Chapter 11

Finally! I can wear pants again! They were a bit too long for my legs, but other than that it was a perfect fit! It wasn't made entirely of leather, there were also pieces that were made of a rough fabric that I didn't recognize. The inside was also covered with this strange fabric. The bag also contained underwear that reached my knees and that I had to close with a single button at my hips. I put on the black tunic with the tree on it. It was difficult to get my wings in the hole near my back but eventually, I succeeded in getting dressed.

Glasias was waiting for me at the sandy pit... because what else should I call it. He walked to a chest at the edge of the ring and pulled out a belt.

"Put this on. I'll be right back.'' Glasias walked over to another chest and rummaged through it while I put on the belt. He had taken out two wooden swords and two wooden knives from the box, he gave the wooden sword to me while throwing the knives on the ground.

"I'm going to teach you the basic techniques to defend yourself with a sword. I always attack, you always defend. Then we will start with defensive techniques with knives. I'm not going to teach you how to attack.'' I grabbed the wooden thing and noticed that it wasn't just made of wood. It had a piece of iron in it to make it heavier.

"Why don't you teach me to attack?"

"You learn sword fighting through years of practice. The most important thing is to start with the basics and even that takes years. Ready?"

I dropped to my knees a little and spread my feet a bit further apart. I held the sword firmly with one hand. ''Good.''

Glasias started with the basics: how to parry blows and how to deal with footwork. When we started the "real" fighting it turned out to be more difficult than I thought.

I absorbed all his words and tried to carry them out as best I could. Every time he took a step closer I moved back a little. He increased the pace as I got a little better at parrying.

After a long time, the muscles in my upper arm started to burn from the effort. I became so slow that I was forced to take several blows to my arms.

"Muscle pain?" He asked. I was out of breath and nodded. "Drop the sword and grab a knife." When I did what he asked, he suddenly pushed me over! I fell into the sand.

"Why did you do that?!" I stood up in anger.

"You looked at the knife but you didn't look at me. Always keep an eye on your opponent.'' I quickly did what he said and glared at him as I walked to the wooden knife. I picked it up.

"A knife is often much more dangerous than a sword. You can hide it, it is lighter and therefore you can fight with more ease. Therefore, do not immediately take out a sword during a fight."

"But I have to defend myself, right?"

"There are several ways to defend yourself. The very first I would recommend to do is to flee, on foot or in the air. That is why it is also important that we practice flying and gaining stamina in the air as well as on the ground. If you can choose between fleeing and fighting, always choose to flee."

''Why?''

''Why? You are not experienced enough yet. If anyone sees you draw your sword, they will do that as well… and you will lose."

He then showed me some basic techniques of how to fight and defend with a knife. We were now fighting closer together and I needed my reflexes more than ever! He could ''kill'' me every time and I could not stop his attacks. Glasias noticed I was starting to get out of breath again and paused.

"Stop, we'll proceed in a different way." He pulled the wooden knife from my hands and stood opposite me. "We practice without weapons. The exercise goes like this: I try to touch your knees and your shoulders... but you have to keep looking me in the eye. This way, we can practice your reflexes."

Piece of cake… I also had to do that with karate. I tried not to blush as I looked into his eyes. He had to come closer, I could see the outline of his muscles through his shirt. He hadn't tied all the strings near the opening of his throat, which distracted me. I missed his first attack, a tap on my shoulder. But soon it started to get easier. He was bigger and taller than me… but he wasn't always the fastest. I was even able to hit him on his shoulders and knees without him being able to touch me! I even started to enjoy it. When we stopped I was grinning at him like an idiot. Apparently, my grin was contagious. I was almost able to get a smile from him, but at the last minute the corners of his mouth curled back.

''You are fast.''

After the short drink break he took me to some tunnels. Soldiers were running there. We walked to a quiet place with only a few men in sight, everyone looked up as we passed by. They stared at me in surprise. Have they never seen a female soldier?

"Are women also trained as soldiers?"

"Women are trained at a separate location to avoid distractions."

"But shouldn't they learn to fight men as well?"

''They certainly learn that. But they have to learn to fight in a different way because most women have no wings. Winged soldiers use different strategies. Our wings can get in the way sometimes, but they are extremely useful when fighting someone who has no wings at all. You can jump into the air and stay out of your opponent's reach, or when you can't defend yourself use them as a shield. But there are many soldiers who don't do that."

''Why not?''

"We believe that when we die, we can only go to the afterlife by flying towards it. Our job is to take others with us. And if you can't fly yourself, you have to wait for someone else to take you with them."

What he told me intrigued me. I grew up without having a faith. I heard that people still went to a church, to a mosque or synagogue, but I had never attended a mass myself. When I asked about the Temple he cut me off. "We need to continue."

Dozens of burned-out candles lay scattered on the ground. Glasias took a new candle from a wooden crate and lit it with another flame.

"New recruits come to this place to see how many laps they can walk around the camp before the candle burns out. From now on, you will run the same number of laps around the encampment every morning until we test it again." I groaned when I heard that. Is he serious about this?

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, it is. Stamina on the ground is just as important as stamina in the air." He pulled me to one of the tunnels through which the men were running. "These tunnels all run around the encampment. Every time you come running by I will count how many laps you have run. Begin."

***

At the end of the day I could no longer feel my legs. I had trained hard with karate but this training was killing me! I lay exhausted on the big bed and it seemed like everything in my body was hurting.

"You must be hungry." His voice sounded different than before. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

He grabbed a bag from the floor and started rummaging through it. He took out the nightgown and placed it next to me. He looked uncomfortable. "I'll get some food." And he was gone.

I quickly put on the nightgown after washing myself a little with a damp cloth. I decided to take off the sweaty underwear as well. I threw the clothes on the floor before crawling under the thick sheets. I sat upright in bed because if I would lie down then I would probably fall asleep. I hugged the blankets to my chest to stay warm and to hide my body because the freezing air made certain body parts stand out more than usual, and I did not want Glasias to see. Patiently, I waited for him to return but I had a hard time getting warm. My eyelids were getting heavier by the minute as well. I stretched and felt all my muscles protest! After a few boring minutes, my heart skipped a beat when he entered the dark room.

I smelled the meat before I could see it, let alone taste it. My stomach growled loudly as he walked to the bed. The corners of his mouth turned into an invisible smile as he handed me the bowl of food and a spoon.

