“I am told that my opinion is worn like a helmet strapped too tightly on the crumpet. It is placed there for protection, but removal will be painful,” replied Wren. “I say, it is useless to waste time on placing flowers on the truth! If there are thorns on the stems, then surely they will be exposed eventually.”
“I think I’m keeping up with your analogies, but being tactful never hurt anyone. Try it once in a while,” retorted Seneca. “Anyway, let’s get on with this. Are you training me or what?”
“I have told you what it means to be a druid. Your gifts must be brought forward by you. You cannot be a sook or a lost fawn. You must be brave; there is no other path for you. You are expecting me to train you in what should be as natural as breathing. You cannot master your gifts or intertwine them with magic if you do not use them.”
“I may be small, but I am not timid. I am strong. I just need guidance. I believe that’s why you’ve been asked to help,” said Seneca. She focused on keeping her wings in check and keeping her composure.
“You are not even aware that the stone in your pocket has been humming to be used? Brigara will find you like a hawk to a mouse if you cannot silence it. Your senses are mute! You may as well accept your passing if you are too afraid to accept your destiny,” said Wren.
“Wow! That is really harsh,” said Seneca. She was stunned by the elf’s brash attitude.
“Perhaps we should confer with Rileau before we continue.”
“You’ve made it clear that you think I’m clueless with my gifts. Well, you’re right. How about we take a different approach. Instead of running off to Rileau, what do you think about including Shayna in the training? We’re all here to figure out how to take Brigara down, and getting us to work as a team is probably the best approach,” said Seneca. She tried her best not to sound desperate. “What do you think?”
She prayed her confidence would return with Shayna by her side. Druids were needed in the Otherworld to restore and keep the balance, and she had to remember that the responsibility rested on her petite shoulders.
“That is a brilliant idea. I believe Rileau will agree. Certainly, you and Shayna should train together,” replied Wren. “You must exert your opinions more often. Perhaps you will feel the constraint of the helmet too.”
“Maybe you can tell me how to quiet my stone,” Seneca said as she winced. She anticipated Wren’s snide rebuttal.
“That I can do. It is quite simple, actually. Tell it to remain quiet until you ask for its assistance,” she replied. She raised her eyebrows and nodded to Seneca. “It will respond to you.”
“Like programming it? Okay, stay quiet until I need you,” Seneca said skeptically. She patted her pocket, and a cold jolt of energy shot down her leg. She wiggled slightly but felt the change instantly. The warm sensation she had experienced from the stone was gone.
“It is done,” said Wren. “That is how you use your magic. You command, and it shall reply.”
Wren didn’t bother to wait for a reaction as she slipped away and dashed into the castle without any fanfare. Seneca pulled at her hair and kicked a mound of grass in frustration. Several beetles scrambled away in search of safety. She laughed at the irony of being threatening enough to chase away bugs, but when it came to handling the magic or growing conflict in the Otherworld, she was the one who wanted to scurry to a safe place. She tried hard to push away the fear. She wished she had gone with Wren to see Rileau’s reaction. She didn’t want to come across as weak, but she wanted backup, and being around Shayna always seemed to keep her on her toes. She raised her head to see Shayna dashing toward her. Seneca could see that she wasn’t happy. Her stomach tightened in anticipation of hearing bad news. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off immediately as Shayna raised her hand to halt her from talking.
“Seneca, it was terrible!” Shayna blurted out as she worked to catch her breath.
“What are you talking about?” Seneca asked.
“I’m a blunder when it comes to this reflectoire,” Shayna said as she dropped to the ground and leaned into Seneca.
“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Seneca said consolingly.
“Sure, if you don’t count me nearly being killed by a shelf full of dusty, moldy books!” said Shayna. “I can’t wait to do some combat training. That I know I can handle after years of kickboxing and tae kwon do.” She jumped to her feet and began demonstrating a sequence of kicks, punches, and simulated strikes in the air. When she was done, she took a bow and smiled.
