Dragon Heir [Book 1] [Watty Award Winner 2012]

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Copyright © Gem Higa 2011

Rin ceased his attacks, as she took that opportunity to wipe the sweat that had begun to fall on the side of her face. All day they had been training. From the smallest defensive spells to the harder ones, it seemed the work never ended. It took every ounce of magic to deflect the blows the dragon had fired. Protecting herself from spitfire was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

For a dragon, he was a fine teacher. He always saw her weaknesses and pointed it out. Well, it seemed he exploited them more during a fight, but in the end it was for her benefit anyways.

Days before, they had started off with simple castings, and slowly worked their way to shielding herself completely from the flames. It took awhile for the new queen to readjust to the energy flowing through her, but no one could ever tell she was a novice. The energy pool inside her was filled to the brim, ready to be used.

She nicknamed this place haven. Though, she wasn’t quite sure how long she had been here. But, judging by how many times the sun had gone down, she would estimate a little over two months. Knowing it would have been a good idea if they had left, and told everyone worrying where they had been. In the end she knew it would be a risk being so vulnerable back in Orakrest. It was too dangerous considering their current circumstances.

They would have to all just wait until she was able to return. Her father was used to her long absences, as well as Kenji, but couldn’t blame them if they thought she had died. She wasn’t in the best shape the last time they all saw each other, but now everything about her was stronger.

Ever since the first night Rin and her had bonded, things had drastically changed. Her newfound energy was stronger than both of them could have ever imagined. If she had to place a wager that her powers were stronger than the mages in the guild, she would most likely walk out with a pocket full of coins. The energy inside her was still raw, but held immense potential to be extraordinary.

The first spell she had casted was a simple healing spell, and took less energy than breathing did. It came naturally and almost happened without her even trying. What happened prior to the casting was accidental, but turned into a lesson nonetheless.

Making her way to one of the traps that was set in the forest for their dinner, she had tripped on a rock that was hidden under some leaves. It sent her sprawling forward as her arm cut on a stone that was jutting out of the ground; it’s jagged edges had tore the skin open. Rin had been lecturing on the basics of healing and how to focus the energy on one area. Breathing in deeply, she slowly focused her magic on the cut that was now bleeding. The pain receded, leaving her with just the slash. Concentrating harder, she willed her spirit magic to heal it. Slowly, her flesh connected where it was cut and mended itself, as it removed all traces of a wound. It happened so fast, she didn’t even know if she really had done it herself, or if the flesh just resealed on its own.

As the weeks wore on, her castings intensified. It felt like the first years of hunter training, remembering her father refusing to take any breaks until she had perfected their lesson. Rin reminded her so much of him; his training was detailed and rough, usually making her pass out when she closed her eyes to sleep. Though physically, she was in her prime, magically she was just a baby.

Learning to shield had proven to be difficult, but very useful against all types of attacks. Clearing her mind, she concentrated all the energy to form a hard wall. When finally mastering to raise her shields, they moved onto Rin breathing fire on her, so they could see if her blocking could withstand his flames.

Taking her stance, she planted her feet firmly on the ground. As he opened his mouth, she held up her palms and created the spirit barrier. The fire only danced over them and wrapped around the shield, never able to touch her. When satisfied, Rin changed his tactics to fireballs; that proved to be more tiring, as she had to reinforce the shield with her mind. The hardest part of that lesson was when learning agility. Turning her back to him he waited till she heard his warning.