Chapter Four - Teaching

 

Chapter Four
Teaching

 

“What?!” Avia's voice stung the air, she looked down at Erika in slight horror and then their faces changed to interest. They took off after SynHawk. Pulling up beside him she spoke again

 

“I'm not going to shoot you!”

 

“You saw her shooting before, how do you think you won't get hit. I'm sure an arrow in the chest is painful no matter how magical you are” “...or the face” she added to herself

 

“Quite right, and I have no intention of moving either”
The girls looked at him... blankly. He leaned closer to Avia and smiled “Just, give me a little trust” he backed off and grinned “Now you two stand there! And have a little faith” he jogged until the group, Avia, Erika and he were the three points of a triangle about fifty feet from each other. Turning to face the sisters he called out

 

“Ok, fire an arrow or two at my chest. Whenever you're ready” a murmur broke out over the recently stunned villagers

 

“You're sure about this?” Avia's voice was sturdy but, there was an undertone of uncertainty

 

“Whenever you're ready”

 

Avia looked at her sister

“I don't think that counts as a yes, but hey. His funeral, even if I hate to prove Talkor right”

 

Looking at SynHawk she saw the air waver around him slightly, as if the temperature had dropped very quickly. She smiled as her quick eye's caught this, detail.

 

“Alright, I think I can trust you” She strung an arrow to her bow and pulled it back, feet apart while the bow's limbs creaked slightly under the strain. Raising one arm slowly, SynHawk looked upon Avia while he focused on the air around him. They stood like this for, but a second.

 

A high-pitched twang reverberated through the minds of all around. But it echoed softly in SynHawk's head as the scenery seemed to slow down in his mind. He saw the arrow leave the bow, sharp point darting towards him. But, as the arrow sped through the air it grew colder. Ten feet before it smashed against SynHawk it changed into ice. Once supple wood now hard and brittle, it shattered as it collided with his hand. The small cheer washed over him as he looked at the group, he smiled and looked at Avia. Who had a glint of something in her eye, even from this distance. She motioned for Erika to join the villagers and slipped another arrow onto the bow, tilting her head at SynHawk.

 

“Alright Hawk, Now I have faith in you” drawing the arrow back she waited for him to place one foot back, bracing himself. The string snapped forward again, but this time SynHawk spun out of the way. Hand flashing from his back and lashing out at the arrow, dagger glinting in the sun. His blade connected with the sub-zero arrow. Arrowhead once again shattering in the air with a cheer, but it was not over. Quickly looking back at Avia he saw another arrow zip from her bow. He paused and flicked his hand forward, throwing the dagger with surprising accuracy. As it spun, the arrow connected with it and they spun off in different directions, dagger on the grass and the arrow to who-knows-where. Smirking, Avia let the string go one final time

 

“You're not alone in talents” she spoke to-one but herself, her twin arrows cutting a path in the air. SynHawk's eyes sprung open at the new sight and knelt down on one knee quickly. His fingers whipping out carelessly, face then set. As the arrows closed in on him there was a loud click and the flights of the arrows on one side burst into flame. Losing their target and veering away from SynHawk, they sunk into two trees in the forest behind him.

 

“Nicely done Avia” a whisper drifting from Hawk.

 

A wave of clapping washed over SynHawk as the villagers walked towards him, Jade in the lead. He looked over at Avia, who had a look of...pride? He then looked at Erika, who had an open mouth and a stunned expression of awe on her face

 

“Um... Mr. Tsavo?” he looked to his left and saw a girl with long black hair and blue eyes; she had been first to him. He laughed and grinned

 

“Call me Hawk” he was quickly bombarded with all amounts of questions about him-self, and faces sunk into one as he made his way to Avia. Who had walked to him and the rest of the crowd

 

“I said you weren't done with introductions didn't I?” she placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around to face the villagers. SynHawk bowed theatrically and Avia spoke “Everyone, This is SynHawk Tsavo”

 

 

For the next half an hour or so, SynHawk recounted the same life story to the surrounding people as he did earlier to the Avons. Although once or twice he had to start again as new people wandered over to see what was going on. But eventually once all the commotion calmed down and people went back to their daily jobs, the three were left alone again.

