The Eye of The Storm

Chapter 17

Philippopolis

Aella was standing in the middle of the ruins of the city. Beatrix had tried to find an area that was enclosed and private from the rest of the camp. Her mentor had been instructed that Aella's abilities were to be kept secret and therefore, no one was to see her practicing. Aella would never have been allowed to wander by herself under normal circumstances, and she found it unusual to be so isolated. The area where Aella was standing appeared to be in a once densely populated part of the city. Most of the stone houses which stood nearly wall to wall, were still upright, but had their flimsy roofs blown off in vexation. Any homes made of wood were completely destroyed, and only evidenced by piles of planking lying about. If she squinted slightly and imaged the area clear of rubble, it almost looked as though the houses were still under construction. The remaining stones of the standing houses were slimy from the rain and covered in a green furry moss.

Aella squinted from the low light reflecting off the clouds, snapping away from her daydreams. "Forgive me Beatrix, you want me to what?"

"I want you to close your eyes and focus on the air around you." Beatrix said calmly from a safe distance away. She understood that novices were unpredictable and could harm those around them without meaning to do so.

Aella sighed, a newfound heaviness had found its way to her chest.

"I don't see how this is going to help me refine my powers." She complained, but did as Beatrix said.

With her vision blocked, Aella felt her other senses take hold. She felt the air blowing against her face as though it was an extension of own her body. Everything felt heightened, not just the air- but her own breathing, the sound of the cocoa-colored dirt crunching under her feet as she barely moved and the distant noises of soldiers chatting floating from the encampment in the distance. She felt all the noise around her slow down to a screech, until there was just her and Beatrix's voice. It was amazing, how could she have not seen her entire life that she was gifted?

"Do you feel it?" Beatrix asked, seeing the change in Aella's facial expressions.

"Yes." She replied simply. She was trying to stifle her excitement and maintain her focus.

"Aella listen to me carefully." Beatrix said. "When you place your hands in front of you, you should feel a movement pressing behind you. This is you accessing the air element."

Aella took both of her hands and put them in front of her, and she suddenly felt the sensation of an invisible force pushing against her body as Beatrix had said. Once she felt it, she knew what to do. She was a newborn bird that had just fallen out of the nest, only to realize that she had wings. There was no fear of falling when one could fly.

She moved her hands, letting the air building behind them release in a single pop. Suddenly, the strength of the blow took her under her feet and threw her viciously on her back.

She groaned and rubbed her throbbing head. She saw Beatrix's modest charcoal leather boots on the ground beside her, and looked up to see the woman bending over her.

"Did I move anything?" Aella asked over her crushing headache.

Beatrix looked sideways and rubbed her chin. "Just yourself." She murmured. Talking about the girl's powers with her parents had made her believe that Aella was a prodigy of some sort, but she now realized how unrealistic those thoughts were. One only became good through practice.

Aella let out an angry groan. "Why is this so difficult!"

"You have years of unused power built up inside of you Aella. And it appears that your abilities are stronger than I anticipated. You need to find a method of grounding your body while still harnessing that power." Beatrix advised.