Fire Magic

The clang of swords rang out through the stone court yard.

Ciall knocked a man down with a kick then swung around her sword meeting another blade. With sheer force she pushed the second swordsman back and went for the next blow.

A small mouse stuck its nose out of the stone wall. It's eyes blinking in the harsh light. It wiggled it's whiskers and watched the fight unfold in front of him.

The grunts of men paired with the clashing of metal filled the court yard. Ciall's dark eyes gave away nothing as she moved with grace and confidence. The men training with her were visibly worn out their sweaty hair shinning in the sunlight. The mouse watched for a while before turning around only the yellow marking could be seen as he disappeared in the crack in the stone wall.

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"You trained well," Yaatra said as they sat on boulders eating a mix of rice and veggies. Yaatra like all ice giants was a vegetarian.

"Thank you," Sionna before washing down the sticky rice with warm tea.

"You really shouldn't drill her that hard." Caith said between bites of rice.

"We have already discussed this, there is no time to be easy on her."

"Father-" Caith started to counter and Sionna cut him off.

"He's right I need to learn this and I need to learn it quickly. And why don't you join us instead of sitting around? We could train together?"

"I have taught Caith all he needs to know. Then again, even the greatest masters have more to learn." Yaatra replied his free hand stroking his white beard.

"Then it is decided." Sionna replied going back to her breakfast. She glanced at Caith who now seemed worried.

'I will be okay, I am tougher than you think.' She thought to herself while reaching out and touching Caith's leg.

He looked back at her, his blue eyes matching the mountain skies behind him.

'I know,' he replied with a smile reaching out and squeezing her hand and then letting it go.

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The Keeper now spent most of her time at the stone table planning how to capture the wolf shifter. Ancient texts and papers were sprawled around the room. A small mouse scurried around in it. Until it came to her side letting out a squeak. She looked at it and held out her palm. They seemed to have an intense discussion then the mouse scurried away again.

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The sun rose and fell as the three harnessed the air around them. The moon came out like a brilliant spotlight in the sky then came back the next night ever so slightly. Eventually Sionna was able to use air magic to Yaatra's approval and he announced that in the morning he would teach fire magic. They were both excited to rest. When they got to the tent Caith ate almost all of the meat in the bag and Sionna was asleep by the time he came to bed. In the morning they met for the usual tea and rice and headed up the mountain again.

"The sun is fire, it is the giver of all life on this planet. That is proof that fire can be used for good. All elements of magic have two uses. Life and death. I will only teach you life. If you choose to use it for death that is beyond on my control." Yaatra started with his usual lecture.

"Take out your hand, feel an emotion. Not just any emotion. A passionate one. Something that burns inside you. Move it from your heart to your hand."

Sionna immediately thought of her mother. She wanted to know what happened to her birth parents. She wanted to know why those people killed her adopted father. That desire to know filled her heart and she began to channel it down her arm into her hands. Immediately her finger tips illuminated with flames. A smile filled her face then just looked up. Yaatra seemed concerned.

"What is it?" She asked him, her hand still on fire.

"Usually people do not get it that quickly." He said his eyes clouded.

"No matter, this just means you really need to master control of this discipline." He said with a forced smile and the real training began.