“Listen up. Before you can use the shadow’s you're gonna have to learn a small trick first.” The kid doesn't say anything. He just stares at me - dead focused. Ok then.
“Close your eyes and imagine your body. Imagine your blood circulating inside you. Red for blood. Remember that.” Crile nods. “Now imagine a pool of blue in the middle of your body. That's your Mana. The trick is to set your Mana free. Let it flow inside your body like Blood.” He snaps his eyes open. I swipe my palm over them. “Keep 'em shut and listen.” I wait a moment. His face relaxes a bit.
“You need to learn to control your Mana inside your body first. To force it move around you. From here.” I point to his stomach. “To here.” I touch the arm. “To there.” I tap his foot.
“Got it?” He looks at me.
“Sure. Why though?”
“Two reasons. One. This way you can enhance your physical abilities. Your punches will be stronger, your legs will be faster. Your defense will be harder.” I pick his arms up and hold them by his face, the usual guard mode.
“And two?”
“Once you are able to command your Mana inside your body, it will be easier to force it out of you to use the shadows.”
“Wait, what? Force it out of me?”
“Shadows don't have a physical form. This ain't Mage Manipulation where you grab hold of the energy. This is something you need to force your way through.”
“Oh.” Crile looks a bit sad.
“Have you ever done any Magic training before?” A headshake. Oh boy.
“Ok then. We'll start at the basics. Build your body first.”
“Why?”
“The stronger the body, the stronger the Magic. Using the shadows takes a lot out of a person. It won't mean much for you to use them if you pass out inside the Realm.” He stares at me again. I sigh. “Give me your hand. I'll be easier to show you.” He gives me the hand. I pull my own shadow at my feet and slowly let Crile's feet sink into the darkness.
“It's cold?” He says.
“Yes. Because you're barely touching it. If you went under now, it'd be the same as diving into a freezing lake.” His face loses color. I stop and let go. “The Shadow Realm sucks the life out of you.”
“Then...”
“How do I manage you mean? You get used to it. Plus. The faster you go in and out the better. And. Here's your third reason for learning Mana Control - if you can fuse a part of it with your blood - it will keep you protected within the Realm.”
“Could have started with that one.” Crile pouts. I laugh a little.
“Start small and smart. Once you have the basics down - then we'll talk more.”
“Do you use it?”
“Use what?”
“Mana Control? For your body?”
“When in a fight. Sometimes. It's exhausting to use it all the time. Mana isn't endless. The more you use it - the more it drains you. If you're gonna use the shadows - don't use the Control. If you wanna use Control - don't go under. Shadows require delicate control. Mess it up and you're dead.” I see the look on the boy’s face. “What is it?”
“How do I...”
“If you can't finish the question - don't ask it in the first place.”
“How do I learn to control my Mana in a “delicate” way?”
“You don't. That's why you learn to bounce it around from your eyeball to your fingertip. Precision. Fast and accurate. For now - that's all you need to focus on.”
“Ok. Have you ever taught this to someone else?” What the?
“Why you ask?”
A shrug. I sigh.
“Once.”
“And?”
“They nailed it.” Crile pouts again. I smile. “Exercise as much as you can without stopping. Don't pace yourself. Push through as much as you can and rest. As long as you need to. Then repeat. Feel free to clean up here too if you see me slack off.” I start getting comfy in my bed.
“Like you ever slack off...” He mumbles.
“I may or may not not come back on occasion. So keep that in mind. I'll let you know if I'll be gone longer than 3-5days. Should it happen. If I'm gone longer - go to the Palace and ask for Blain. Explain to him who and what you are. He'll think of something. I think.”
“Why does this sound like you're dying?”
I laugh a bit again. “Being prepared ain't a bad thing. Did ya get all that?”
“All that what?” Oh boy.
“Assassins need an above average memory to be able to travel within the shadows. Remember?”
“I need to see the place I'm going to in here?” Crile points to his forehead.
“Yes. To do that you need to memorize places. Like this entire layout, for instance. Attention for detail is crucial. You need to be able to remember things when seeing or hearing them half a second only. So.”