"They have even better stew here than at home." He sat at the end of my bed with his bowl. He took a bite and I immediately saw that he enjoyed it. I quickly followed. It was delicious! I hadn't even swallowed one bite before I gulped down another. I was so embarrassed that I was eating like a monster… but I had to, I was so hungry! I noticed Glasias looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I nervously wiggled my toes… on second thought, not a good idea.

The whole time I was mentally telling myself: don't look in his direction... don't look in his direction. Eat your food and go to sleep.

When my bowl was empty I was overcome by my sleepless night. With a lot of groaning and moaning, I put the bowl on the floor and pushed myself back into the bed. Now that I was lying on my back, I would probably fall asleep within minutes. I quickly hid my yawn behind my hand.

"I think you need to sleep." I shook my head.

''No not yet. Is it already dark outside?'' He shook his head.

''I asked when I was getting food. The sun hasn't set yet." I rolled to my side and looked at him sleepily, halfway down in dreamland already.

"It feels like we've only spent half a day here." He shrugged. I supported my head with my hand so I could look at him better… and to prevent myself from falling asleep.

"In Ildir's room, there was a children's book with a story about four children who had created the world. Can you explain that story to me?'' I asked sleepily.

''Why? I'm not your mother."

''I know that! But I don't know anything about this world. I thought it would be nice to learn something from this world before I go back.'' He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"You are very spoiled. First I get you food and now you want a story. Just let me finish my dinner first."

He finished his food and placed the bowl on the floor next to mine. He walked around the bed and lay down next to me on the bed after kicking his boots off his feet. Then, like me, he lay on his side so he could support his head with his arm. His eyes sparkled with a thought I couldn't decipher. A piece of skin on his chest peeked through the buttons of his shirt which made me pay more attention during the story.

Suddenly, he looked at me and started talking. Sometimes I looked at his mouth more than I looked into his eyes.

The story was about how the four children created the earth. They were two twins. The two boys: Umbra God of Shadow and Solaris God of the Sun. The two girls: Viva Goddess of Life and Moori Goddess of Dreams.

He talked about how they grew up and slowly learned how to use their powers. Solaris created the sun and the earth. Umbra created the moon and the seas. Viva created animals and plants, and Moori created dreams and visions.

When the sisters created elves, three out of four siblings had given gifts to their creations… except for Umbra. He didn't know what he wanted to give to them yet. I was already half asleep. I heard his voice and tried to keep listening. His voice was suddenly gone but I felt his arms slide under my body. He carefully positioned me on the pillow. He folded my arms under the covers and I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up from the cold. Still, half asleep and half awake, I pulled the blankets around me, but they were too cold. Glasias was not in bed next to me. Where is he? I shivered when I pushed away the blankets. The cold floor felt like ice when I got out of bed. I walked around the bed to the heater… and saw Glasias lying on the carpet.

He lay in front of the heater where it was much warmer than in bed. Smart. I silently walked over to him and gently touched his hand. Stone cold. Despite the warmth of the stove, he was almost as cold as I was. I had a stupid idea… a very stupid idea that I would never have agreed with when I would've been awake. I was shivering when I walked back to the bed and took the pillows with me. I knelt next to him and carefully put my hand under his head to lift it up. I quickly pushed the pillow under his head.

His hair was soft. I brushed the hair from his face and tried not to breathe. I pulled the sheets off the bed and struggled to drag everything to him without making a sound. His bare feet looked like they were frozen. I quickly threw the blanket over him and pulled the covers over his feet. When I lay down next to him, shivering, on the warm but hard carpet, he mumbled something in another language. I tried not to breath and waited until he was quiet again. When I lay down on my pillow I still couldn't fall asleep. The heat from the stove did not pass through the blankets so quickly. I lay there, shivering on the floor next to him.

Should I get closer to him?  Carefully, I crawled against his back, between his warm wings. Somehow, I did feel that I could trust him… despite the fact that he could kill someone with ease. I still didn't want to trust him completely because he was not only dangerous but also unpredictable. At times he was kind and concerned about my safety… and at other times he threatened to lock me up, like during the moment we had to wake up Ildir. I pulled the covers closer to me until I was completely wrapped up. After a while I felt that we were warming up to each other. Glasias' scent made me drowsy. After looking at the embers for a few minutes, I noticed that my clothes were hanging on the grate in front of the stove. Glasias had done that. After a while I fell into a deep sleep again.

***

"Leanna." I heard someone shout at me somewhere in my dreams. "Leanna!" Go away, it's too early! I thought sleepily. "Little elf, wake up." He pulled the warm blanket off me. I opened my eyes and groaned. His hair looked a bit spikey and he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but he looked well rested… and in a good mood as well. He was kneeling next to me. The room was still dark except for the light from the pale stones on the ceiling. There were only embers left in the stove. I looked at him sleepily and started shivering again. ''It's morning. You have to get up just like any other soldier." I closed my eyes again and shook my head. Leave me alone.

"It feels like I'm a corpse. Can't we skip today?"

"No, because tomorrow you will feel even worse."

"Okay, help me up." He pulled me up by grabbing my upper arms. He did it in a very gentle way. My muscles protested as I had to keep myself upright. The muscles in my back were stiff because we slept on the hard ground. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. My toes were freezing and I felt bloody awful! I stretched my arms above my head, groaning. He stared at me when I did that.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked with a cracked-up voice. He didn't answer but turned away quickly.

''Just get dressed. I'll see you outside soon.'' Glasias left me alone in the dark room. I could see his cheeks were red. What have I done? I thought and looked at myself. As I was looking down, I saw that certain contours of my breasts had become visible because of the cold air… Glasias absolutely should not have seen that! My cheeks were now as red as his. Shit. I walked to the heater where my clothes were hanging. My pants, sweater and tunic were dry and they were nice and warm. I quickly put on the pants. Holy shit… I am warm again! I quickly took off the nightgown. The warm shirt worked just like coffee, I woke up immediately. When I put the tunic on as well, I felt completely warm again. I knocked the sand off my boots and tied them around my feet before going outside.

The hall was just as dimly lit as yesterday, but somehow it seemed as if the sun was shining. I walked over to Glasias and looked at my toes before facing him with red cheeks. He helped me tie the ribbon around my head to hide my ears. His cheeks had returned to their normal colour again.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked for a second time.

