After transporting Saje back to the village and procuring some food to replenish his magic, he asked to be alone with Arda and Gremdar. As Jade left the room she could feel Saje bracing himself to deliver some bad news. Whatever was going on was not good and she needed to be in the loop. She saw Hendok walking by and ran up to him.
"Hendok, got a moment?"
Hendok walked with her to a secluded area of the village. "What's up?"
"I want you to start training me right away," she said. "But I want to keep it a secret."
"Why?"
"I can feel you probing my mind; need I answer?"
Hendok shook his head. "I understand."
After everyone but Arda and Gremdar exited the hut, Saje began. "He knows."
Gremdar and Arda looked at one another.
"How?" asked Arda.
"The book. He saw his victory."
Saje saw the dread on Arda's face, "We need to tell her what the prophecy said. I'm just afraid that with everything that's happened the past week it will break her spirit. She hasn't even accepted the idea of being a Chosen One, much less dying for it."
"Then it's time for her to accept it," said Saje firmly. "Then, and only then, do we tell her the truth."
"History repeating itself," remarked Gremdar. "Xavier turned because we were not honest with him. Do you really want our daughter going down that same path?" There was pleading in Gremdar's eyes as he looked at Arda.
"It was Saje and I who deceived Xavier," said Arda. "You do not bear that burden."
"And I told you when I proposed that I would bear all your burdens with you!" Gremdar took Arda's hand in his. "I understand this is too much right now, but we need to tell her the absolute latest the summer solstice. If she has not accepted her role by then we still need to be honest with her."
******
That night Jade met Hendok in a clearing near the village.
"Magic is the ability to tap into the energy your body already produces, allowing you to create spells, hexes, charms, curses...all of which are dependent on your own skill and energy. Psychic power, however, is a bit more complicated, it allows you to sense and tap into the energy around you—external energy. Your elemental power is kind of a variant of this but, in your case, focused on the raw elements of earth. You are able to sense the earth beneath your feel right?"
Jade thought about it; she was able to sense the earth. When Talon tried to trip up her senses during their sparing match she could feel Talon throwing the rock to distract her hearing. She just didn't really dwell on it at the time...
"Use that feeling as a base, but instead of the earth, sense the energy around you," Hendok continued. "Try to sense the village."
Jade closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel Hendok next to her and Talon in the nearest hut in the village. She focused her mind a bit more and could sense the whole village. She extended her focus and she could feel the animals beyond the village the trees the ants in the ground—
"Jade! Stop!"
Jade snapped back to where she stood and saw a worried Hendok before her. She was suddenly aware of a warm feeling on her lips and chin. She reached her hand up and felt blood pouring out from her nose. Hendok came closer and held his hand over her nose; she could felt the bleeding slow and in a moment, stop.
"How far did you reach?" he asked.
"Just a few miles in all directions including the sky and the ground."
Hendok looked at her in shock. "You exerted too much energy too quickly. You need to be careful, even with an amplifier that range will weaken you within minutes."
Jade looked up at him confused. "I thought I was using external energy," she said.
"I said you were tapping into it," corrected Hendok, "which provides you with more range in magic. But you still consume more magic if you get reckless. You only went slightly beyond your limits so you got by with just a bloody nose. If you try an excessive amount magic that you don't have the energy for, it could result in permanent damage or even death."