A Hero's Rebirth Ch. 04

What if it explodes?

"Hafrivark!" I declared.

Sparks flared past my palm, then faded with nothing happening.

"That was good!" Narusil breathed.

"Good?" I exclaimed, "Nothing happened!"

"Oh, not at all." Naruisl laughed. "Didn't you see the sparks?"

"But... shouldn't it have been a bolt of fire like yours?" I demanded.

"It should. But let me ask, how was your focus?" She prodded.

I hung my head. "I was probably distracted. I was worried it would blow up or something."

Narusil nodded, "That's exactly what I'd expect. But even with that, you still elicited a magical reaction."

Encouraged, I tried again. The sparks were a bit brighter, but again fears and doubts kept it from doing anything.

"Master, you need to let go of your worry about what will happen." Narusil chided. "You use your weapons without concern, but couldn't they be just as disastrous?"

I felt called out. She was right. I let cartridges full of what were essentially explosives detonate inches away from my face every time I pulled my trigger, but a little bit of fire scared me like this?

I took a deep breath. It was gonna be fine.

I focused and raised my hand again. I began to go through the exercise of imagining the fire mixing with my will in front of my hand once more. I focused on the target.

Doubts sprung up again, but I waited until they passed. Nothing was going to go wrong. No one was going to be hurt. This spell was going to work.

Finally, able to concentrate fully on the spell and focus on my target I spoke the word.

"Hafrivark."

My hand felt the heat of the small orb of flame that formed in front of my hand, but I stayed focused on the target.

With a sound like a rocket firing, a beam of fire raced from its place in front of my hand, spiked through the target and raced toward the back wall, only to splash against some sort of barrier about a foot shy. The beam probably only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

The only sound was the tiny flicker of the flames around the quarter sized hole in the wood target.

"By X'thallion's rod..." Creadean cursed.

"What IS he?" Ki'Amura gasped.

Narusil shot them a look. "Well... That is why we are here in the practice chamber. Now... let's see about perhaps moderating the flames you are envisioning."

"Okay, I suppose I can try that." I muttered.

At least no one had been hurt.

I tried to imagine the flames mixing with my will again, but... to a lesser degree this time.

"Hafrivark."

This time the beam only lasted for a second before dissipating, leaving a second hole in the target.

Each time I cast the spell, it seemed easier and easier to perform the mental exercises to cast the spells. I wasn't sure I was anywhere near being able to cast them in a high stress situation, but it was getting easier to practice.

"Better! That was almost on the level of a normal spell!" Narusil congratulated me.

"Why shouldn't he make his spells as strong as possible?" Tavorwen wondered.

"Magic has the potential for far greater destruction than any other tool." Narusil insisted. "It is always best to use the minimal amount of power to accomplish your goals, to avoid unintended consequences."

"What possible repercussions could a simple spell like this have?" Creadean laughed. "Your target dies extra dead?"

Narusil raised his brow, "And what if you don't realize what is behind that target? Here the magic stops his spell before it hits the wall. But what if furrows and furrows behind the enemy, there is an innocent village and multiple innocent individuals also fall to the ray. We have no idea what the range of such a spell is! All our parameters might as well be a stink in the wind for all they matter to his spells."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand my stress about spellcasting was back.

Narusil turned to me, "This is why we're going to come back here every day to practice spells. I feel your anxiety about magic. You must conquer that and control your magic."

I took a few more shots at casting my spells, but the anxiety was making it incredibly difficult. Before long my mind started to feel like jelly.

"You are done." Narusil declared with some clear disappointment. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by today's result. We'll start practicing each day to help you become the mage that you should be."

Between the physical exertion of beginning my study of sword skills and my mental exertion of practicing a 'simple fire spell', I was entirely spent. The trudge back to my home was like the trek back to the barracks after a brutal day of PT and Advanced Tactical Training.

As we stepped out of the Academy, Narusil held out her arm and her owl landed lightly on her arm. She whispered to the bird and it flew off.

When we arrived home, the succulent scents of an elven dinner filled the house. Within minutes we were all at the table and I was diving into the food with gusto. The breads were delicious, and the simmered red meat hit the spot.

