Kissed by Chaos

Kissed by Chaos (26) - Curse

A/N If you remember, in chapter 25 it said that Raafi's engagement would be in two days. Sorry, that was a mistake on my part. It's actually meant to be five days, as it says in the chapter. I've also changed it in chapter 25. Also, if you're still sticking around for the end of this story, THANK YOU a thousand times over! Also the picture's not mine. I found it at   http://people.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/21260/

Kissed by Chaos

chapter 26 - Curse

I had waited for so long to gain support from the people around me. I needed to be told that the challenge I had accepted was worthwhile. I need to know that if I failed, there would still be warriors fighting alongside me to lift my body, dead or alive, off the battlefield. Most of all, I needed guidance on how to best use the powers that I had been given at the time of my strange birth. It had taken a while, but finally Mother had relented. She had agreed to teach me all she was able to, though she warned me from the start that my magic was different from hers and as a result, would react differently to spells. 

The sun had just taken its first few steps into the sky when my mother woke me from a restless slumber. With half closed eyes I followed her through the winding passageways of the palace, which was already wide awake. I barely registered the sound of the call to morning prayer as I stumbled out of the main palace and into the front courtyard. “Where are we going?” I grumbled as my mother sped up in front of me.

She turned around only briefly to say, “Well, we cannot really train in the middle of the Mirzani palace now can we?”

I had to stop for a moment to take in her words. It was the first time she had mentioned training in days. Suddenly, despite the fear that was accumulating slowly like dust in my mind, I felt a wave of excitement. A wild grin suddenly found itself on my face. A new sort of energy sizzled in my body as I ran to catch up with Mother.

She stopped abruptly in front of monstrously tall trees standing in a line like soldiers ready for battle. Without another word, she ducked in between two trees and just like that, she had disappeared.

Ignoring the branches that scratched at my face, I frantically followed after her. I had expected to be standing in the middle of a dense forest but instead before me was a massive clearing. The trees circled the clearing protectively, hiding it from the rest of the world. The space seemed to have been created exactly for my purposes. It was almost too perfect.

I stepped further into the clearing, my feet disappearing amongst the ankle length blades of grass. “It’s perfect,” I breathed in amazement.

“Unfortunately so,” replied Mother. She then came and stood directly in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders. The stern look of seriousness on her face was one I had never seen before. Her eyes were fixed on my own, demanding my undivided attention.

“What is the most powerful tool any warrior can wield?” she asked.

Was this question off the record, or had my training already begun? Not quite sure of how to reply, I said, “Er… their armour?”

She smiled knowingly, as if she had expected the answer. “So you would think. In fact, the most powerful tool for any warrior is knowledge. If the warrior charges blindly into battle, he is nothing more than an animal. Humans are more cunning. If they use their knowledge effectively, their chances of defeating the enemy are increased significantly. Likewise, for you the most important tool for you is the knowledge of how Dunya works and understanding her power.”

It made sense – I needed to fully understand what kind of magic Dunya would be using against me. That way, I could plan my attack to effectively counter hers.