"Hah!" Alexis parried clumsily as Arbet hammered at her, using his height and reach to batter her defenses down. Deflecting another overhead strike, she spun, putting as much power as she could into a strike at his head. A strike that was quickly deflected, sending her and her wooden "sword" flying in opposite directions as she hit the ground with a thud.
Arbet pulled two bottles of water from the small box as Alexis picked herself off the ground. This was their fourth sparring session, and the first in which she'd channeled power unknowingly. That was all it could have been, to get past his guard and come as close as she had to marking him. That meant he could finally start with her real training. If they did spar again, their weapons wouldn't be mere wood. He tossed her the bottle, and she caught and opened it, her throat working as she emptied half the contents in one go.
"It's time I started teaching you more than sword fighting," he told her, and her eyes widened, for he'd spoken in perfect Swedish. He gave her a rare grin: after he'd given up on her learning Icelandic, he'd spent the past week refining his command of the language. With his memory, it was easy.
"Sit down" he told her, and to their mutual surprise, she did. He sat across from her, legs crossed.
"Now, I'm not sure how much use I'll be," he began, "but, given the circumstances, I'm what you've got." She nodded slightly.
"What I've managed to figure out on my own is that our kind of magic, the kind based on will, always runs opposite to our normal abilities. An Icelandic mage like me will always find it easier to use their abilities without preparation, unlike our normal runic magic. A Finnish mage, like yourself, gets the short end of the stick. You're going to have to rely on runos even more than usual, though you get a bit more leeway over exactly what you can use the runo for. Any questions?"
"If that sparring wasn't my real training, what the hell was the point of all that sword fighting?" she asked angrily.
"I was trying to get you to access more than your normal spells."
"What does that mean?"
"Put someone with our kind of power under the right pressure, and they'll use that power to enhance their speed and strength. After that, controlling their regular spells becomes much easier."
"So when I draw energy from myself, I'll be able to do more than before?"
"Correct. And it'll get even easier the more you practice."
A look of puzzlement crossed Alexis's face.
"Waitaminute...what you said about enhancing speed and strength....is that why you are what you are? Could I do that too?"
Arbet's face darkened. "No." he growled. "What I can do...the price is too great. Nobody else should have to pay it." He stood abruptly. "There is nothing more of use I can teach you. Practice." He strode to a nearby tree, pulling his jacket off the branch he'd hung it on.
"The hell do you mean practice?" Alexis shouted. "You can't just walk off after telling me all this! I thought you said you owed me after I fixed you! And now you're just going to leave? What gives?"
"I'm not going to tell you how to use your own f***ing powers, girl!" Arbet snarled. "I don't even know how you came by them, and I'm NOT going to have you get yourself killed attempting my magic!" He sighed deeply. "You, and you alone are the only person who can understand your limitations, and I won't be responsible for getting you killed by forcing you above those limits. The best course of action left is for you to figure out your true power on your own."
Alexis drew in a deep breath. "Y--"
"Arbet! Alexis!" Karri ran into the clearing.
"What is it, jager?" Arbet asked impatiently.
"There's an Icelandic general back at the camp. They're looking for you, saying, saying stuff about how you're some kind of experiment gone wrong."
"Did they see you?"
"No, I got Maja to cover for me while I headed here."
"Alright. How many with him?"
"Forty, maybe fifty soldiers. Half a dozen mages."
"s***. Don't try to hide I was here: if the bastard asks, I ran off two days ago."
"I'll give them the usual 'escaped test subject' spiel. If it works for that guy who wanted us to send him a live troll, it'll work on anyone." A thoughtful look crossed the redhead's face. "I could give them some bad intel, lead them into that nest of Giants we found." They grinned ferally.
"Danke," Arbet said politely. "But I think I have to deal with them myself. I don't want your guys starting a civil war." He turned to Alexis. "Alexis. There's a munitions crate full of my stuff, in the back of the ammo truck. There's a black box inside. Leave the rest if you have to, but that box must not fall into their hands. I'll be in the church with the intact roof. Meet me there as soon as you can."
"Wait, what's--" Alexis began, but Arbet was already gone.
"f***ing arrogant bastard," Alexis growled. "What the hell do we do know?"
"You, you're going to do what he told you," Karri said. "I don't know what his plan is, but if it keeps general <censored> out of here, I don't care." They started walking back to the camp.
His brief step through the shadows took him to the doors of the ancient church. He entered quietly, walking slowly between the crumbling pews. Reaching the remains of the altar, he clasped his hands and knelt before the massive wooden cross. He began his prayer.
"Allmächtiger Gott, ich danke für diesen Tag. Ich bin dein Schwert und dein Knecht und ich Rat einzuholen, für meine Feinde sind in der Nähe, und ich habe Angst. Sie kommen mit Feuer und Schwert, und meine Magie nicht aufhalten. Es ist die Angst in meinem Herzen, o Herr, und mein Weg ist hart. Bitte, lassen Sie mich zu besiegen, diese Feinde, denn sie Feinde Ihrer treuer Diener sind. Amen.
Finishing, he stood and stretched. Walking to a battered alcove, he leaned back into the shadows, closed his eyes, and waited. The seeds had been planted, and if all went well, this long war of his could at last be over.
TO BE CONTINUED
