The Eye of Elicion: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol 1 (11 page)

“Let’s go,” Lucy reached out her hand towards his voice. He grabbed it, and they started to jog again.

They were beginning to breathe heavier now. Lucy did not like being blindfolded, but Darren was a comforting person, and she had no choice but to trust him. Besides, she kept telling herself, it would all be over soon. She started to chant that thought as a mantra and matched it to her steps.

“We’re at the pit. Any ideas?” asked Darren, glad he was not the one blindfolded.

“They said we could do this however we wanted. Take me to a log and put my hands on it,” said Lucy. Darren did this. “Ok, now get over to the other side yourself and wait for me.”

“What are you…?”

“Don’t ask; just go,” Lucy interrupted. “This is still supposed to be a fast exercise.”

Darren dropped her hand, and Lucy could hear him run across the log next to her. Lucy squatted down and put one leg on each side of the log. She reached forward with her hands and then lifted her butt and slid towards her hands. Then she moved her hands forward again and slowly inched her way across the log, hoping she was not going to get slivers in unfortunate places. She used her legs for balance and gripped the log hard when she thought she was going to tip over. Darren called encouragement to her from the other side. When she got there, they both breathed a sigh of relief and Darren helped her up.

“Good job,” he said as they began to jog again.

It was not long before they reached the wall with the ropes. Darren put her hands on the rope.

“Well, I think I just have to climb. Catch me if I fall,” joked Lucy as she started to work her way up.

It was harder climbing up the rope blindfolded. More so on morale than the body. Lucy had never been good at climbing up ropes or things like that, but not being able to see made it worse because she felt like she wasn’t making any progress at all. She had no idea if she had two feet left or ten.

“How much farther?” she called to Darren.

“Just a couple of feet,” he shouted back.

He was right. Shortly, Lucy felt the top of the wall, and climbed over, and started down the rope.

“If you haven’t started climbing, start now,” called Lucy.

She reached the bottom, and Darren landed shortly after. He took her hand, and they began to run again.

“We’re at the gauntlet now,” Darren announced.

“I think our best bet is for me to get through like I did before. Help me line up on the ground.”

Darren lined her up, wished her luck, and she began to roll. Somehow, knowing she had done this once before and not being able to see it made it easier. She paused. She couldn’t hear the swinging logs. She reached up a hand and couldn’t feel them either. She called for Darren to come through and sat there enjoying a momentary break. Darren was through quickly. He put his hand on her shoulder. She reached her hand to his, and he helped her up. They began to run again.

“The stream is just ahead. I say we run, I’ll yell jump, and we hope,” Darren suggested.

“Let’s go for it,” replied Lucy, and they began to run.

“Jump,” yelled Darren, and Lucy jumped for all she was worth.

She landed hard and stumbled.

“You ok?”

“I think I may have twisted my ankle a little, but I’m ok enough, let’s go.”

Darren and Lucy ran as fast as they could, which wasn’t very fast considering how tired they were. They ran until Darren slowed down and stopped.

“We’re done,” said Darren.

“Yes, and in good time too,” said Orin’s voice. “You may take the blindfold off. Good job. Water, then join your classmates.”

Lucy ripped off the blindfold with relief. Breathing heavily, they drank some water.

“You did really well,” said Darren.

“Thanks, we work well together,” replied Lucy. “Time to go abuse my arm.”

They took off towards the archery section. Lucy had grabbed a leather thong to place over her forearm, but it was not long enough to protect the entire area that Lucy needed protecting. She was hopeless at this. Even though she did manage to hit the target periodically, the bowstring still whipped across her arm with most of her shots. She tried holding the bow different ways and putting the protective leather in different places, but it was no use. She only hoped they would be done with this soon. She also hoped she was less inept at whatever weapon they switched to next.

She was glad of the periodic breaks. Every time a pair would come out of the obstacle course everyone turned to look at them and congratulate them. No one seemed terribly injured. There were a few small cuts or bruises here and there, mostly from people tripping and falling. Darren and Lucy were the fastest pair by far.