“Are we doing combat training? I thought we were going to learn spells,” said Seneca. “You’re confusing me. What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about my forms, or Poomsae, as they say in Korean,” she said, slightly winded. “That was Olympic-level form too!”
“You studied martial arts?” asked Seneca, trying to make sense of what Shayna was saying. “Let me get this straight. We’re going to learn how to fight and not learn spells and charms?”
“Correction. You’re going to learn how to fight. I’ve got that part handled.” She grinned. “As for the magic stuff, we both have to learn that. We have to use spells and our powers when we’re fighting. At least that’s the way Rileau was explaining it earlier. I think it was when I almost knocked him down, or maybe it was when I bounced into Jake and almost bloodied his nose. I can’t actually recall, but anyway, we definitely have to use magic when we fight in the Otherworld. You can’t do one without the other. Not if we want to win anyway.”
“Okay, Shayna. I’ve got it—I think,” said Seneca wearily.
She couldn’t imagine anything more contrary than Shayna doing martial arts. She tried to picture her battling anyone in the standard gi robe. A gi was shapeless and plain, and on top of that, it was what everyone else wore. It was nothing like the designer and original flare of her trendy outfits. Seneca smirked because she knew that aspect alone was probably enough to stop Shayna from being a real expert. “Are you good with martial arts?”
“Oh yeah! I’ve studied tae kwon do since I was four. My dad would take me each Saturday. It was something we did together, and it’s a big reason why I got into cheerleading,” said Shayna.
“What does one have to do with the other? You in a short skirt—I get it. But a gi with a sash just seems totally not you,” said Seneca. She had blurted it out without thinking. She knew Shayna was not as shallow as she could sometimes appear.
“Get it straight. You wear a gi in karate. I wear a dobok, and it’s so much cuter,” replied Shayna. “Tae kwon do teaches you speed, flexibility, and balance. I have to use all of that with cheer. I think I’m good at using the sword because of my years of training. Hey, I hadn’t thought about that before.”
“You are full of surprises, Shayna,” said Seneca as she shook her head in disbelief. “By the way, where’s Wren?”
“She wanted to chat with Rileau a bit. I decided not to wait and just rushed down. As I was saying, this reflectoire is giving me fits! I’m really having a tough time getting it to work right. I could tell Rileau was losing his patience. You and Wren had perfect timing.”
“I wonder what they have to talk about. I’d like to get on with this training,” said Seneca.
“Whatever it is, it’s intense,” replied Shayna.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when I was trying to focus on trying to teleport again, I overheard raised voices. Conner and Jake were blabbing too loudly, so I couldn’t make out the exact words. It was heated, though—more like Wren was the one upset.”
“She was probably complaining about me being a total washout with the magic and druid-mastering stuff,” Seneca said.
“Maybe, but I don’t think so.” Shayna explained that she’d been in the process of keeping her eyes shut while attempting to fight off a yawn, but the involuntary response had won. She had wiped her eyes and shaken her
head.
“And then?” Seneca said through gritted teeth. It was difficult not to show her impatience with Shayna’s way of telling a story. The need to fill in every detail was frustrating, but she was getting used to it.
“Well, of course, falling asleep was not an option. So that’s when I decided to do a few jumping jacks—you know, to shake off the need for sleep.”
“So you did jumping jacks?”
“No, of course not!” Shayna said. “That’s when I got distracted by the voices coming from the other side of the door. It was Wren and Rileau. And from Wren’s tone, she was definitely upset.”
“Did you hear anything about what she was upset about?”
“I tried to get close, because Jake and Conner were getting all worked up in their silly discussion, but just when I got close to the door, it swung open. I had to leap out of the way to keep from getting smacked in the face!”
“So that’s it? You didn’t hear anything at all?”
