“Thud!” came the crashing sound of a wooden staff slamming into the loft floor; Keira woke abruptly. “Lesson one!” Thomas spoke sternly. “Never... let yourself be taken unprepared! You’d better wake up if we’re going start your training.” he smiled.
The day was beautiful, sunny, bright, the grass fields circling Maedoc’s cottage, swayed to a cool breeze, a perfect day for training. Outside Thomas was saying his farewells, when Keira realized that the person Thomas was speaking to was Phillip, the carriage driver who had literally landed himself between Keira’s legs on the day the Sylph attacked, Keira chuckled to herself at the thought as she saw him perched, sitting upon a dark brown horse with beautiful silky black hair.
“Finally taking off huh?” she asked.
“Yep! Rozlend bought a horse over for me from the stables, so it’s back to Durnshire for me!” he replied smiling. “Besides... you guys have got enough trouble on your hands, you don’t need me getting in the way.” Keira giggled to his response.
“Well... you just be sure to take care of yourself.”
“I will... don’t worry, it’s not the first time I’ve ridden. I actually prefer riding one of these beauties, then hauling precious cargo.” he winked at her, and Keira giggled in response. It felt odd to her how she had only known him for a short period of time, and yet it was almost as if she’d known him for a life time. “Besides, it’s much more... exciting.” he smiled crookedly. “Well then... I’d better get going If I’m ever going to reach the city limits, take care of yourself Keira.” he waved a final farewell, and within seconds he had vanished down the dirt road.
“So... you decided to join us after all,” Thomas smirked. “Here...,” he tossed a wooden staff in her direction. “I took the liberty of making this for you. It’s rattan, light, bendable, perfect for your first day of training.”
“It’s a staff?” she hesitated. “I thought wielders used crystal wands?”
“They do. But... as you’ve seen, we tend to use our powers to transform our wands for defensive purposes, and as a beginner, your going to need to learn the very basics first.”
“The basics?”
“W, S, H.” he emphasized clearly.
“W, S, H? What’s...,” she questioned as her brows clinched together, Rozlend and Maedoc smirking with amusment in the background as they sat upon the low end of the yard’s short stone fencing.
“The Wand, the Staff, and the Hand.” Thomas spoke as he counted them out with his fingers. “It’s the one fighting technique wielders have used for ages, and lived by since the beginning. The Wand is easy to maneuver... to direct your powers in whichever direction you please, but sometimes... a wielder can be easily overcome by their enemy, and wielding through the use of a wand can prove pointless. If your enemy is within reach, your life could easily depend on your technique with a staff, and if that’s not possible, then the only weapon left, is the use of your hands... but for now, learning how to wield a staff will help you get by til your ready to move on; and once you’ve mastered it, you’ll have a chance to find your own.”
Keira held the staff out in her hands, examining it for a moment, her thoughts jumping back to when Thomas had held off the sylph; how his wand had transformed into a tool used to defeat the creature, then she shuddered at the thought that it hadn’t after all, that it was Maedoc who had come, rescuing them in the nick of time. The idea of what could have happened to them that day if he hadn’t shown gave her chills down her spine, until her thoughts drifted away and she could hear Thomas’s instructions fade into her mind once more.
“The original purpose of a staff was for use as a walking stick, light enough to carry, easy to conceal in the open, but as a weapon... the staff can deliver a heavy blow, and when in the hands of a wielder it is much more than a simple stick. As a wielder, it’s important that you know how to defend yourself, you might not always have a guardian to watch over you.”
“Guardian?”
“Ancient lore has always spoken of wielders protected by their guardians -angels, or even at times mortal men. Your mother’s guardian was Abaddon, but in this case, your brother will by watching over you until otherwise.”
“Comforting.” she thought to herself. “but otherwise?” she wasn’t sure what to make of Thomas’s last note, and so went on listening to the rest of what he had to say.
“Keira, weither you realize it or not, you were born with a natural ability to wield, bending elements to your bidding... while your brother... well... lets just say that he was born with the natural instinct to fight.”
“That’s putting it lightly.” she whispered to herself, hearing Maedoc chuckle softly in the background, while Rozlend rolled his eyes in response, and crossed his arms tightly against his chest.
“That is why the prophecy speaks of the two of you working together,” Thomas shot a hard look in Rozlend’s direction. “But... he might not always be there to protect you, and if that situation were to occur... Evo forbid," he muttered. "You will need to be prepared to defend yourself.”
