TWACK! TWACK! UMPHH!

"Again!"

TWACK! TWACK! BAMM! AGRAHHH!

Aurora lost count of how many times she'd hit the ground. The only thing that changed was which body part hit first: knee, elbow, stomach, or face. Whatever it was, it didn't matter to Eri. And it didn't stop her from bellowing, "Again!" Each and every time.

Eri's blow had knocked the wind out of her and left her gasping on her side like a fish out of water. Her staff remained in her hand this time. A small victory.

The air, thick and heavy with moisture, clung to her body. It seemed to push her further into the cold mud-soaked ground. At least the mud from the last few days of rain had made the landing softer.

Instinctively, she clutched her ribs in a small attempt to bring comfort to the stinging pain. It was sure to bruise. One more to the spotted collection of yellow, green, and purple rings Eri's training left across her body.

Luckily for her dwindling self-esteem, there was no one to see her fall. Eri had found an isolated yard away from the practice areas of the capital guards. Every day for the past several weeks Eri had made her train with either disks or staves. On top of which was her training with Master Owen and her history lessons with Anthonias.

Her entire day was planned out which didn't leave much room for thinking. She didn't want to think because if she did, she might start missing...she shook her head to stop her train of thoughts. Not now.

Aurora crawled on her hands and knees regaining air in her lungs. Through damp, mud splattered hair that hanged in clumps, she found Eri as she raised her head. And she did not look pleased.

"You have no muscle. No strength! Your speed is marginal at best. The least you could do is build up your endurance." Eri's stare bore down with no evidence to conceal her frustration.

"Which is why," Aurora grunted on her knees while leaning on her staff to stand, "I should be inside, away from this insufferable dampness, and learning with Master Owen." Warm air escaped her body with each breathe she took forming a small mist as she coughed. She panted deeply trying to fill her lungs as she stood fully, "I'm not made for this. This is not what I want."

Reluctantly, Aurora prepared for Eri's onslaught, fighting the growing numbness from the cold that began on her ungloved fingers and spread through her body. "Learning how to use my powers is what I should be doing. It's what I want." But Eri did not listen to her whining. In less time than it took Aurora to draw breath, Eri's attack began.

TWACK! TWACK! The echoes of their sparring seemed to last longer than the actual combat.

She matched Eri's first two strikes with her staff high in the air. Then Eri spun, knocked the feet from under her, and Aurora landed on her back. Again. "UMPHH!"

"What you need is to stop leaving your left flank open! Stop whining. Physical training is as vital to magic wielding as your rune mastery. You must build dexterity along with speed. My brother can have what is left of you tomorrow. Again!" When it came to training, Aurora had quickly learned that there was no mercy with Eri. It was either do it right or expect another bruise.

With her back on the ground, Aurora scanned the storm clouds as they rolled by slowly in the light wind. They hung low and pregnant. Ready to rupture at any moment. The rumble of thunder could be heard in the not too far distance.

Vivid memories came into focus of another storm drenched evening. A lifetime ago it seemed. The night she had been chased by Lord Fennaris and Lily had been taken. The night she had met Tezaro. Then everything changed.

The once Protector of Armindia and her bodyguard as they Crossed and traveled through this strange new world, had left without a word.

Just as he'd warned her that he would.

That had been weeks ago. She didn't know where he'd had gone or why. There'd been no explanation or goodbye. The last time she had seen him had been that night at the tavern. She'd made such a fool of herself. Perhaps it was best that they were apart.

There was an ache in her chest but she refused to admit it was more than physical pain. It was most probably caused from Eri's barrage of blows throughout the morning, she reasoned with herself. Nothing more.

"Stop day dreaming and get up, Aurora!" Speak of the devil.

With several grunts, and more bruises she was sure, Aurora faced Eri. "I thought you were my friend. Why are you doing this to me?"

"I am your friend. That is why I am making sure you can protect yourself and not depend on others. Not on me. Not on my brother and not on Tezaro. Again!" Eri wasted no time and launched herself at Aurora with her staff spinning in the air hunting for its target.

"No!" Aurora dug her staff in the ground as a blast of energy exploded from her, knocking Eri back several feet. Her magic had grown significantly in the last few months she'd been training with Master Owen. Every day she was able to control her powers more and more.

With catlike reflexes she landed on the soft ground, crouching and used the staff to brace herself against the booming shockwave of Aurora's power. Mud splattered across the yard hitting every surface and coating Eri's arms as she blocked her face from the assault. "You're not supposed to use your powers!"

"You said to use every weapon at my disposal. Magic is my weapon, so I used it."

Eri flung the mud off her arms, imperious to the cold, and stood with new intent and a glint in her eye. "And after you cast a few spells you'll be just as weak as a child."

She pounced with all the agility and speed of a tiger. Sinewy muscle flexed throughout Eri's legs, propelling her into a quick sprint. The staff was an extension of her that spun in a whirlwind and sliced the air in a whistling whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Aurora's staff flew out of her hands just as Eri's staff first made contact with her right arm then the left side of her stomach. One final push sent Aurora to the ground where Eri pinned her down by straddling her arms with her knees.

