Gale's Storm

CHAPTER 19

Lillian didn't know how she was able to keep battle training for so long. Rock was tired after the first few sparring sessions and she felt like she could go on for days on end. The three of them had stayed on the empty beach, the sand becoming glass more and more as Gale practiced her fire magic.

Lillian had sparred her once, on the third day after James had left. She was brutally good in battle, with and without magic. Lillian knew her hair was singed slightly at the ends from her accidental sparks that flew when she striked. She was surprised Gale's hair wasn't completely burned off by now.

The group decided they would leave tomorrow morning, to find River Colony and hope they can get some more help. Gale was very confident that they would join, she never explained why but Lillian had to guess it was something to do with Anthony.

The morning before the day they left Lillian woke to find Rock staring out at the ocean again. She often found him like that, as he was always an early riser. She strode to where he was and sat down next to him. The last time she had done this she was deep in thought about what to do.

She had liked Rock as a friend, but she didn't know if it was only as a friend now. The two of them stayed silent, and Lillian was trying to keep her heart from racing. This feeling was unfamiliar, one that she couldn't describe in words. It felt like a fear she would face and a fear she would go to for comfort from that same fear, only to get trapped in that same fear, the lovely fear.

Lillian took a deep breath in and sighed deeply out. She didn't know what to do. The first time they were here, she had held his hand and she had heard him take a sharp breath in and couldn't help wondering what he was feeling. Did he want her to let go? Did he want to embrace her as she so dearly wished he would? But he just sat there, his hand in hers, it felt like magic to Lillian.

She was considering doing the same thing, but before she could reach out, Rock took her hand in his. Lillian felt like she was going to explode with joy. She held his hand, feeling like he could feel her pulse from her hand, her heart pounding loudly from inside her chest. Neither of them spoke, but she knew they both wanted to say a thousand things in that moment. At least he hoped he wanted to say something.

The moment lasted forever and Lillian was trying to find words, any words at all. As she searched for the words, Rock muttered something under his breath, something she could not understand. She turned to face him, and found his gaze already on her. She held her breath as their blue eyes met.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't open her mouth, couldn't utter a word. Rock opened his mouth and closed it again, clearly struggling too.

"I-" He paused again. At least he could make a sound. Lillian thought wistfully.

Rock laughed nervously and Lillian did too. "It's hard, words. They seem to escape me right now," he whispered after they were done laughing.

Lillian's heart was pounding even harder now, she was trying to think but everything was a slow blur in front of her. And before she could even try to put words to her feelings, Rock spoke again.

"I don't know how to say it, but-" he laughed quietly to himself again, "Let me just- I'm just gonna write it."

He took his free hand and started drawing in the sand. He drew a small heart and drew his hand back, avoiding Lillian's gaze. She felt her heart quicken again and she squeezed his hand, he said what she couldn't. She felt like the word slowed down and she took her own free hand and drew half of a heart with an L in Shifter's Tongue in it.

She turned back to Rock, and saw the joy on his face. He took his hand and drew the other half with an R in it. The two sat in the sand for a long time, not speaking but just enjoying each other's company and the scent of the sea. Rock had done it, done the thing she had been trying to do.

Gale came over an hour later. She sat in the sand next to Rock and saw what the two had written in the sand. Her amber eyes grew wide and she started smiling at the two of them. She didn't say anything but she stood up and went to the other side of the beach and started throwing fire.

"Rock, today can you try to challenge me? I don't want you going easy just because of this morning," Lillian gestured at the sand and the writing that would soon be gone.

Rock nodded and got up with Lillian following. They watched Gale for a few minutes as she ran through each move she knew and spent a moment on ones she could get better at. She was clearly better than when James had left. She was more certain, with strength that never faltered and flames brighter than ever with every strike. Her longer range attacks were getting more precise, she could practice small jets of fire similar to throwing knives now.

When she had finished, she turned to Lillian and Rock, "Are you two ready to spar me tomorrow morning before we leave? I feel it'll be a good thing to do before we head to River Colony."

"Born ready!" Lillian cried out. Gale grinned and started setting them up to spar with what they knew.

"Alright, you know the rules, no head or necks or.. sensitive areas. Anything else goes. When I see a foul I will call out. First to pin or last to yield wins. GO!"

When she heard the call Lillian bolted forward and whipped herself around at an attempted roundhouse kick. Rock cleanly blocked her and struck the back of her knee hard before twisting backward to kick at her stomach. With her foot in Rock's grasp Lillian had no escape and let out a gasp as he hit her hard.

She tried to twist herself free from his grasp and jab at the space between his shoulder blades. He didn't let go, but she was able to jab him and make him release her, and she pushed him away hard. He was now about a yard away after the quick strike.

Rock was on his feet instantly and bolted back towards her. She braced herself and blocked his attempt to buckle her legs. She struck out very quickly and jabbed him just below his knee and up along his stomach and chest, and then elbowed the back of his arm.

Rock grunted and jabbed her shoulder firmly. Lillian was unphased and took his leg and twisted it behind him.

"BREAK!" Gale shouted, Lillian had done the motion for breaking a leg. He was fine, but he could not stand properly on it for the sake of a realistic battle.

Lillian and Rock took up their positions, his leg laying limp or hanging in the air, he was balancing. She felt no guilt and when Gale shouted for them to start she shot forward and jabbed him hard in the chest, making him unbalance and land on his back. She came down on him and pinned his arms under her hands.

"Lillian wins!" Gale yelled, coming over to help Rock up.

"You alright?" Lillian asked him as she helped him stand up. He groaned and answered, "fine, good spar. I'm going to have some more bruises in the morning."

"That makes us both," she said cheerily, just to show she had not tired whatsoever. "You wanna go again?"

"Not right now. Maybe after lunch," he huffed

"Alright, Gale? Wanna try me again?" She asked as she turned to her curly-haired friend.