“All I can say is that Rileau was definitely agitated. He was puffing smoke like crazy. Wren was all flushed and was wiping away tears. I asked if everything was okay, and then Rileau jumped in before she could answer me,” Shayna explained with animated and exaggerated hand motions. “They practically pushed me out the door before I could say two words. They told me to come here to train with you in combat and incantations.” Shayna sighed. “Rileau did his deep-voice bellowing and said I’d be instrumental in helping you draw out and embrace your druid skills.”
“Is Wren coming back? I sure don’t know what we’re supposed to do,” Seneca whined.
“I’m assuming so, but I bolted out of there so fast. I needed the break and didn’t ask questions.”
“What about Jake and Conner? What are they doing?”
“My guess is they’re probably still arguing about the things that dwell in the water that surrounds the castle. Rileau will likely put them to work, because so far, all they’ve done is watch me slam into walls and sheep.”
Seneca muffled a laugh as she pictured what was likely painful for Shayna but humorous to witness. She encouraged her to describe the various mishaps and helped her find the humor in each one. They stretched out in the overgrown grass and picked dandelions. They blew the delicate petals into the wind as they stared up into the billowing clouds above.
“Seneca, we could be heroes,” said Shayna. “Have you thought about that?”
“No, that’s not even close to what’s been going through my head. I’m so scared about all of this. Aren’t you?”
“I think I’m more afraid of the unknown. I can feel in my gut that this is where I’m supposed to be. You know, like it was inevitable. I just know there’s going to be a showdown of some kind—like all heroes have to face.”
“If you believe in fate, then yeah, maybe we are meant to do this. But right now, it’s everyone else telling us we have to do this. I honestly don’t know if this is what I’m supposed to do. I keep waiting for a sign, a feeling or something that says this is the right thing,” said Seneca.
“I get what you’re saying. For me, it’s the idea of saving the elementals in the Otherworld. Thinking that Brigara wants to destroy it all twists my stomach into knots. I know we can do it. We have to!” Shayna sat up and looked around. “Look how peaceful it is here. To think that evil woman wants to destroy it makes me so angry! It’s up to us—you, me, Conner, and Jake—to stop her.”
“I know. I get it,” said Seneca. “Maybe I’m expecting too much, looking for that flashing sign and all.”
“I’m telling you, Seneca. Even though you don’t see it yet, this is our fate, our destiny, and all of those other words that say we are meant to do this.”
“Being a hero, though—that’s a lot of pressure. Maybe that’s what scares me the most. Everyone’s depending on us to bring her down. What if we can’t?”
“You can’t think like that. Once you say that c-word, then we are all doomed. Erase and delete that from your mind!”
“Got it.” Seneca laughed and sat up. She watched Shayna braid a few of the dandelion stems and decided to join her. “You know, we might end up being here forever—like never seeing our families or our homes again. Maybe that’s what’s really bothering me. It’s hard for me to focus on the dominion when I’m missing my family. Wren sang a song that my mother used to sing, and I almost lost it.” Seneca sighed heavily.
“I miss my dad and, believe it or not, school,” said Shayna. “But being here feels right. I feel like it’s what I’ve been preparing for my whole life. I didn’t know it at first, but I do now. I know I will see my family again, but for now, I have to make sure my family here has a safe home.”
“I agree with you on that. If we can do that, then maybe my family can come here too. I have to remember that the Otherworld is their home,” said Seneca softly. “Maybe that’s how I have to look at this: I’m doing this for them. Even if we’re clueless without any chance of winning.”
“There’s no way prophecies would exist about us if we didn’t stand a chance. Plus, think about the constant attacks to stop us. If we didn’t have something special, no one would bother with us. I’m confident we can do this, and you should be too,” Shayna said boisterously.
Seneca looked closely into Shayna’s eyes. It was obvious Shayna believed completely in what she was saying, but she felt a sudden urge to change the topic. “Tell me more about your tae kwon do stuff,” said Seneca.
