The Dragon Mage

Chapter 17- Sneaking and Flamethrowers

Audrey hit the ground with a grunt, the breath temporarily knocked from her lungs. She gasped as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet to face Tyr. The young man was panting just as hard as she was, his fists raised, clearly ready for more. They had been sparring for hours, Taron watching over them and giving tips every now and then.

"Finally getting tired?" Tyr asked with a victorious smirk. Flames burst into existence around his hands and arms, making it clear he could keep going.

Audrey finally caught her breath, before striking a defensive stance. She had been unable to touch Tyr during the entire sparring session. He was far more cautious and evasive than the first time they fought. But no matter how many times he beat her down, she just kept getting back up. "You wish," she challenged, launching a firebolt at the Initiate.

Tyr smacked the limp attack aside, before pulling back his fist and summoning his strongest spell. Flaming runes sprung up around his arm as a concentrated mote of flame screamed into existence between his fingers. But Audrey didn't let him just cast spells at her. The whole time they had been sparring, she had been trying to get close to him, but now he had rooted himself in place to summon a complicated, but powerful spell.

She crossed the distance between the two of them in a single bound and slung her fist back for a vicious uppercut. Tyr reacted quickly, canceling the spell, and stumbling backwards, dodging her attack by an inch. He rolled away from her and hopped back to his feet, before crumpling down to his knees. The flaming runes arcing up his arm remained, burning, and screaming to remind him that there were consequences for not properly casting spells.

He let out a howl of pain as a flaming discharge erupted from his palm, coating the sandy pit in liquid fire. He was unable to control it and Audrey had to jump out of the pit to avoid being caught. She had been so careful to not set herself on fire and destroy her only remaining outfit, though it was still charred by the flaming attacks from Tyr she hadn't been able to dodge or block. She stood overlooking the pit for a full minute as all that magical energy Tyr had absorbed back into himself to dodge her punch poured out of him, slowly stemming like a dammed river.

By the time the flow ceased, his palm was black and smoke poured from his hand, which he quickly clenched into a fist. With a snarl of rage, he punched the ground of the pit, knocking a spray of sand into the air. He whipped his head up to the edge of the pit, glaring at Audrey with a silent demand, get back in the pit.

Audrey stepped forward, planning on obliging that request, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She had to look up to see Taron by her side, having snuck up on her without her noticing. Or perhaps he had been standing there the entire time. "That's enough for today, everyone!" he called out. Immediately, the sounds of sparring and slinging spells stopped.

"I hope everyone has a better understanding of what it means to move and cast spells at the same time. Tomorrow we will be covering a different topic, one equally as important to your survival," Taron said, his voice echoing throughout the training grounds. "Go and get some rest."

The students began pulling themselves out of the pits, chatting amongst each other. Audrey could make out most of them finding friends and asking questions, comparing observations, and sharing any helpful tips they had. It was something completely alien to her. The Initiates at Redwood had always excluded her, and even then, they rarely ever helped each other. They were only out for themselves.

Tyr groaned as he pulled himself out of the pit with one arm, the other clutched under his arm. Audrey knew from experience that backfiring spells was painful, but the pain usually faded quite quickly. She watched the younger man grit his teeth and hold his head up high as he walked past her, trying to hide how much he was hurting. But she could tell.