"Same as yesterday, so just start running… thirty-two laps and don't stop until I say so."

***

My muscles protested as I slowly lowered myself into the cold water. I was happy to finally be able to wash myself! At the end of the day, after we had eaten, Glasias showed me where to go. Since I left home I hadn't been able to really wash myself. Aerin was the only one who had cleaned me a bit after we escaped… and I had fallen into the river but that didn't really count.

The water washed away the dirt, I briefly floated on my back in the water. The water was way too cold to stay in there for a longer time… but I really needed to wash my hair. I briefly washed my hair a bit by rubbing the soap over my head for multiple times to get rid of the grease. Only after washing three times in a row, I could feel that how the grease and dirt left my hair.

It was terribly tangled so I tried to comb it with my fingers but it did not really help. I surfaced again to breathe and noticed that a torch had gone out. Great. I have to go back now otherwise it will be pitch black in here! When I reached the shore, I pulled myself up on the ice-cold stones, groaning. The stones were slippery so I had to hold on tight to avoid falling back into the water. When I sat on the side, I put on the clean shirt that Glasias had given me. Without much enthusiasm, I put the dirty tunic back on. I still had to ask for a second piece of underwear so I would not have to wear this one all the time. I had to wash it at another time.

Now that my body was a covered, I could briefly push the leather pants into the water and wash off the sand and sweat. I wrung out the pants as best I could before putting it back on. It will start to stink if I have to keep washing things this way. I thought as I fastened the belt. My hands had trouble tying the laces of my boots and the ribbon that covered my ears.

I was surprised Grandfather hadn't reached out to me. But… somehow it felt nice that he didn't reach out. It was still weird that I could talk to him, I did really love it that I found him here… in this world. I wished it became easier to contact him so I could ask some questions that were burning on my tongue since our first conversation.

When I returned to the dark room, Glasias already got us dinner. I was slightly annoyed about the staring eyes of the young soldiers and when I saw Glasias, I felt relieved.

"The soldiers can't stop staring." Glasias sat on the bed, holding my grandfather's sword, which was still wrapped in rags.

"They stare because there aren't many women who have wings. And those women certainly won't join the army.'' He took off the rags from the sword.

"What do they do then?" I asked as I hung the tunic on the rack by the stove. I pulled the ribbon from my head and shook the water from my hair before sitting by the stove. My bare arms were stiff from the cold, there were even goosebumps on my fingers. I was grateful for the warmth of the stove that warmed my back and wings.

"They get married." He pulled a string and removed the cloth from the sword. "Algarus sent the sword before he left searching for the Mazar."

"Let's hope he can find one." I mumbled. He stood up and handed Inlustris to me. I removed the rest of the rags and pulled the sharp steel out of its sheath. How long did I have to stay here? I stared at the steel feeling helpless. Days? I slid my finger along the steel and cut myself. Weeks?

"What are you thinking about?" He stared at me. Shyly, I looked at the sword again and answered the question as I slid the sword back into its sheath.

"Home." I mumbled softly. I looked at my hands as I put the sword down. My fingers were already getting rougher by the day from all the sparring. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

"I miss my family, especially my brother."

''How old is he?''

"He is seven years old… and he is annoying but I still miss him."

The wet pants made me feel cold again. I pushed myself to my feet, shivering, and placed the sword against the wall. "I'm putting on the nightgown. Don't peek.'' I playfully threw the rags that were around the sword in his face.

"I promise not to peek like you did." My cheeks grew warm. His humorous gaze almost made me smile but I could not smile… it meant I would confirm what he was saying.

"I wasn't peeking." I mumbled softly.

"I don't know you that well, but I'm pretty sure you're lying right now." I quickly looked over my shoulder to see if he was keeping his gaze straight ahead. He wasn't looking. I pulled my clothes over my head and then quickly put on the nightgown. I fumbled with the waistband of my pants until it finally slipped off my legs and landed on the floor. I picked up the clothes. When I turned around I saw that he was still looking in front of him. I placed the soaked pants on the metal near the heater.

"Algarus will manage to find a stone in time. Don't worry." Glasias said when I sat down next to him on the bed.

"Why are you so sure about that?"

"I trust him with my life and he is the only one smart enough to do so." He stood up. ''Go to sleep. And stay in bed, under the covers. I'll be fine.'' He lied down on the carpet with his head on the pillow. I searched the bags for the cloak I wore when I got here. I put it over him before I went to bed.

***

The week passed quickly. Every day, I ran thirty-two laps around the camp while Glasias was counting. Even though I was working so hard, day in and day out, I had difficulty sleeping. I knew it had to do with the river I kept washing myself in. Every time I touched the water, it seemed as if I was sucking the energy from the river into my skin. After washing, I often felt dizzy... as if my whole head, my whole body was filled with energy again! When I had to go to sleep afterward, I was plagued by dreams. The man who wanted to kidnap me stood at the end of the bed, watching me. Whenever he could almost touch me I would wake up. The only day I didn't dream was the day I didn't wash myself in the river. Due to the lack of sleep, Glasias began to notice that I could not continue as long as I wanted.

At the beginning of the second week we spent in the underground training hall, Glasias received a message that he did not share with me. After that, he became grumpier… he also became rougher with sparring. I didn't have any problems with that per se, but one morning he was such a brute that I felt like he was going to hurt me badly!

I was sore all over my body which made it even more difficult to complete the thirty-two laps this morning. It took me much longer than any other day. Glasias' face looked like a thunderstorm. He said it was almost noon when I finished running. He is just exaggerating! Take a deep breath and ignore him. After that, we started to practice sword fighting again. The wooden sword had already hit me several times on my arms, head, and hands. I was tired, exhausted even… but he didn't seem to care anymore!

His attacks became harder… he didn't take into account the fact that I had only started sword fighting a few days ago!

After a short while, I got out of breath already. My arm could no longer stop his blows! I really tried my best to defend myself but I was so tired. Suddenly, he knocked my sword out of my hand. Shit, he won't stop! I dodged his lunges by dancing around him. I dived to the ground to grab my sword and just in time I was able to raise it above my head to parry his blow.