Eri's staff sat across Aurora's throat, digging in, making it difficult to breathe. She leaned in, the staff pressed further into Aurora's throat, her face inches from Aurora as she glared at her with dark eyes full of disgust. "And just as easy to defeat."

Eri readjusted her position and out of thin air a small knife appeared in her hand glinting near Aurora's throat. "Should I use all the weapons at my disposal, too?" Fear sprung in Aurora's eyes.

In a huff of frustration Eri stood and walked away to retrieve Aurora's staff. "Without your strength, without your endurance, each time you use your magic it will eat up your energy before you can recover." Eri squatted down next to Aurora on the balls of her feet, offering her the staff. "Surely my brother has told you this."

Wincing through the pain she took the staff and began to sit up, "He might have mentioned it in one of our runs." She didn't mind the running. It helped clear her mind and offered her a chance to see the city below.

She clenched her teeth as the pain stung her ribs like liquid fire. "I was hoping it wasn't true." Before practice, she'd wrapped her torso with linen bandages under her clothes to ease some of the soreness and a layer of padding to protect her from Eri's training. It had not worked.

What was worse, she was certain Eri was holding back. How many other hidden knives did Eri possess? It was easy to forget how skilled, and deadly, a fighter Eri was with the closeness they had developed. She had seen it when they'd rescued Lily. Then they'd separated and she had been alone with...

Eri smirked, "Idiot. You have a long way to go Aurora, but as your friend, I'd like for you to stay alive. We'll continue to practice until you can hold your own." Her words brought Aurora out of her memories.

Eri stood, sensing Aurora needed time to catch more than just her breath, she pondered out loud looking up to the sky. "The Autumn Twilight celebrations will begin in a couple of weeks."

The mention of the celebration brought some meaning to Aurora's mind as she sat up with her arms hanging over her bent knees. "Oh, I remember this. I read about it in one of Tony's books." She wiggled her fingers to fight off the cold before cupping her hands to blow warm air into them.

"Consul Anthonias." Eri corrected her. Not that she cared about the consul, in fact, she actually found it amusing. However, if Aurora was the key to the prophecy and would eventually rule the kingdom, she might as well get used to the titles.

"You know what I mean." Aurora waved her off as she started to rise using the staff for support. "It's supposed to be a three-day celebration to honor the goddess of the harvest, the god of death, and the goddess of twilight with a feast each night." She inhaled deeply, breathing through the pain.

"You've been reading about our history and customs. What else?" Eri spun and took a few steps away from her.

"People exchange small pouches of seeds as an action of bountifulness for the next year. Some even see it as a passing of good fortune or changing of your fortune." The conversation had distracted Aurora from her bruising ribs though she still leaned on the staff. "But what I don't understand is how many pouches are you supposed to carry? When do you exchange them?"

"You only exchange one."

"One?"

"You exchange it again and again throughout the first night." Eri spun the staff around her playfully.

"Alright, what about the lighting ceremony? How does that work?"

"There's a race to light the bonfires. They'll be scattered by the shore line around the cove. The names of loved ones lost are burned with them. Then there's the final night." Eri grinned wildly remembering previous celebrations. "There's more drinking, to honor the goddess of the harvest for all the plentiful grain and hops, of course."

"Of course." Aurora nodded and rolled her eyes.

"There are feasts and parties, and ...other activities." Eri spun the staff above her head at such an incredible speed that it made Aurora think she'd float off the ground.

"What kind of other activities?" Nothing that she had read mentioned other rituals.

"Many babes will be born by mid-summers eve after the celebration." The staff came to a sudden and impressive halt in front of Eri's smirking face. No further explanation was needed.

Aurora's mouth formed an 'o' then she whispered, though she didn't know why, across the yard, "Is everyone expected to participate in them?'

Eri's laughter was swallowed up by the rolling thunder that inched closer with the rising breeze. "It's not a rule, no. It's more of an unspoken tradition. Countless of people are looking for an affirmation of life after honoring death. You cannot blame them if they are looking for a good roll to make them feel alive." Another grin broke across Eri's face. "That's where some of these parties go wild."

Aurora could have sworn Eri's voice was wistful. "Have you ever participated in these 'other activities'?" She didn't know what possessed her to ask. "Sorry. It's none of my business. It's just..."

There was a gleam in Eri's eyes as she studied Aurora deciding whether or not she'd had enough recovery time. "I can show you where the best parties are throughout the city. All you have to do is knock the staff out of my hands. What do you say?"

This time, Aurora spun her staff and shouted, "Again!"

A/N: Hi all!

So how about that Eri, huh? Warrior, trainer, enabler...what can't she do?! 

I know the evil author left you hanging from the last chapter but there are a lot of things being set in motion so just be patient.