Different Worlds

Pushing Hard

I could feel myself falling backwards, and I didn't do anything to try and stop myself. I could feel the exhaustion firmly settling into every portion of my tired body as my head hit the ground with a thud.

"Sienna!"

I didn't bother trying to look as Devon and Jarvis raced over to me.

"Are you okay?" I felt myself being pulled into a sitting position as I grumbled in complaint.

"Just let me rest."

I heard Devon chuckling and saw Jarvis unsuccessfully trying to hide a smirk. Ever since I had emerged from my magical coma I had thrown myself into full-on magic training with Jarvis every spare second I had. And I was really beginning to feel the effects of it.

I sat up and looked around at my surroundings lazily. When I had 'woken up,' I had found that we had moved from the old sorceresses' castle, and had relocated to a secret training ground the rebels had abandoned a couple of centuries ago. As I looked around, I slowly became aware that I had a fairly large audience watching with interest, and I bit my lip with embarressment. Among the faces were quite a few new ones that had recently joined our cause, a lot of them being friends of Jacek - and also centaurs - along with some fauns, satyrs and elves. I shook my head, still trying to come to grips with the fact that everything I had thought were mythical were, in fact, real. In this world, anyway.

I looked up as Jarvis held out his hand. "Are you ready to continue?"

I grumbled another complaint, but I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet.

"You're getting closer," he assured me as soon as I was standing. I gave him the most disbelieving look that I could muster, and I felt Devon rubbing his hand in circles on my back, trying to ease my tension.

"It's true," Jarvis continued, seeing the way I was looking at him. "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

"It just doesn't feel like it," I mumbled. "I don't think I'm ever going to able to break through whatever barrier is preventing me fromreachingthe deeper magic. It's so hard."

Jarvis gave me a small smile. He had definitely changed a lot in the short time I had known him, and I knew that I could trust him wholeheartedly to help me get through this. Unlike some people who I had thought were my friends. Just thinking of this brought Evan to the forefront of my mind. I had been told that when the news had broken about Evan's betrayal, the reaction hadn't been good. But the reaction that surprised me the most had been from Evan's sister Rochelle. I had expected her to be in denial, but apparently her reaction had been vicious and deadly. In other words, I didn't want to be around when she finally caught up with her brother.

I looked up at Devon and he smiled encouragingly at me. He brought his lips to my ear and whispered, "I know you can do this. You can do anything."

I returned his smile half-heartedly and nodded. "Okay, let's try again."

Devon backed off after dropping a light kiss on my cheek, and I turned back to face my teacher. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, and I felt the familiar tingly feeling in my body as the easier magic to reach responded. I took a deep breath as I tried to dig deeper. I tried to remember everything that Jarvis had told and taught me. I reached the limit of what I could do and sucked in another breath with determination. I can do this, I told myself sternly. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter as I concentrated all of my energy in trying to break through my psychological barrier. I can do this! I pushed as hard as I could, mentally, and I felt a crack begin to appear. I felt a rush of warmth flood through my body, and I began to feel hope. I pushed even harder, and I felt the crack begin to grow bigger, but the amount of energy I was exerting was seriously beginning to drain what strength I had, and before I could try and stop myself, I felt myself sink to the ground in a narrow defeat.

I opened my eyes to see Devon beside me with his arms around me, and Jarvis looking down at me with a huge grin on his face. I offered him a small, grim smile.

"I still couldn't break through." My voice clearly rang of defeat, but the grin didn't leave Jarvis' face, and I knew that my face held a confused expression.

"But you made progress!" His words rang out clear and triumphant. "Did you not realize how close you were?"

I shrugged my shoulders weakly. "I felt a crack in the barrier, but I still couldn't break through."

"Exactly!" The triumphant note to his voice was still there. "I take it you didn't realize just how crazy things got around you?"

I shook my head in confusion.

"Look around."

I did as he instructed and realized that all of the trees that had been standing moments ago were now flat on the ground. The air surrounding us was unclear and held an electrifying feel to it - a common side-effect from magic. Also, the rest of the rebels were only now beginning to creep out of the places they had dived for cover during my attempt to connect with the deeper magic. I slowly turned back to Jarvis and looked up at him with a sheepish expression.

"I'm sorry."

Jarvis shook his head before Ihad even finished speaking. "Why are you apologizing? This is what we've been waiting for - you're nearly there!" He couldn't seem to contain his excitement, and I smiled in response. He looked like an excited child who couldn't wait to open his christmas presents.

"Next time I'll be able to break through," I said, sounding more confident than I felt.

"Definitely!" Jarvis agreed. "As much as I would love to see you make another attempt now, I'm pretty sure that your body wouldn't be able to handle it at the moment."

I nodded my head immediately. I knew that if I attempted it again right now, I'd probably be signing my own death warrant.

"Then we shall continue at first light tomorrow."

I nodded again, but as I did a question suddenly popped into my head, and I eyed Jarvis speculatively. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"How do you know Netiri?" I asked before I could stop myself. "On both of our encounters with her, I couldn't help but notice that you seem to know her quite well. What is your connection with her, and also, just how strong is she? How will I know when I've got enough strength and magic to defeat her?"

I saw Jarvis suck in a deep breath uneasily, and all of the excitement that had been in his expression suddenly drained away.

"Netiri and I have ... history."

"History?" I looked over to see Devon looking at Jarvis with a frown on his face. "What kind of history?"

I shot Devon a surprised look. "You don't know either?"

"Nobody knows," Jarvis replied quickly before Devon could answer.

I looked around and realized that all of the rebels had crept right up, very interested in what we were talking about, and I was shocked to discover that whatever Jarvis was hiding, nobody knew. Not even Jacek, judging from questioning look in his eyes.

Jarvis lifted his head and took in the growing crowd around us, and he let his head drop with a defeated sigh. "Fine." He lifted his head to look me in the eyes. "I will tell you everything. I can only ask that when I'm done,please do not think too badly of me. I am on your side."

I got unsteadily to my feet - with the assistance of Devon - and reached out to take his hand. "I'll never think badly of you, Jarvis. Nothing you tell me could ever make me think that."

He didn't crack a smile, but I felt a faint pressure as he squeezed my hand in thanks. "Sit back down," he said quietly. "This may take a while."