AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I snort because I ran out of steam a while back. Right now, I’m battling against physical exhaustion and trying not to let Ayden see how drained I already am.
“Try to draw on your gift,” he suggests.
I stare at him doubtfully – for one thing, I’m already at the end of my tether, plus I have no idea how to go about that.
“You’ll be expected to do that in the test. So you may as well try.”
He’s right, of course. So I try to visualize the golden threads of light. I imagine a glow and a thread of light trailing out of Ayden’s chest. It’s hard to maintain that visualization while I’m running around. But I do my best. I try to recall the feeling that comes over me when I see the threads: the dizziness, the fainting, the discomfort… Okay, maybe not the best idea, because those negative sensations don’t help me in the fight and only cause me to become inattentive. Yoru barely manages to intercept a fire ball that would otherwise have swept me off my feet.
I still see no threads of light, nor do I have any idea how to make them appear. I stare at Ayden’s chest, keep my eyes fixed on it, and try to imagine the thread. But as a result, I fail to anticipate the next attack, and when I evade it, I trip over my own feet. As I fall to the floor, I notice Ayden hesitate briefly. He’s now in a position to defeat me once and for all. He raises his hand, and Snow readies himself, but that hesitation was exactly what I needed. As fast as I can, I send Yoru the bulk of my odeon. Flames appear on my skin; the dark symbols appear on Yoru’s head, and my fox summons a wave of fire that can only be described as an inferno. The gym fills with blazing flames. The hot air crackles around us as this annihilating wall of fire rushes at Ayden. He completely disappears in it, and my heart skips a beat. Was that too much? Have I hurt him?
But when the flames dissipate, he’s thankfully still standing in the same spot, although he’s now assumed his fiery form. He’s breathing much faster. Snow too is flaming and looks like some mythical creature from another world. But fortunately, they both seem unscathed. I sink to my knees, exhausted and gasping for breath.
Ayden very slowly returns to his true form and comes to me.
“Huh, not even a scratch,” I observe with disappointment. I didn’t want to hurt him, but it’s discouraging to see that even an onslaught like that didn’t leave a mark on him.
“That’s just because we both use the same element. With a different opponent, you would have done a lot of damage, and probably taken them out. So in that sense it was pretty good.”
“I was only able to draw down that much odeon because you hesitated,” I correct him. “Before that, I had no opportunity to launch that kind of attack.”
Ayden sits down beside me and looks at me critically. “It’s not often that you’ll face an opponent who’s so weak that you can use that kind of attack whenever you like. The important thing is to wait for the right moment, to recognize your opponent’s mistakes. And you spotted mine instantly. So that worked really well.”
I look up at him in surprise. “You think I fought well? Were we in the same fight just now? You chased me around the hall until I felt like I was about to collapse with exhaustion.”
“You still need to work on rationing your energy, and maintaining your odeon at a higher level. But those are minor issues. The important thing is that you don’t take your eyes off your opponent and that you can identify their weaknesses. And you’re already doing that.”
I have my doubts, especially when I think about the fact that I’ll be up against multiple hunters. How am I supposed to keep an eye on all of them? But for now I guess I should just accept the praise.
Every muscle in my body aches, and when I shift slightly in my chair, I feel a shooting pain in my tailbone, which I fell on badly during training yesterday. I’ve been training with Ayden for almost two weeks now, and he’s not going easy on me. But I’m starting to see the first signs of success. I’m faster now, and my attacks are way more powerful. Sometimes, I’m able to maintain my odeon at a higher level for longer, although it’s still not enough to last to the end of fight. But the thing that concerns me most is that I can’t seem to strengthen my bond with Yoru enough to turn into one of those supernatural fire beings. Ayden keeps telling me that it usually takes years to master that process. But I don’t have that kind of time, and it’s unlikely that I’ll master it before the test, although I’m still giving it my best shot. I can only hope that the progress I’ve made will be enough for me to pass the test.
I rub my forehead wearily and try to concentrate on Mr. Brian’s lecture on the stock market crash of 1929. He’s explaining what this crisis meant for the key carrying world.
“Obviously, every key carrier understood that they were part of the human world in which they lived and had to adhere to its laws and their obligations as citizens. However, many felt that they were superior to ordinary humans. They lived in the same world, but they felt that they didn’t really belong to it, that they were independent of it. Really close contacts and friendships were typically only fostered with other key carriers. Then, October 24, 1929, opened the eyes of many Tempes, at the same time pulling the rug out from under their feet.”
I take a few notes and listen with interest to Mr. Brian’s elucidations. I’m always fascinated to learn more about the Tempes in historical contexts because it helps me form a clearer picture of this world.
I glance at Kate sitting at the desk beside me. She too looks absorbed in what Mr. Brian is saying. But she’s not writing a single word, which is unusual for her. She’s staring wide-eyed at the teacher and seems totally captivated by what he’s saying.
“Their economic situation was inextricable from that of ordinary humans. They did business with them, invested in companies, some ran their own – in other words, they weren’t financially independent. So the crash hit many Tempes hard. Some lost everything and were destitute from one day to the next. A black market sprang up, on which things appeared that previously people could only dream of. Relics of our greatest forefathers, which had been in the possession of the Tempes for years, were suddenly sold off in order to make ends meet. Some didn’t even stop at their own key spirits. They were frequently sold and wound up in collections designed to enhance a person’s reputation.”
I look at Kate again, and when Mr. Brian moves across the room, I realize that she’s not looking at him at all. She seems to have been staring at nothing this whole time.
Suddenly anxious, I scoot over to her and ask quietly, “Are you okay?”
I get no response, except that her cheeks turn a little paler. She doesn’t move, and now I’m really worried about her. What if she has one of her visions right here in the classroom? Mr. Brian would definitely notice that something was wrong and report the incident to the principal. And I can imagine what would happen after that. No, I have to prevent it somehow.
I lean in again and whisper, “Kate, can you hear me? Is everything okay?”
Still no reaction. But I can see her hands clenching into fists and starting to shake and her knuckles turning white. Her breathing becomes shallower, faster, frenetic.
“You need to keep calm,” I warn her. “I’ll say you’re not feeling well and get you out of here.”
“Miss Franklin, may I ask what you’re doing? Is your conversation with your friend so much more important than following my class?!” Mr. Brian glowers at me.
Now the whole class has turned to look at me and Kate, which doesn’t improve my friend’s condition. Her entire body is now shaking. She’s hyperventilating, and I don’t know if she’s getting enough oxygen.
“Kate’s not feeling well,” I say, quickly standing up and reaching out to pull her to her feet. We need to get out of here. Fast! Because I’m convinced she’s going to have one of her visions any moment now. “I’ll take her out for some fresh air, and if that doesn’t help, we’ll…”
