"Faster, Rheya!" Athis yelled at me. "You're weak." He hissed as he swung his sword at me over and over again. Too hard for me to block and almost too fast for me to dodge. "I'm trying as hard as I can." I shot back at him, still dodging his blows just as one ripped through the bark of a tree trunk to my right. "The Gaunt could care less how hard you try. Your enemy doesn't tire, they only have one goal. To kill us all!" He screamed as he swung again but this time my blade met his and our steel shrieked through the forest canopy above us. I stood with my feet planted firmly as I locked eyes with my middle aged mentor.
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Sweat rolled down his brow same as my own. His sunbleached golden eyes matched his now aged blonde hair. Regardless of the fact that he was almost twenty years older than me he could still move with the speed of a lion and strike with the strength of ten men. He wasn't Gifted, he was from a line of something older. He glared at me, waiting for me to make a move. He wanted me to use my powers but I wouldn't. The focus was on my swordplay and my discipline, if I were to use my powers to win then there would be no progress. For me to truly understand my powers I needed to be able to control them. It frustrated me.
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I shifted my weight to the side opposite of his dominant hand and angled my sword in an attempt to disarm him but he saw it coming from a mile away. He mirrored my movement and flipped his blade just underneath the hilt of my sword. I put my hands in the air as he sat the tip of his blade just underneath my throat. I was panting from our sparring which had lasted much longer than I had anticipated. Looking at him now I could see that he was angry. Angry that I hadn't beaten him. He lowered his blade and walked away from me, through the lush greenery and trees.
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"That's it?" I asked as I followed him. "No criticism or harsh judgment? Just walking away are you?" I caught up to him only to notice that he had stopped to retort without looking at me. "I have been training you since you were born. Not because I wanted to or because I was made to but because you were meant for this. You were chosen for this. For some reason the Weavers saw the fate of our home in your hands. Despite all of this and despite all of these years of training you haven't beaten me once." He said as his voice grew low in disappointment. "You're still holding back."
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He started walking again until he strode through a huge curtain of vines of which I followed him through to reveal our home. The tree city of Greenhold. All around us different kinds of people moved to and from. Woodsmen, smiths, farmers and merchants. This place was safe. The Great Tree had always protected us. Outsiders always marveled at the idea of a city inside the hollowed out insides of an enormous tree but this was home to us. The Lower Commons as we called it was the base of the tree itself and was a menagerie of rough twisting roots of gigantic proportions that created archways. Winding paths of scattered stone guided passerbys before they had to ascend the woven and carved inner roots of the tree itself. In the middle of the hollow shell stood a thick wooden pillar with branches and roots going in every direction making paths to homes and other places. At the top of that pillar was the Queens' Court.
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I'd almost forgot about my disgruntled mentor who was still walking away. I caught up to him again through the thick crowd of Siriseans. "If you would just let me use my Gift I would have no problem beating you." I said smartly. He kept walking. "And what does that say about you?" He asked, catching me off guard. "If you need your powers to best an old man what happens when a Gaunt Witch uses her spells to nullify your Gift? Hm? What will you do then?" He implored further, still walking forward as I realized he was going towards his home. "I won't do things alone like you." I said, trying to make an excuse to which I immediately regretted. He stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the entire crowd. I'd said the wrong thing. "You're right. You may have a powerful Gift but... no matter what, you will lose at some point. One day you will be alone. It happens to everyone." He said in a low tone, a somber tone.
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Strangely enough if I hadn't known any better I would've thought that I'd hurt him. "Athis I'm sor-" I started. "We're done for the day." He said coldly as he walked away completely this time. I knew it was best to leave him be but part of me felt ashamed in a way. Ashamed that my words may have hurt him. I stood for a moment in the crowd feeling lonely even in the midst of so many people. Maybe I should turn in for the day too. If I was to keep training tomorrow I would need the rest, that was one thing I had learned over the years spent with Athis. So I walked up through the finely aged pathways provided by the Great Tree and made my way home.
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That night in my room I chose to try and meditate as I had so many nights before. Another habit learned from Athis. I sat quietly and tried to clear my mind, trying to focus on the natural warmth of my body. At first it worked but soon I began to think of what I'd said to my mentor earlier. I shouldn't have given him attitude but I couldn't help it. I wondered who he'd lost. Someone close to him no doubt. I couldn't focus so I just stood up.
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I waited for a moment before looking at my sword. An idea crossed my mind, a strange one. The sword was prop against my bed that was carved into the wooden wall but soon I unsheathed it. It's clean steel glinted in the pale light of the lanterns scattered about the room. I reached deep into my heart and felt the it. My Gift. I focused on the handle of the sword and breathed slowly. Soon I could feel the warmth of my light surging through my body and down my sword arm. I focused harder as I opened my eyes. My willpower took over allowing the light to travel through my hand and into the sword. I watched in awe as pure shimmering light flowed and crackled through the steel blade, culminating at the sharp tip.
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Maybe I could show Athis this, using the Gift with the blade. That thought was interrupted with a knock at my door. It was quiet as if it were a small hand doing the knocking or maybe just someone trying to be quiet on the outside. It was in the dead of the night after all. I opened my door slowly with my sword hidden on its other side. Nobody was there. Where had the knocking come from? Did they just run away? Maybe it was just a few stupid kids.
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I was about to shut the door again before I saw a piece of paper rolled tightly and sealed by red candle wax. I picked it up slowly and ran my finger across the wax seal, still warm. It was emblazoned with the sigil of the queen, two eagles holding an arrow beneath a blazing sun. This was from the queen which explained the secrecy of this midnight message.
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I stepped back into my home quickly and brought the message over to the desk next to my bed. I unfurled it carefully. Inside was another message attached to it but the main message was what I wanted to read.
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Rheya, it is with utmost sympathy that I regret to inform you that signs of the Gaunt's return have begun to show. I realize that this is sudden but it is still a secret and needs to remain as such. Athis has received the same message. You are both to report to Commander Mottiere in Greenwood Falls. There you will both be dispatched to investigate evidence of our great enemies return. Attached to this message is your writ of passage into Greenwood Falls military camp. Do not deviate from your training. Steel yourself. Good luck and Godspeed my friend.
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- Queen Scillian
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It was almost as if he knew I'd finished reading the letter. "Time to go wouldn't you say?" Athis asked, startling me. I turned around and gasped, he was good at getting in here silently. He'd scared me so many times before. "Do you think it's true, they're finally returning?" I asked him. "I haven't a clue but this is from the queen. She wouldn't base such a task as this on mere rumors. There has to be hard evidence." He said which made too much sense. "Then let's be on our way." I said with finality as I grabbed my sword from the table and walked towards the door.
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