I sat there, exhausted, once I finished eating, until Lymarith piped up, "Master, you are clearly exhausted. Just go to bed."

I wanted to protest, but I couldn't find the words. So I trudged to my room. I set my weapons to the side of my bed. Stripped down to my undergarment and flopped on the bed. Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

My eyes crept open hours later. The magic of the bed had done its work. My aches of the previous day were gone. My mind was feeling refreshed and invigorated. I marveled for a moment about how amazing these beds were and lamented that I hadn't had the chance to sleep in them on earth. I could tell it was still night, though what hour escaped me. With how restful the sleep on these enchanted beds were, and how early I'd gone to bed, it was no wonder I woke well before dawn.

I sat up, and saw a flash of reflection, like the light of a cat's eyes. I almost dove for my weapons, but a quick inventory of the bonds to my household revealed it to be Ki'Amura. Not quite ready to relax, having identified the presence in the darkness, but not why she was there, I decided for a direct approach.

"Hello there, Ki'Amura, what are you doing in my bedroom this early in the morning?" I asked.

"You seemed surprised," the she-elf observed. "Did it truly take you so long to recognize me?"

Her voice came from utter darkness. With the lights completely extinguished, it was pitch black in the room. Making me realize that despite the lack of windows in their homes, elves either permitted light from the outside into their walls, or somehow replicated the level of light present in the world outside from some unseen source. It had never been this dark inside my room before, even with the lights out.

"Well, it would be easier to see you if there was any light at all..." I retorted, "Last time I checked, light is kind of critical to see things."

Unless you had night vision goggles, I thought.

That level of technology was outside my understanding. Even if I knew every detail of how the tech worked, I doubted the elves could hammer our microchips.

"Interesting. I see you just fine... Master." Ki'Amura retorted, the last word dripping with sarcasm and mockery.

I rose and began to dress, somewhat embarrassed to be groping around in the dark, in what was essentially briefs, in front of her.

"Truly... you are as good as blind in the darkness." Ki'Amura mused. "That information alone would be your undoing, should I take it back to my people."

"I would really appreciate you not doing that." I assured her, finding my pants finally and stepping into them.

It was impossible to read Ki'Amura through her silence in the darkness, as I continued to dress.

"...I openly state that I possess the knowledge needed to end your interference in my mother's plans, and still you refuse to command me... how foolhardy." She murmured.

She was up to something. A mind game or something, I didn't know. All it did was remind me why being single on Earth sucked. I hated the games, the teasing, the testing, the accusations and unnecessary fights just so we could make up. It was dumb, all of it.

"What makes you think I won't return to my mother the next time you sleep, so when the Respite ends my people will triumph?" She demanded.

"It's simple really." I informed her. "In all my experience, I've never known anyone so stupid as to intentionally screw themselves over that badly for nothing. If I die, you go back to being your mother's slave. Sounds like you're eating better here, we don't beat you here, we don't force you to act in a certain way or do anything you don't want to. And that's assuming the elves don't just kill you trying to betray them. I assume treason is a crime in most societies."

I pulled on my boots and began strapping in my belts. "You're many things, but stupid doesn't seem to be one of them. Plus, if you were planning on betraying me, it would have been far simpler to just kill me in my sleep."

The silence spoke volumes. She'd clearly considered it.

"Lemius." I called, igniting the lights in the room.

Ki'Amura sat near the door. She'd clearly taken offense to her garb. Now she wore what was clearly a strip of her old dress wrapped around her upper body, covering her from armpit to the base of her ribs. The skirts had been cut loose from whatever remained of the garment and had been tied in the front to hold it above her hips. The skirts only extended just to her knees, clearly cut with a sharp blade, and her hands were suspiciously behind her back.

"Thought you could travel better with less restrictive garments?" I guessed.

Ki'Amura flushed.

"While I'm glad you decided against it, I'm curious why you didn't just slit my throat with the knife behind your back?" I asked.

She couldn't meet my eye.

"Oh? Was I that spot on?" I guessed and her embarrassment was too great to keep from seeping through the bond.

"Well, I hope we've gotten over that," I told her.

Her shoulders tensed and she waited.

"If you wanted different garments though, all you had to do was ask." I noted. "I'm sure Lymarith would be happy to make you actual garments more in your style, instead of these improvised scraps."

