Link lunged off Wildfire ungracefully, his boots sinking into the muddy bank below him. Alex had to purse her lips to refrain from laughing at another one of his horrible dismounts. Alex thought with all the Saturdays he’d spent around horses he’d have dismounting down pat by now. But she was wrong. She supposed she shouldn’t laugh, this was how uncoordinated she must have looked when playing basketball.
“Do you know how silly that sounds?” Link asked her as he wiped the specks of mud from his face. “You think your roommate is the serpent because she has a lisp? Next thing you know, she’ll pull off a scab and you’ll accuse her of shedding her skin!” He chuckled stupidly at his own joke.
Alex gently pulled on the reigns as she guided Mr. Fluffles down to the river, trying not to let his comment get to her. The air was heavy with the smell of sweet wildflower, weeds and damp soil.
Fluffles lowered his head and scooped up the water as if his tongue were a ladle. Alex ran her fingers through his silver mane as he guzzled it down.
“Say what you will,” Alex said. “But I researched Skemptra in the library this morning and-”
“-Skemptra?”
“It’s what the students call her,” she explained. “A make-believe beast that comes out at night and plants nightmares in-”
“-I’ve heard enough.”
Alex scowled at him. “The picture in the book had a woman's upper half, but a snake's lower half, Link. Need I say more?”
He didn’t answer. It had become impossible for Alex to tell the difference between auto Link or the real Link anymore, but as of lately he seemed to be on another planet altogether.
On the other side of the riverbank, a group of kids were half naked, flinging piles of mud at each other as they cried out in laughter. Oh to be young with no insecurities.
It was a Sunday, so Alex and Link figured they’d grab both their horses and head down to one of Iralda’s outlying villages. Alex felt trapped enough living at Baylor’s large quarters, so she couldn’t imagine the sense of confinement the horses must have been experiencing in those tiny stables.
As soon as they had veered off the dirt pathways and into the open countryside, there was no stopping Fluffles. He had spurred ahead through the open plains and sprawling meadows, leaving Link and Wildfire trailing in his wake. Moments like that made Alex glad she’d saved him from death-row at the stables in Vardis.
A child’s head playfully emerged from their side of the river, unnerving Wildfire and causing him rear his hind legs and whiny. Link gritted his teeth, his biceps bulging as he struggled with the reigns to try and keep his horse calm.
“Just relax,” she said, “he’s spooked, and your stress is only going to pile on to his.”
“I’m not stressed,” Link grumbled.
“Yes, you are,” she said, as she took the reins from him and averted Wildfires attention to her, “and to make matters worse, you’re trapping him.”
“Trapping him?”
“You’re backing him into the trees,” she explained, as she led Wildfire onto an open area of the bank. “Horses don’t like being cornered. They like to have options to run in case things go wrong.”
“Oh,” Link said stupidly. Alex handed the reins back to him once she managed to calm down Wildfire.
“Are you OK?” she asked him. “You’re acting really weird today.”
He pursed his lips. “Perfectly fine.”
“Lincoln Hunter.”
He exhaled deeply through his nose. “It’s something Kenji said about Xavier. I can’t stop thinking about it.” He shook his head then looked skyward. “I don’t know. . . It’s . . . It’s stupid.”
“Anything Kenji says is stupid,” Alex said. Then it occurred to her. “ . . . Wait, you told Kenji about Xavier?
Link nodded. “And about Nocera. I told Nadine as well.”
“And,” she said, drawing out the word expectantly, “how did they both take it?”
“They took it really well,” Link replied. “They've been real supportive. Singing me lullabies and making me hot chocolate every night before bed, giving me words of wisdom to help me through the tough times.”
“The truth, Link,” she said, unimpressed. Sarcasm was her thing, not his.
Link ruffed up his hair. “They think I’m completely and utterly insane. And . . . .” He lowered his eyes. “And Kenji thinks Xavier is just a hallucination. A hallucination I conjured up to help me cope with the pain of causing the accident and putting you in a coma. That the whole entering Nocera when I sleep thing is all in my head.” Link clamped his jaw as he waited nervously for her to respond.
Alex closed the distance between her and her brother, then stood on her tippy toes and looked him straight in the eyes. “Look at me. Take in all my features. Do I look like a hallucination to you? Do you really think your dim-witted mind could replicate my hilarious, winnable personality, and on top of that, my devilish good looks?”
Link glanced down at his feet and smiled. “No. No, I guess not. How stupid of me.”
