Embers of Magic

Packing For A Field Trip. I'm Pretty Sure I Have Everything.

It was hard to believe it was Zarah in front of me. The sand on the floor of the training arena swirled around us as Zarah walked sideways with Gladius in hand. Her eyes reminded me of the first day we met. They were cold and harsh as they never left me. I gripped around my Gladius until I could feel the blood in my knuckles drain out, leaving it looking pale and sickly.

“Ember.” She grabbed my attention. “Three offensive moves and three defensive. That’s all we have time for.” She stated. “This section of the labyrinth isn’t like the one we just went into. It’s a giant spiderweb that can easily ensnare anyone who isn’t ready, and then draining ever bot of sanity out of them.”

She shifted her weight onto her left foot ahead of her as she swung her blade over her head in a wide arc, missing me by an inch. We weren’t practicing with wooden swords so any closer and I might have really taken a heavy blow. “Head!” She yelled, associating the attack with a head strike. I stumbled backwards breathing heavily in an adrenaline induced state of exhaustion.

She centered her self again. “Your turn. Head!” She yelled quickly, not giving me time to catch my breath. I clenched my teeth together and copied her attack, swinging my blade in the same kind of arc as she stepped forward, into my striking range. Without hesitation, she lifted her blade above her head, completely parallel to the ground. My connected to hers with a loud clank that forced me to flinch.

In the moment, she must have shifted her weight again and yelled out neck before I could even open my eyes again – I felt a sudden gush of air pass by my neck as I stumbled back, quickly opening my eyes. Strands of my hair slowly floated downwards onto the arena floor. My mouth was dry and my heart thundered in my chest as adrenaline turned into terror. Not only towards who I was fighting but because of what she was capable of and what I wasn’t. Was I really fit to enter the labyrinth and travel all the way to Harerae?

Zarah centered herself again as she walked towards me, extending her hand to help me back onto my feet. I hadn’t even known I had fallen but with her speed, it didn’t surprise me. I met her hand halfway, expecting her to help me up, yet she simply grabbed onto my wrist, tugging roughly as she pulled me closer into the end of her blade. My eyes widened in shock. “Don’t expect the person you’re fighting to show any kind of sportsmanship. Many of them would jump at the opportunity to end the fight as fast as possible. Even an ill-timed blink could spell out your end. If you want to survive, you need to make the most of every opportunity you have with everything you have. Now get up.” She said dropping me again.

I stood up and dusted myself off. “Show me that move again.”

She nodded and readied herself again before placing her blade just above her left shoulder. “Neck!” She swung the blade in a flat arc towards me. Like she did before, I shifted forward into her strike range and swung my blade to meet hers, keeping it completely straight. I flinched again so I hoped backwards, out of her range to give myself a few more seconds to recover from the shock of the blade. She nodded.

“The Gladius may be an excellent cutting tool, but that’s not it’s ideal use.” She explained. “Of course, slashes at the person’s neck may kill and headshots onto metal helmets tend to stun, it’s most effective strike is stabbing.” She said as she moved into position, placing one foot in front of the other as she rushed me, gaining momentum in her blade as she lunged it towards my chest. I stumbled backwards again, narrowingly missing the point of the blade again. I felt my hit the ground before I twisted back onto my feet. Zarah ran towards me yelling head.

I lifted my blade, trusting it completely as it caught hers mid-air. This time, I didn’t flinch. I knew it might have been my only time to turn the tides of the fight. I thought about what she said over and over within the few moments I had between her movements. I had to use every moment I had with everything I had.

I pushed my hand forward, feeling a warmth growing in my chest, filling me up. Zarah’s eyes widened as she realized what I was going for but she was wide open, unable to defend. The look in her eyes threw me off. It wasn’t the same as when we began but fear. She wasn’t some enemy I could simply hurl fire at, but a friend. I hesitate, and nothing happened. No fire or even smoke. The heat in my chest died down as I felt her foot planting into it, pushing my backwards into a firm kick. My back hit the ground and this time, I had nothing left in me. The surge I felt as I blocked her hits completely died down, leaving me exhausted.

Zarah sighed. “Training is over.” She said as she walked towards me, pulling me up onto my feet. This time, without holding a sharp object into my throat. I dusted myself off. I stared at the Gladius with a sense of longing. The short blade was nothing like the bows I was use to watching my grandfather build and use. They were long ranged weapons that could slow down your prey but the blade was up close. It was a do or die situation I wasn’t use to.

“What happened back there? You had me yet you hesitated.” Zarah asked. I looked downwards at my boots. “I guess it just wasn’t the same as the day back in the alleyway. It felt different and wrong.” Zarah tucked her hair behind her ear after I answered. “I see. You should go pack.”

“I should.” I said as I walked back towards my room. I knew I didn’t have much to pack, but I needed some time alone. I was afraid.