"Will you just do it already?" She demanded curtly.

I raised a brow. "Do what exactly?"

"Anything!" She snapped loudly, "Beat me! Chain me! Starve me! Rape me! Whatever it is you're going to do, just get it over with!"

The door to the hall opened and Creadean rushed in, fully clothed and ready. During her small tirade, Ki'Amura's arms had shifted and the naked blade in her hand was now visible to my battle matron as she entered the room.

"You snake!" Creadean called, her hand flashing to her blade, and it was only my witts that got me in pace to catch her wrist before she sprang on the Shadow Elf.

"Creadean, stop." I demanded.

"But she snuck in here to kill you!" Creadean exclaimed, "Look at her! Everything about this proclaims her guilt! If you hadn't commanded her to stop, you could be dead even now!"

Ki'Amura had retreated to the corner, away from the enraged she-elf.

"I did no such thing." I informed her. "Yes, she may have had bad intentions when she entered my room, but she chose not to follow them on her own."

"What is going on in... oh, no."

The rest of the household had gathered and at the sight, Diamiutar and Lymarith were clearly horrified and Narusil had gone pale. Heilantu was working into a rage, and Tavorwen had to push her way through to figure out what was going on.

Creadean was clearly the only one who hadn't been in her bed, the night clothes worn by the rest were still creased from being slept in.

It didn't help that in her fear, Ki'Amura had both hands on the blade and had raised it, pointing it at Creadean.

"I need everyone to, please, calm down." I stated, careful to not word it as a command, but a request.

Creadean met my gaze for a moment, then moved to resheath her blade.

"Ki'Amura is just struggling to adapt. Everything is fine. No one is hurt. Nothing bad has happened. Everything is going to be okay." I stated firmly, to both my matrons and to Ki'Amura.

Tears were welling up in Ki'Amura's eyes, and I could feel the way her emotions were twisting and rolling.

My explanation seemed to help most of my matrons relax, though several were still on edge.

"May I have a few minutes to talk to her, then we can all talk and set everyone's fears at ease?" I requested.

I could tell Creadean had objects. I understood them. Honestly, they were valid. Under any other circumstance I would totally agree with her.

Were I on Earth, a woman as strong and intelligent would never concede on this, but after a moment Creadean bit her lip, nodded and stepped out of the room. The rest of my household joined, some more willingly than others.

Ki'Amura was still wide eyed in the corner, knife clutched in both hands and held out at her chest level.

I sat on the bed, and motioned to the chair she'd been sitting in earlier. "You are welcome to take a seat."

She stood there for another minute. Finally, her arms started shaking and she lowered the knife.

"...What is wrong with you?" She finally demanded. "You do nothing as you should and don't act like any male I've ever heard of."

I shrugged, "Well, as you probably know, I wasn't born here. I was summoned. Maybe that's the difference. Regardless of why I am the way I am, I'm me and that's what I'm going to stay."

I could see years upon years of distrust and caution fighting, telling her not to listen, but something in her seemed unable to resist.

Slowly, she walked over and sat in the chair.

"Thank you," I acknowledged. "Now, I'd like to really talk. I understand there are a few things that are probably bothering you, and, unless I'm reading things completely wrong, you've never really had much of a say in your life, have you?"

"What do you mean?" She asked cautiously, "I've been able to speak, though it was usually better to hold my tongue."

"Oh, sorry," I noted, "Where I'm from, 'having a say' meant you got to choose things for yourself. So for example, choosing what to wear, what to study, where you go, what you eat... stuff like that."

"I am... was... the daughter of the Queen of the Shadow Elves, there were many things expected... of me..." She replied, drooping like a wilting flower.

"Of course," I agreed. "But now, while we can't do anything about the sigil around your neck, what we can do is work around it and try to let you have some of that freedom you never had. That's why you decided not to attack me, and to stay, isn't it?"

She looked away, "...and I'm not hungry here."

I blinked, "Oh, yeah. Ya'av doesn't let your people conjure food, right?"

"Do not speak her name with such disrespect!" Ki'Amura snapped, then seemed to realize where she was and shrank in her chair.