“Besides,” she said, “you know you should take Kenji’s words with a grain of salt anyways.”
Link’s smile deepened. “That’s exactly what he said. But—” He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s just . . . .”
“Spit it out,” she ordered.
“How come I’m the only one that can see him? Xavier, I mean. Why aren’t you able to see him or talk to him?”
“Maybe he’s afraid I’ll destroy him with my quick-witted comebacks?” Alex suggested, shrugging. “Who knows? Best not to linger on it. Especially seeing as we’ve got a tournament to worry about. Oh, and a mind-numbing riddle to solve. Aren’t we just spoilt?”
When Alex turned back around to the lake, she was met by a strange scene. Fluffles was grooming the top of the boy's hair tenderly. The boy giggled and then doggy paddled back to the other side of the river to his friends. Courtesy of Fluffles, he now had a massive cowlick poking out of the water like a shark fin as he swam.
“Good boy,” Alex said, stroking in between Fluffles’ withers proudly. “Very good boy.”
“About that riddle,” Link said with his back to her. He was still trying to calm down Wildfire by petting his taut shoulders. “I think Daedrox might be the serpent.”
“Daedrox,” Alex scoffed. “If anything, that man-child resembles an elephant, not a serpent.”
“I’ve done my research,” Link said, mimicking her. He led Wildfire cautiously back down to the river for a drink. Alex followed.
“He’s a descendant of an ancient assassin’s guild called Viper’s Venom,” Link continued. “The guild used different types of potent snake venom as a recipe for their poisons.”
“OK, now you’re just splitting hairs,” she said. “How’s that any different to the Skemptra hissing thing?”
“Ugh, fine then,” Link said, pursing his lips, “We’ll add her to our list of serpent suspects. That just means more work for you, though. You need to find out as much as you can about her: what lessons she has, her background, everything. I’ll do the same for Daedrox. The quicker we unravel who this serpent is, the greater chance we’ll have of finding out their weaknesses and defeating them. If we both miss out on the finals then killing Kilaydis becomes a thousand times harder.”
“As if it wasn’t hard enough already,” she said dryly.
The boy with the cowlick swam back to their side of the lake, accompanied by his group of friends this time. No doubt to see if Fluffles would groom him again like last time. Before Wildfire could get spooked out, Link led him up the bank and well away from the kids.
“What time do you think it is?” Alex called out to the kids as they treaded water.
The children covered their eyes with their hands as they gazed at the sun.
“Midday,” a girl with buck teeth replied.
“I’d say lunch time as well, ma’am,” another boy parroted before he squirted water from his mouth.
“Well, if it’s lunchtime, shouldn’t you guys be having lunch?”
They all looked at her oddly as if she had just said the darnedest thing—until she reached into a pouch hanging off Fluffles and pulled out two loaves of freshly baked bread. They all splashed out of the water and flocked to her with their hands out. Luckily, she had just enough to go around.
After the kids had scoffed down the bread, Alex delved back into the pouch and pulled out two handfuls of tangy lemon cakes for seconds, handing two to each child. The boy Fluffles licked practically inhaled his two, but the girl with the buck teeth nibbled hers delicately until she was the only one with any left and her friends were left looking at her with envious eyes. Once they had all finished, they sprinted back into the river merrily, shouting their thank-yous and goodbyes over their shoulders.
“Unfair,” Link said sulkily as Alex caught up to him. “I was looking forward to those lemon cakes.”
“We’ll just have to get some more on the way home, won’t we, fatso?” she said as she clasped him on the shoulder.
“Why are you in such a chirpy mood?” Link asked as he put his foot in the stirrup and mounted Wildfire.
It wouldn’t have been wise for Alex to tell him she was swooning over Lioden. Especially seeing as it was hard enough trying to convince Winstell nothing was going on between them. So, she just shrugged and said. “Just because.”
Link eyed her off suspiciously. “You’re meeting up with someone, aren’t you? That’s why you asked the kids the time?”
“Oh no, you got me,” Alex said, raising her hands as if she was surrendering.
“Who?” Link probed.
“A boy,” she said, pretending to look abashed.
Link scowled.
“Zudane’,” Alex admitted, as she hopped on top of Fluffles and kicked him into gear. “She’s teaching me Spiritwielding and in exchange, I’m teaching her how to Waterwield.”
“Well, well. Look at you,” Link said with a wry smile.
“What?” she asked. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just . . . .” His smile widened. “Just proud of how serious you’ve been taking this all. That day we woke up in Nocera I had been dreading telling you the truth. The accident, the coma, how I was being thrown to and from both worlds. No matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to muster up enough courage to tell you. Because never in my wildest dreams would I imagine you’d take it this well.”
