Chapter 7

Click, click, boom.

 

The training ground was mostly empty except for the squad of unattached Swords practicing their drills under the ever watchful and critical eye of their commander. Cam smirked at the memories of his own commander and training days.

“Well, looky here.” A voice drifted to them from the left, “Haven’t seen you around at Shad’s lately, Gantervez.”

“Been busy, Don.” Cam replied as a man about the same build as him, though slightly younger, walked over followed by another man, this one of a slighter build and older.

Don snorted shaking Cam’s hand then noticed Kailah. He did a slight bow, “Pleasure to meet the Caster that finally tamed Gantervez.”

“What?” Kailah asked with a laugh and a curious glance at Cam.

Don whistled in appreciation, “Dang, if I’d known they made ‘em this gorgeous I would attend the Joinings more often.”

“You’d join with anything in a skirt.” The slighter man said with a smile on his face while Kailah blushed at the compliment.

“Morning Skiff. How’s the wife?” Cam asked the guy shaking his hand as well.

“Same ol’ thing, pregnant again though.” Skiff said grinning.

“Again? Man, you should slow down, that makes what? Eight?” Cam asked raising his eyebrows in surprise, “I don’t see how you deal with a wife and eight children and manage to stay somewhat sane.”

Skiff laughed, “Yeah, why do you think I’m hanging with this loser?”

Cam laughed as Don cried in indignation. Chelry and Esma nodded in greeting at Don and Skiff then headed on to where Cam and Kailah would be training.

 “Don, Skiff, and I are old bunker mates and drinking buddies.” Cam explained turning to Kailah. He held his hand up in a mock gesture of conspiracy, “Don’t believe a word Don tells you, he’s a notorious liar and a flirtatious b*****d.”

“Gantervez, I’m hurt! You have no respect for people’s feelings.” Don said in mock shock at Cam’s words. Skiff just leaned back against a post and chuckled.

“Uh-huh, the day you develop feelings is the day the Emperor gets rid of all taxes.” Cam smirked as he smiled at his old friend.

“I have feelings, Gantervez, they’re just buried!” Don said smiling back at him, “Seems your trainer is here, we should go for drinks sometime soon and catch up.”

“I’d like that.” Cam said shaking each of their hands again, “Skiff try to keep this guy out of trouble.”

Skiff rolled his eyes, “You always did ask the impossible, Gantervez.”

“Hey, I can take care of myself!” Don cried as Cam and Kailah headed over to Chelry and Esma.

“Sure, sure.” Cam said patronizingly over his shoulder as Skiff laughed. Kailah followed Cam trying not to chuckle.

“Friends of yours?” Kailah asked him as they came to where Chelry and Esma were waiting.

Cam grunted, “Yeah, we were in the same bunker during training. Don and Skiff haven’t ever attached, so like all the rest of the unattached they become regular soldiers of the kingdom. They also accompanied Shalia and me on missions sometimes.”

“You used to drink with them often?” Kailah asked stopping beside Chelry. The trainer was making his way over to them.

“Yeah, they were the only two who would let me drink myself stupid after…” Cam paused, “…after Shalia died.”

Further questioning was cut short as the trainer approached, “Good morning, class.” The trainer was a middle-aged man about five ten, medium build. He had the same grey eyes as Maltoris and spoke in the same thick Northernlands accent.

“Good morning, trainer.” Kailah said bowing slightly, “My name is Kailah, Element Caster, and this is my Sword.”

“Cameron Gantervez.” Cam spoke for himself bowing also.

“Yes, well, my name is Salforis, and to start with we’re going to be working on sensing the connection.” Salforis said as he smiled pleasantly at the two of them, “Will you two also be joining us?”

“No, we are merely observing.” Esma said coldly as she walked off toward a bench. Chelry bowed to Salforis and followed after her. Cam chuckled as Salforis shrugged and turned back to the two of them.

“Now, imagine that there is a string connecting the two of you at some point. Most find it easiest to imagine a string tied around a finger.” Slaforis began.

Cam thought back to the time that Shalia and he had trained their connection. She had analogized it to the red string of fate that tied two lovers together or something like that. Cam chuckled at the memory of the trainer turning bright red and getting flustered.

Cam could already feel the connection between himself and Kailah; it was like a buzz in the back of the head. Power flow from your Caster was an indescribable sensation; you had to be careful how much you took though, because it was possible to drain the Caster to the point of death.

