Once they reached the top of the stairs, the Innkeeper led Dmitri down a corridor to a door at the end; he opened the door and showed Dmitri in. The room was a decent size for an inn as remote as this one. The bed was a sturdy affair and there was a wash basin and stand in the corner.

"Here is your room. I've sent Ivan, the stable boy, to tell the priest you're coming, and he should be back soon. Let me know if you need anything." said the Innkeeper and turned to leave.

"Wait," said Dmitri. "Once Ivan returns, Antonio will more than likely be done and will need to be shown up here."

"Oh, of course my Lord, of course," said the Innkeeper bowing and turning to leave once more.

"Oh and one more thing," the Innkeeper turned back to Dmitri again, who threw him a coin, "For standing up for me down there. While I could have defended myself, it is better coming from someone they know. We don't need people making a darker time of things then they already are."

The Innkeeper caught the coin, startled. He bowed once more and exited the room, leaving Dmitri to himself.

Removing his cloak, Dmitri began to sort out his gear and it wasn’t long before Antonio arrived in the room. “Welcome back,” said Dmitri.

“Thank you,” Antonio said, and then continued. “I found that man I ran into and apologised, he was in the tap room.”

Dmitri smiled; it seemed that he was getting through to the boy after all. “Well done Antonio, I’m proud of you. I didn’t want to have to ask you to do it; a forced apology is worth nothing. Did you learn much from Ivan?”

“I did actually,” Antonio said, surprising himself. “We had horse handlers at home and they would do everything. I see what you mean about needing to be at the same level as everything else, you see more. So what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry, I will try to be a better student and a better person.”

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“Thank you,” said Dmitri with a smile. “That is all I can ask, that you try. Exarch training is difficult. It will be many years before you’re at my level. You’ve only learnt two of the four elements, and you’ve only just learnt water correct?”

“Yes, a few months ago,” replied Antonio.

“Now I probably shouldn’t be teaching you complexities like this so soon,” started Dmitri, “but from what I saw on that farmer, you’re going to need a purifying shield. It will stop diseases from affecting you. To do this, you need to use both air and water elements at once. You’ve used more than one at a time haven’t you?”

Antonio shook his head, somewhat in awe of the fact that he was going to be learning to use more than one element at once. When they returned, he’d be the envy of the other apprentices!

“Ok, follow me as I do it, first, draw the glyph for air and visualise a big ball of it around you.” Dmitri followed his own words and traced the glyph for air, a breath of wind, into the air in front of him. The air around him seemed to shimmer as a shield came into being around him, close to his skin like a second set of clothes.

Antonio followed suit and drew the glyph for air as well. Dmitri saw the air shimmer around Antonio and he reached out to see if he could reach Antonio’s cloak, his hand hit a solid patch of air.

“Good good, well done,” praised Dmitri. “The next bit is trickier. You effectively duplicate that shield of air and put water between them. It is a two-step process, but you only need to draw the glyph for water, you use the air you already have. Watch me do it.” The air around Dmitri thickened and he traced the glyph for water in the air, two concentric circles. The air around him shimmered again and seemed to thicken substantially. “You see how I did it?” Dmitri asked now that he was finished.

Antonio nodded and concentrated; the air around him thickened like it had around Dmitri. He traced the glyph in the air and the air around him began to thicken. Suddenly, the ‘inner wall’ of his shield was no longer there! His shield began to fill with water instead; his boots began to get wet.

“Quickly,” instructed Dmitri, “release the magic!”

Antonio took no time to let go of the magic, water splashed all over the floor; he looked miserable. Dmitri clapped him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry Antonio, it can happen to the best of us. Just wait until you’re in a group learning fire. That’s an interesting day for sure. Did you want to stay here and practice or come with me to see the priest?”

“I might practice a bit more if I may, if Ivan is showing you to the church, I’ll seek him out later to show me the way,” replied Antonio with a look of concentration on his face.

“Alright, that’s fine. I’ll let him know so he can expect you. Try not to get too much water everywhere,” he finished with a grin.