Alex shifted in her saddle, his long-winded confession making her feel oddly uncomfortable. “How did you think I’d react?”
“I don’t know,” Link said, frowning vaguely in thought. “The complete opposite of this. A lot more tantrums and hissy fits, I guess.”
“That does sound a lot like Alex,” she admitted. She dug her heels into Fluffles sides and spurred him up a steep, muddy slope.
“But I’m not Alex in this world . . . I’m Taytora.”
****
The sun slashed through the gaps of the canopy high above them, exposing the dead leaves and fallen branches beneath their feet in bright splotches. Zudane’ cocked her arm back, like a pitcher about to launch a baseball at the plate—but instead of a baseball, she was holding onto a luminous sphere of her magenta-coloured Spirit. A gust of wind stirred through the branches above, swirling fallen leaves down upon her long, rippling hair.
Alex parted her Gates. Zudane’ took a step forward and flung her arm out. Her compacted ball of energy whizzed through the air, closing in on Alex’s head. Alex held her hands in front of her eyes, flicked her hands outward and then back. Once the Chain was complete, a lime green Ward emerged, shielding her from Zudane’s Spell. Her energy broke against Alex’s barrier in a radiant clash of purple and green. The impact of the attack sent Alex staggering backward.
“You call that a Ward?” Zudane’ barked. “That was the size of a plate. Again.”
“But—”
“Again,” she spoke over the top of Alex.
Alex had originally thought Nenwir was a ruthless instructor, but after one training session with Zudane’, his classes were starting to look pleasant in comparison. As soon as Alex had finished fastening her helmet, Zudane’ had flicked a switch, and her nice girl demeanour had completely vanished. Alex had soon found out why she was a favourite to win the tournament. This girl took her training very, very seriously.
But despite her complaining, Alex had to admit, Zudane’s tough love approach was working. After one session with her, Alex’s Ward had almost doubled in width and density. She just hoped she’d be able to return the favour when it came to her turn teaching her Waterwielding. After all, Zudane’ had set the bar pretty high.
“What you’re forgetting,” Zudane’ said, “is that Spiritwielding is far, far different than the four elements. There’s no manipulating the tongues of a flame, moulding the earth beneath your feet, using moisture to create water.” She thumped her chest plate repetitively with a fist. “Because Spiritwielding comes from inside of you. The raw energy lying dormant deep down inside of you. It’s your job to uncover it, to understand it, to unleash it.” Zudane’s expression softened and so did her voice. “But that’s not to say Spiritwielding and the four elements don’t share any similarities.”
Zudane’ lunged forwards, her arms and legs moving in quick succession as she performed a compact and rapid Chain. She shot an arm above her head, her palm facing the sky. Magenta energy sprawled from her hands, slowly building in mass to form a disc-like shape. The Spell now hovering above Zudane’s head was the size of a merry-go-round.
The disc of energy rippled with multiple shades of purple, glowing so brightly Alex had to shield her eyes from it. Her throat tightened. Alex knew channelling this kind of energy was life threatening. If Zudane’ lost control of her Spirit at any moment, the disc could explode like a grenade. She had seen it happen to a few students in her Spiritwielding class—usually the more arrogant ones. Alex had never seen them channel as much Spirit as this, though. She could feel Zudane’s raw energy pulsating towards her like ripples in a pond.
“Your Spirit can be manipulated,” Zudane’ shouted over the buzzing. “Moulded, even, just like any of the elements can. It can be solidified to block attacks, like your Ward, for example. Or amplified and compacted to cut down your foes.” She smiled with the corner of her lips. “Like this for example.”
Zudane’ flicked an arm, and her magenta Frisbee took off in Alex’s direction. The Spell had weaved in and out of trees before it zoomed harmlessly over her head. There was a loud crack like splintering wood followed by a terrific thud. Alex ducked and took cover. When she found the nerve to open her eyes, she found that Zudane’s Spell had sawed an evergreen tree cleanly in half.
It was at that moment Alex came to the decision that if she had to compete against Zudane’ in the tournament, she was going to slap herself so hard she’d wake herself up from her trance.
After Zudane’ finished hurling her last spheres of Spirit at her, she finally called the training to an end. Never had Alex ever been pushed so hard since her time at Baylor’s. Every muscle in her body spasmed; the woollen undergarments beneath her armour clung to her body with cold sweat. Alex was starting to think her Sundays could have been better spent with Winstell in the library, or playing a board game called Burning Plains with Phen.