Cam didn’t really know what it felt like for the Caster though, Shalia hadn’t ever told him. He glanced at Kailah and saw a puzzled look on her face.

“What?” Cam asked.

“Do you sense the connection, Caster?” Salforis asked her softly.

“I think so.” Kailah replied hesitantly.

“What do you feel?” Salforis urged.

“I feel,” Kailah’s facial features became more puzzled, “I feel…hungry.”

At that Cam’s stomach growled loudly as did Kailah’s. She blushed in embarrassment as Cam laughed. Chelry chuckled from where he sat next to Esma.

“I also feel something else, but I can’t describe it.” Kailah said as Cam continued to chuckle.

“That feeling is the connection. The sensation will become more powerful the more power you put through it. You should be careful the amount you pour in, you can overload the Sword.” Salforis cautioned ignoring Cam’s laughing fit.

“What would happen to Cameron if I did?” Kailah asked concern fringing her voice.

“I’ll die.” Cam answered before Salforis could, “Think of it like a wineskin, it can only hold so much before it bursts. I’m the same with power, I can only hold so much before I lose control of it and it kills me.”

“Is there a way to keep that from happening?” Kailah asked Salforis who was slightly ruffled that Cam took over his role of explaining.

“Yes, the Sword is able to, somewhat, limit the amount of Power poured in. Also the Sword can take power from the Caster.” Salforis explained.

“Think of it like a water tap that we both can control, I can turn it on full blast or turn it down to a trickle, but I can never turn it completely off.” Cam took up the explanation ignoring Salforis’s glare.

“Wouldn’t that eventually fill you up?” Kailah asked confused.

“If I don’t burn it off yes, but my body naturally burns the power off at a very slow rate. That’s what makes a Sword able to connect to only one Caster at a time.” Cam explained.

“How does your body burn it off?” Kailah asked him, Salforis was pretty much forgotten.

“Same way that I would burn off food, exercise it off.” Cam replied.

“I see, so we’re in training to see how much power you can hold?” Kailah asked raising her eyebrows.

Cam laughed, “No, we’re training to attune so that I can take power without thinking about it too much and without disrupting you.”

“Does taking power from me-“ Kailah gasped as a shock went through her body. She felt slightly lightheaded afterward and swayed.

Cam caught and steadied her, “That’s what it feels like when I take power. And that was only a small amount.”

 Kailah’s face was slightly flushed from the experience, “So, the more you take the stronger the sensation?”

Cam nodded, “What did it feel like? Shalia would never tell me.”

“Um, well, it didn’t hurt, it was more surprising.” Kailah dodged answering the question, “It felt like someone dropped an ice chip down the back of my shirt.”

Kailah lied, truth be told it felt good, really good, but she didn’t know how to describe it. Cam pursed his lips in thought.

“Now that you know the sensation we’ll be practicing for the next few days on Cameron taking out very small amounts of power, so you can become accustomed to the sensation and it won’t come as much of a shock.” Salforis said trying to reassert himself as the teacher.

“Once she’s used to that, then what?” Cam asked, “I need to be able to know how to stop her, should her powers go wacky, again.”

Kailah glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest as Chelry chuckled from where he and Esma sat watching.

“That will come with time, once she’s ok with the power draining, we’ll move on to the stop-gap measure.” Salforis grinned at them mischievously.

 “O….k…” Cam wasn’t sure he was going to like that training by the way Salforis was grinning.

“Oh, come on Cameron, it can’t be that bad.” Kailah said cheerily.

 

Cam landed with a thud on the cobblestones of the training ground. He honestly didn’t know if getting up again was a good idea or not. He groaned as he shoved himself to his knees.

“Ok, princess, you asked for it this time.” He grunted as he stood back up and faced off against Kailah. His hair sizzled where Kailah had burnt it.

Kailah stood about ten feet away with a ring of fire swirling around her. She smiled at him like a little kid toying with a bug.

“Come, come, Cameron. You’re making this way too boring.” She laughed as she cast the fire toward him.

Cam took power from her and managed to wrap a layer of cold around himself as the fire approached. The air around him steamed as the two opposites met and he used the cover to approach her. He ducked under the next stream of fire that she shot at him and closed the distance between them.

He emerged out of the steam face to face with Kailah. Her eyes widened in surprise as he reached out his left hand and placed it on the back of her neck just below her hairline. His right hand he curved around her side and gripped her at the small of her back.

