🔥 The Path of Fire (Path of Light and Fire Book #1)(Completed) 🔥

Chapter 38: The Path of Light

Ira taught Sabin the basics of the bolo-kele fighting style. She was still easily Sabin's superior, but Sabin was a quick study. She'd deemed him acceptable in both the hand-to-hand and god-spear aspects, so training in conjunction with his true Path was the focus now. He held his body to the sun, gathering energy in his being.

Then he started.

His light strike required him to know where he wanted to land. He was used to the element of surprise being enough, but Ira drilled him, making sure he landed exactly where and how he wanted. The first strike was simple enough. He pulled, landed standing straight up in the first crevice and punch-tossed the target. In the next target, he landed diagonally, using his practice god-spear to smash the wooden plank.

He concentrated on remaining in the proper bolo-kele position. Curled up here, one leg folded under in the other one. He had done this course enough, suffered the bumps and bruises of failure and was confident that he could do it in his sleep.

When he crushed the last target, he lighted on top of it, then jumped off and careened in a swan dive towards Ira. Just before their heads collided, he lighted again and touched down behind her.

"You've made your point," Ira said. "You are beyond this training and ready to move to the next level."

I could swear I heard a laugh in her voice.

"I have been here three cycle-days and half of Birth Cycle has gone. When will I be ready?"

"Patience, child."

Ira drew on the Path of Fire. Each of the marks had a ladder attached to the back and Ira sprinted up each one, switching out the broken ones for new. The entire process only took a few minutes.

Sabin waited quietly. He'd learned in Ira's lexicon that patience meant to wait until she was ready to speak.

Eventually the speeding blur manifested into Ira's sauntering form. "Now do it with your eyes closed."

Sabin shook his head and tightened the grip on his practice weapons. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Visualize where you want to be. You've been through this enough times; you should be able to feel it."

Sabin again took stock of the targets Ira built in the practice area of her manse. Constructed of stone and wood, sharp edges jutted out around each one. They rose in different elevations; some he could touch from the ground and others he wondered just how Ira had them constructed. There was only one space in which he could safely land to attack the target and Ira wanted him to do it without looking.

Sabin stilled his shaking hands.

I can do this.

He felt the stone under his heel and the vibration with the first impact of a spear meeting wood. He hesitated before lighting to the next one.

"I believe in you."

A vision of Kianna entered his mind, her black hair, her beautiful smile. He opened his eyes. He was done with training and Ira would let him go now and fight the Guan. Kianna wouldn't want him here, wasting his time and...

Where am I?

He looked around. He was sure he was still in Ira's manse in the Kelen District. The leaves of her signature red and black fileri lined the walkway. Either there was another fileri enthusiast in Sweoti or it was one of the buildings Sabin had never visited.

Ira's Partner, Fifi, opened the dark green door, her black robes trailing behind her. She shut it quietly, jumping when she turned and saw Sabin.

"Yusabin." Her eyes darted around. "What brings you to the east side of the villa?"