The next morning I woke and groaned in pain as I stretched out my body; all my muscles ached from the previous day’s dancing and archery. I pulled my clothes on feeling like a cripple.

When I went to the kitchen I found that Senkrad was already there, cooking porridge. He smiled friendlily as I walked down the stairs. “How did everything go last night?” I asked him.

“As well as can be expected, no one got hurt, but you kill those things and then the next time there’s a mist or fog, they’re born again.” He sighed and dished up the porridge.

“Isn’t there a way for them to be permanently killed?”

“No, I don’t think so,” He looked at the floor, an unreadable expression on his face.

I dipped my spoon into the food and began to eat, marvelling at how delicious it was. After breakfast we went outside and Senkrad made me do the first stance of the Tingure again until he was happy with it and then proceeded to teach me the second stance.

In the afternoon we worked more on my archery and in the evening I cooked the meal. At night Senkrad went out over the edge of the mountain garbed in his combat clothing and a sword whilst I read the books from the front room and then went to bed.

My life fell into a pattern and my first few months on Mount Cadavain passed rather uneventfully. By the end of those six months I had mastered the stances in the Tingure and the awkward companionship that had originally formed between Senkrad and I, had grown into a bond of respect and friendship. I saw him as the father figure I had never had.

When I looked in the mirror now it was strange; I was so different from the girl I had been in Elmira, the few months here had changed me in so many ways. I looked at the muscles in my arms and legs, could feel the strength inside them as I ran my fingers over my skin which had been shaded brown by the constant training outside in the sun. My eyes looked a brighter blue than they ever had and sparks seemed to dance in them when I smiled at myself in the glass.

There were however, three things which seemed to be missing; I had not once picked up a sword since my first day, I had never had training for my powers since that day and Rowan had not tried to keep in touch at all. I sighed as I thought of them.

To begin with it had not bothered me that Senkrad didn’t try to teach my sword fighting; I’d had enough on my plate with the Tingure when I arrived here. But, I was now starting to become quite proficient at it; I could do all the stances perfectly almost every time and I could flow from stance one to fifteen fluidly. I know I still had a lot of work to do on it, but I was beginning to get bored.

Meanwhile archery had lost its appeal months ago. There is only so many times that an arrow can be shot at a tree until it becomes tedious, and I refused to shoot animals so it had become extremely repetitive. It worried me that Senkrad would not let me develop any further as I longed to explore more about my powers.

From the books on Senkrad’s shelf I had learnt so many things and I knew that I had a rare gift in terms of how powerful I was but Senkrad seemed to be less than interested in making me expand and control them and it was upsetting to see how uninterested he was.

On morning I came down to breakfast and found Senkrad sitting at the table with a white letter in his hand, “This is for you.” I looked at him feeling the confusion on my face before I took the envelope and opened it. It was from Rowan.

15th February

Dear Ilea,           

I miss you.

I have only just returned as on our way back to Elmira Lord Rico, Oscar and I passed a group of soldiers from the city and were ordered to help them on a mission. I can’t tell you what it was about because, without wanting to sound overly dramatic, if anyone were to find out I would be in serious danger of losing my head.

I think of you every day and dream about you every night. I’m not sure when it will be that I can see you again but as I promised I will wait for you until that day. 

I thought by writing to each other it would help to keep whatever relationship that we have intact and maybe give us an opportunity to get to know each other’s personalities better. I know that you weren’t really yourself on our journey to Mount Cadavain and I hope that you are more comfortable with who and what you are now.

I am currently in the castle in Elmira, Frasier doesn’t bother me at all anymore thanks to you and my life here is kind of nice compared to what it used to be. It’s odd going back into the room that you stayed in while you were here. A lot of the soldiers ask for stories about you and want to know what you’re like but I’m telling them all positive things along with the fact that you’re very intimidating.

We held Isaacs funeral the other day. I managed to locate his brother and some of the other soldiers joined me in remembering his life and what an amazing person he was. I am sorry you had to miss it but I think you would have thought it a good send off for him.

I wish that I could see you soon but I will be patient and bide my time until that moment. Please write back to me and tell me how your training is going and how you are.

I think I love you, Ilea

Yours, Rowan.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

            I read the letter and then re-read it; a little shocked by its contents. It seemed so out of the blue since I had been here for half a year now, but I understood if Rowan was unable to write before now. “What is wrong?” I looked up at Senkrad and realised that my expression was unusually confused.

“I have received a letter from Rowan.” I handed him the letter and watched as he read it with an interested expression on his face, then he looked up and smiled at me.

“I think this boy has really fallen for you.”

“But how did it happen? I was so confused and horrible in that first few weeks after I changed.”

“That shows to me that he must be serious about how much he likes you.”

“But what about the affects I could have on him?”

“Ilea, the affects aren’t long-term, we elves are like drugs to a certain extent; we effect people and then when we aren’t there the affects wear off and they return to normal.”

“Oh,” I looked at the letter in his hands again, “Orion made it sound a lot more, permanent.”

“Orion can be a doddering kill-joy at times Ilea. Have some fun, enjoy your youth. And I think it would be very rude of you not to reply to a letter as well written as that.” He smiled at me, “But, you can reply this afternoon, we need to work on the Tingure.”

I followed him outside and took up the first stance, flowing into the second and feeling the power building up inside me for the first time. Usually I felt tired but as I flowed through each stance it seemed to get easier, I reached the fifteenth and then followed my instinct linking each stance to the one after it until I had reached the twentieth stance where I stopped. I stared at Senkrad shocked.

His expression seemed to mirror mine. “Do that again.”

I completed the dance a second, third and fourth time without a single mistake and felt the energy flowing around my body like blood. Senkrad beamed at me, “You are amazing Ilea, that should have taken over a year to learn, yet you manage to do it in six months.”

I smiled at him in reply feeling completely elated at my success.

“Wait here.” Senkrad disappeared into the house and returned with his sword. I looked at him, even more confused than earlier. “The Tingure is not any dance; it is the dance of the sword.” He smiled at me and began to go through the Tingure slowly holding onto his sword whilst he did so. I suddenly saw how each stance empowered the next and how the motion between each stance was the slice of the blade. “Not only is this a dance of the sword but it is a control exercise used by elves to hone their powers, when you went through the dance today did you feel the flow of power?”

 I became excited as the last puzzle piece which had been dancing at the edge of my mind slipped into place. I grinned. Senkrad offered me his sword, “The Tingure is going to be difficult again now.” I nodded and took the first stance, trying to balance with the heavy sword held in my outstretched hands was not easy. The extra weight was now pulling me to the left and caused me to loose balance but I persevered. In the last months I had gotten a greater understanding of my body and the way it worked; knew that I needed to change where my centre of gravity was positioned in order to compensate for the weight of the sword. I tried to gage how heavy it was, playing with it in my hands before I took the first stance again.

It was tiring trying to go through the dance with the sword in my hand, I took a break for lunch but then continued with the Tingure afterwards, determined to get the first five stances by the end of the day. Eventually as the sun began to set Senkrad told me to stop. I had almost got the fifth stance perfect but there was something that still did not feel ‘right’ about it yet.

After we had eaten dinner Senkrad left and I pulled Rowan’s letter from the drawer which I had placed it in earlier. This evening I broke the routine which had been built up over the last months and, instead of reading a book, I wrote a reply.