Page 32 of Riftborne
“Steady yourself. I can practically see your heartbeat in your throat.”
How perceptive.I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, allowing myself to relax. Well, as much as I could given the situation.
“Your body is a conduit for your power. Think of where you feel it originate–the part of you from which it emerges. That will be your center. Visualize it happening and pay attention.” His voice took on a calmer tone.
My eyebrows scrunched as I looked into the blackness of my mind, hoping to see some spark of…something. But all I could find was utter darkness.
“What do you see?” he asked quietly.
“The backs of my eyelids.”
The sound of him shifting in his seat rang through the silence of the room. I didn’t know what more to do. His instructions were vague and glaringly useless.
“Try harder.” His voice was clipped. “Everyone has the ability to channel. Essence pulses through every fiber in the Isle, and that includes you…” He trailed off. “Your focus is the result of harnessing and directing that essence, manipulating it to serve you. Everyone has a different access point. We just have to find yours.” He exhaled.
“Listen to your body. Seek out the source. It’s in there somewhere.” His voice was gentle now.
It seemed like I was missing some key factor. It wasn’t long before I felt ridiculous staring into the endless void.
Was he just sitting there watching me struggle?
“What do you meanlisten to my body, seek out the source?That doesn’t even make sense. I have no idea what I’m looking for.”
“Well, you know this feeling better than anyone. Think back to the first time you used your focus. How old were you? What did you feel?”
“It’s not that simple.” My eyes opened, locking with his.
I’d forgotten how close he was.
“As I’ve told you before, it’s only happened when my emotions were at their peak. Usually, it feels like my whole body is pulsing, not just a singular point,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “It’s a rather overwhelming feeling, as I’m sure you can imagine. You saw it first-hand.” I fought off an eye roll.
“You need to learn to access your focus while also being of sound mind. Trying to harness this in a heightened state will get you killed. The real enemy will take advantage of a distraction like that. Every. Single. Time. We have to get around it.”Real enemy?Who was he kidding? Sídhe hadn’t seen arealthreat since the end of the Rebellion.
“I’ve never been able to do that–”
He raised his hand, cutting me off. “It’s called training for a reason. Eyes closed.”
Rolling my shoulders back, I tried to clear my mind, which was next to impossible. I closed my eyes and slid my hands under my legs, attempting to refocus.
“Take yourself back to those moments, walk yourself through what you were feeling, not emotionally, but physically.”
I tried the exercise, but the memories I had of using my focus were shrouded in chaos and fear. It was all a jumbled blur.
He must have sensed my frustration. “Try focusing on your individual extremities. Don't overwhelm yourself with everything at once. Start with your hands. It could be a quick flash. Heat, electricity, static, light, a color in your mind, even. Think of it as a trigger point.”
My attention shifted to my hands. I set them in my lap, palms upward. With my eyes still closed, I began to visualize them, feeling for any pulses or heat. Nothing.
“I don’t think it’s my hands,” I mumbled, more to myself.
“It’s been less than two minutes, Fia,” he deadpanned.
This is going to be an excruciatingly long day.
An eternity passed with no progress. Mastery in a day wasnever my anticipation, but I’d hoped for some sort of advancement. If anything, today reinforced the notion that this endeavor was likely a colossal waste of time for all parties involved.
I’d tried zoning in on my damned pinky toe for half an hour.
By the time the General glanced at the clock and realized we’d been at this for four hours, his frustration mirrored my own.
