Imdalind 01 - Kiss of Fire

my voice fell flat.
    “Wonderful.” Ovailia walked away, her hair swaying ominously behind her. Ilyan followed her, beckoning me to follow.
    My guard went up instantly. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend an hour, let alone a day, with the two of them together. My experiences with them so far had been less than stellar. Ilyan led us, once again, into the courtyard, but my heart plunged at seeing the thirty or so people who were milling around the large space. My hands moved to pull my hood up, but stopped half-way; I needed to be brave.
    “Sorry,” Ilyan said sheepishly. “I had hoped to prepare you for this, but I didn’t count on your needing a shower.” He grabbed my hand and placed it gently in the crook of his arm. It didn’t escape my notice that his posture improved almost instantly. “‘My Lord,’ remember,” he smiled bashfully at me before leading me into the large courtyard.
    Everyone stood and faced him. I couldn’t help but feel that my baggy pants and sweater left me terribly underdressed for this. Even though Ilyan wore his trademark torn jeans and button-up shirt and no one else was wearing anything out of the ordinary, the air of the situation demanded something better. As we walked past each person, they would bow their head and lower slightly; Ilyan would return the bow with a slight head nod and sometimes say a name. Thankfully, by the time we made it to the tree, most everyone had returned to what they were doing previously.
    “Is it always like this?” I asked quietly, noticing that several of the people continually looked over toward us.
    “My Lord,” Ilyan reminded me under his breath.
    “Is it always like this, My Lord?” I asked stiffly.
    “Unfortunately,” he mumbled.
    “It should be like this more often and handled with much more dignity. But, my brother seems to think otherwise.”
    I jumped at Ovailia’s voice. I hadn’t noticed her standing there.
    “Well,” she continued after glaring me down, “now that you are here, should we continue?”
    “Ummm... sure,” I answered, unsure if I should be adding some form of a title to Ovailia’s name. She acted like she was entitled to one, so I wasn’t sure.
    “Good. Now, Ilyan tells me you have mastered plant growth easily enough. Let us hope the same rings true for your command of the wind.” She held out a heavy muslin cloth. I hesitantly removed the necklace and placed it in the folds. Ovailia wrapped it up tightly and placed it near some bushes on the ground. I looked at it, longing to put it back on, but I knew it would only hinder me, and I needed to get control of my magic fast.
    “Now,” Ovailia continued, “the concept of manipulating wind is much the same as plant life. You must infuse the wind with your magic until you receive the ability to control it. It is through this control that you will be able to manipulate yourself and objects around you.”
    I just nodded my head numbly. I knew that should make sense, but I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around it.
    “Think about how you move your magic into the plants and tell them what to do,” Ilyan said. “It’s much the same concept, except with wind, you can do more; move cars or buildings, fly.”
    “We were flying that night you saved me, then!”
    “Yes, we were,” Ilyan said happily. Ovailia, however, cleared her throat.
    “Sorry... My Lord,” I added hastily.
    “I want you to learn this skill, so in case anything happens this week, you will be able to get away and save yourself.”
    My heart plummeted at the reminder of my need to run away. I wanted to be able to save Ryland, not be a hindrance and only have to run away. I nodded strongly and focused on what was going on.
    “Alright,” Ilyan said. “Bring your magic to the front and release it into the air around you. I want to see if you can summon wind from nothing.”
    I focused intently on the air and felt my magic seep out of me like a slow leak, pleased when I felt the air softly move itself into a subtle breeze. I pushed more magic out, excited at the quick success. The more I released into the air, the bigger the breeze became, until it swirled swiftly through the courtyard pushing into those who remained watching us and eventually knocking me into Ilyan.
    “Sorry, My Lord,” I whimpered as he set me straight again.
    “Don’t be. That was wonderful!” Ilyan was pleased. Ovailia looked anything but. Ilyan grabbed my shoulders and steered me to stand right in front of the