Page 77 of Light Magic

Not if we defeated Rhodes and the truth became known.

We left the car in a random parking spot, crossed the street, and headed to the inn. We rented only one room with two beds for safety, and before we got too comfortable, Ylena suggested we train.

“This inn is in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “If we walk a few yards behind it, I bet we’ll find a wooded area, or an empty field.”

I liked that idea.

We walked to the back of the inn, and sure enough, past the almost empty parking lot and a line of tall trees was an open field with grass up to my knees.

Ylena stopped a safe distance from the inn. “This should be a good spot.”

The line of trees kept anyone at the inn from seeing us, and there was nothing except grass, and farther away, more trees around here.

I nodded and stood beside her. “I don’t know the extent of my magic. Perhaps we should start with a basic spell and go from there.”

She smiled at me. “It feels like old times. Though, the scenery is a little different.”

I almost chuckled, even as longing filled my chest. It did feel like old times, like my first days at the academy, when we learned to summon our magic and control it little by little. Though, at the academy, the open area we train in was separated into several rings that had invisible magic barriers—in case someone lost control. This way, no one would be hurt.

Thankfully, there was no one here with us, and the inn was several hundred yards away. Even so, I kept my back to it, so, if I lost control, I would send my magic to the trees.

“All right,” Ylena started. “Take a deep breath, feel your magic, and make a light bolt in your hands.”

I did as instructed. When I reached my magic, it resisted, but eventually, it gave in, and I created a bolt the size of a soccer ball in between my hands. It flickered once and I had to focus to keep its shape and power.

“Good,” Ylena said, nodding.

“Not that good.” I gritted my teeth. “It’s fighting me.”

“From what you told me, your magic has been inside dragons and dragon eggs, dormant for half a year. It’s lazy and reluctant. It’ll fight you.”

“We don’t have time for this.”

“Like you said, once you push through this resistance, it’ll go back to how it was before. It’ll be quick.” She waved her hand to the side. “Now, break it down into smaller bolts and throw them out in an arc.”

“Any particular target?” Not that there was much around here.

“Not yet. Just make sure it goes a good distance.”

I nodded, inhaled deeply, and focused on the big bolt between my fingers. I pulled my hands apart and imagined the bolt separating into smaller bits. Again, the magic resisted, wanting to stay together. With a grunt, I tugged harder and created six bolts from the bigger one. The magic flickered once more, but I kept a leash on it.

I pushed my hands out and sent the bolts through the air, all of them forward, but opening up and forming a big arc.

Ylena lifted her hand and closed her fist. My bolts disappeared into thin air like smoke in the night. “Good.” Damn, I had forgotten how powerful she was. “Again.”

I groaned. She shot me a look that said “really?” so I swallowed my frustration and did it again. This time was a bit easier. We went from the bolts, to darts, and then to bolts that became darts halfway to their target. After an hour, my arms trembled, my back had a thin sheen of sweat, and I was starting to lose my grip on my magic again.

“One more time before we take a break,” Ylena said. “And this time, you can aim at these.” She lifted her hands up and six figures of light appeared in the distance. “I’ll keep them still for now, but later we’ll try them moving. Ready?”

“No,” I muttered. She gave me that look again. “Sorry.”

“I know this is frustrating for a cherubin who completed her training and has been fending for herself for a while, but I wouldn’t be pushing you this hard if I didn’t know you could handle it. Once more, then we take a break.”

“Until tomorrow?” It was past six in the evening and the sky was starting to darken. I could really use a shower, some food, and sleep.

She nodded. “Until tomorrow. Now, do it.”

I took a deep breath, focused, called my magic, and formed a big bolt of light in my hands. I spliced it in six and threw them at the targets, but as I was sending them off, the little bolts flickered and two faded, turning dark.

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