Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 20

"That was delightful!" Eli burped, falling back onto the grass. The others joined, Devon rubbing his stomach.

"Yes, yes it was," Devon sighed in satisfaction. "Abert, Sarah, why do you two not cook more often?"

Albert and Sarah looked at one another and laughed. "Albert can be lazy, and I only have a limited amount of seasoning," explained Sarah. Albert crossed his arms and jokingly glared at her, only making her laugh more. "Am I wrong?"

'Not at all," Charles confirmed. "It is too bad, though. It was delicious."

"It would have been better had I had more to coat the hound with," Sarah offered. "Next time, I will be more prepared."

"Speaking of being prepared," Devon started, "we should probably start training." The others had worried expressions; training right after a meal may not be the best idea. Devon, however, wished to catch up with the others. Putting up a facade, he reasoned, "The sooner we can all grow comfortable with these glyphs, the sooner we can take back Kevras. And the sooner we take back Kevras, the sooner we can enjoy like to the fullest again."

Albert looked at Sarah. It was the dream they had just discussed. Freedom meant a lack of fear of intimacy outing their relationship to Ilkama. Sarah stared back into his eyes, understanding where his mind had gone. "I agree with Devon," Albert said, his gaze shooting back toward the swordsman. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can be free."

Albert stood up, then did Devon. Charles and Eli traded glances but ultimately agreed that training now would be the best course of action. Eli stood up and walked to Charles, offering a hand. The leader gladly accepted it, and Eli pulled him up. Sarah stayed on the floor, saying, "I will watch." The men nodded and walked a little bit away.

"So, how should we train?" Charles asked. "Clearly, the two of you are much more proficient with the glyphs than we," he said, directing it at Eli and Albert.

"Perhaps we could read their notes the way Albert had?" Devon offered.

Albert responded, "That will take too long. It took me hours to read and understand the notes as thoroughly as I did. I would suggest you learn through trial by fire. At least then you would be able to practice."

"I am not well-equipped to teach others," Eli defended. "Maybe it would be beneficial for them to read."

"Nonsense, you will be fine. I will train Charles, and you train Devon."

Devon looked at the martial artist skeptically, then back at the Mienard. He did not have time to argue about training individually. Sighing, he walked up to Eli, saying, "Ready?"

Eli nodded nervously, believing it would be impossible to train the swordsman to satisfaction. But he had to try. "You are already aware of how to use them. You must learn what drawing corresponds to what power," he reasoned in an attempt to reassure himself. "I should adopt a mindset like Ilkama's: treat this as a normal fight, but offer guidance." However, his confidence dwindled when he realized he had already been reading the notes by the time they sparred.

Eli looked at Albert and Charles, who had already started their lesson. Albert was going over how the glyphs work and explaining the difference between his powers and Charles's. Eli looked back at Devon, who awkwardly stood there. "You already know Bursor and Profecti. The next will be Vertila. If an enemy is too far to reach, draw this one. It is shaped like a sharp three," he explained. Unsheathing his sword, he showed Devon the drawing. Eli slashed the green blade toward the Craglands, and a shockwave erupted into the distance. "Now, you try."

Devon looked at his sword and carefully drew the glyph, already having forgotten Eli's tip about rough drawings being fine. When he finished, the sword radiated a green aura. Devon slashed the sword in the same direction, and a wide projectile came out the end too. Excited, he used the power a few more times to ingrain it in his mind. When he was comfortable, he asked, "What is next?"