“You are going to need to do much better than this Alec!” Zerendil yelled as he knocked Alec’s sword aside and kicked him hard in his stomach. Alec fell backwards and Zerendil lifted his hand into the air. Alec watched as again he repeated the phenomena of creating a rune through thought as opposed to drawing it out. Alec took the blast of Zerendil’s rune in the chest and was forced even harder into the ground.
“Surely Marec would have trained you better than this had he himself completed his training.” Alec glared at Zerendil as he rose from the floor.
“Marec never finished his training?” Zerendil wore a solemn look.
“Sadly no, though I fear the blame was mine.” Alec waited for more but when it failed to appear, he asked.
“What happened?” Zerendil shook his head.
“That is not any of your concern at the moment. For now, you should focus on me not beating you so badly you cannot return to your body.”
As Alec worked to defend himself from Zerendil’s attacks, he attempted to focus his mind on manifesting a rune from thought.
“You must learn to master yourself, mind, body and spirit.” Zerendil created three more runes of force without using his hands. Alec deflected two of the runes and jumped out of the way of the third. Alec began to draw a rune of force and launched it out of Zerendil.
“Casting runes from thought may be dangerous in the outside world but you will replace that in here, in this place it makes no difference.” He spoke after easily negating Alec’s rune with one of his own. “So long as you continue to rely upon casting with your hand, I will always be fast enough to block you.” Alec began to draw his rune again.
“Then I will just have to overpower you.” Alec wound up and punched into the middle of his rune, putting everything he had behind it. As before, Zerendil counter cast and the two runes collided in the space between them. As Alec’s rune began to overpower Zerendil’s, Alec stepped away slightly and raised his shield. The rune crashed into Zerendil and burst violently. Alec looked up over his shield to see that Zerendil was gone.
“Sir Zerendil?” Alec called out but there was no answer.
“He is going to be pretty angry when he next comes to visit.” Alec turned and saw the ghostly librarian. “That looked rather painful. I see even with all of this training that you are still using the same old tricks.”
“It’s worked so far, even on you if I recall.”
“I see that dying once was not enough to help with your overconfidence and cocky attitude.” Alec smiled and so did the ghost. “I have something to show you, young paladin. It seems that more of the castle has opened itself to you.” Alec followed the specter wondering what Zerendil would bring at him the next time he visited.
Meanwhile back in Valascaa, Rowan and Eliza had been busy explaining the situation to everyone all while venting their anger at having been left behind.
“I cannot believe that he just left me behind! When he gets back...I’ll kill him.” Eliza raged as she stood in front of the Aneiran Blossom shooting arrows at a number of targets she had moved inside. Though the targets were new, the wear and tear Eliza’s wrath had put on them made them appear ancient.
“You should try and relax.” Rowan spoke from his perch within the Aneiran Blossoms branches as he read his book.
“I am relaxed! And what are you reading?”
“This,” he turned the book over in his hands, “just another history book.”
“Why?” Rowan closed the book and looked down at Eliza.
“Just because my time as a squire is over does not mean that I should not continue to devote myself to further study and growth.”
“You sound as if you plan on moving up into politics.”
“Perhaps I do.”
Eliza looked up at Rowan.
“I thought that only the nobles could hold a seat on the council?”
“Perhaps once my family affairs are settled, I will be the one to change that.”
“What family affairs?” Without answering Rowan stretched, looked to see that the sun was near its zenith and jumped from his perch.
“Story for another time I suppose. I promised Giles and Colette that I would meet them at midday to help them with their swordsmanship.” Rowan waved his empty hand over his shoulder as he walked away and left Eliza to her targets. Eliza walked to her targets and plucked her arrows from them. As she moved back to her starting position she noticed her bag with her book sticking partially out.
“Relax, hunh?” She spoke as she looked to Alec’s unconscious body. “Alright Alec, I suppose it’s story time.” Eliza pulled out her book and took up a seat next to Alec and began to read.
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