Of Dragon Riders and Shadows

Chapter Eight - Place of Meeting

"Right," he gulped. Those his age had never looked at him with eagerness, waiting for him to do something other than outright failure. Very strange, and nerve-wracking.

Breathe. I am water, smooth and calm. "The trick is intent. Like with any sorcery. Breathe in, and let your magyk flow through you. Palms and forearms should be prickling – the magyk wanting out, wanting to be used it. Harness it.

"Now, visualize your words, yourselves – the way I do it, a bubble surrounds me. That is a barrier between yourself and any individuals. Nothing can escape the bubble – no words, no sounds. Sometimes, I feel that I can actually see the bubble shimmering around me."

"Like this?" Adrien said – or at least, Rex thought he said so, for no words could be heard. He was mouthing silently, his magyk surrounding him. Rex was surprised at first that Adrien was the first to learn it; but then, if there are no preconceived notions, it is easy to learn – and learn quickly. There is a rush, and then a plateau. Since Adrien was at the beginning, he would be making very good progress for a time.

"Yes," Rex nodded. Xatho was the second one to succeed, face scrunched in concentration, silently snarling. His magyk, the blue of the four lines while Adrien's had been iridescent green, also surrounded him. It snaked around his arms, sparked around his head, and twirled around his legs.

Athol, the next one to succeed, was much the same as his brother. His magyk was noble blue and coiled around his frame. He was also the first to drop the enchantment, now audibly panting with exertion. Right after Adrien also lost his hold and joined Athol in a heap on the ground. Xatho managed to hold on – barely. The effort was so much that he fell to his knees, unable to support himself fully while maintaining the enchantment.

Rex felt that staring at Xatho, who was doing as well as expected, would be counterproductive. Thus he instead focused on Ander, who was still struggling. It made sense, in a way. Ander was ostentatious; he had presence.

He lounged instead of sitting, preferred to draw attention, and was open with his disdain in public. It was an act, just like they all had their own acts, but it was grounded in who he was. For someone like that, hiding in this manner was counter-productive. Hiding one's cursed birth was self-preservation – this, in the moment, was not.

"Remember, a bubble. You are air, you are silent, you are a shadow. Much like the Queendom warriors, who are deadly and unseen. Breathe in, and visualize." Ander would accomplish the technique – he was stubborn enough, and well-versed in sorcery.

"I...can't..." Xatho gasped, finally dropping the enchantment. Athol pulled him up, patting his arm and praising his efforts. All Xatho could do was nod and try to catch his breath. Overextending oneself was sadly a consequence of utilizing the Forbidden Magyk, given that it came from within. Hard to know one's limit when deliberately not experimenting or training.

"Wait –" Ander called out, words cutting off as amber magyk – the same colour as the flames he'd produced – slowly writhed around him.

"You did it!" Rex beamed proudly. "I knew you could." Naturally, now that he understood how to perform the trick, Ander was able to hold it indefinitely. Ander beamed back.

Soon, the rest staggered to their feet and tried again – this time focusing on holding it for longer periods of time. Rex walked around, trying to find words to say "great job" without sounding trite.

"One of the most important parts of the enchantment is doing it without your magyk being visible. Otherwise, it limits how, when and where you can silence yourself. It will take practice, for sure."

"Another time, we will focus on that," Athol nodded, having dropped the enchantment once more.

Ander was the only one not physically exerting himself, cheekily sitting and maintaining his amber magyk.