Soul Bound

Chapter 27

Eva hooted in joy and even jumped like an overzealous child when Anna told her they were going to be practising magic today. And not any old magic--something new!

"Are you going to teach me how to make little figurines with lightning?" Eva probed her excitedly. Anna’s display of magic when she was first getting to know her had been so beautiful; Eva wanted to make something like that.

They'd travelled all the way down to the bottom of the base and were now walking through a long tunnel that seemed to cut through the entire length of the mountain the base hung off. Very similar to the tunnel they took to get to Big Bertha, but in the opposite direction. It was dark this far down and the tunnel was so long they couldn't see the sun on the other side, so they used their lightstones to guide them; the white glow on the raw, rugged walls felt otherworldly and mysterious. The beginning of an adventure.

Anna laughed, blatantly amused by Eva’s thrill of magic. It was cold in the depths of the mountain, but not nearly as windy, so she only wore riding pants and a long sleeved under armour shirt. "No."

"How about a lightning spear?" She had overcome Plummet and Big Bertha, studied long and hard on the training mats and in the skies. Magic was the only logical next step.

"No!" Anna slapped Eva’s arm, too entertained to be mad by her pestering. "Eva, I've told you I can't teach you how to use your elemental magic."

Eva sighed, only slightly disappointed. With the promise of something new on the horizon, her enthusiasm refused to die. "Okay. Fine. Then where are we going and what are you going to teach me?"

She tutted. "Jacob's not this impatient."
Eva blew a strand of hair out of her face in a huff. "Jacob doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders."

"Neither do you," she scolded. "You're important and will definitely change things in the war to come, but it's not all on you, Eva. Remember that."

It was hard. Tension in the base was rising. They all knew war was coming and everyone kept looking to Eva and Arkon.

They reached the end of the tunnel, which opened up to a dirt path amongst a cluster of trees. They were still within the safety of the mountains and the base; unnatural cliffs, likely created by an earth dragon, rose up around the entirety of the grove, holding it in a protective embrace. No man, animal, or beast could trespass and disturb their training.

Anna led her along the dirt path silently; Eva caught sight of dummies hiding behind trees and bushes, but kept her questions to herself, knowing Anna would just make another comment on her temperament. The path took them to the centre of the grove, a small clearing of grass. Here, there were benches and a few stands to lean weapons against.

Eva’s blood rushed through her body to her fingers in anticipation. She knew a practice range when she saw one. And, man, was she itching to use a bow again. They had been mostly focusing on hand-to-hand combat or practising with daggers and it had taken a long time for her to move with them as naturally as she moved with her bow.

Annaliese shook her head at the giddy look on Eva’s face. "You're adorable."
"I'm in my element here. Give me a target and I'll shoot it blindfolded."

Her eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Is that so? Hit those dummies over there then we'll see about shooting blind." She pointed to a pair of dummies, not even trying to hide, only twenty feet away.

Disappointed that she had so little confidence in her skills, Eva pouted at her. The Knight ignored it, arms crossed with a challenge gleaming in her gray eyes. Her hair was down today;  Eva watched her fiery red locks move against her back, taking note of the direction the wind blew. It wasn't too strong today. Sadly. No challenge.