Beyond the Glow

Chapter 41

"Inside the staff?"

"Inside you." Says Baldur. Nodding as if this makes perfect sense.

"You mean my genie magic?" I ask, still confused. "I already know how to use that."

"No you don't." 

"I don't?" I frown, his relaxed expression beginning to annoy me. "I've been using it for centuries." 

"But you don't know how to use it. Not really." 

"Really?" 

"Really." Baldur relaxes, his face becoming more serious. "Your Father knew how to use it, he was-forgive me, -is a truly amazing genie, you know." 

"What do you mean? And how do you know he's still alive?" I say, touching my lamp protectively. 

"Because I'm the one who taught him everything he knows." Says Baldur. "He's actually been trying to talk to you for sometime now. Protecting you in anyway he can." 

"You mean he's awake!?" I say, excitement bubbling, I should go now, go talk to him! He must be worried...

"No. He's not awake." Says Baldur. "But we'll get to that later." 

"Bu-"

"Silence. I came here to teach you. We have little time, and so much to do before you're even at the level of a basic warrior." He sighs. 

I frown, my mouth stretching into a thin line. Fine then. "What's first?" 

"First, we correct your stance." Says Baldur, eyeing my feet. "You can't fight if you can't even stand correctly with a weapon." He lifts his own staff, shifting his stance and shuffling his feet for a moment before stopping and placing the staff in front of him with two hands. "Hold it like this," He says, and I shift my stance to mirror him. 

"Like this?" 

"No." 

I frown, but eye his feet again, moving my position. "How about now?" 

"No."

I grit my teeth. "Care to point anything out then? What's wrong with this?" 

There's a smack on my legs, sweeping them out from under me, and I land on my back in the dirt, my breath knocked out of me. Baldur watches me, not batting an eye. 

"You are entirely too tense, trying to keep me happy. The way you had it at first was fine. The second time, not so much. But what made me say no was the fact you looked for my approval. Do you aim to take down your opponent with a perfect stance as well?" 

"No, but isn't it a problem if I don't know how to hold it?" I frown, confused. 

"You already knew how to hold it, but you were looking for my approval. Something you would not need if you were in an actual fight." 

I frown. "I... Suppose." Whatever you say... 

Baldur reaches out, giving me a hand back to my feet, before he directs me back into the beginning stance, "The first moves are the hardest, but once you get the flow, and the feel for your staff, it will come easily."

"But I thought you were going to show me how to use magic with it." I wave my arm at the stopped time around us, "Wasn't that the point of stopping time?"

"Patience." Baldur narrowed his eyes. "I stopped time because nobody can know I am training you. What they saw was I sat down next to you as you watched your friend. What they will see when this is over is me and you sitting and watching your friend, before Kendi starts to train you. You will already know a good deal about how to use your staff, despite never having used one before, and to any spy, it will appear as if you are a fearsome opponent, despite lack of training. That's what we need them to think."