"Get up!" I rolled to my feet and raised my sword again. Glasias knocked it out of my hands again! He was about to bring his sword down… I was unarmed, I couldn't do anything! But suddenly, I felt a small ember of energy burning somewhere hidden in my blood. It reminded me of when I blew up the floor in my dreams! The sword came closer and closer. The small ember spread through my arm, causing me to suddenly raise my arm without meaning to. I saw my fingertips light up before the sword could touch me and felt a wave of fire burn through my veins!

"What have you done?!" I opened my eyes and saw Glasias standing in front of me. The sword did not hit me, Glasias pulled at the sword that seemed to be anchored in the air. It's stuck... the sword is stuck in the air! ''Stop it! Leanna!'' I took a deep breath and focused on something other than the sword. Glasias was finally able to move the sword. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone had seen it. Nobody looked at us suspiciously. Glasias tucked the sword into his belt and roughly pulled me to my feet. "Come with me immediately!"

I looked around… no one had seen what had happened. Glasias looked furious. What did I do wrong? He already walked away when I wiped the sand off my clothes. Before he could get any angrier than he was already, I ran after him. After a few minutes, he found an empty cave and stood there, waiting for me with his arms folded, and looked at me with a steel gaze. He cursed briefly in his own language.

"If you do that again in the presence of others, I will make you run through the tunnels for one whole day. What got into you? Everyone could have seen it!"

"I'm sorry... I don't know how I did it."

"Then learn to control it!" He growled. ''If someone finds out about this, it will spread like wildfire through the forest... and when that happens, they will know where we are. Do you understand?'' I felt anger burn in my veins... What is his fucking problem?!

"You're the one who suddenly started attacking me like a wildman! I reacted in a reflex because you almost hit me!"

"If you want to learn how to fight, you also have to learn how to take a punch. I tried to push you to see how far I could go."

''Your behaviour has gotten worse over the past few days and it has nothing to do with teaching me how to fight! You received a message a few days ago... and since then, you behave differently."

"We're going to practice flying." He muttered irritably while trying to evade the subject.

"No." I looked at him with a stubborn face.

''Are you deaf?''

"No, I am not deaf nor blind. Why are you so annoyed?"

"I'm not annoyed. We continue practicing… NOW!"

''Just tell me!''

''Do you want to know?! Fine! I received a message from Algarus that it will take a long time before he will find the travel stones." He nearly growled as he clenched his fists.

''I'm teaching a girl how to use a sword while I'm a commander! I'm stuck with you until Algarus finds a stone!'' He sees me as a nuisance…

"Then why didn't you just tell your godfather to have someone else do it?! You could even have asked to keep me locked up in a dungeon!'' I clenched my fists as well.

"The Council wanted me to bring you here."

"But now you're complaining like a little child that you want to go home and prove that you're a good commander. That's fine by me! You don't have to do this! If the Council wants me to stay here, someone else can keep an eye on me. And besides, you're a commander, right? Why don't you ask one of those new soldiers if they can babysit me. You just have to snap with your fingers and they will do it!"

"Maybe I will! At least then I don't have to take an annoying human under my wing!'' I gritted my teeth to avoid cursing him. Unfortunately, there were no words for his behaviour. I walked away from him.

''Where are you going? We're not done yet!"

"Just fly off, Glasias!"

He grabbed my wrist and he shouldn't have done that. I jerked my arm so he took a step closer to me. I put the heel of my hand against his nose…hard. I knew it would hurt without breaking his nose. I sprinted away the moment he let go of me so I could hide.

"DAMNARE! Florin!'' I heard him coming after me. He sounded furious. I ran into an unlit tunnel and walked as far as I could without being able to see anything. I heard Glasias calling for me as he ran past the tunnel. Eventually I heard his voice fade into the distance until it finally stopped. He had given up! I had to give him some time alone so that he could cool down a bit.

It was quiet in the cave, but when I listened a bit better, I could hear voices. At first I thought it was coming from the opening I ran through but it was coming from the other side of the cave. I stood up and put my hand against the wall. As long as I keep my hand against the wall nothing can happen, I can always walk back.

I walked through the darkness for several minutes as the voices seemed to grow louder. I couldn't see anything. Maybe your powers can help? I thought about the small ember I felt when I pinned Glasias' sword in mid-air. I carefully sat down on the ground and concentrated on the ember. Slowly but surely, as I concentrated more, I was able to make the ember turn into a small flame. I put my hand on the floor and pushed the energy out of my body. Take me to the voices. I kept thinking as I pushed my powers even further out of my skin.

Suddenly, there was a faint ribbon in the darkness. It stretched across the floor across the stones to a place I couldn't see. I carefully pulled my hands off the floor. The ribbon faded again. No no! I want to go to the voices! I concentrated again and this time used even more energy to bring the ribbon back. I concentrated on the ribbon as I lifted my hands from the floor for the second time.

The ribbon faded a bit but I could still see it clearly in the darkness. Step by step, I followed the ribbon. It took a long time before I finally saw a light at the end of the labyrinth. I was so happy that I managed to find the exit with my powers!

As I walked towards the light of the torches, I finally saw where the voices were coming from: a group of young soldiers were sitting on the ground. It seemed to be a class. A battered elf stood at the front of the class. A man with only one arm saw me standing at the end of the classroom. The teacher fell silent and stared at me. His eyes looked gray. Is he blind? The whole class turned to where the elf was staring at and they were a little shocked that I was standing there. Shyly, I walked to the exit of the classroom.

"I'm sorry for disrupting your class. I got lost and I ended up in here. Please continue with the lesson.'' Before anyone could say anything, I quickly walked out of the classroom. When they no longer could see me, I ran until I came back to the sandy pit. I didn't want to go back to the stone room yet. Glasias was probably waiting for me there. What am I going to do in the meantime?

I saw the tunnels where the elves were practicing throwing spears. Nope, I'm never going to do that. I decided to join the elves who were practicing archery. First I looked for a while. Not all targets were in use so I could easily participate... but I didn't know where they kept the bows and arrows.

"Would you like to try it?" A boy with red hair in a ponytail already looked over his shoulder several times. He showed me where the supplies were and helped me strap a quiver of arrows to my belt.

"Show me how you hold the bow." Then he showed me how to put the arrow on the string. ''Good, bend your elbow a little more... okay, now aim with both eyes, breathe in, and let go."