 

“Well, I suppose that's it for now in the way of meeting people. Almost the whole village was caught by that show” Avia grinned at SynHawk as the last few people strolled away “I noticed Talkor stalking away once he lost interest too, so that's a bonus”
laughing, SynHawk stretched and saw Erika sitting against the base of the tree. She had one of Avia's arrows in her hands

 

“Glacialis” she paused and looked at the shaft, unfrozen “ Glacialis... Glacialis... Glacialis... GlacialisGlacialisGlacialis” Erika was starting to get somewhat frustrated at the shaft. Her magic failing to freeze, any of the arrow at all. Looking at Avia and smiling he jerked his head towards Erika and then set off towards her. She was so absorbed she only noticed SynHawk as he sat down next to her, jumping slightly and then smiling sheepishly at him

 

“I don't think you'll be able to do that yet, you really need to know what you are doing”
she glanced up at him, looking a little hurt “oh no I didn't mean you don't know what you're doing. I meant you need to use the rules and core principles of magic, I'm guessing arcane for you”

Avia sat down on the other side of SynHawk, looking over his shoulder at Erika

 

“Why Arcane?” she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees and watching the two. SynHawk looked from one girl to the other and then bit his lip, thinking

 

“Ok, how much do you two know of magic in its self?”

 

Avia looked and hesitated, a small pained expression on her face as she remembered back. But Erika took the lead when she saw her sister

 

“Um, only what I’ve read in a couple of scrolls... our mother thought we were too young to grasp what it was and didn't want us getting too involved so she didn't teach us. But, then one day it was too late. I had to work out the few spells I know on my own”

 

His eyes left Erika and he looked at Avia, she was looking away from the two, off into the forest. A sad smile and a nod came onto SynHawk's face

 

“Oh, alright” they sat there after that. The sun slowly dipping in the slow afternoon drawl, a swarm of shadows creeping up the grass and dirt near them. After a while of thought and looking into nothingness, Erika piped up again

 

“So...”

 

“mmm?” SynHawk had his head back against the tree, with Avia still resting her head on her knees beside him

 

“How... did you do it? The arrow I mean”

 

A smile seeped into SynHawk's face

 

“Said the ever inquisitive sister” he paused, thinking of a way to explain it simply “ok, first things first. As far as I know, there are three schools of magic. Arcane, elemental... and blood, the latter of these three, I hope never has anything to do with you”

 

Avia tilted her head so she could watch SynHawk's face as he spoke, Erika was just hanging onto every word. Looking up at the slowly darkening sky, Avia lent over and nudged SynHawk with her elbow

 

“We should head inside before we either get swamped by people again, or it's the small cold hours of the night”

 

Nodding, SynHawk tapped Erika on the knee

 

“She's right, lets head in” Getting up quickly, SynHawk looked back down at the two and held his hand out to Erika “Come on” once she was up, he held his hand out to Avia. She moved to accept it and then caught herself, moving her hand against the tree and pushing herself up. Hawk looked at her oddly as she refused his help, but Erika was already pulling SynHawk towards the inn, he brushed it off.

 

“Never a break from the quest for knowledge” grinning thoughtfully.

 

Avia started after the two magicians, a little uneasy about SynHawk and his power. Or at least whatever he was hiding, she knew it was something.

 

 

 

“Now where were we?” this was SynHawk, he was sitting on one of the tables with a girl on each side. Something Thanos grinned at as he walked past with a chair

 

“Freezing sis' arrow” Erika wasted no time at all in telling SynHawk

 

“This is true” motioning to Avia, she passed him a bowl that was sitting next to her “Now, this is actually very easy. Watch and then tell me how I did it” Moving the bowl closer to his face, he looked down and whispered softly “Glacialis” as the word drifted in the air, it curled around the bowl and soft specks of ice begun to form. Slowly growing on the bowl and spreading. Until after a few seconds half the bowl was pure ice. There was a small clap from Erika as she watched the magic, grinning, SynHawk looked at the smiling face

 

“Alright now here comes the fun part... what did I do?”

 

“You froze it”

 

SynHawk paused

 

“...yes I did, but how? If you can summon a ball of light, how can I freeze?”

