“Well, not actually… To be honest, it’s all much more complicated than I expected…” I said and frowned a little as I began to tell her about the latest training session.
The conversation made the rest of the way not so long, so it seemed quite soon that we came out to the stony slope where we usually collected little grass called Pyris. People, though, nicknamed it Talker.
“Hey, you don’t have to worry. You are just starting it. You always manage to get everything right, I know you. And this will be no exception,” my sister tried to reassure me. And yes, I have to admit I was really disappointed with my military failures. Not that I expected much success right away, but waving the whip all day to never hit the aim… That was way too bad for me.
“It’s like with magic. At first I couldn’t even hold the light on my palm. And now, look here,” and her palm flashed with a clear little fire gleaming gold around. I whistled in surprise.
“Wow! When did you learn this?”
“Well, around a month ago, I guess. I just never show it at home so Nargara doesn’t know I can and I do play with fire. And also, look now,” and she threw a fiery arrow into a nearby stone cracking it immediately, after which Elcha stood, arms akimbo, looking at me with conscious superiority. “See now?”
“Well, Mammy will never be happy with this. Remember what she said this morning?”
“Oh, c’mon,” she waved her hand at me, “there is no single soul around! And no one can see us here! You know, sometimes I think she takes it too seriously. Had she let us practice it to the fullest, you would have mastered your flow control long ago, so we would not have to use things like blocking.”
I dropped my eyes. The thing was that my magic skills left much to be desired, or were even worse, to be exact. My stream was totally chaotic, and which was worse, I had no clue why
it acted so. Once I could not stir it at all, but then fire came out, and so strong, it could literally burn everything around. For me it never was dangerous, but for those around – deadly. I could burn them alive. Mammy got worried about that all after an incident long ago, when I almost burned one man. That old fool decided to give me a slap in the face for some sort of a prank, and I felt so insulted I suddenly burst into flames, scaring to death both myself and everyone around. We had to move once again to another place after that, and Nargara blocked my magic thus preventing me from getting into any big trouble. Can’t say I was too much disappointed, actually. Trying to use magic that will never obey you may cost too much, you know. I had my fast walking, and I could manage my speed perfectly, so that seemed more than enough for me.
Elcha, though, got a real itch to use that gift. Anytime! And despite the ban, she would polish her skills.
Meanwhile, talking all the time, we began collecting small Talker flowers stuffing them into the bags and tamping them down from time to time to fit more.
Once the bags were full to the top and tied firmly, we went down the slope to the mountain river, sat on the grass, took out supplies and started waiting for the sunset.
That long trip made our legs hurt incredibly, so we decided to put them into the fast stream running down the mountain, and were enjoying its coolness.
“I was just thinking the other day, why not practice some archery? I think I could ask Yoos to teach me. Think he would agree?”
“Well, at least you could try asking him,” I smiled, “if you really mean it, of course. But keep in mind that he is not going to be any softer on you just because you are a girl.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. And my sister is so cool! Really tough and awesome! And me? I am no worse, you know. I’ve already made up my mind!” she announced putting on some oh-I-am-so-totally-determined-now look, yet could not keep it for long and burst out laughing.
“Hey, you, with your mind made up! Just don’t shoot off somebody’s nose,” I said ironically and splashed water in her face.
Elcha closed her face with a sleeve, jumped to her feet and shouting something like “That’s what you are up to!” began to splash back. We were chasing each other along the river bank, splashing and squealing like two young kids. Then, all of a sudden, she slipped on a wet stone while I tried to grab her. Next instant, clinging to each other, we collapsed into the fast stream, which picked up its prey instantly carrying the two girls, both twisting and puddling, away from the place where they fell into its soft yet firm grip.
For some time the river was spinning us in its captivity, but then its strength and depth began to decrease gradually, as if offering us a chance to crawl out.
Drenched to the skin and freezing, we fell on the grass. We looked at each other and burst into a hearty laugh – we looked so stupid. Both dripping, hair tangled and stuck to the foreheads, like the tentacles of a red octopus.
Having had enough, I got up and looked around. The river had taken its riders to the other side of the mountain ledge and thrown into a small ravine.
“It took us out of the valley. Better be careful, remember what Nargara said today,” I warned Elcha looking the way we came from.
“Please, gimme a breath! We aren’t that far, just half an hour on foot. It’s about five minutes for you, over there,” she pointed putting a hand to her forehead and looking that way.
The Sun was about to set.
“Let’s dry our clothes first,” I decided, and, running lightning fast along the river, I gathered a large pile of branches.
“Get one of your fire arrows, that’s where we’ll see the use of it,” I added, throwing out the dry branches under our feet.
Elcha had a short wave of her hand, and fire, breaking off her palm, hit the pile embracing it instantly with its red tongues.
“Ta da!” my sister said ducking a curtsy. “Welcome! Contact me any time!”
We got closer to the fire and began drying our clothes, which did not take long as the fire emitted a lot of heat. My face must have been really sad as I shook out of the bag what once was the buns, now all soaked with water. But the sight of the bottle of lemonade, clean and intact, brought so much delight to our hearts that we finished it the same instant.
Elcha was rattling away telling something about Selena’s birthday they celebrated the day before; she was telling everything, never leaving out a minutest detail, making funny faces and gestures all the time. Then she started to talk about the strange couple she met as she was walking to pick Dartor, and about their conversation that she could not comprehend in full…
But I could not focus on her chit-chat, just had to listen half-ear, as I was still thinking about my nightmare. I didn’t like having that dream as it would inevitably leave some unpleasant impression on my heart, and that time it was growing into anxiety.
I took my eyes up to look at my sister. She was still talking.
“… and then he says to the woman something like ‘I will seal it, too. Just to be on the safe side.’ And also…”
“What seals do you mean?” I asked feeling that I had already lost grip of the story.
“Ricka, you haven’t been listening to me all this time!” she screamed. “There is someone casting spells in our valley, and we have no least idea!” she was indignant. “I’ll have to tell Mammy about….”
But I still could not focus on what she was saying as I got some strange, yet familiar, feeling crawling in my chest. I shook my head trying to see what was wrong, and next moment my hands, all by themselves, touched the daggers on my belt.
Silence… It was absolute silence around, disturbed only by a distant sound of water and Elcha’s