I thanked him for his advice. One arrow after another flew from my string. Whenever the quiver of arrows was empty I had to get the arrows from my target. I felt the muscle pain grow in my arms but I continued anyway. I didn't want to go back to Glasias yet. I didn't feel like facing him. He had to apologize first. Slowly but surely, evening came, and the soldiers gradually went to the large tent where they could get food. The boy with the little tail called out to me:

"Are you coming to eat as well?"

''No thank you, I'll continue for a bit longer! Enjoy your meal!'' He waved before joining the rest. I turned around and saw Glasias standing at the target. Anger flushed through me. I took an arrow and put it on the string… it was very tempting to let go of the string.

"So you've been hiding here all this time." His voice sounded milder than the last time I saw him. I aimed just a little lower and released the string. The arrow buried itself in the sand between his feet. He didn't even blink when I did that.

He walked over and stood next to me. His nose was neither red nor broken. That's a shame. When there was enough room to shoot the arrow I fired it at the target. I was still on guard, maybe he was still angry or annoyed that I ran away. I shot and just missed the center. I grabbed the last arrow in the quiver and tried again. This one needs to get in the bullseye. I'll show Glasias that I am not a weak little human!

"Leanna, listen…" I shot the arrow. It now ended up in the bullseye. "I shouldn't have called you an annoying human. I wish I could take the words back.'' I walked to the target to pull the arrows from the hay bale. Glasias walked along with me. "I'm sorry." After I put the last arrow in the quiver I looked at him. His look was sincere but I couldn't smile.

"I'm sorry I hit your nose." I hesitated to say more, but after a few seconds I already decided to give him another chance. "I get it, Glasias. You're finally home and I can understand that you want to be with your friends… to get back to your old life... just like I want to see my parents and my brother right now." The concerned look in his eyes did not disappear yet. "But luckily you found your annoying student again." The corners of his mouth almost curled into a real smile. "I'll put the bow away and then we can eat."

The next day flew by again. I felt my arms burning with muscle pain every minute. In the morning I had to run again and in the afternoon we practiced with knives. My reflexes were improving, but I knew that eventually I would have to practice for years to master everything. When Glasias thought it was enough for the day, a soldier came towards us.

"Sir, would you be so kind as to follow me to General Gandoras? The girl is also invited."

Glasias and I looked at each other in surprise before following him. We walked between the tents of the other soldiers to the large tent where we met Master Ytoras. The battered elf who taught the young soldiers was there. His other arm was scarred and his wings looked like they went through a lot, but they still seemed to work. Scars ran across his face, his gray eyes seemed not to be able to see anything… and yet he looked at us.

"General Gandoras, it is an honour to see you again."

"The honour is mutual. I sent for you because I want to know who exactly this girl is.'' He got straight to the point. He kept his gaze on me as he spoke to Glasias.

"This is Florin. She's a refugee..."

"I know she is a refugee because the first one I approached was Master Ytoras… but that is all he knew about her."

"What else would you like to know about her?"

''I want to know who she is. Yesterday she disrupted my lesson by walking out of a tunnel without a torch in her hand." Glasias looked over his shoulder. His look told me he didn't like the news. "It means that she walked through that labyrinth without the aid of a light source. Even with a light source, it is difficult to find the way to the other side.'' Wait? It really was a labyrinth?

"General, it's unlikely she got out of there without a light source. She must have grabbed a small stone and made it light up to find her way."

''That is the point. I cleared the entire labyrinth of all loose stones and pebbles that could possibly be used as a light source. I use the labyrinth in my lessons to teach my students how to see in the dark. Only some can reach the other side after practicing it many times with my lessons... but apparently, this girl can do it with ease!'' There was a moment of silence. I saw the thoughts racing in Glasias' head.

"What do you want from the girl?" Glasias asked.

"I want her to become my student."

"General, you don't know who she is, but I do. All I can tell you is that she has powers but she can't control them yet. I don't want her to be noticed because we are hiding her here from the enemy from the North. When soldiers start asking questions, about her powers, news of her presence can quickly spread."

"If she cannot control her powers, then she needs the lessons. Soon she will accidentally make her presence known by herself." Another moment of silence. Glasias was thinking about what we should do.

"I'll think about it General. Thank you for speaking to us."

***

That morning when I was looking for a wooden sword in the chest, Glasias called me.

"No wooden swords today. Follow me." Glasias walked to the remote part of the cave where the general was teaching.

"I'll pick you up when the candle burns out. Listen to him and respect him. He doesn't appreciate jokes so don't act like a child. And always say yes, sir or no, sir. He will hit you in the face if you don't."

I looked at the classroom that I discovered yesterday. A number of chests were at the front of the room. What does he keep in those chests? After a while, the battered elf walked in. He brought two other boys with him. His gaze lingered on me briefly before he started the lesson. It was strange, he was most likely blind and yet he could see everything. The two boys looked at me in surprise.

"This is Florin, she will come to our lessons. You don't need to know where she comes from because even I don't know. Let's start by sitting down."

All three of us sank to the ground. "Florin, because you are new, I will start at the beginning: you know what the Sahar is?"

"No, sir." The boys looked at each other discreetly while I was feeling dumber by the minute.

"The Sahar is an organ… nothing more than a bag of flesh and blood where our magic is produced and where these powers are stored. It is located between our shoulder blades. With a lot of practice, you can make the organ grow and then you can ultimately store more energy, and therefore use your powers for a longer time. But unfortunately, only some are able to use your powers to a greater extent… like the three of you. When my lessons are over, you will be able to see as far into the darkness as you can now see into the light of day… and you will have well-payed jobs in high positions. Not only as border guards but also as royal guards."

The battered elf walked out and returned with a jingling bag. The general gave each of us a metal bowl. Then he took out a bottle. Everyone got a little oil. The general, like us, sat cross-legged on the floor. "You've probably tried this before, but without results and with too many distractions around you. It is quiet here, so quiet that you can hear your own breathing. Clear your thoughts, breathe calmly and concentrate. Today you are going to make a fire without using firestones. The elves who ignite the oil have passed this lesson. Those who remain will have to try again in the next few lessons. Find the little embers in your blood, find your powers, and make sure the oil ignites!'' With his last words, he caused a small flame to arise between his fingertips and lit the oil.

