Ascending Light

Crumble

It took two days of scouting before Kayleen was satisfied with his knowledge of the castle. Crysen spent the time training his light and playing with the children. They were delighted for a distraction and enjoyed playing ball with the orb that Crysen had manifested. It was like a little sun with less brightness and more flickering and shimmering. The other fae left them be and didn't associate much. They were hungry and their strength of will and power was waning. The small meals they received did nothing to bolster their spirits. They interacted with the children but didn't bother with much else.

The little fire fairy, Fayne, was the liveliest of the small group of children. There was also and little water fae who was too small to really understand what was going on. The oldest and most jaded was another fire fae, a young boy called Donny. They could make anything become a distraction and loved to hear Kayleen or one of the others in the cell tell stories.

Crysen practiced his light and made serious progress in the two days that his guards and Kayleen scouted the castle. He was able to kind of defend himself but not completely. He could pick locks and fly but couldn't hurt anyone with his light, not that he'd really tried. It was mostly just a ball which would bounce off of someone. However, he could use it to knock someone off balance, so he counted that as successful.

After each scouting session, the guards and Crysen gathered in the corner of the cell and whispered in the lowest tones they could manage about what they had learned and what they knew. There was a couple of ways out but there was also a whole other side to the dungeon which wound deeper and wider than they believed. The area they were in was relatively easy to escape from. Other areas were not. Many of the cells in the dungeon were empty but some housed a variety of fae.

It had been work to roam around the dungeons without being seen by the other prisoners or the guards, according to Michael. He seemed quite proud of their stealth while Julian seemed more proud of what they had discovered and learned. Franel seemed to wish they could leave faster and Kayleen was the one that kept the other three on track. Crysen just watched their discussion and fiddled with his light. He had no idea about things like forming battle plans and thinking of ways to avoid trouble. He just wanted to go home.

The third and last day, he had Kayleen attempt to teach him how to heal. Michael even gave Franel a small cut for Crysen to practice with. It took hours and hours of refocusing and trying different techniques. After a long time and many failed attempts, Crysen finally got the small cut to scab up. It wasn't healed completely but that was more progress than he'd had all day. He grinned up at Kayleen proudly and Kayleen grinned back. "You'll get the hang of it, Crysen. It just takes practice."

Crysen nodded but realized how exhausted he'd become after the excitement and pride wore off. He yawned and sighed, slumping against the wall. "Now I'm so tired I could sleep for days."

Kayleen frowned. "Why don't I try teaching you how to gather your power within you. It won't do much but it'll give you a bit of energy and make you less tired."

Crysen nodded eagerly. "Show me. That sounds helpful, Kayleen."

Kayleen crossed his legs and Crysen copied him. "First you'll want to steady your breathing. Like mediating, you'll relax yourself and concentrate on taking deep calming breaths." This wasn't hard to do with Kayleen's soothing voice, low and slow, guiding him to where he needed to be. "As you begin to feel yourself drifting, imagine taking your power and moving throughout your body. Let it flow from your chest to your head and then down your spine and into your legs."

Crysen felt his power tingle for a moment as he began to move it. This was different than manifesting light and felt almost like a massage from the inside.