedures for summoning and gathering the energy and had LifeTender repeat the release methodology several times.
“I think I have it,” Lyra finally said.
“Okay,” LifeTender instructed. “We will go slowly at first. The block of wood is your target. Aim for the very center, but do not release the spell yet. First I want to see you gather it properly.”
Lyra drew on her inner energies, gathering them and directing them to her left forearm. Her arm grew rigid and bulged slightly as her skin rippled in tiny waves flowing towards her closed fist.
“Excellent,” cheered LifeTender. “Casting with your left hand will produce a weaker spell so do not feel poorly if it does not reach the wood. It may not even get past your fist, but that doesn’t matter. The important thing is your understanding of the casting and release. Let’s try it.”
Lyra concentrated on the wood block and willed the energy free. Her eyes opened wide at the feeling of the energy screaming into her fist. She directed the energy towards the wood and watched as the air rippled before her, gathering into a comet of power, which streaked away as quickly as it had formed. She saw the wood block as if looking through the water of a shallow pond, the image distorted by gentle waves, the comet creating a tunnel of clarity. The force bolt struck the wood block and a thunderous crack resounded across the yard.
“By the Giver of the Star!” exclaimed LifeTender as she ran towards the block.
Lyra ran after her and stopped alongside her. The block before the two of them had a fist-sized hole clear through it.
“You were supposed to try knocking it down,” LifeTender stated. “Look at this. You’ve blown a hole clear through it. That wood is thicker than my leg. Lyra, I have never seen power like that. I don’t know if I can teach someone with that much power.”
Lyra looked at the tunnel through the thick block of wood with wonderment. “Nonsense, LifeTender,” she murmured. “You are obviously teaching me well if I can do this. The destructive force awes me though. Did I do something wrong or is this an acceptable outcome?”
“Oh you did nothing wrong,” assured LifeTender. “The force bolt is supposed to be a comet of power which strikes the object with force. You have done exactly that. It is just that I have never seen one so strong. And you used your left hand. That much power frightens me.”
“Can I use less power and still do the same thing?” Lyra asked.
“If you mean strike the target with force,” LifeTender answered, “then the answer is yes. You will not do the same amount of damage of course. Your control was fine. You hit the target in the center where I asked you to. Lessen the force and you lessen the destruction. The bolt will still travel true.”
“Let’s try some more,” Lyra suggested. “I will use less power this time.”
LifeTender joined Lyra away from the target. Lyra tried various levels of power with the spell and LifeTender was satisfied with Lyra’s knowledge of the spell and her control. After two hours, LifeTender called the lessons to a halt and Lyra returned to the palace. Mekin was waiting outside for her.
“I trust your practice went well?” questioned Mekin.
“Yes,” Lyra replied distractedly. “I may actually learn something here in StarCity.”
“How about that walk?” smiled Mekin. “You were going to show me the city. Perhaps we can visit one of the wonderful gardens I have heard so much about.”
“Sure,” Lyra responded, her mind still pondering the force of her practice spells. She snapped out of her musings and saw Mekin staring at her. “Sorry,” she said. “My mind was elsewhere. Yes, let’s go for a walk and I will show you what I can.”