When class was over, Lucy sighed with relief. She did not think her arm could take much more. She was sure that if the bow were any sharper she would be bleeding. She made her way to the Dining Hall, grabbed a tray of food, and collapsed at their table next to Justin.

Justin swallowed a bite of casserole and motioned for Lucy to give him her arm. Wordlessly, she rolled up her shirt and held out her arm. Justin looked at the bruised and red skin, shook his head, and held his hand over her arm while muttering a few words. Sure enough, the bruises faded, and the pain receded.

“Thanks,” she smiled wanly at Justin.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

Gavin, who had been watching from across the table, shook his head as well.

“You really are hopeless when it comes to a bow.”

“Sadly, yes, I’m quite sure the bow is not going to be my weapon of choice. At least, I hope so. I can’t possibly be worse at every weapon,” said Lucy.

Maya smiled consolingly, “Don’t worry, it takes some people a while.”

“What are you training on?” Lucy asked the group.

“Everything,” said Gavin with a shrug. “Weapons come easily to me. However, I’m glad Justin is around to help out with cuts and bruises because I am terrible at healing.”

“I do pretty well with a bow,” said Maya. “I like having a range weapon to work with, but I’m trained to fight with a short sword about two feet in length. I’m working on incorporating a dagger in as well. Believe me, I had my share of injuries before we found what works for me. I managed to hit myself in the head during staff training. Honestly, I’m not great with a sword, but I’ll be able to keep myself alive against most adversaries we’re likely to run across.”

“I primarily use a staff,” said Justin, “Although I’m trying to get better with a spear of some type. I can also use a sword reasonably well. Once we are better at magic, those strong enough will get training in magical weaponry as well. Most of that deals with using the elements. I guess some people can throw fireballs, strike people with lightning bolts, or pin people down with wind.”

“Wow,” said Lucy amazed, “Can people meddle with the weather like that?”

“This is different. I haven’t taken any of the classes yet; I have them later. Yes, you should not meddle with the weather, if it can be avoided. That can have dangerous consequences. They teach you more to use what is already there.” Justin took out a candle and set it in front of him on the table. “Soon, you will learn how to do things like light a candle.” As he spoke the wick burst into flames. “The energy to do that comes from around you and through you. Now, if I were to take the fire out of a fireplace two rooms away and bring it flying down the hallway to light my candle that could have dire consequences. Remember to use what is around you before reaching for things. Misplacing energy can cause great side effects. For instance, the room I took the fire from would now be cold, and so would the people in it. Also, I could have burnt any number of people, drawing the fire here. The weather is like that. Don’t bring water from somewhere else if you can draw it from the air around you.”

“This is sounding complicated and simple at the same time,” said Lucy.

“The art of subtlety. That’s one reason why we have training. Also anyone who cannot master their limits is unlikely to last long. It takes great power and control to use magic as a weapon in big ways.”

“Which is one reason, I will never be able to do it,” said Gavin. “I can pass my classes alright, but I’m not powerful enough to do that. Nor would I want to. I prefer to take a bow and shoot someone rather than throw a fireball at them. Less exhausting that way too.”

“Well, I’ve ruled out the bow and arrow so I might want to look into the fireball option,” said Lucy, though she was partly joking. This was her first week. She could make a matchbox change colors. The idea of throwing fire at someone seemed almost undoable and, admittedly, a little scary.

“I don’t think I’ll be looking into it either,” said Maya. “I know enough not to get myself killed, and I think my talents lie in other areas. I’m great at learning languages and I have a great mind for remembering customs and protocol. I’m also decent at potions. I’m working on making poisons my specialty. Recognizing, curing, and concocting. Some people have said that poison is a weapon of cowardice. I say learn to work with your talents. If someone is trying to kill me, I’m not picky how I manage to kill them first. I think I would have better luck with a poisoned arrow than a lightning bolt. Besides, I’m not sure I’m powerful enough,” she finished with a shrug.

“I have no idea if I’m powerful enough,” said Lucy.

“You have time to find out,” said Justin. “On the upside,” he said, returning to the earlier subject, “you only study bow and arrows for a week or so.”

“That’s not long enough to become proficient,” said Lucy surprised.

