The Blood of Amietta

XXXV. The Pain of Parting

We enjoy an amazing meal that night, giving Noelani, Ettiana, and I the chance to meet many of the people living on the ranch. It turns out that many Northerners send their children to Freya to train them. Fighting, casting, spiritualism– you name it and Freya does it.

After a good night's sleep, Freya reveals that it is time to observe our skills. I'm not sure what I'm expecting from the delicate woman as she leads us to the training grounds, but it's certainly not to be shoved into a large cage with Noelani and immediately thrown into a fight with two fierce-looking warriors.

"Relax," Enya calls out to us. "You'll be fine. Just try your best."

My adrenaline starts pumping and time seems to slow down. I step forward, turning my back towards Noelani as she instinctively does the same. Now it's safe to assess the situation.

One warrior is huge, his bicep easily the size of my head. He's armed with a large, heavy sword, which tells me that his biggest advantage is strength, not speed.

The second warrior is the first's opposite– a tiny, lithe body armed with two much smaller swords. His body is nothing but a string of tightly coiled muscles, ready to spring into action in an instant.

"Stay calm," Noelani reminds me.

I take a deep breath, letting her words wash over me.

Suddenly the little one strikes, barely leaving me enough time to twist and conjure a sword. I stop his attack just in time, but it's a sloppy maneuver that has him taunting me with his eyes.

Noelani takes over, surprising the man with a burst of magic. I guess that leaves me with the strong one. We lock eyes as he accesses me ruthlessly. I do the same, trying my best to work out his weakest points.

The warrior charges forward and I pivot. My back is still towards Noelani's, but now we are effectively surrounded by enemies. Noelani picks up my slack. As the more experienced fighter, she knows how to maneuver our enemies until they are exactly where we want them.

Fighting alongside Noelani is very different from Enya. It's like I can read the princess's mind, somehow anticipating her next move everytime. I don't know how– it just happens naturally.

I wonder if she can feel it too.

Lost in my thoughts, I misread the warrior's intentions. Frantically, I raise up my sword, barely managing to keep him from slicing through my shoulder. The force of the blow sends the weapon flinging across the cage. I conjure another one, but I know that I'll have to think of something else if we want to win this fight.

Behind me, Noelani lands a blow. She uses the extra time to take the big warrior by surprise, swinging her sword towards his fighting arm before blocking yet another attack from the fast one.

Deities, I need to step up my game. My failure to stay focused might cost us this battle.

"Mila!" Noelani warns. But it's too late.

My opponent steps up suddenly, finding an opening to grab my arm and yank me towards him. One beefy arm goes around my waist while the other locks his sharpened sword directly in front of my throat. Not close enough to harm me, but steady enough to send a message– my fight is over.

Or is it?

Sword play isn't my forte. I'm not nearly as skilled as the other fighters in this arena, but I do have one advantage. The power my magic gives me is unmatched by all.

I lock eyes with Noelani– she knows what I want without me having to say a word. She conjures her magic, using it to freeze her opponent in place while I focus on summoning my own magic.