 

“Because... I don't know” Erika looked down at her feet

 

“Good, I get to teach you how this all works. I wanted to know what you know” he looked sideways at Erika and smiled “Remember how I said there are three types of Magic? I think it's time I teach you about your own, Arcane”

 

“Oh please do” Erika's voice was creepily eager. Avia smiled and sniggered beside SynHawk, leaning forward so she could watch him again

 

“There are three differences between the schools. Arcane, you use words and reagents to cast spells, elemental, you use your own life... and death, you use blood and the spirits of the departed”

 

“Blood, so... Necromancy” Avia's voice spilled out over the conversation

 

“...in a nut shell. But, I'm not going to tell you much on that... for obvious reasons. Let stick with Arcane”

 

“Why not elemental?” Erika was back to asking questions. Avia rested her head on her knee again and looked at SynHawk expectantly

 

“Elemental is usually left to magical creatures or races. Sprites, Elven males and females, Nymphs and dryads. There are many many many more creatures that use elemental magic, but those are a few you might even find around here... well if elves still resided in these lands

 

“What are a few more?” once again, youthful curiosity struck

 

“umm, Unicorns, Phoenixes, Sphinxes, Hydras... and of course the dragons”

 

“oooh, I have read about them... but they were wiped out in the last mythological war”

 

“How do you know about those? The wars I mean”

 

“There are a few books in Alowen, not many but a few, oh and father of course” Avia answered SynHawk, her soft voice coiling around his mind

 

“Interesting... but we are getting off topic. I'm trying to teach you to do Arcane magic, not what you won't be able to” he looked at the two and then continued “the way Arcane magic works is by controlling, or creating things by spells” he waved his hand over a candle “for example, lux lucis” a small ball of blue and white light bloomed in his hand

 

“Yours is a different colour”

 

“People's spells tend to have different effects based on who they are cast from. My powers usually lean toward ice and lightning, or at least energy. Hence why my ball is blue, not your gold”

 

“Oh, Ok” she smiled toothily and looked at the ball

 

“Now, Arcane magic abides by one rule... mostly, but we will cover that later. For now, lets stick with these two spells, lux lucis and Glacialis. ‘You cannot create something from nothing'“

 

“So when you summon that ball of light...”

 

“I'm in fact harnessing the light that is already in the air. I could not cast lux lucis when I was in a completely closed room with no light at all. Even moonlight glinting off a mirror in a cellar is enough to cast this”

 

Erika nodded and looked up at SynHawk, a strange understanding in her eyes. Of one, who by those eyes, be much older “Now, by using that logic, how did I freeze that bowl?”

 

“By using ice”

 

“What ice do you see?” he was smiling now

 

“...by using water?”

 

“What water is around here?”

 

Stumped, Erika took the bowl from SynHawk and looked at it, mind rolling over what was happening. While she sat there thinking, Avia was looking at SynHawk and smiling, a knowing look over her face. Erika noticed

 

“Alright sis, what?” she tilted her head and gave a questioning look. Avia grinned warmly

 

“You blew on it” unable to catch herself from Hawk’s charm, her uncertainty forgotten for now

 

“Well done indeed, yes I blew on it. I focused my cold breath in one spot and used the spell to keep it there, once I dropped the temperature enough, I was able to use that small patch of ice to quickly cover the rest. It's all about knowing just how you can manipulate the elements to do 'your bidding'“ he looked from Erika back to Avia and smiled in his warm way “I didn't catch that my first time, you must have good eyes after all”

 

Avia blushed and smiled back, brushing the hair from her face and looking back at SynHawk's golden eyes.

 

“Hey!” Erika's voice smashed their second and they jumped, looking at her

 

“Wha- oh... I see” SynHawk's voice sounded like veiled shock. Erika was sitting there, a cup in her hand and a thin layer of frost on the lip

“Look sis, I did it!”

 

Avia gave a huge grin

 

“Well done Erika” She nudged SynHawk “She catches on quick”

 

“...Quite”

 

Ignoring SynHawk's demeanor, Erika lent over and wrapped her arms around him

 

“Thank you Hawk!” with that, she grabbed the cup and with a small laugh, sped up the stairs.

