“Like when I cauterize wounds?”
“Very similar. Think of the sun. It’s a ball of intense heat, but waves still flare from it. Your sword will be the same. Ninety percent of your power will be concentrated while the other ten percent will allow your magic to breathe. Just like your body needs a release from your power, your power also needs a release.”
“I want to try it.”
“Okay, let’s start off small until you get the feel for it. Instead of a sword I want you to try forming a dagger. They already feel like a natural extension of you, so it will be easier for you to conjure.”
I look down at my palm, focusing on bringing my heat to the surface. I imagine what it feels like when I emit the ray of heat that I use to cauterize. Instead of it coming from my finger, I push it towards the center of my hand.
A fiery, glowing rod begins to form in my palm.
“Good job,” Ryder encourages over my shoulder. “Now imagine it taking the form of a dagger. Think of the way it feels in your hand when you grip the hilt. Feel the weight of it balancing in your hand.”
Slowly, the rod begins to transform, and the top becomes sharp like a dagger’s tip. Flames dance around the edges and I wrap my hand around the flaming hilt. It feels comfortable.Right.
“It’s working.” I whisper it as though it will disappear if I speak any louder.
“How does it feel?”
“Natural. Like two hands reaching for one another.”
“Stay there. Don’t let go of it.” Ryder walks over near the body targets and pulls out one of the swords. He places the hilt in one hand and the tip in the other. “Try to cut through it.” He nods to the middle of the steel blade.
I lift the fiery dagger up, bringing it down against the silver blade. There’s barely any resistance when the dagger cuts through the steel as if it were nothing but butter. Ryder holds up the two halves of the sword in each hand with a proud smirk.
“Not bad.”
“That felt amazing!” I release my power, letting the weapon fade away.
“Once you master the dagger, we’ll move onto the sword.”
I can’t deny that he’s a good teacher. Even back at the Sector he had a way of getting the best out of me. I suppose I should take advantage of his expertise with however much time we have left here.
The rest of the house is quiet when I wake in the middle of the night. Before, when I would wake up from nightmares, I would head to the Pit, but there’s no Pit here and something about going out to the training field makes me feel uneasy.
Instead, I take the stairs up to the second floor. A few weeks ago, I scouted out a window that leads to the roof, so that’s what I head for. I do my best to be quiet, but opening the window is louder than I expected.
The night air is crisp, and the smell is comforting. Being out here reminds me of the times Amaya and I would climb to the top of the Archives building in Avelion to stargaze. Somehow, it makes me feel a little closer to her.
I lie back, taking in the sky full of stars. When I was locked up in the cell for those two months I had wondered if I would ever see them again.
“Thought you might be up here.” Ryder suddenly appears on the roof next to me and I jump.
“Don’t do that! I could’ve fallen!”
“If you had, I would’ve caught you.”
Something about his response makes my heart beat a little faster, though, maybe it’s just the result of almost losing my balance so high off the ground.
“Did I wake you?” I ask as I lie back.
“No, I’ve been up for hours. I don’t sleep much these days,” he admits.
Ryder lies down, putting his arm behind his head like he doesn’t plan on going anywhere. I wasn’t expecting company tonight, but it seems I have no choice in the matter.
“Is this how you would spend your birthdays in Avelion?”
I sit up and turn to him surprised he would say such a thing, but then I quickly remember I had told him as much during our run-in on my last birthday. It’s weird to think how different our interactions used to be.