Shayna began explaining the various kicks, throws, and open-handed strikes. Seneca was impressed with her knowledge and felt slightly guilty for prejudging her. Just as the conversation began to die down, Wren appeared. From her sour expression, it was obvious she was not in a pleasant mood.
“Why are the two of you sitting about as if you’re sloths on a holiday? Let’s get started!” Wren bellowed.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bloodshot. It was clear she had been crying, but they knew better than to push for an explanation. Seneca and Shayna exchanged a quick glance and quickly scrambled to their feet. Wren didn’t bother with pleasantries as she brushed past them and discarded her belongings.
“It is time to make you into the dominion that has been foretold. You will obey me without hesitation as you learn the ways of magic in our Otherworld,” said Wren. Her voice quivered slightly, but she showed no other signs of being distraught. “As an elemental and a demi-elemental, you will harness the magic that is in your blood, but as the color of your hair is different, so will be your gifts.”
They listened intently as Wren explained about manipulation magic and how to use it in battles. She demonstrated basic spells, advanced incantations, and complicated charms. She drilled them in hand-to-hand combat laced with magic. Shayna proved to be efficient in her footwork and guiding her sword to absorb weak spells in midair. Seneca excelled at learning strategic counter-spells and quickly gained comfort in weaving charms with the shielding light from her wings.
Wren showed only small elements of what was needed to defeat Brigara. She spent the majority of the time enlightening them on various tactics Brigara’s dangerous followers were likely to use. Some of the potential methods she described were simple to follow and didn’t need much explanation. The more difficult or elusive maneuvers were expounded upon in great detail. She pressed heavily on the notion of instinct.
“You must learn to trust and not question,” Wren said. “Magic follows what you feel. If you are fuzzy with your instincts or allow doubt to interfere, then your spells will be formless. They shall dwindle like the petals of a daisy in a drought.”
Wren retrieved her staff and pulled a handful of leaves from the nearest tree. She threw them into the air and aimed her staff. A blue orb of light surrounded the leaves, keeping them suspended as they rotated. Wren said a short incantation, and the light of the orb turned black. The leaves transformed into a slew of bla
ck crows. They circled above her head and then flew directly at Shayna, who ducked and tumbled head over heels to avoid being hit. The angry birds reversed their direction to attempt another attack. Shayna scrambled to her feet and slashed her sword through the air but missed. They circled and made another advance in a tighter formation. Their cries were harsh and grating as they aimed directly at her.
“Dilagna wivnoro!” Shayna screamed the defensive spell she had just learned.
She lunged with her sword. It vibrated beneath her grip, and she grasped tighter to remain in control. She swung repeatedly, fatally striking the enchanted crows. Each bird crumpled to the ground and faded into a pile of dry leaves. A small gust of wind lifted and carried them away. Shayna let out a slow sigh of relief and watched until they were completely out of sight.
“That was impressive. You expressed the spell like you knew what you were doing,” said Seneca. Her words sounded more like a question than a statement.
“Thanks. It felt right,” said Shayna.
“It is what you both must do. Stop thinking about your next move, and just act,” said Wren dryly.
“I used my sword, but that was really about the spell—about magic. Do we rely on magic more than fighting with our fists?” Shayna asked as she wiped away beads of sweat from her cheeks.
“Hand-to-hand combat combined with magic is by far the most used in the Otherworld. Having the skills necessary to climb, jump, and punch is essential,” Wren said. “Since both of you are feeble in all areas of combat, you must work even harder to disarm and overpower your attackers.”
“Well, Shayna’s an expert in tae kwon do, and I’m sure—”
Wren raised her hand to indicate silence, and Seneca reluctantly obeyed. “What you have learned or think you’ve mastered as expert, as you say, will mean absolutely nothing here in our Otherworld. Do not convince yourself that the knowledge you have gained in the mortal realm can compare to what you must know to survive here. Keep this in mind always. I am teaching you to arm yourself with enchantments and defend yourself with lethal combat skills intertwined with magic,” Wren said sternly.