I stared at the flame with my mouth open, just like the other two boys. I quickly followed their example when they tried to concentrate with their eyes closed. I focused on my breathing and searched for the energy, the powers I had used to stop the sword in mid-air, the powers I had used to find my way in the darkness… they seemed to flow through my veins again. The energy I felt pumping through my blood started to burn. It was like the scorching fire of the water from the glowing river! I slowly but surely pushed the energy to my hands and into my fingertips. It seemed like the air was statically charged. I carefully raised my palm above the bowl…

It felt like lightning had struck under my palm! The deafening blow of thunder exploded in the room, making the room light up! The sudden release of energy blew me backward, just like the other boys. My face was covered in burning wounds, the oil was blown straight into my face! Just like the stone floor.

My hand was black and smoking from the heat, but I felt no pain. When I sat up, the blind general suddenly stood in front of me. The other two looked at me like I was a devil!

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't want this to happen!" Before anyone could say anything I stood up and sprinted out of the room.

***

''What happened to you?! Why is there ash on your face?'' Glasias was already angry with me. He found me at the archer's cave and pulled me along with him to a quiet spot.

"I couldn't help it, I followed the general's lesson and then I blew everything up!"

"You did WHAT?!"

"We had to light oil, just a little flame. And then… I accidentally made lightning."

''Accidentally?! You accidentally made lightning? Why didn't you just pretend to try?!'' He hissed.

"I had no idea I would make lightning!"

"Do you have any idea what you have accomplished now? You revealed your presence! Now everyone will be talking about it!"

When he opened his mouth again, no sound came out. He looked over my shoulder. I turned around and saw the general walking towards us. He nodded briefly to Glasias and then turned to me.

"Are you okay?" I expected him to be furious because I almost blew up everyone in the room!

''I am fine. I'm sorry I..."

"I absolutely don't want to hear any apologies." He quickly interrupted me. "You have exceptionally strong powers. The two other boys were able to ignite the oil, but it took them many times longer than you.'' He took us to an even more quiet place and sat on a wooden crate. "I've never had a student who could do that... who could summon a bolt of lightning. I would be honoured to teach you how to use your powers."

"General, I am happy that you want to teach her these things, but we came to this place to hide her. As you just said, she does indeed have exceptional powers. But she will stand out too much if she keeps using them."

"Then I propose that I teach her personally. No others will attend the lessons. That way the others can't see what she is capable of."

"I still have to think about this. I have orders from the Council to keep her here without being noticed."

"There is no need to think about this matter, Commander Glasias. With powers like that you need to control them. You must make a flame and not a lightning bolt, not a hurricane but a little breeze. I will help her whether you like it or not."

On the way to the cold baths I thought about the advice the general had given us:

"To prevent getting struck by lightning again, I recommend that you fly several times a day. Everyone uses their magic while flying. There's a chance you'll use up enough magic to react less extremely during class."

When I made contact with the water to wash the dried-up oil from my face, I saw Grandfather standing in front of me in the pyramid-shaped room.

"Leanna…"

''Grandfather!''

"Have you heard anything about the search for the last Mazar?"

"No, we haven't heard anything... at least, no positive news. Algarus said that it will take a long time before he finds the Mazar." There was a moment of silence. "I found someone who teaches me how to use my powers… and tomorrow I will learn how to fly."

"That's good to hear." He gave me a small smile and scratched his pointy ears. It reminded me of Dad. "Then I will no longer disturb you, my child."

"Wait!" I didn't want to shout that loudly but I wanted to talk to him… I needed to know more about what had happened. Why he suddenly disappeared before Grandma came to my world. "I want to know more about what happened. Why didn't you go with Grandma to the human world? Why did you disappear?"

"You'll be the first to hear the story." It seemed as if he didn't feel like telling me. "You may have heard that I have been looking for mazari in my life. I found two mazari. On those journeys I crossed paths with your grandmother several times. She was searching for the mazari on behalf of Palastribus. After we decided to work together, we got married in secret. Together we went looking for the last mazar.'' He paused briefly and sighed. "On one of my trips I thought I had found a new mazar. Marina stayed home because she was carrying Leo at the time." He ruffled his hair in the same way as Dad did. ''And a good thing too. I lost many brothers on the way to the mazar. Marina would not have survived that. But in the end I found the mazar… but the mazar I found was the Temple."

"And then?" I asked breathlessly.

"Then the gods placed a curse on me. I was not allowed to leave the Temple. Only then did I find out that I belonged to the sacred bloodline. No mortal may enter the Temple. Only as a sleeper soldier can you enter the Temple to protect it... to protect its treasures.'' He got a small twinkle in his eye. "They let me live because I belonged to the sacred bloodline but I couldn't leave the Temple. I survived all this time by encouraging animals to bring me food. But of course you want to know how Marina got the Forbidden Book. I always took notes on my journeys… I had the entire route towards the Temple in my notebook!'' He took out an old notebook. "I contacted Marina, she had just given birth to our son. She copied everything I had into a book… which is now known as the Forbidden Book. The Council found out what we did… they didn't agree! Finding Mazari was one thing, but finding the Temple and entering the Temple was blasphemy." He threw his notes in a corner before continuing. "Marina was afraid they would persecute her… and I was afraid there would be others who wanted the book, or worse… someone who wanted Leo to enter the Temple because he was now also a descendent of the holy bloodline. Marina stole the only travel stone present in Silvestris and took Leo to another world along with the book. I told her to burn it, but apparently she copied it."

Grandfather and the stone room faded away. I was alone in the dark.

Buried in my own thoughts, I walked back to the stone room. So that's why he can't leave the Temple! I bumped into someone while thinking about his past… our past. I woke up from my thoughts when I saw Glasias standing at the door, he had just gotten us some food.

"Wait, I'll help!" I ran the last part to him and opened the door for him.

***

"You start your lessons with General Gandoras this afternoon." He seemed worried. I never knew he could actually sound like that. What was he worried about? My training with the general? After I ran my laps, Glasias taught me how to fly for the first time, we walked towards the stone classroom.

''He's not a stupid elf, he'll notice in a little while that you're from somewhere else. When he finds out where you come from, I don't know if he can keep it to himself.'' Glasias seemed nervous. "Just try to be as careful as possible. And don't forget your name!"

"Yes, yes… my name is Florin."

"Welcome, Florin." I nodded nervously at him. "What we are going to try today is exactly the same as last time. But now you're going to make a smaller flame."

"Sir, I don't know if it's smart to do that." He almost had a smile on his face.