“No, but you’re in an Intro class. It is long enough to discover if it is a weapon you want more proficiency in or not. They will spend more time on weapons like swords where everyone should have a basic skill set. You knew after the first day that you never wanted to use a bow again. Others in the class knew right away that it was a weapon they could master given time,” said Gavin.

“So, how did they make you do the obstacle today?” asked Maya.

“Paired and blind folded.”

“Really? That’s difficult. Usually he waits a few more times for that one,” said Maya. “How did it go?”

“Not as bad as I thought it would. I was paired with Darren and that helped. We work well together.”

“You’d be surprised how many different diabolical ways Orin and Tannin think up for you to do that obstacle course,” said Justin.

“I thought they were fun,” defended Gavin.

“Fun or not, they do get you ready for most flight scenarios,” said Justin.

“As enjoyable as this has been,” said Lucy, “I need to get to my next class.”

They all nodded in agreement, finished eating, and went to their next classes. Justin walked with her a ways.

“Enjoy talking to Ash,” he said as they separated.

She grinned and proceeded to the stables. This time the horses were not saddled and waiting for them.

“Good afternoon,” Gareth smiled at the class. “Ordinarily, unless you become wealthy enough, you will be taking care of your own horse on some level. Today we will saddle, ride, unsaddle, and brush down. Pick a horse and we will begin.”

Lucy pushed to the front of the group so that no one claimed Ash first. She smiled in greeting and said
‘hello’
in her head. Ash greeted her back. Once everyone had a horse; Gareth starting instructing. Lucy was pleased to see that Philip was doing well. He had problems in so many classes, and Lucy got the impression earlier that he was scared of horses. Perhaps he was mastering that fear.

Lucy only half listened to Gareth. She mostly listened to Ash. Ash knew exactly how she liked things and could tell Lucy if the girth was too tight or if the bridle was going to rub a place raw if she did not adjust it. Some of her classmates might consider this cheating. Lucy saw it as using her gifts and knew she would not begrudge a classmate with similar talents. Gareth walked by and inspected everyone to make sure no one had forgotten to tighten anything. Having a saddle fall off a horse while running was embarrassing and, more importantly, dangerous.

Soon they were outside, riding through the trails. Lucy loved riding. A wonderful sense of freedom and relaxation overcame her while on the back of a horse. She much preferred them to cars. Ash and Lucy talked back and forth most of the way. Lucy told Ash about her deplorable shooting. Ash told Lucy about the rider she had had earlier in the day that wrapped her arms around Ash’s neck when they went over a jump and refused to let go. After they finished the trails, Gareth ran them through some more basic control exercises. Ash performed admirably and Lucy managed to hang on. Then, the class led the horses back to the stables where Gareth, and in Lucy’s case Ash, gave instructions on unsaddling and brushing.

“From now on, the moment you get to class, pick a horse, saddle it, and walk it around the corral until we begin. Don’t wait for me to tell you to saddle a horse,” said Gareth, and he dismissed the class.

Lucy stayed and brushed Ash for a few extra minutes. Lucy appreciated Ash’s friendship, and it was something she could do for her friend in return. Lucy finally left the stables and retreated to her room. She showered the day’s dirt and sweat from her body as well as letting the hot water soothe her slightly aching muscles. Lucy was in decent shape but still unused to this much physical activity that worked muscles most people forgot they had. Then, she made her way to the Dining Hall.

By the time Lucy reached the Dining Hall, she was ravenous. She piled her plate high with roast beast, cooked carrots, dinner rolls, and fresh fruit. When she dropped her plate on the table, Maya laughed.

“Trying to eat as much as the guys?” she teased.

“No, but I’m starving so I thought I’d eat.”

“Capital idea,” added Gavin, stuffing a slice of roast into his mouth.

“I understand, but do you really need four dinner rolls?” asked Maya still smiling.

“I’m not happy unless I’ve gotten my daily overdose of carbohydrates,” replied Lucy.

Everyone laughed.

“How did your classes go today?” asked Lucy.

“Wonderful,” said Maya. “My voice lessons are coming along, and I’ve started another language class.”