Anatia

It felt like she had been chained to weights at the bottom of the ocean, trying to swim up, it felt like the weights had suddenly become no more than feathers. It had been a breath of air after drowning for ten years. It felt like waking up after sleeping for a hundred years. It had been life and death and everything. And then Aspen was over her watching her with those eyes and she felt so awake and alive. She jumped to her feet and saw Pierson and Saron watching her with complete and utter shock on their face, though they seemed to try to conceal it. Costrae was looking at her with a grin of wild and fiendish delight. She stared back smiling with just as much mischief. Aspen stood beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Well I think everyone within 10 miles knows that a fire wielder is training here."

"Not just a fire wielder," Saron said, almost too soft for her to hear. Aspen chuckled.

"Indeed." she was not a fire wielder, she was wild fire, and she could burn the world to ash if she wished. She smirked up at Aspen and said,

"Explain to me again why I can't spar with you?"

"Because you have no self control." She rolled her eyes.

"I think you mean to say that I could kick your ass if I used my magic."

"No, I mean you could seriously hurt someone if you lose control. Which I remind you isn't the point of sparring." she rolled her eyes again and huffed admitting defeat.

"Fine,"

"I'll spar with her.'' The voice was cool and smooth and with a shock she realized it was Costrae who had spoken, but when she looked at the female she was already grinning back at her. Aspen was glaring at Costrae with lethal warning in his eyes but neither of them so much as glanced at him before they moved to the sparring ring. They circled each other, Pierson tossing each of them a sparring stick which Costrae caught with sharp efficiency, never taking those wicked eyes off her. Then before Anatia could sense the blow Costrae fainted right and struck left, hitting her in the ribs she stumbled but steadied herself and watched Costrae ready for the next attack. It came, Costrae swiped low but Ana dodged the blow and struck left, managing to hit Costrae's arm before Costrae swiftly moved until she was behind Ana and delivered a blow to the back of her head that had her falling to the ground.

"You know, she lasted longer than I thought." Pierson said and she growled at him. "What it was a compliment." she pushed herself up and faced Costrae again. Costrae realized she wanted to go again and she grinned that cat's grin. They circled, she struck with her stick managing to hit Costrae's side. Costrae jumped away and swiped high, hitting her in the cheek, Ana tasted blood but she wasn't going to give up so easily. Ana danced around twisting to strike Costrae in the back but Costrae was already moving and Ana was off balance, she took a step and found a foot there to trip her. She fell to the ground eating dirt,

"Don't forget about your feet." Costrae said cold and clinical but slightly amused, she just got up again spitting blood.

"Again cailín bea tine?" Costrae says the old word rolling off her tongue like liquid sound. Anatia just nodded getting into a fighting stance, they didn't stop sparring for hours.

By the time Ana returned to her room blood stained her teeth and bruises covered her cheek, but she was smiling. A few hours later, she had started to get ready for dinner with Aine, deciding that puffy gowns be damned and that she would wear a sundress loose enough that she could run. She would not be unprepared. She heard a knock at her door and she went opening the door to find no one. She looked both ways but saw no one nearby, she had almost started to close the door when she noticed a small container of ointment on the floor, with a note saying

"Your lucky Costrae held back"

If Costrae had been holding back today then she didn't want to see what the warrior was like at her best.