CHAPTER 43:
The doors to the arena swung open and we all walked in.
Rayhan wasn't here; he had to entertain a friend.
Coming here for practice felt different from coming here to watch.
We didn't have a choice but to participate.
"alright, now there are two main ways to fight; hand to hand or with weapons. Since you're still fresh off the boat, we'll use a wooden staff today" Imogen walked over to the weapons case and got three staffs, handing one to me and Eri.
We walked to the pit of the arena and stood facing each other; well Imogen was facing us both.
"oh, Eri? This is rightfully yours" I handed her the blue crystal and she wore it without thinking twice.
Just then we heard the doors open and Rayhan and an unfamiliar face walked in.
He was lanky and tall but had a bit of muscle on him with dark short hair and slanted eyes.
"Rayhan? Why did you bring Tamar here?" Imogen asked trying not to blush.
"well I told him you were training the fresh meat and he said he wanted to watch" he smirked as they both sat down closer.
"do we have to wear these?" Eri pinched at the shoulder of her dress.
"of course you do, these are our uniforms. We have to feel free and be open. It's better than wearing tight stuffy things that we can't fight in"
"but there too revealing" I complained as well.
"don't worry, you'll get used to it" she smiled and changed stance.
"does that mean we can get tattoos as well?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.
"you can if you want to but focus. Now...think of the staff as an extended arm and a shield at the same time. You can use it to block your opponents' attacks if you're fast enough and yet you can use it to hit your opponents"
Eri and I exchanged looks before turning to her again.
"don't keep your hands together and too close to the middle; it'll throw you off balance. Your hands should be far apart to let your movements flow easily"
Imogen showed a demonstration and me and Eri followed her footsteps.
"now keep your legs apart but not too far so you won't be thrown off balance; if you're on the ground our opponent has the upper hand...like this"
Before I could finish calculating what had happened, Eri and I found ourselves on the ground.
I could hear Rayhan and Tamar laughing at us and stood with a bit of embarrassment.
"pia ou cha chu nu en uam sk'ha"
(They have cute butts)
Rayhan commented and Imogen gave him a look before rolling her eyes.
I might not know how to speak their language, but I could tell it had something to do with our bodies and attire.
This is going to be a long day.
.....................
I was seated with Tamar, Rayhan and Eri as we watched Imogen and Sam spar.
He was dressed in the men's warrior clothes like all the guys present and insisted on having a sparring match with Imogen mostly because he was intimidated by Rayhan and even Tamae
"and I thought you girls were pathetic" Tamar commented and I scoffed.
How could they expect us to compete with them?
They have been doing this their whole lives while me and my friends and barely stay in a battle stance.
"your sister is good" Eri commented.
They all were.
Sam has been trying to land a hit on Imogen for a while but none of his moves worked.
Either he was too slow or sloppy.
Imogen landed a final blow with her staff on his back that sent him face first into the ground.
They boys chuckled like they have been doing for the past 5 minutes.
"that's enough for today Sam. I won't hold it against you...it's your first time" she helped him up and dusted all the sand off him.
"nice one khaniha" Tamar smiled as Imogen walked up to him.
"thank you" she turned to me and Eri.
"we're done with sparing. You two have to go learn magic"
"w-what about me?" Sam asked nervously, feeling useless.
"if I'm being honest, I'm all sparred out. Maybe you could practice with the boys for a while. But they won't play nice like I did"
"you were being nice?" he swallowed a huge lump in his throat and a look of fear washed over him.
"don't worry we won't break your bones..." Tamar placed his arm over Sam's shoulder.
"today" Rayhan completed.
"so who exactly do we meet to teach us magic?" I asked.
"I'll take you to her, she resides in the crystal caverns not too far from the castle. She likes not being held responsible when one of her spells goes wrong" Imogen laughed nervously.
"hey everyone...we're here" Yura and Mae walked through the doors with big smiles on their faces.
Tamar walked up to Imogen and whispered something in her ear before she replied with a nod.
"well...change of plans; I'll be staying here while Mae and Yura follow you to your classes"
"but I thought you said you were tired?" Eri rose a brow.
"I am; that's the more reason why I shouldn't stress myself too much about these things and let you four learn magic"
"what do you mean you four?"
"we're learning magic just like you" Mae said suddenly.
"and we might be better at it than you" Yura stuck her tongue out.
"what of Jaja? Doesn't he do magic?" I asked.
"well...he's not too good with combat so he learns from Jackie. She's an amazing teacher once you get to know her" Rayhan explained looking over at the weapons cabinet.
"do we have to go dressed like this?" Eri complained again.
"I don't see why not" Imogen smiled.
We waved them goodbye and followed Mae and Yura to the crystal caverns.
"so who exactly is this lady?" I couldn't help but ask.
"well...for starters, she's our father's sister and a very powerful sorceress" Mae casually explained.
"but I've never seen her at breakfast or dinner" Eri said and I couldn't help but agree.
"well she's seen as crazy and doesn't really come out much. But when she does, it's always fun and interesting" Yura giggled.
We walked towards the back of the castle and past the stables and kept going down a hill.
Me and Eri were suspicious but didn't say anything about it.
We got to a vast garden with many trees and bushes and wild life when Mae walked to one of the trees and muttered an incantation.
Then out of the blues, a section of the tree opened like a door and everyone went in one by one.
I was the last to go in not knowing what to expect or what to find.
When I took three steps in, the door behind me locked and I was plunged into darkness for a while before faint light eliminated the place.
Small crystals hung on the wall and I kept on going deeper and deeper; not like I had much choice.
I was with the girls and looked at was before me in awe.
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