Zudane’ grabbed Alex underneath both armpits and helped her to her feet, smiling at her with pearly white teeth. “And now you know the real reason why Winstell and Phenetrest never train with me.”
****
After a much-needed break, Alex and Zudane’ walked over to the lake on the other side of the arena. Well, Zudane’ walked; Alex more or less limped seeing as her legs felt as unsteady as ramen noodles. Thankfully, Waterwielding wasn’t as taxing on the body as Spiritwielding was. Alex needed as much time to recuperate as she could get.
As they both stood on top of one of the lakes stone columns peeping its head out of the water, Alex started Zudane’ off by getting her to perform a few warm-up techniques Master Garidion had taught them. The techniques emphasized on focus and control: levitating multiple balls of water, spinning them all individually in different directions. Child’s play for Alex.
When she finally felt as if her energy had been replenished, Alex took Zudane’ to the shallowest area of the lake and positioned her opposite to her in waist-deep water.
“Unlike the raw power of Spiritwielding, Water Wielding is fluid and graceful,” Alex described, putting a twist on Zudane’s own explanation. “Poise, patience and a clear mind are key. For you cannot focus when your mind is misty.” As Alex said the words, her hands moved on their own, drawing as much moisture from the air as she could, merging it all towards her and Zudane’. A few seconds later, there was a heavy layer of mist between them.
Her little party trick got the desired reaction. Zudane’ clapped her hands together then swiped at the mist playfully with a hand.
“How did you do that?” she asked, wide-eyed.
“In due time, young grasshopper,” Alex said, “In due time.”
Zudane’ tilted her head sideways. “Did you just call me a grassho—”
“Moving on,” Alex said, as she demonstrated to Zudane’ an advanced exercise she had learned from a book called Bastion’s Guide to Water Wielding. The exercise was way beyond Zudane’s capabilities, but as childish as it sounded, Alex wanted to pay her back for driving her so hard during their Spiritwielding training.
The exercise involved levitating and passing a sphere of water slowly in a figure eight from one to another. Alex would circle the sphere around her back and then return it to Zudane’ and she’d do the same. It sounded simple enough, but to be able to transfer the sphere of water to another, they needed to be on the same wavelength, so to speak. Their exchange needed to be fluid, and their movements slow and steady like a gentle current moving back and forth. If one of them were off a beat, then the sphere would collapse, and they’d have to begin the exercise again.
Alex soon found Zudane’ couldn’t even make two figure eights without dropping the ball. This would then set off a vicious cycle because she would get even more flustered the next time the sphere came around. But to Zudane’s credit, every time the sphere collapsed, she sucked in a deep breath and formed another. Not once did she look like she would give up.
“So how many branches do you have left to learn?” Alex asked casually as she circled the sphere of water behind her back.
Zudane’ wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead as she waited for the ball to come back her way. “Forty-seven,” she said modestly. “I think Summoning and Seizing will be my biggest hurdles.” Zudane’ took control levitating the sphere from Alex, her face scrunching as she focused. “Can you stop talking, please? I need to concentrate.”
“No, you don’t need to concentrate,” Alex said, as she tapped the side of her head with a finger. “You need to stop using this. Free your mind. Picture each of your thoughts and distractions as ravens in the sky. Take pleasure in watching them all disappear in the horizon.”
Alex was the best in her improv class.
“You’re right, it’s just . . . .” The ball of water collapsed, splashing Zudane’ in the face. “Hard.”
“You think this is hard?” Alex asked, laughing. “I almost collapsed of exhaustion during my training.”
Zudane’ chuckled briefly, bit her lip in concentration and drew another sphere of water from the lake. She managed to make three circuits this time before she lost control. Zudane’ was a persistent one; Alex would give her that. She was learning much more quickly than she had anticipated.
“Just why are you so determined to learn all the branches?” Alex asked, not bothering to beat around the bush anymore. “You could win the Golden Gauntlet with your Spiritwielding alone. So why not focus on bolstering your knowledge in that?”
Zudane’ frowned and dropped the sphere instantly.
Did my question throw her off guard? Alex wondered.
“A story for another time,” Zudane’ answered politely. She let out a huff of air and brushed her fringe away with a hand.
“Does the question bother you?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” she replied curtly.
“Good,” Alex said, as she formed another sphere and sent it her way. “Another raven disappearing in the horizon.”