“So if I can't repeat what you just told me, then I need to improve my memory?”
“Like I said - you catch on quick.”
“Thanks.”
“So?”
“Oh. Right. Ah... You might be gone sometimes. You'll let me know. If you don't come back in a week, I should find Blain? In the Palace and tell him that you sent me?”
“Your summary skills are great. Not a bad trait to have. But if I had asked you to describe the kitchen for me you would have failed. Wanna tell me why?”
“Because I would have missed the small details and would have said that there's a table, chairs, a sink. Something like that?”
“Good call.” I look at Crile. “Anyways. You're getting ahead of yourself. First you need Mana Control. Of course, you can develop your memory at the same time too.”
“I gathered...” I detect a hint of resentment there.
“Anything else?”
“No. Night.”
“Night.”
“How is she?”
“For the love of... You startled the life outta me...” Devona pouts. I don't answer. “She's fine. Blain has instructed her to work on her Mana before they can jump in with the real training. I'm helping her with her Meditation. She's the type to learn by doing. She needs to feel it to really understand it.” Meditation! I knew I forgot something...
Devona giggles to herself a bit.
“What is it?”
“This sitting-still-to-focus thing is driving her crazy. She needs to learn how to restore her Mana quickly for her to practice shifting, otherwise she'd just spend days a sleep in one form or the other. She knows that, but she just can't... It's so boring to her. She pouts the entire time and we only do it for ten minutes three times a day. Just to get her started with it, you know? I figured if we can do it before she goes to bed, maybe she'd get the hang of it in her sleep? But it's a slow process with her...”
“Least she's devoted to it.”
“That she is.” Devona smiles, looking out the window. Zarri has started her physical training too. Apparently shifting is hard on the body, so she needs to get stronger and increase her stamina. She looks so determined.
“Ira?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.” Did I miss something? Somehow I get the feeling I don't need to answer that. I just slip away into the shadows again.
“Zarri? What are those?”
“What is what?” She hides her arms from me. Her face looks a bit puffy too? She didn't have training today?
“Treasure. Look at me, please.” My daughter hesitates. “Did something happen?”
“No!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I sigh. “Why do I get the feeling you are lying to me?” She flinches. “Zarri...” She looks at me.
“I... I...”
“I won't get mad, so please tell me.” I smile at her as I sit down and wait her to come to me. She keeps her distance, but sits down too. I wait.
“I fought somebody today!” She blurs the whole thing out, with eyes shut tight. It takes me a minute to register...
“Fought who?”
“Some bad boys... They were picking on this girl and I...”
“Treasure, where was this? Why didn't you tell me?”
“It... It wasn't in the Palace...” HUH! “I... went outside...” She says and I jump up.
“ALONE! BY YOURSELF!” A single nod. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN HURT! OR WORSE!” I crash back on my knees. “Zarri!!!”
“I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I SHIFTED AND I WANTED TO PLAY AND I... Then I heard the voices and I followed them and... I scratched them... And they left but... I was tired... I feel asleep. When I woke up my face was puffy and... I'M SORRY!” She falls over into my lap...
“Treasure...” I can't even get mad anymore... I stroke her back... “Well? Who was this girl? Is she ok now?”
“Mh. She waited for me to wake up.”
“My, what a nice child. She have a name?”
“Mh. Ammi. Well. Amana, but I like Ammi.” Ama...na? I heard that name before? “Know what? She also has horns! She looks like a stuck Druid with them! Though her face is a bit different from ours...” Horns? OH! AMANA! Wait.
“A "stuck Druid"? I look at my silly child again. “Do you mean the Half-form?”
“Yeah! Yeah! That!”
I giggle. “I see. Well, I hope you two can be good friends from now on.” I'll ask someone to get Sharden and Ella here, it be great if Zarri could have a friend.
“Mh! I'd like that!” She nods. I place my hand on the side of her smiling face and cast a few quick spells. The light blue shimmer shines through my fingers. She's so easy to entertain. Her eyes reflect the shine and her amazement.
