Trackers? I tried to focus on what he was saying and not let my mind run wild with the new information.
“They will send someone… for what I have done.”
I thought of the councilman’s face, distorted in pain.
“We should continue your training.”
“Training?” I could hear the dread in my question.
“Practice. You should be able to protect yourself.”
I remembered his words from before the revelation that ended my magic lessons. Fighters. A chill ran down my spine as I nodded in acceptance.
“We will work again at first light and possibly as we ride.”
As we ride? How serious was this? I didn’t want to answer my own question. I was a fugitive. And now it appeared Grand Council was looking for me. I had no idea what my punishment would be. This wasn’t the village. This would be far worse than anything High Council would have planned.
“What will they do… if they… if I can’t protect myself?”
His face was grim. He didn’t intend to reply and I suddenly didn’t want him to.
We settled onto the floor of the small den, our backs against the wall, the rock overhang blocking the moon.
“That is my flame,” Chevelle said, “try to extinguish it.”
And my training began.
Chapter Nine
Ruby
Early the next morning, even before first light as promised, Chevelle woke me for training. Gone were the games we had played. These lessons were intense and stressful, on my part anyway. I’d been unable to generate magic on task so he’d started lunging at me with weapons, sticks, fire, forcing me to respond to protect myself. After each attack, he would come right back at me and if I tried to repeat a tactic for defense, he would overpower my magic and push me to find a new maneuver.
It wasn’t long before I became winded. “Mount up,” he announced. When I started to climb on my horse, he shot off like an arrow, almost knocking me to the ground. I glared at Chevelle but he was ignoring me, already atop his own horse and starting on his way. Grrr…
I pulled Steed’s head around with magic and pressed him back to me, climbed up, and clicked my heels hard to catch Chevelle. He was riding fast again and I was not looking forward to the day, sure it would be worse than the already miserable morning. I rode up beside him, planning a snide remark about the trick, but was distracted by a black stone in his hand. It was odd shaped and just smaller than the size of my balled fist. Onyx, I thought, though I’d never seen the stone that big.
He looked at me as we rode. “Be prepared at all times. This will come at you from every direction. It is the only way you can learn to respond quickly. You need to use your defense as instinct.”
I really didn’t want to play anymore. But before I could protest, a black rock was hurtling toward my face. My hand jerked up to swat it away and my arm stopped as if it hit a wall. The rock slammed into me, I was fairly certain my nose was bleeding from the impact. I tried to slow my horse but apparently I no longer had control of him.
“Again,” Chevelle warned.
The rock was coming for me a second time. I tried to duck out of the way but the wall was there once more, blocking me from moving. I cursed as the stone struck the side of my face.
“This isn’t fair,” I complained. It seemed he was holding me in place just to strike me.
“It’s the only way, Freya. This is for your protection.”
“I highly doubt they will pummel my face with rocks,” I spat out.
“No,” he said calmly, “they will bind you and burn you alive.”
I shivered. A vision of the Grand Council cloaks circling around me was convincing enough but he continued.
“You will not know their thoughts; you must be ready for any attack.”
I nodded in understanding but not necessarily in agreement. There must be a less painful way.
The rock was coming at me again. Smack! My cheek this time. It was like getting slapped repeatedly. The irritation at it had me itching to burn something. As the volley continued, I was sure that whenever my anger showed, the rock came harder, faster, so I tried to control the emotion, or at least hide it. Eventually, I found the easiest defense was to stop the stone by blocking it with another object. His magic was more powerful than mine so I couldn’t counter it and he’d prevented me from ducking away.
When I was blocking about half the attacks successfully, he pocketed the stone and progressed with sticks, water, fire, anything he found on the trail. We were still riding too fast and I was exhausted from the mental and physical exertion when he switched to full body attacks. By nightfall I wasn’t able to fend off anything that came at me and he mercifully stopped the horses beneath another hollow in the mountain. I was asleep practically before I slid off my horse.