Cam pulsed out a burst of power from his hands into Kailah where his hands were placed. The red glow vanished from her eyes and the ring of fire died. Kailah’s eyes rolled up into the back of her head as she passed out and Cam caught her. He gently let her down to the ground then sat down next to her with a huff.

Cam twisted the ends of his singed hair between his fingers and pursed his lips in aggravation. About thirty seconds later Kailah jerked awake. She sat up slowly holding her head.

“Ow, that hurt.” Kailah said softly as Cam helped her sit up.

“Yeah, I think of all your personalities, Princess is the one that takes the most effort to stop.” Cam sighed looking around the ruins of the training ground.

They had been training every day for the better part of three weeks. Salforis had caught a stray ice-blast a week in and was recovering in the medical ward. Cam had assured him that he knew the basics enough to continue the training without Salforis. So here they were practicing the stop-gap measures.

“Why does the stop-gap measure have to be so….embarrassing?” Kailah asked blushing.

Cam shrugged, “Those are your weak points according to Salforis. Every Caster has multiple ones, thankfully, but some are more susceptible than others. Shalia’s was her solar plexus. Talk about awkward putting your hand in between a girl’s b***s. Every Caster is different.”

“I think that’s enough for today.” Cam said getting up then offering Kailah a hand. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. The two of them were alone in the training ground, Esma and Chelry had been called to the South to help with a medical emergency a week ago. Cam was sure Esma had enjoyed watching him get his butt kicked by Kailah while she was here though.

Kailah groaned, “Oh, I really don’t like the stop-gap measure.”

Cam chuckled, “Yeah, I’m sure a shock to the nerve points isn’t a lot of fun. Shalia was always grouchy after the practice.”

“I get why we need it, that incident with the Body Caster was proof enough, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Kailah grumbled as she stretched a little.

“Well if it isn’t the amazing duo.” Don’s voice drifted to them from their right. He was leaning against one of the post that was still left standing in the courtyard. Skiff wasn’t with him.

“Hey Don, where’s Skiff?” Cam asked walking over.

“At home with the family. I was just headed that way; Morsha’s cooking is the best.” Don said clasping Cam’s outstretched hand, “Ya’ll done practicing for the day?”

“Yeah, just finished up.” Cam said dusting off his pants.

Don snickered, “She seems to be schooling you quite well.”

Kailah grinned as Cam protested, “Hell no! I let her do that last blast.”

Don laughed, “Oh, so the getting blown half-way across the courtyard was all part of your plan?”

“It wasn’t half, more like a quarter.” Cam grumbled.

“How’re you today, darlin’?” Don asked turning to Kailah and holding out his hand, “And may I say how beautiful you look this afternoon, the stars will surely hide themselves in embarrassment to be compared to you this evening.”

 Kailah shook her head as she let Don kiss her hand in greeting, “I’m fine, flatterer, I’m sure you say that to all the women you meet.”

“Madam, you wound me, I only speak truth and only say such things to the pretty ones.” Don grinned bowing slightly.

“Yeah, you should have seen it the first time he tried it on Esma, hit her about here.” Cam said holding his hand about a foot above his head, “What did she call you after that, I can’t remember.”

“Oh, Pashkik.” Don grinned, “She still calls me that every time we meet. You’d think she’d let it go, eh?”

Cam laughed, “Yeah, right. Well, we need to get back to the room and you have a dinner date, tell Skiff and Morsha hi for us.”

Don nodded as Kailah and Cam started to leave, “I will. Take it easy you two.”

“Bye, Don.” Kailah said over her shoulder at him. They walked in silence for a few minutes heading to the apartment.

Kailah couldn’t hold it in any longer, “Ok, what does Pashkik mean?”

Cam laughed, “Slug.”

Reviews

[Gosia]

Again, I love the characters' interactions with each other. The humor you tend to weave in is priceless. I snorted in amusement a couple of times while reading the chapter.
Enough with gumdrops and ice-cream, now comes the harsher part. The story is enjoyable to read, but I start feeling that the pace is slowing down. I fist noticed it while reading the previous chapter and this feeling is getting more distinct. At this point something SHOULD start happening or else the readers will get bored.

[Dreamer]

yeah and it wasn't until you pointed out the similarity of the slowness of theses next few chapters that i realized how much i had slowed it down >.< ah! I'm going to have a lot of rewriting on my hands.