"I have a feeling you've never practised your powers before. You were able to find your way in the dark. This requires much more energy than this exercise. It's about not using all your powers. First, think of a small ember from a stove. Don't use both hands to ignite the oil, but maybe just two fingers.'' His voice sounded as if he was impressed already. He gave me a similar bowl to the one I had blown up during my first lesson. It was filled with oil.

"You have to try to create a little spark today. That is your first lesson: control your powers."

"How did the lesson with the general go?" Glasias was waiting for me at the place where we always practiced. The place where the fewest elves were fighting.

"It went better than last time. This time I was able to make a small flame."

"Good to hear." What I didn't tell was that I had destroyed two more bowls by melting them... but then I was able to make a small flame in the oil! So I wasn't completely lying.

"Today, we're going to go over the basics of wrestling. So far we have only worked with weapons, but it is also important to learn to fight without weapons. Now… you have no weapons, I have no weapons… and I'm coming for you. What do you do now?''

He grabbed my arm. I put an arm around his waist and before he knew it, I had dropped him to the ground with a hip toss. His eyes glittered as if he was amused by the fact that I had gotten him on the floor. ''Where did you learn that?''

"I learned it from humans." I looked around to make sure no one but Glasias had heard what I said. Two elves stopped what they were doing. I recognized the boys… they were the two boys who were at the general's class.

Without any warning, Glasias sprang into action while I was still distracted. He tried to get me on the ground as well. He was bigger, stronger, heavier and he fought with ease. I, on the other hand, was small, thin and already struggling to hold myself upright in this situation. After a long time I finally saw an opportunity! I quickly hooked my foot around his leg, I pulled and he fell to the ground. I watched with a smile as he scrambled back up again. I didn't let him get on his feet but pushed him to the ground and let myself fall to the ground as well. Shortly after I landed on the ground I immediately got him in a headlock. I just could not keep him there for long! He pulled my arms from his neck and then pinned my hands to the ground alongside my head. When he sat on top of me I couldn't get him off me. ''That's not fair! You are stronger than I am!"

"That's not an argument. You're faster than me."

"Okay, you've won. I can't do anything anymore. You've caught me.''

"There is still something you can do to break free." Only now did I notice that his face was above my head. I felt his muscular legs tighten around me. The look in his eyes was playful while I felt completely different. "To get out of this situation you have to headbutt your opponent." I woke up from my thoughts. Pay attention, you idiot! I had to think about what to say now.

"I'm not going to headbutt you. I could break your nose!'' His mouth formed a small smile that I couldn't place. I felt my cheeks turn red.

"Okay, no headbutt." He let go of me. "After you headbutt the opponent, the guy often grabs his nose..." Glasias grabbed his nose. "And what do you do then?" He asked as he continued to look at me through his fingers.

"I lash out?" I gently tapped his arm with my fist.

"You have to hit a little harder." I hit his arm hard with my fist and noticed that it didn't make much difference. "Even harder." This time I hit his arm with all the strength I had and then pushed him away from me. "You have to hit your opponent's face." He sat next to me on the ground and wiped some sand off his clothes.

"You're still injured. It's not smart that I am hitting you right now.'' He looked at me with his blue eyes and smiled. Wait, he is smiling at me…

''Couldn't you have thought of that before? A few days ago you punched me in the nose and you showed no mercy." I felt my cheeks get even redder. Glasias sighed. "Don't worry about me. When you are in a dire situation you have to know, feel and see how you are hurting someone." I shook my head.

"I have hurt others… I can do that, but I don't want to hurt you." I looked at my feet when I told him that.

"Why?" He asked me. I didn't expect that… shit. Why did I say that? I was thinking about how to solve this.

"Because… I still feel guilty about hitting you." Again, he gave me a small smile before taking a few steps back. His blue eyes were sparkling again.

"There is nothing to forgive, forget it. Now that I know you can already wrestle, I'm going to teach you how to fight with your fists. And now you're going to try to hit me."

He went over the basics. He showed me how to block, how to hit, and where to hit.

"Show me what you can do." I lashed out and hit him on the shoulder. It wasn't really a hard blow. I almost made him smile again. ''Hit harder, I've had much worse. Even my injured shoulder is not affected by your blows, little elf."

I lashed out at him angrily. He blocked my attacks with ease, no matter how fast I was, no matter how hard I hit him. Suddenly Glasias put more power behind his own blows and I had to take a number of them on my arms. I took a step back and tried to avoid his blows.

''Correct! Try to move around, keep me at a distance and as I get closer, block the attack and then take a swing at the right moment." A few times I had the opportunity to hit him in the face, but I still chose to hot his shoulder.

He stopped and gave me a moment to catch my breath. I leaned against the dark wall. Glasias looked at me with his blue gaze. I knew what he was going to say. I saw it in his eyes. "You have to hit even harder." He said. "And try to aim for my face, don't hit my shoulder every time."

"I AM hitting you harder."

"I haven't noticed that up till now. Your opponent will not stop and will show no mercy. You shouldn't hold back but punch through your opponent."

"I don't see you as an opponent but as…" I didn't know what to say, or what to say. ''…as a friend. I'm not going to punch you in the face.'' I replied stubbornly. His face looked ominous.

"Go drink some water." He crossed his arms and glared at me until I turned and walked away without saying anything.

The black sand got under my nails, in my clothes, and in my hair. I tried to get the dirt off of me when I reached the water barrel. I drank the water and washed the sand from my hands. I threw the wooden mug back in the barrel but I didn't feel like walking back yet. Glasias was used to everyone listening to him, that everyone immediately did what he said without asking any questions. I'm not going to use anyone as a punching bag! And certainly not Glasias… despite the fact that he is still grumpy every now and then.

I strolled back to where Glasias was supposed to be standing, but he wasn't there. I looked around. Where is he? Over there! He stood with his back to me. He spoke to the two boys… the students of Gandoras. Glasias pointed towards me, the boys followed him. What is he planning?

"Since you don't want to fight with me, I asked these two gentlemen to fight with you." He came a little closer so that the soldiers could not hear. "They don't hold back." Glasias gestured that they could come closer. "You can start with her. I'll spar with you."

Fortunately, the bigger elf was starting to fight with Glasias. The other boy who stood in front of me was thin but strong. He had a few whiskers that he grew proudly on his upper lip like some kind of fluffy caterpillar.

