Sahren looked up to the man, literally, and figuratively from the new interest blooming onto the lines of her features, something fierce to them, a hunger that even nervousness and fear cant' quite contain. "So much work to do...Y-yes, that I can see...So much work for you to do, and so much in your hands. I think you are just what we need to teach us, Sir. Now is not a time for lessons, for soft and steady exercises, not after last night...There is no time to learn, is there? There is only time to be shown how to prevail...A Mage has a path that only they can walk, so why worry about … [Read more...]

She was watching him now, interest a soft blue flicker of flame in her gaze "How did you cope with what you were? What you can do...I don't even know myself anymore, I was happy...And now I feel so lost, lost in the mists I'm supposed to become a controller of. My gift controls me, Sir...It scares me more than those who sought to kill me." There was a shiver of strength to the set of her shoulders now, the tall man so much more than the boys in her class, she didn’t have to stoop to talk to him, ad she was slowly learning that. "I don't want to hate myself anymore, Mireya told me I … [Read more...]

The attempt turned out to be pointless. Less than a half hour later, Anrui was back on the beach.  Dawn shuddered over the horizon, leaving the outline of massive gouges where the Gault ship had beached the night before, as well as trails of footprints leading up to the main quadrangle, where still lay the bodies of six cadets, and the dust of dozens of Gault tribesmen. Anrui Frost, still clad in nothing but a now-sodden bed sheet, climbs among the tattoos in the sand, the ametrine Bangle that hides his dread sword Chimecleaver still glowing, steaming from use. One other, lone figure made … [Read more...]

Even among the mists and the lightning, the two carved an awesome path against each other, primal rage meeting incredible focus - but none could say which of the two embodied what. The Gault chief's sword was a blur of black steel, meeting the massive sword of light at every turn and - - the assassin paused, uncertain, its glowing blue eyes locking with the approaching form of Rhayd Khalenn - Chimecleaver feinted, twisting about Anrui's legs as the Regulator spun, before spearing the indigo killer through the chest, its momentum carrying the Regulator against the demon’s shoulder and … [Read more...]

A void formed about the Regulator and his charge, fear forcing the students away from the clump and into each other. Kintere , Mireya and Rhayd found themselves beside a shivering Sahren, many ranks behind the front, having earned a momentary respite as the battle resumed after the brutal slaying of one of their own. With a nod to Kintere, Rhayd tossed his friend his long crystalline sword and shed his thick leather jacket, passing it toward the girl. “Here,” he said quietly, locking his eyes to hers. I think you need this more than I do.” Sahren was surprised by the kindness, her … [Read more...]

Anrui saw the last of his students emerge. Among them was Sahren, barefooted and rosy cheeked, freshly plucked from the flowerbed of sleep. Lithe, wiry muscles bunching and contracting beneath the thick cotton of her nightgown, adrenaline surged as she sprinted to the call of her teachers, running headlong into fear. Far from her usual plain homeliness, the farm girl had a wildness clinging to her features, a magnetism of lanky uncertainty and in the depths of summer sky eyes that held a startled, doe-like vulnerability. The first few weeks had been hard on the young woman, Anrui remembered … [Read more...]

A burning pain in Anrui's shoulder wrapped icy fingers around his chest and heaved him out of the calm warm river of his dreams, depositing him on the cool sweat-coated sheets of his bed. It took a moment for him to realize where he was; back in the real world, back at Lockwood. Unable to locate his sarong easily at hand – the washers must have been in again – he wrapped himself at the waist in his top sheet, the Regulator went to lean at his window sill, absently rubbing at the raw skin of his shoulder, the newly placed tattoo of an Arbiter aching sharply. The enchantments surrounding the … [Read more...]

Sahren chewed on the words a moment, looking down to watch the surf lapping at the sand, refraining from looking at him as she spoke. "There was an accident on the farm, Pa got trapped under the harvesting thresher, there was blood everywhere and Jarn the farm hand was screaming....I ran to help - I can remember screaming and being so scared...The farm hands were trying to lift it, but they couldn't. As I was running, I just pushed out my hands, just trying to get to him. I wished so hard and something happened..." Still the nervous habit of whittling at that bottom lip presented … [Read more...]

Sahren stood agape, completely taken aback by the change in the man - her Instructor - watching him with near open-mouthed surprise. Nearly taking a step back as he springs forward but instead she finds herself swaying towards him, even letting a smile slip across her own lips - infected by his enthusiasm. "I don't know how I feel about being a minion,” she argued. Humour tripped out with a raise of a sun-gilded brow, the farm girl remembered herself just to late to call the words back. She shrank back into herself as a blush tries to replace a smile, mortified at the slip - he was not a … [Read more...]

Sahren was late again, the girl's long legged sprint proving her penitence for her tardiness at the very least. Easily as tall as most men, each stride sent sprays of sand after her, flaxen hair an unkempt flag glowing in the morning sun. Still trying to straighten out the rough wool tunic and properly tighten too large trousers to her waist as she went, she fought with the thick brown leather belt cut as her trousers, for a man twice her size and width. Cheeks flaming red, and blue eyes are glazed with temper-filled tears - no-one had woken her, even after summoning the courage to ask. The … [Read more...]