"My apologies, I'll try to be more respectful." I noted.

"And it is not that she withholds the spells from us, the Bastard God of these so called 'High Elves' prevents our magic from working, and causes any such magic we capture to fail." Ki'Amura countered.

That's right, that was the propaganda that Risavis had talked about.

"Now, I could be wrong, but I was given to understand that X'thallion couldn't actually do that. Something about it being outside his control or something." I noted.

"...Well, yes." Ki'Amura admitted, "But when he overthrew the Great Ya'av and drove her into the depths of Shadow, he captured the rest of the elven goddesses and bound them to him, forcing them to obey his will. So while it is outside his domain, his matrons, Noriva and Mythrin, work together to block the power of Ya'av."

Well, at least the propaganda thought about some of the circumstances around their lies.

"How much do you know of all the elven gods?" I asked.

"Enough, but what does that have to do with... right now?" She demanded.

"Well, I was hoping that we could reach an understanding." I admitted. "Trust is built on mutual understanding. Like I understand that I need to take care of you, and if you understand that I'm going to take care of you, then it will go a long way toward helping us be able to work and live together."

"Your words are a bit strange." Ki'Amura admitted.

"Sorry, it's probably the translation magic at work." I explained.

Ki'Amura blinked, "Translation magic? You do not speak the language of the elves?"

I shook my head, "Nope. It's all translation magic. I just hope it's better than Google Translate... It seems to be."

Ki'Amura was clearly confused. "Goog... what are you talking about?"

"Nevermind. That's not important." I redirected. "Back to what we were talking about, I was hoping we could get on the same side here. Because you still seem convinced that the great Ya'av is the true God of the elves, and everything she has done is justified, but everything I've seen said otherwise."

"Of course. You have been fed the lies of the 'High Elves." Ki'Amura acknowledged.

Then I had a thought. If only things were this simple back on Earth...

"Ki'Amura... I've spoken with the gods a couple of times... Would you be willing to come to the temple and try to speak with them? Surely the gods themselves can vouch for the truth." I suggested.

Ki'Amura paled. She put a hand over her chest in mortification and the fear that crept through our bond was intense. "You would have me stand before the Great Betrayer?"

I cocked my head to the side, "Well, I guess his word wouldn't be too helpful, but what about the other gods? They showed up when I was bound to my matrons in the temple."

Ki'Amura's eyes couldn't get any wider, "You had MULTIPLE GODS appear before you?"

"They didn't say much, but yeah, I think all fourteen showed up. The last time I went, only X'Thallion was there, but I think they'd make an exception..." I didn't say it, but I was hoping it would work because of how happy X'Thallion had seemed about her.

"I would not wish to be in the presence of the Betrayer, and am unworthy to be in the presence of the Enslaved Gods or their deceived offspring." Ki'Amura declared.

Note, the Gods of the Elves had God-Children among them. I was beginning to wonder if there weren't parallels to the Greek and Roman gods or something going on, but then I remembered most religions had Gods having children becoming new gods. I guess even Christianity did with Jesus being God's son and all, but there was some weirdness about being his son, but being him at the same time. That had never made sense to me.

"But wouldn't that be the fastest way to prove who is right?" I pressed. "If you are right and X'Thallion has some sway over them, shouldn't that become apparent? And if not, then they'll be able to clear up the whole situation."

Ki'Amura was clearly uncomfortable, but couldn't seem to come up with an argument.

"If the Gods prove that X'Thallion is the betrayer... Then I'll come with you to El'Muth'Ran, and help you bring justice to the elven world. But if Ya'av is proved the betrayer, then you'll stay with me and help us. The worst that could happen is we get to walk and get some fresh air, and then we come back no worse off than we were." I pointed out.

"No." Ki'Amura insisted, "If the Gods commune with you as easily as you say, then the only reason they would stay away is if the Betrayer kept them away. So if they do not answer your pleas, then we will know of a surety of his guilt."

That put a lot more pressure on this than I had expected, but it had been a gamble either way, and Ki'Amura just significantly raised the stakes. Part of me was very uncomfortable, because while I hadn't read my bible much, I did know that the God of Earth didn't like being forced to show himself. I really hoped the Elven Gods were more accommodating.