With a muffled groan I prepared myself for the fight, just like he did. The boy came closer and started the fight. Shit, that kid is fast! After the first few attacks, I finally started to understand what I should pay more attention to. He was able to hit my jaw, my shoulders and my stomach… I was bad at blocking blows. Until now I was only getting hit. When I finally had the courage to attack him, he not only blocked my attack, but also punched me on the bottom of my jaw. I saw some black dots appear in my eyes and tasted blood in my mouth when I fell to the floor. Did I bite my tongue? I asked myself as I spat out the blood.

"Are you okay?" Glasias asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I growled as I sat up again. I saw the boy's eyes sparkle. I already hate you.

***

The second day of boxing and wrestling went by quickly. General Gandoras didn't have time to give me a lesson so I was stuck with the caterpillar boy and the arrogant guy all day.

Apparently, the arrogant boy's name was Palas, he was almost as muscular as Glasias and there was almost no point in fighting him. I was just always biting in the dust. However, I could just about handle the caterpillar boy. Unfortunately, he was more experienced than I was. He kept seeing the flaws in my defence that I didn't know of… and then he would lure me into a situation from which I was hit for the umpteenth time. I concluded that I was the weakest one there.

"Enough for today!" Glasias shouted when he saw that all the soldiers were going to eat their dinner. "Go have a drink. I'll see you back at the room.'' Glasias walked to where he got the food every day while I went to the barrel of water to get something to drink.

I grabbed a mug from the barrel filled with water and drank a lot before cleaning the sand off my clothes. I looked at my hands. They were black with dirt, bruises were stained on my knuckles, and countless scratches were etched into my skin.

Palas and the caterpillar boy got to the barrel as well and filled their cups with water. They spoke in a language I could not understand. They already knew for some time that I did not understand what they said. I quickly threw my empty cup into the water and walked towards the stone room. But they decided to follow me. All of a sudden, Palas stood in front of me and blocked my way.

"I want to know why a highborn elf like you ended up in here. Tell me why the big shots sent you. Where are you from?'' He asked in the language I could understand. I kept my mouth shut and started walking again.

He spoke again in the foreign language. Apparently he was joking about Glasias because that was all I could understand. The caterpillar boy had to laugh. The guys walked along with me and stood in front of me again, forcing me to stop again. Then he said something to me in the other language.

''I don't understand what you just said. Leave me alone.'' I tried to stay calm while trying to keep my face straight because they were annoying the fuck out of me.

"I said you don't belong here. No matter how hard you train, you will never become a soldier. Why don't you go back to the castle and paint your nails, Your Highness?'' He made a deep bow and started laughing as well. With flushed cheeks from anger, I tried to reach the baths as fast as I could to prevent starting a fight with them.

After washing myself in the freezing water, I was able to cool down and forget their words a bit. In the main hall, I walked around the camp so that I did not have to walk between the tents. I hated how all the soldiers were staring at me... and how the guys I had to spar with treated me like that.

On the way to the stone room there was a soldier who came towards me, he was wearing a helmet. I looked at the ground as I walked past him. He whistled at me. I looked around furiously and hoped I looked as angry as I felt at that moment. When he turned around I could see him grinning, but I also saw his eyes. I thought I recognized him from somewhere, he then quickly walked towards the exit of the cave. He was wearing a helmet so I couldn't really recognize him, but his eyes looked suspiciously like the man who… He could never find this place. I forced myself to keep walking. No one followed us, they can't know we're here.

When I got back from the baths, Glasias gave me my food. I sat down in front of the heater. The words of the guy were stuck in my thoughts again. I stirred the food but I was not hungry anymore.

"It went better today." It was the first time he had complimented me.

"Still, it's not good enough." I complained as I put the bowl of food on the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees. I sat there, buried deep in my thoughts again, looking at the embers while my food was cooling down.

"What is it?" He asked softly.

"I'm tired."

"You've been tired every day since we got here, so that can't be it. Tell me? You usually eat that food straightaway and now you don't even touch it."

With a sigh I started eating. Glasias finished his food first this time. I felt his gaze burning as I ate my bowl one bite at a time. I put the empty bowl on the floor when I was finished.

Glasias lay down on the other side of the bed, kicking off his boots. Again, he looked at me with his blue gaze and I could not decipher what he wanted to say or what he was thinking. I was lying on my back and stared at the ceiling. Just one more bloody week and then I will go to the Temple myself... whether I know the way or not!

"What is it?" He asked again. I fiddled nervously with my fingers.

"Homesick." I mumbled. I wasn't going to tell him what the guy had said to me.

"I don't believe you." I looked at him in surprise. "I've noticed that when you don't want to tell me something or when you're lying, you don't want to look me in the eye."

"Yes, it is true that there is something I don't want to tell you."

"Did it happen today?"

"Yes."

"Did I say something wrong?" I looked at him and smiled briefly.

"No, not you." I looked at the ceiling again.

"Ahaa, so someone else said something to you." With a sigh I threw the sheets off me.

"I forgot to put my clothes near the heater." I gathered my clothes and tried to avoid the subject as subtly as possible. When I walked to the heater, Glasias suddenly stood next to me, watching me hang my clothes on the grate near the stove. After I was done I noticed that he had taken off his tunic. He took a step closer to the heater and put the tunic on the grate as well.

Our hands touched and I immediately saw goosebumps appear on my arm. Glasias grabbed my hand when I wanted to walk back to the bed. I looked up, his eyes glinting in the dim light cast by the embers in the stove. A small amount of skin on his chest was visible because he hadn't tightened the strings of his shirt. My eyes slid carefully along the outline of his muscular arms, I could see them through the fabric. I noticed too late that my cheeks were already starting to blush and my breathing was quickening because he was touching me.

I looked into his blue eyes. His messy hair hung in front of his face. Then I looked shyly at his feet, his toes looked cold on the stone floor. He was still holding my hand very gently.

"Look at me." I did as he said. His eyes were glinting mysteriously… I didn't know why. "If those two are not behaving themselves behind my back, then you have to say so." I briefly squeezed his hand and thanked him by giving him a small smile.

I frantically tried to calm myself down. Idiot! Act like a grown woman and don't immediately blush when he takes your hand! I quickly turned around and walked back to the bed. Glasias watched me as I pulled the covers over my chin to hide my red cheeks.