“There. That should help. Time for bed now, ok?”
“'kaay!” She quickly rummages onto the bed. I throw Emerald a quick glare. How dare you... I climb into bed, next to my child.
“So, which story is it tonight?” I missed out on story time for a few years, she's probably old enough to fall asleep without it, but...
“The Falling Star one!”
“Alright.” We cuddle up and I tell her the same story again. I speak slow and quiet. Zarri drifts away half way through it. I unclasp the chain and carefully slip the Stone off her.
“Wanna tell me what in the world possessed you to let her out alone?”
“She's a bird in a cage. All she wants is a bit of freedom. If I had tagged along with her, everyone would have treated her like she's made of glass. I stand out too much, in case you missed it.” Emerald whips her tail to me.
“She could have gotten hurt!!”
“She has her cat skin. She can run away if anything.”
“That's NOT WHAT YOU PROMISED ME!” I clench the Stone. Emerald's silhouette jumps up silently in the dim light.
“I PROMISED TO KEEP HER ALIVE AND THAT'S WHAT I SHALL DO! ALL SHE HAS TO DO IS CALL FOR ME! I'LL BE THERE IN A HEART BEAT!” She roars inside my mind. Such power... Her stance tells me she's ready to kill. Her glare burns through the bed screen and my soul...
“Ma..Make sure that you do, then! Or else.”
She lays back down. I put the Stone back on Zarri and hold her to me... I'm too afraid to lose you, my Treasure...
“Here. This is how you do it.” I take the weapon from the kid. “Under and in.” I slip my hand into the hole and flip it, crossing the rope on the wrist. “That's the fastest way. Safest too. You have more control whether to loosen or tighten it.” I slip the rope around a bit. “So you can either extend your reach;” I point to the other end of the stick where the other noose is; “Or slip away easily if caught. Without getting your arm ripped off. Go it?”
“How do you know this is the fastest way? Maybe I can do it better? “He wants to believe me, but fights against it. Dumb teenage pride… I sigh.
“The things I show you are a product of my long training alone. This - is what I came with as the way that gives best results. For you it's more of a baseline. Your starting point. You're welcome to try anything else you feel like. If you can manage to find a better, faster way to get the job done - be my guest. Till that happens - you use my methods. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Any other questions?”
“Why would I ever want to fight with this hand trap?” He twirls the double-ended catcher. The stick is hollow inside, so it breaks rather easily. There's a rope running through it, with a noose at each end.
“Technically you wouldn't use this in a fight against people. Normally it's used to catch and tame beasts.”
“Druids?”
“Those too.” I nod. “You use one end to catch the beast and you pull on the other end to secure it.
"If the Druid shifts back, that kinda makes it pointless?"
"Not if you pull fast. But if they change from human to beast then - let go." The kid nods. I continue. "Now. Because you're small. For now.” I add quickly to the sparkling glare. “This is a good weapon for you to have on hand, if you can master it. It gives you an advantage when fighting bigger, taller opponents. Plus.” I pull on the middle of the stick - it collapses into five equal parts.
“Wow. I didn't know it did that.”
“As I was saying - it gives you a longer reach and it lets you to keep your distance.”
“Offense and defense in one.” The kid nods.
“Exactly. Another thing.”
“What?” Crile looks up at me.
“The more versatile you are in your skill set - the better chances you have in surviving.” The look changes in his eyes.
“How will I know I'm good enough with it?”
“When you'll be able to do this.” I quickly spin the stick, letting the pieces fall back into place, hook a tree branch and pull. It snaps and falls to me. I catch it with the other hand.
“Let me know if you have questions.” I give the Catcher back to the kid. “Once you get this down you can practice knife throwing in the woods behind the training grounds. Somebody there might give you tips and tricks too.”
“'kay.”
I stop by Zarri's room at the end of the day.
“Well now.” I find her and a Cornutese girl sitting in the middle of the pillow pond, right in the center of the room. Ever since Emerald started staying in her room, she has been adding more and more pillows there.
“Ira!” Zarri runs over to me.