 

 

 

        “Now she will be busy for a little while until she gets bored of playing with magic... Hawk?” Avia lent forward and looked at SynHawk, who was staring at the door Erika had gone through. She placed a hand on his arm “are you ok? You look like you have seen a wraith”

 

Looking back at Avia's deep green eyes he sighed

 

“Wraith… No. A gifted Mage… Yes”

 

“So I guess she has some talent huh?”

 

“I don't think you quite grasp what she is, for a girl, human, her age to be able to pick up something like that so fast is... incredible. I mean even a human who can use magic is rare to start off with. I would keep her safe Avia. A lot of people would kill to have her in their employ”

 

“Out here she'll be fine, we do have my father and me keeping her safe here” she got up and walked to the fireplace, looking into the embers that were dying before the evening fire was stoked

 

“you too now Hawk. If you are really sure about keeping us safe”

 

"I already was drafted into protecting your family... Avia, what's on your mind?"

 

Slowly Avia ran a hand through her hair and whipped it back around her shoulder, turning to SynHawk Tsavo. She was standing tall, a presence about her he hadn't seen before. A deep confidence and power

 

        "I don't trust you Hawk" she paused and pulled a length of hair that had fallen over her ear, back "I do like you, even just after today. But I don't trust you, there are too many things you aren't telling me"

 

        "Some of those things are to protect your family"

 

        "Tell and I will trust you"

 

        "I can't"

 

        "Then for now, I will be watching you. For whatever you do, it is beside my little sister and my family. When i know who you really are I might be able to trust you, until then your walking a fine line with us"

 

        "I understand"

 

Avia sighed and rubbed her forehead

 

        "I didn't want to have this kind of conversation. I know your different from all the people that come through here, you just worry me" She moved to him and sat down on the table

 

        "I've had the effect before" he looked at her from the side "Just look after your family, I’ll keep myself in line"

 

        "What's different about you Hawk? and I don't mean that your not telling me everything"

        "Maybe I can do magic" he flicked his hand up and a long line of sparks shot across the room, he made Avia smile despite of herself

 

        "Maybe, or maybe your helping when you have nothing to gain"

 

        "Maybe"

 

The two sat there smiling for a second and then SynHawk grinned and walked back to the fire, standing and looking into the embers. He rested his arms on mantle and looked back at Avia

“So, guess you have to deal with me sticking around for a while”

“I think I should be able to, it was actually my idea to have you around in the first place”

“mmm I heard that when I was coming down the stairs this morning. Quite refreshing to hear someone actually fighting for me for once”

“Fighting for you huh? That sounds like you have spent your whole life fighting” Avia walked over to him and lent against the wall

“I have seen a... few battles”

“One of those just happened to be last night?” a sly smile was on her face as she looked at him. Her hair draped over a soft shoulder. Her hand motioning playfully to his forehead

“Another veiled secret?"

 

"As always"

 

 

Erika had come down the stairs and was now leaning against the door frame, watching the two with a smile. Avia glanced over SynHawk's shoulder and spied her sister. The odd smile caught her interest

“Erika... what?” her voice trailed through the room and SynHawk turned around to face the little sister. Erika grinned and slid over to the two

“You two should fight!”

“Erika...” Avia had a confused face

“Like a duel sis, I know just how good you are, I want to see if Hawk can as well. You had an interesting time before”

 

SynHawk smirked and walked behind Erika

“That sounds like a challenge Avia” he laughed slightly and winked at Avia as she shook her head

“I don't think it is a wise idea to beat up our new helping hand on his first day... well night here”

“Afraid he'll beat you?” a young playful grin was splattered over Erika's face

“Ha. Ha. Alright Erika. You’re on” Avia ruffled her little sister’s hair and bit her lip slightly “care to make a wager on this Hawk?”

“Sure, what on?”

“If you beat me, I'll let you teach me like your teaching Erika... after all if you win I must have something to learn”

 

SynHawk gave an interested smile; he couldn't say he hated the idea

“What if you win?”

 

There was a pause from Avia, with Erika grinning in the background as she made her way to the stairs. Happy her job was done

“Erika can do my chores for the rest of the week”

“Done and done!” SynHawk hand clasped around Avia's, shaking. He noticed a glint in her eye. But before long, Erika realized what happened and broke the silence

“Hey!”