The next day, Ashviel and Kael were led to the training grounds by Sasha, the young woman they met at the gate.
"I thought Lord Blue Beard said for me not to join the training," he asked her as they went through the academy buildings.
"Well," she answered, "Master Vauxall insisted that you do"
They walked on for some time more before arriving at an assembly of about two dozen young mages lined up in three files. Practice had already begun and the instructor, Sir Ginx, stood on an elevated platform, overseeing the students. As they ran to join the procession, Ashviel had a better chance to study the man.
He was not especially tall, but with a long face and a reserved demeanor of an experienced instructor. His upright bearing and the squint in his eyes gave him a rather mysterious appearance.
"Kyra and Lensel; step forward," he ordered and two of the students marched out of the line. One of them was a fille and the other a shorter lad. They got to the platform and at a signal from the instructor, each took fighting positions, and Ashviel understood that it was a sparring session. What was a bit surprising was that none of the fighters wore any weapon, contrary to his sparring sessions with Master Vauxall, where the master had approved the use of steel blades against him.
The fight began in earnest and the girl exhibited a high level of skills in close quarter fighting, moving with delicate briskness. The fight ended in seconds as she knocked down Lensel, supporting his head with her feet as she elbowed him down to the ground.
Ashviel heard a wistful voice whisper behind him. "Her movements so precise, and her finish; unerring," Kael had said.
"We are yet to spend a week here and you have fallen so quick for her," Ashviel whispered back into his ears.
"Just like Ilya," Kael went on. "She has a tinge of Ilya in her."
She stood over Lensel as a hunter does over his dead prey. She then extended her hand to the flushing short boy and helped him up.
"Good one Kyra," one of the guys cheered.
"Better luck next time," another said to the defeated fellow.
Kael also had a broad grin on his face, until Sir Ginx suddenly mentioned his name; he was to fight Smythe, a heavily built boy about an inch shorter than he was.
He walked up to the stand, where Smythe was already waiting for him.
"Armed combat," said Sir Ginx, and one of the students rolled up a bundle of training sword in. Ashviel understood that the training sessions were divided into unarmed combat, armed combat, and perhaps magic combat.
Kael unbelted his sword and picked up a long one from the ones offered.
"Smythe and you?" said the lad.
"Kael, pleased to meet you."
"Don't you hold back at me, or you will end up like Lensel," Smythe said lightheartedly.
"Take me light, and you you'll wind up even worse," he replied in the jovial manner he was used to around his fellow Zeroszen.
"Enough pleasantries," the instructor shouted at them. "Get on with it."
Smythe took up a sword and without a further warning, lurched violently at his opponent. Kael masterfully dodged the attack, and then released a set of quick lethal ones. To his surprise, Smythe dodged them all, wielding his sword like a chain. It was at this moment that Kael realized that his opponent had been using wind Rek all along.
He rolled back quickly, but his opponent gave a hot pursuit with his sword, leaving Kael with no other option than to blow him back with a mild basting force. Smythe was pushed several paces back, but quickly got up with wind Rek. He was however, a moment too slow as Kael's sword whizzed near his head, disrupting his balance and making way for the sword to come back at his jaw.
"Stop at once," Sir Ginx ordered. Although Kael did not attempt to disobey the order, he found out he was unable to move as the instructor held him in place with a wind spell.
"You used a spell," Sir Ginx said, as if the use of spells were seen a taboo. A number of whispers went around the students, and even Kael wondered if he had gone a bit too far in his attack.
He told Kael to follow him and the confused young man went along. They met Master Vauxall descending from the stairs.
"I believe you should be out training by now," he said as they drew closer to him.
"And we were," came the instructor's reply, "until Kael used a basting force."
"And so?" Master Vauxall asked with little concern.
"If I heard you correctly in the hall, you said he started using magic only some months ago."
"I did, and so?" Master Vauxall said, and a small frown appeared on his face.
The sounds of heavy approaching footsteps relaxed the tension between both men and Lord Blue Beard appeared from a distance. "You must desist from irrelevant questions, Ginx," he said.
"But Lord," said the instructor, "you don't allow our students to learn spells so quickly."
"That is Blue Beard's way, and this is my way," Master Vauxall said. In a minatory tone, he asked, "Does a knight have any objection to my methods?"
Kael feared that if nothing was done at that moment, the two mages might engage each other in a deadly fight. The clash never came, but Sir Ginx simply went into his quarters, indicating that the training was over for the day.
"Never mind Ginx, he gets all sullen sometimes, but he's a good man."
"Better he be," said Master Vauxall to him and then to Kael, "Call Ashviel and join me at my quarters."
Kael went back and found that the party was dismissed and a number of the students sat on benches under a shade. Smythe ran up to meet him, and so did a couple others, including Ashviel.
"You did jolly well defeating me back there," he said, but Kael's thoughts were far from the fight.
He simply relayed his master's message to Ashviel, who knew something was wrong as he saw the former's distressed face. As Kael made to leave, a soft hand dragged him back by the upper arm. He turned to face Kyra, the lady that had fought earlier.
His fair face reddened as she dragged him closer. She was almost as tall as he was, and about as slim. She had a set of piercing yet comely vermilion eyes, lips as red as cherries, and a richness of deep auburn hair styled in a side-swept pixie with two elongated fringes. For a moment, the Zeroszen boy found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her face.
"Hi, I'm Kyra," she said in a relaxed tone.
"Kael Zephyr, at your service."
For the time they spent walking down the hall, they chatted cheerfully, casually – as if they had known each other for a long time, and for the moment, the Zeroszen boy forgot about Sir Ginx and Master Vauxall.
The three finally got up to Master Vauxall's manor and she bid them farewell. Ashviel knocked on his door, and he ordered them in. With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, he turned the doorknob.