The Light of Roria

Chapter Twenty One

It was exactly one week since we'd arrived at John's. In that time, and with a great deal of meditation, I was able to pick up a knowledge of basic swordsmanship.

The more I practiced and trusted divinity to use my gifts, the more my mind seemed to retain every block, blow, correct footing, and movement to help me succeed. I even improved in speed and accuracy.

The only problem was my body's response to the hours of training. I was beginning to see that as much as I'd spent a great deal of time exercising my mind through hours of reading, it had done nothing for physical strength, leaving me easily tired and frequently applying menthol to my aching muscles.

Jake was improving at a much faster rate than me. It was amazing to watch his impeccable technique, which was on its way to even match that of Elijah's. He was also in a lot better shape than I was, probably due to the heavy equipment he frequently fixed and carried as well as the labor of farm work (backbreaking work, I might add!).

After that first week, I feared Jake would leave, but instead he chose to call his parents and his job and explain that during his fishing trip, he'd caught pink eye and stomach flu. This, he believed, would give him another week to prepare for protecting his family.

As for Staci, things hadn't changed. Despite her growing strength at maneuvering the blade, she hadn't managed to use divinity. No matter how often John explained that she was not going to wield it until she accepted full surrender to it, Staci could not seem to make it happen. It was all I could do to hope she'd soon find the divinity within and become whom she was always meant to be.

I was comfortably on my bed after a much-needed shower (I was usually pretty sweaty after hours of training) and reading more of my real mother's journal.

My attention was then abruptly turned to Aasim, who neighed so loudly that I could easily sense his immediate state of peril and cry for our attention. I leaped from my bed and ran toward the backyard.

It was the first time I saw fury light in action. The man I had defeated in the elevator was standing at the opposite side of the fence. His black sword continued to jab into our wall of protection. With each blow, the barrier glowed a vibrant white and gold, the color crackling and expanding in ripples until it made its way across the entire yard.

"Aasim!" I cried in fear, ripping open the back door. If there was any chance that this madman could break through, I didn't want Aasim getting injured. I just couldn't let that happen.

John and Elijah were close behind me; their speed outpaced my own, quickly managing to reach my side. Aasim's wings expanded as he stood firmly in front of me. It had been my very intention to protect him but his unflinching voice in my mind explained we would always protect each other.

The man's violent swings continued, but the fury light did not break. As I let divinity take hold of me in full force, my pixie dust formed a golden sword and shield.

"None of you can falter, not in the least," John called out.

Jake finally took the side to my left. I realized he'd made his way to the basement, retrieving the blade he'd been favoring.

"If any of us loses faith, that barrier will not hold." John told us all. "It is not fear but doubt that cannot affect your mind."

With continued effort to bring our shield down, the two elves appeared along with a being I'd yet to see. It was a centaur, who wore heavy armor and had many red markings across his face and muscular arms that looked like tattoos. His bottom half was that of a horse; the fur the color of oak.