"Now, focus. Hold on to those emotions and bottle them up, and focus them into a flame in your hand." Soot's stands a few feet away, as the sun shines warmly on the recently ploughed field we stand in.
I think about my father, the hunger, the beatings, the unfairness in the class system of the cities. I don't let my face change and focus on my hand, sending those emotions to my hand. I close my eyes to help focus. I let that fury build as I think back to all the elaborate and wasteful parties of the elite, while those in the undercarriage starve to death, working for coppers to feed their children, for stale old bread and rotting vegetables that do not fill their bellies and provide the nutrients that they need.
Of all the times, that kind of meal is one I ate often, as my mother wept because she couldn't provide better for me. How this proud, beautiful, head-strong woman, that left to enter into a world she'd only heard and read about, became a timid, meek, yielding wife and mother who could not find the courage to leave her situation.
How she used to tell me, I was her greatest, most precious gift that my father had ever given her. That she was mine in return, but my father instead, took from me.
"RAKARA!" Soot's voice cuts through my thoughts and I open my eyes. In my hand sits raging ball of fire.
'I did it' I realize.
"I did it!" I shout! Turning to Soot's who is standing there with his hands on his hips, looking annoyed. "What? I did it!" I exclaim holding my fire ball up in the air, like he could not see it before.
"I know you did, Rakara. Did you have to burn the field of hay for the animals next to us though?!" He exclaims, pointing behind me.
That's when I smell the smoke. I turn to see Griven and Synthea, using their Elemental gift to put try and put out the fire. Behind them are the others, with shovels and wheelbarrows full of dirt coming to assist. The whole reason we were in the ploughed field, was because last time I tried, somehow some parchment had caught fire inside.
I turn with a tight, awkward smile on my face back to Soot's.
"I'll just..... call it back to me." I let out a anxious laugh, before summoning the fire back to my hand.
I cry out., "Sorry!" as everyone who were working to put the fire out, stops and looks frustrated at me.
I turn back to Soot's who's laughing so hard at me, his hands are on his knees as he barks at the ground.
"Are you finished? I would appreciate it if we could continue our lesson." I inquire, annoyed that I have fueled his amusement to such an extent.
His ragged breaths as he straightens up empty from his chest, as painful chuckles still try to sound. A tear rolls down his cheek, that he quickly wipes away, "Why do you stand with one hand behind your back? I think you should keep both hands in front of you next time." He's struggling to keep a straight face, especially as I scowl at him.
I put my hands out in front of me, and send a few balls of fire shooting at his feet. Soot's feet hop and jump about as he dodges the fire blasted at his feet.
"HEY!..... WHAT!... WAIT!" He shouts as he hops around, before I stop.
"Your assumption on holding my hands in front of me was correct! I achieved planned and calculated blasts this time." I smile smugly at Soot's, who stands panting, glaring at me.
Laughter erupts from me, happy I could give him a taste of his own medicine.
"Now, shoot the targets!" Soot's growls, pointing at the painted wooden targets he had set up farther down the field.
"Oh alright." I grumble, "Here we go..." I focus again like before, but I don't close my eyes and I keep my hands in front of me. The first blast hits the ground in front, but I focus on the targets themselves and the next few blasts hit them all. The green, painted wood smokes, bit's still on fire that were dry enough to keep burning.
A few shouts and clapping erupts behind me. Turning to the sound, I witness the others praising me from the burned field, happy I've made progress. My hot cheeks move up with my smile, feeling accomplished over my progress too.
Soot's approaches me, grunting, "Well, that was fine for standing still. What about moving targets?"
I stumble on my words, "Moving, moving targets?"
Soot's smiles wickedly, "You're enemies are not going to stand still for you, dear. Even if you ask them, nicely."
His smug look has me harumphing, "I am well aware of that truth. How are we supposed to make wooden targets grow legs though?"
Soot's laughs, "Don't worry about the targets, be ready for tomorrow though. For now, let's keep firing at these."
He shoot's a fire ball at a target hitting the target directly in the middle, blowing it to pieces. "Also, you need to improve the strength of your shots. You can set things on fire, but you will find that will only piss off some of your enemies. Those are the ones you are truly preparing for."
.....
Dinner was delicious. I was famished from todays training. After practicing with Soot's half of the day, a light lunch was provided of fruit picked from the orchard my self. Then, Veyr took me to the fighting ring, teaching me self defense without weapons. Even with the padded suit that protected my vital organs and helmet for my head, I could tell I was a punching bag earlier.
Carthure planned the meals with lots of protein, vegetables, and breads with lots of grains and seeds in it. Since we had been here, I noticed how the meals had slowly become like this, not that I minded. Most of the time, I always felt full without being bloated, and felt I had enough energy to make it to the next meal with no issues. Today though, I must have used too much energy.
"Here, eat some more meat and greens, Rakara. You look drained today. What did you have for lunch?" Carthure asks, his brow piqued in curiosity.
"Fruit that I picked from the orchard." I inform him.
Carthure takes a piece of the grainy, seed filled bread, smearing a healthy amount of butter on it and places it on my plate. "There eat that quickly. You should feel better in a hour or so."
"Thank you." I smile thanking him, feeling my jaw ache from the punch Veyr landed against my padded helmet.
Bav notices my wince with that smile. He shoots Veyr a death glare, who is not paying attention as he eats his dinner.
"Let me see your jaw, Kara, dear." Bav offers to heal me, holding his hand up to caress my jaw.
I shake my head, "I'm alright. I can handle it. I can not rely on you healing me for small stuff like this. You will not be able to heal me all the time." I remind him, and I notice the twitch of pain in his eyes at that truth.
He quickly covers it muttering, "If you insist, dear."
"So, Rakara," Flair starts out, drawing my attention. " Now, that you are being trained by Soot's who has some real know how on using your elemental gift, do you feel more confident in your abilities?"
I nod, "His knowledge, I feel, will be adequate enough to teach me what I need to know."
Flair throws his head back and laughs loudly, "Adequate enough! Alright then, let me ask this. How does it feel to be taught by one of the Elemental Catalysts that helped forge the fires for the cities?"
My fork drops to my plate, as I turn wide eyed to Soot's, who sit's there unmoved by the revelation, still eating and drinking like he always has.
'HE helped build the cities!'
"What?!"