The New Story

Chapter 32

Audrielle was finally excited to get to some real training.  She would have tools to protect those around her the next time she needed too.  Solxa explained to her that now she knew where to direct the energy, that it now depended on knowing how much.  If she needed to destroy something like a small rock in her hand with the sellia you don't want to overdo it.  That's a waste of sellia.  You can still build sellia again but it takes time and energy and at one point you'll just fall over from exhaustion.  Audrielle had wondered if dark magic was similar to arcane magic.  Solxa said that dark magic destroys, arcane magic amplifies.  The sellia in arcane magic will help amplify strength, endurance,  with the pure energy of the sellia.  But with dark magic, its only purpose is to destroy, whether that be physically, or channeling the sellia into an elixir to destroy through poison.  It was Genta's forte though.

Solxa observed as Audrielle as ten different sized of rocks were placed in a line.  Each one required a different amount of sellia to destroy.  If Audrielle built it up and used it correctly.  Then by the end, she would be tired and needed a lot of time to build up sellia again.  It seemed this was so the first few times she has her go through it.  And at one point she was certain the young one would give up.  But she preserved way past what Solxa had imagined.  And by the end of the hour, Audrielle was getting the hand of it.  Solxa had to admit she was impressed.  But this wasn't anything yet.

"I think this would be a good time to break for a seemingly late lunch," Solxa told Audrielle as she finished the last lineup which was now a pile of dust.  Audrielle nodded in agreement and they ascended the long steps where Ren had set aside food for Solxa and Audrielle.  Everyone else had already eaten something and were working on various things.  Magia was glad that Audrielle had taken a break from training from the time being.

"Do you like it?"  Mageia showed her a picture of Ren and Belan together that she had drawn.  

"I do very much.  Are you going to give it to them?"  Audrielle asked her.  

Mageia nodded.  "I thought it would be a good thanks for letting me stay here.  By the way, I heard Keoat and that man Kralim arguing earlier.  It sounded serious.  Ren had to go in there and break things up.  Kralim then stormed out."

Audrielle was concerned and thought that if she could find Keoat she could ask him about it.  That was easier said than done in this large house.  He could be in his room, somewhere on the first floor doing various things like studying or working on plans or just plain thinking.  Or he could be down in the meeting room for the rebels for this place.  When she searched she was glad to just find him in his room staring absent-mindedly out the window.

"Are you alright?"  Audrielle approached him and sat next to him on his bed.

"Yeah, Kralim is getting on my nerves though.  He never has before but right now everything he does just really seems to get under my skin.  It's like he's doing it on purpose," Keoat said and Audrielle could see him get physically tense.

"What did you guys argue about.  I heard that Kralim stormed out from Magia."  

Keoat finally peeled his eyes from the window and looked at her.  "Well he was telling me now that I am considered dead I can't do a lot of the things I was able to do before in my position.  He was trying to offer to take on some of my responsibilities.  I refused, of course.  It just seemed like he was trying to make me useless.  I can still plan, and my connection to King Felix is important.  As well as the many connections I have in Touxolia.  Like the innkeeper.  He was telling me I was being stubborn and I told him he needed to stay in his place.  That's when Ren showed up and Kralim just decided to walk out."  Keoat seemed a little heated after relaying all this to her.  

"Well maybe Kralim was just trying to help let some load off of you since you are sort of confined here till the dust settles," Audrielle suggested.  Keoat almost seemed to glare at her for saying this.

"You're just saying that because you like Kralim," Keoat shot at her.  Audrielle couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I don't necessarily like him?  I just have never had a guy take an interest in me that was half decent so I didn't turn him down.  It's not like I kissed him first back at the inn he kissed me-"

"He kissed you!"  Keoat interrupted.  "Why didn't you tell me?"

Audrielle didn't understand why Keoat seemed so hurt by this.  "I didn't think I had too."

"Well it's kind of out of the blue, that's something you should tell me!"  Keoat was furious.

"Why in the name Ren does it matter to you!"  Audrielle yelled back at him.  He blinked and retreated all the angry energy he had before.  It turned now more to hurt and sadness.

"I guess it would make sense to you that it doesn't."

"Now what is that suppose to mean?"  Audrielle was frustrated that nothing was getting anywhere with him.

"If I tell you it could ruin everything.  Please just forget it and leave," Keoat seemed to shoo her away.

"I'm not going to just forget it and leave after something like that.  I'm going to get to the bottom of this," Audrielle was not going to let up.

Keoat hesitated for a moment.  Was he really going to tell her?  if he does she will understand how he feels and he won't have to hide anymore.  But they're friendship wouldn't be the same.  She sees him as a brother.  So this would put her in the mindset of not knowing what to think Keoat reasoned.  But it seemed now that it would be better if she knew and he could move on.

"Audrielle I really don't know how to say this..." Keoat started.  He looked back up at her and she had softened her eyes to his new tone.  Did he really want to lose what they had now with her to move on from these feelings for her?  The tension just seemed worse with him hiding what he really feels.  It's better to make her understand. 

"You can tell me," Audrielle encouraged him.  

Keoat took in a breath.  "Audrielle I love you."

Audrielle didn't know what he meant at first.  "I know you do silly, we've been best friends forever.  Now get to the point."

Keoat sighed.  "No not like that.  Like I love you.  In a way, I know you could never love me back.  I have feelings for you so strong that it doesn't seem the best to hide anymore.  When I look at you I just kind of loose control.  And I know I'm like a brother to you, but you aren't like a sister to me.  I want something more with you.  Something I can't have..."  Keoat trailed off and saw the look of shock on Audrielle's face.

She didn't know what to say to that.  She really did look up to Keoat like a brother.  That's what she was supposed to do right?  They had been friends forever.  It didn't seem like the friend dynamic was something that could change.  She didn't know what to think about this whole thing even.  If there was an opportunity to feel different, she had pushed the thoughts away.  She looked up at Keoat.

"I need time to think," she said to him.  And then walked out of his room and to her own.