Training For War: The Bond Once Severed Book 2 (Updating)

The Lost Child

"He lives!" As she rose from the pool, droplets streaming from her hair like silver jewels, Lady Water's voice rang out like a delicate bell. The pool's surface rippled with an otherworldly glow, the scent of damp mixed with something ancient filling the air. Her sudden, energized presence startled Destan out of his meditations, his heart quickening despite himself.

"Who lives?" Destan asked, keeping his tone calm. Inwardly, his pulse fluttered, though he kept his expression neutral—experience had taught him to expect sudden shifts in her demeanor. Lady Water's capricious nature was as much a mystery to him as her ancient wisdom.

"The one we lost, we had hoped he lived but could not feel him until today. At first, it was faint, like a whisper of his presence, but now he has touched us. He comes to us through our friend's portal."

"The one you lost?" Destan rose slowly from his seated pose. His legs adjusted to the change in position slower than they could have if he had been concentrating. As he struggled to understand his Lady's excitement, he pushed down a pang of longing. Natalia would have immediately understood Lady Water's words, her bond with the goddess giving her insights that still eluded him. Or maybe he just desired Natalia's comforting presence in his mind.

"The firstborn, he is here now. Our friend goes to meet him. You should join them. He needs our touch. We feel much pain in him." With this, the Lady left him as abruptly as she had arrived, leaving the eerie feeling Destan recognized as the call to healing. He would have to follow this call to the lost child, but he had just enough time before the call would consume him to gather himself. He reached out through the Water to the Master, the one person he could touch this way without effort.

"Master, I feel a call to those who have arrived," Destan informed the Master, feeling once again the giddy sensation he always felt when he could communicate with others this way. "May I join you in meeting them?"

"Of course, I would never deny a call. I am out front with Minho. We will await your arrival." Destan relished the smoothness of his Master's mind voice, which contrasted sharply with his usual gruff, weathered tone. How much of that gentleness, Destan wondered, was the influence of Water magic, and how much was the man's true self? The ways of mind magic remained a mystery to Destan, and the Lady seemed to smooth every surface when he used her magic to mimic those of the mind mages.

Destan dressed in his priestly robes, there would be no reason to hide from these arrivals. He considered traveling to the stream through the WaterWays, but he decided to preserve his energy. He did not know how extensive this healing would be, so instead, he hurried out of his room and down the stairs to the front door. It was still early enough in the day that few outside of the servants were stirring.

Destan loved the silence of the morning. Despite having been in the Vale for many months, he still found the sheer amount of magic in use as the day stretched overwhelming to his senses. His sister's palace had been devoid of such spilling-over of magic. The Elemental Priests kept to their temples when possible, and no other mages dared practice their craft in the Queendom outside of the Assassins and Mind Mages. Both had too much discipline to allow their magic to leak. None of it was dangerous; this spillage, the barrier and shield masters, Diddero and Jun, protected them from the danger, but Destan found he was sensitive to the presence of magic. Had it not been for the constant bath of healing magic that soothed his frayed nerves and Natalia's presence, he would have had to leave the Vale months ago.

The Master sat astride his favorite horse, his bulky frame almost dwarfed by the steed's muscular frame, watching Minho riding back from the barn with Destan's preferred mount. The affable young man smiled nervously at Destan. Destan smiled in response, remembering that today, the young mage would meet his Master again. Minho had voiced his disappointment about not being able to return to the foreign Mind Magic academy. Still, his parents were happy to have him back home for a time, and he obviously looked forward to meeting his Master. The Mind Master had agreed to tutor the young mind mage while he remained here and bring him back when he returned to the Academy. This must be a good Master to have engendered such devotion in the young Minho so quickly.