“For someone so wise shouldn’t you have a few more wrinkles?” Zudane’ asked.
“A few more?” Alex repeated, shocked. “I didn’t know I had any to begin with.”
“Very well,” Zudane’ said, her face relenting. “I was young- Eleven, maybe twelve. It was the time of year when the coastal raids happen. This year it was my village’s turn.” The sphere of water shuddered and then collapsed. Zudane’ paused, sucked in a deep breath, and then morphed a new one.
“I had only just learned to unlock my Gate. I was still learning the basics of Spiritwielding: the pathways, the channelling of my energy. So, when the raiders hit, my family and I were defenceless. Huddled up together in the corner of mother’s room, my hands covering my younger brother’s mouth to stop the sounds of sobbing from escaping . . . .” Zudane’ scrunched her eyes shut, and the sphere dropped. But this didn’t deter her in the slightest; in the blink of an eye, a new sphere had arisen and taken its place.
“Zudane’ you don’t have—”
“No, it’s fine, I can do this.”
Surprisingly, Zudane’ managed to loop the sphere behind her back and then levitate it all the way over to Alex.
“One of the raiders must have been a Gifted,” Zudane’ continued, “because the beams of the house splintered and collapsed. The house caved in, and that’s when something stirred in me—some sort of protective instinct. To this very day, I still don’t know how I did it, but I cast a Ward so big it shielded my entire family.”
Zudane’ hung her head low and let out a quivering sigh. “I tried holding it for as long as I could, but the weight of the house . . . I-I just . . . .” Two tears streamed down either side of her cheek. But she didn’t bother to wipe them away. “The Ward faltered. Crushed them all. Except for me, of course.”
Thinking she was finished, Alex attempted to say. “I’m so sorr—”
“I managed to blast my way through the rubble of the house, albeit as severely injured as I was,” Zudane’ said with a strange smile. “But I’m so glad I did. Because that’s when I saw the river of blue cloaks emerge from the West—the Kingdom of Mist soldiers—cutting the wretched raiders down as effortlessly as a honed sword through long grass.”
The sphere of water circled around Zudane’ so fluidly Alex couldn’t believe her own eyes. Where had this sudden control come from? Zudane’s peculiar smile faded, and she finally wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.
“And there’s your raven,” she said, looking up at Alex through glassy eyes. “Does that answer your question?”
She handed Alex the sphere, but this time, Alex was the one to drop it.
“You feel as if you’re responsible,” Alex mumbled. “You feel as if you weren’t strong enough to protect them. And that’s why you want t—”
“I don’t feel,” Zudane’ said bitterly. “I know.” She looked down at her shimmering reflection in the water. “Mark my words, Tay; I will learn all the branches and become the greatest mage in this land and beyond. I will protect those who need protecting. Not these lords drunk with power who’ve never worked a field in their lives. Never been out at sea knowing that if they come back empty-handed it could mean the death of a family member.”
The water pushed and pulled around Zudane’, making small waves that crashed against the stone columns around them. Zudane’ seemed oblivious to it all. “Revenge is not what I seek, though. Only peace. And Hailsi be damned; I’ll fight for it until I take my very last breath.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Zudane’,” Alex whispered, “You were holding the weight of an entire house. Y-You were twelve; you can’t hold yourself accountable—”
“They could still be alive today if I had been strong enough,” Zudane’ said, looking at Alex with a strange, blank expression. “If I had learned to open my Gate earlier, or-or maybe even held the Ward for just a few moments longer, at least until the soldiers arrived.” Her head sunk as she let out a heavy sigh; her long hair obscured her face, making it impossible for Alex to get a read on her expression. The water finally settled around them.
“I think we have made good progress today,” Zudane’ mumbled softly. “My mind seems a lot less . . . .” She looked up at Alex and then smiled faintly, her eyes still glistening with tears. “For lack of word, misty.”
“You’re welcome,” Alex choked, still at a loss for words about what she had just confided.
“And Tay,” she began, “what was said here today—”
“Between you and me,” Alex finished with a nod. “I know.”
Zudane’ bowed her head gratefully. “Thank you, my fellow grasshopper.”
She waded through the water, climbing up onto a pathway and then heading towards Baylor's feet. But despite the obvious weight that was on her shoulders, Zudane’ walked with the same impeccable posture she’d always had. Alex watched her until she disappeared into the distance, feeling guilty for probing her insistently, but at the same time feeling as if this training session had brought them a whole lot closer.
I guess even Wonder Woman had her weaknesses.