The Protector

Chapter 25 - Part 2

Sitting on the wall of the balcony, books littered on the floor beside me, I wait for Edmon to return. I haven't seen him since I left him up on the ramparts and I'm a little glad for that. He loves me. I lightly brush my fingers over my lips. I can still feel the ghost of his kiss there. The smell of his breath as it fans my face. The feeling of his hair as I thread my hands through it. I close my eyes and picture his face, my prince. I've been reading the same page for an hour now and know my concentration is lacking. The afternoon is turning to evening, the light fading. Soon I will have to move inside to continue my research. Flick to the front of the book and scan the chapter titles. Transfiguration. Incantations. Fire magic. Healing. Dream infiltration. Memory sharing. I tap the chapter title and flick to that page. Skimming the text I pause. Here it is.

"There is a rare form of magic that is thought to exist between soulmages. Many speculate the possibility of it. It is thought that soulmages are able to communicate through thought alone. It not known how this is possible as no known spells are used much unlike the memory sharing incantation. Soulmages are notoriously secretive about their abilities, most likely because of their fear of enemies finding a weakness. If one finds themselves able to share thoughts one must also learn to shield their thoughts and control which thoughts are shared. This, in principle, is very simple. Every mind has a natural barrier, much like the walls that encircle a castle. Once a connection has been established with another, a thought can easily be transferred if one pictures a door that, if opened, would lead directly to another's mind. When the door is closed no thoughts can flow but when opened soulmages should be able to sustain a form of communication indefinitely." I read the passage to myself three times before putting the book down and stretching out. Looking out across the gardens I can just make out the clock tower. It is just coming up to the fifth bell. Just over an hour till dinner. I picture a wall around my mind a thick iron door the only opening. Visualising it being locked I nod to myself, that wasn't too hard. I guess the hard part would be maintaining that wall and not letting my shields drop in Edmon's presence.

My thoughts turn back to Edmon. Where is he? Rolling off the balcony wall I walk back inside and change into a simple white shirt and breeches. Not wanting to disturb him, where ever he is, I head down to the training yard.

I don't see a single person in the way down, opting for the lesser used passages. Within no time I'm drying my hands in the sand and selecting my drill sword from the rack. A broadsword, blunt edges. Perfect for drills. I leave my hair down, it's much longer than I'm used to thanks to Edmon, better to practise with it out in case.

Leaving the sword in the sand I sit and begin my stretches.

"Need a sparring partner?" My head snaps up at the voice, I can't stop my smile.

"I'm not in the mood to go easy on you today, I need a good workout. I feel like haven't trained in over a week!"

"I wouldn't expect it any other way." I accept his offered hand and allow him to pull me up. I settle into a crouch, arms and feet poised for an attack, Edmon mirrors my actions after removing his shirt. My mouth goes dry, my concentration compromised. Damn him! Is he doing it deliberately? I need to go on the offensive, it's the only way.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" I ask, and begin to circle, I waiting for an opening.

"Talking with Leon, I needed some advice. Where have you been?" I lunge in and quickly retract faster than Edmon can react. He's sluggish today. Lunging forward again Edmon meets my blade, hurrying to parry. I step back as he changes to the offensive. He comes at me with a series of downward sweeping slashes. I match them strike for strike, the contact jarring both our arms. He was strong, his strikes precise, calculated, looking for a weakness. On the third I manage to disengage, dropping I roll away, standing just as Edmon's sword comes down. Too slow. I think as I side-step another blow. I spot an opening, he's left his side unguarded and strike. His blade meets mine and we lock hilts.