The Last Weaver

Part 4: Some Training And A Day At The Market

I woke early the next morning and got out of bed. I dressed myself and went into Coren's kitchen to find a plate of food set out and a note next to it. I picked up the note and opened it to find Coren's elegant writing. He wrote like a true Elf from the legends: long, wavy, and beautiful. The note read:

Milo:

I have gone to the market to get supplies for your training. Eat the food I have set out for you, and if I have not shown up by the time you're done, sit and meditate. This will help you find your limits and abilities.

Sincerely,

Coren

Meditate, hmm? That will be fun, I thought to myself. Even since I was just a child, I have never been able to sit still for long. I never fell asleep until late, at night and was fully energized and awake around five-thirty in the morning. I still had a tendency to do that sometimes, though not as often. I'd been very athletic all my life, and used to run around just to run. I would race all my friends and almost always win.

I tried to put the thought of sitting and attempting not to fall asleep out of my mind as I sat down to eat. The breakfast looked delicious: wonderful buttered pastries with juicy, plump fruit. And to top it all off, a small white cake with a strawberry on the top inside some white cream.

I ate slowly, half because the food was the best I had ever tasted in my life, and half because I didn't want to meditate. By the time I reached the cake, I was nearly stuffed to the brim with sweet, tasty goodness, but I still had just enough space left for the dessert. Well planned, my tree-hugging friend. Well planned, I thought to myself, smiling.

I took one bite and nearly fainted. It was truly amazing. Then I felt a tingle that started in my toes and went up through my body, and I was filled with almost uncontrollable mirth. I started laughing like a possessed hyena, and almost started crying. I could hardly contain myself.

Just then Coren walked in the door. He saw me and grinned, his arms full of baskets from the market. I was laughing so hard I couldn't make out what was in them. "What was in that cake?" I asked frantically, although I was literally rolling on the floor laughing my head off. "Oh, just a little dab of laughing powder. It should wear off in a minute or so," he replied, laughing at how silly I looked, rolling around on the floor and all.

He walked into the kitchen and started to put things in certain places, and he emptied one of the baskets. In it was about ten apples. Thankfully the laughing powder wore off in about a minute, and I sighed, still on my back. "Coren, that was . . . unexpected. A warning might have served me well, but it was a fun experience," I said to him, smiling as I stood up. "I thought you might enjoy that," he replied, still chuckling to himself.

"Are you ready to start your training now?" he asked, suddenly becoming serious.

"Uh . . . sure. Now?"

"Now, just like last time. First, lift this empty basket with the minor spell I showed you."

I nodded, then gave all my attention to the basket and the spell. I lifted my left hand and pointed at the basket, then said, "Ise'ra." I felt a surge of energy course through my body, but none of it left me. The basket shuddered, and I nearly lost my focus, but I got it back under control quickly. The basket started to rise and continued to do so until it touched the ceiling. Then I pictured in my mind the basket slowly lowering back to the counter where it had been sitting. In real life, the basket did exactly what I'd imagined. I had done it: I'd mastered my first spell!

Coren gaped at me. "Have you ever attempted to do this? Ever, in your memory?" he asked, with more than a hint of suprise. "No. This was the first time," I replied, and he looked even more amazed. "Nobody that I have ever seen has been able to do what you just did. Not with that much fluency on their first try. Nobody. Ever. You are an extremely talented young man, Milo."