“Hey.” I pat her head. “Who's your friend?” The girl stands up and curtsies for me. Cute.
“Amana Starlight, sir.” Amana?
“You've grown into a pretty little lady, Amana.” She stares at me. “I know your parents.” I smile. Starlight? That's not very Cornutese-like... Anyways. “Well. Since you seem to have company, I'll get going.”
“Nooooo!” Zarri tugs on my arm. “Play with us!!” Emerald lets out a growl.
Hmm. I look at Amana. “What were you doing just now?”
“Practicing Meditation, sir.”
“Ira. Just Ira. It's ok.”
The girl nods shyly.
“Playing, were you?” Zarri looks away from me.
“We can now?”
“Don't play stupid. You wanna be a Beast, don't you?”
“Ye'...”
“Then keep practicing. Or Blain will get tired of waiting.”
“But I'm better at it! I can shift and stay awake now!”
“How long does that last again?”
Zarri blushes and murmurs.
“What was that?”
“A bit more than an hour...” She mumbles.
“Riiight. Yeah, tell ya what.” I crouch by her. “You kick it up to three hours and then we'll get you a present for your hard work.”
“I don't want a present!”
“Even if it will be me playing with you?”
“I'll do my best!” She bows to me. I can't with her. I pat her hair a little.
“Alright. It's nice to meet you again, Amana. Thanks for being friends with Zarri.” I get up. “I'll see ya.” The girl nods to me and I leave.
“Byeeee!” Zarri waves to me in the doorway.
Amana has become a part-timer at the Palace. She refused to live here, but she does spend most of her time here, playing and studying together with Zarri. It's been difficult for Zarri to make friends, since nobody at the Palace feels free enough around her to let their kids play with her. Ever. Guess that's the drawback of having everyone working for you... With someone like Amana around she feels more at ease since they both are different. I'm happy to see Zarri enjoy herself. We made a deal with Sharden and Ella - if they let Amana be friends with Zarri, we'll proved her with education and training free of charge. Devona was too overwhelmed to see her little girl so happy. I didn't object it. Who knows. Perhaps one day Amana could help bridge a better friendship between Noxanda and Cornutora. Least I'd like to hope for it... She’s also been a good influence on Zarri. She’s been more focused on her boring studies. As a result of that, she’s able to shift a few times in a row. Her natural instincts are exciting and terrifying…
“Another long day?” Crile asks me as I close the door.
“What gave me away?”
“Your stance. You're ready to keel over.” He serves me a bowl. I try a bite.
“It's good. You improved.” I ruff his hair a little.
“Knock it off!” He waves my hand off with the ladle. “You know I hate that...”
“Then why are you blushing?”
“I am NOT!” He snaps at my back. I giggle silently and sit down. The kid joins me at the table. We sip the soup in silence.
“Something happen today?”
“Why?” He quickly snaps out of it.
“You're face gives you away. You may be sitting here, having dinner, but your mind is elsewhere. You're remembering something. Something nice, by the likes of things.”
“Hate it when you do that.” He mumbles.
“So?”
Crile hesitates. “I made some friends...” I stop mid bite and lower the spoon back into the bowl.
“How did that happen?”
“What does that supposed to mean!”
Ah damn. “Where and how you meet them. Spike down, already.”
“I was in the woods practicing and we met there.”
“The woods ain’t exactly a playground for kids?” He gives me a stupid shrug. He's hiding something.
“Listen, if there's something you don't wanna tell me - don't. It's fine. Just make sure it doesn't bite you on the ass later.”
A nod.
“So? Who are your new friends?”
“Two girls.” He mumbles. I wait.
“Is that all I'm getting?”
Another nod.
“You did ask them their names, at least? Didn't you?”
“Of course, I did! I ain’t stupid! I’m just not telling you now!!” He grabs his bowl, gulps it down and gets up to wash it. The brat…
“Thanks for dinner.” He mutters. You made it, dummy...
“Treat 'em well. Lucky bastard.” I ruff his hair up again, setting my bowl into the sink. “Thank you for dinner.”