“Lovely.” Keira replied.
“Right... now, lets begin! First things first!” You need to learn how to grasp the staff properly. Become comfortable with where it sits in your hands, so that it may flow gracefully within your grasp. Don’t look as it as a tool, but as an extension of yourself. As a wielder, we rely heavily on our instincts, intuition, and on the emotions that flow within the universe around us... once you understand these senses, the staff will become almost unnoticeable to you in your own hands.”
Thomas slide the staff between his fingers, whirling it around in circles, effortlessly as he spoke. His silver hair whipping around, never seeming to hinder him, as the staff glided gracefully through the air, like a thin strip of cotton, leaving trails of white whisps in the air, never appearing to solidify, and then stopping suddenly as a hard, solid object, sitting within the firm grasp of the monk’s palms. He positioned the staff within her hands, wrapping her fingers firmly around the rattan wood. Carefully placing one hand on top, while the other was grasped from beneath, and then slowly parted them equally on both ends within a shoulders length of each other.
“This is where you hands will sit.” he spoke firmly, staring directly into her eyes, as he squeezed her hands intently. Maedoc, and Rozlend still standing in the background against a stone fencing as they watched with interest, anticipating her next reaction.”
“Now... I want you to face me, place your feet together, and bring the staff up, positioning the right end of it just over your shoulder.” she followed his directions carefully. “Now... step out with your right foot.” Keira placed her foot outwards, awaiting his next instruction. “This is where your going to start your first basic attack.” he spoke as he circled around her, eyeing ever inch of her stance. “Bend your front knee forward just a bit, you need to lean into it, and stretch the left leg further out.” he critiqued, as he swiped his staff behind her front knee to correct her position, nearly causing her fall over; Rozlend, chucked in response, and a scowling look of annoyance washed over Keira’s face as she noticed her brother’s reaction.
“Now... while your holding your staff, I want you bring the left hand down to your waist... sliding it towards the end of the staff, and push your right hand out, sliding it towards the mid section. When you do this your staff should be at eye level... not to high... and not to low. You want to be able to get a good gab at your attackers face.” Keira paused for a moment, thinking it through in her head, determined to get it right, and as she began to move, the staff glided gracefully through the air, almost naturally. “Good! Very, good!”
Maedoc, shot a quick smirk of approval at Rozlend, who’s face contorted into a slight grimace.
The rest of the day Thomas and Keira went over various techniques, one repeated after the other until she came close to perfecting each movement. Maedoc, and Rozlend remained sitting near by, watching each movement with more and more anticipation, interest, and intrigued. This was the first time they had seen anyone, let alone an apprentice learn so quickly. A face of worry, concern, and then amazement drifted across Rozlend’s face from time to time, transitioning with each thought that crossed his mind. She was not the fagile little girl, he had imaginied her to be from the other night, he had never seen a student learn to embrace the ways of wielding a staff so quickly, curiousity rang in his mind, if she was as quick to learn this, how would she do learning to wield the elements with a wand, let alone with her bare hands.
Prehaps, he would have to let go of his fight afterall. Prehaps he would allow her to fight along side of him, rather then cast her aside, as he had so many others.
Thomas, and Keira, practiced until the sun light faded, as if time itself had stood still for that short moment in time, and all that matter was the sturdy wooden rod that lay between her hands, and the feel of the wind whisping around through her hair, as it whiped against her face, as she whirled the staff rapidly through the air, almost effortlessly. It was then that Rozlend realized, she was a natural, a wielder who’s powers had finally been awoken, who senses had finally come alive, as if she had woken from a deep slumber. She was no longer the quite little girl sitting in the corner crying, pouting over an unexpected lifestyle change, she was someone... something, unique, and entrenched, fascinated with what more instructions her master had to teach her, ready to learn, ready to move, ready to fight whatever it was that lurked within the darkness. And for once in her life, there was purpose, meaning, and reason. She had woken from her slumbers, and all the pieces of her soul that had faded away with a sudden farewell and slipped away, had all suddenly... by letting go - come together and turned her into the women she was destined to be; the fighter, the wielder, the daughter of Callynndria, and Abbadon; the Gate Keeper.
© Copyright 2008 Nataliya Maize. All rights reserved.
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