"Positions seven, thirty-two, twenty-nine, forty-five, three, three, one, seventeen, fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-four, one, nine, nine, change, sixteen, twenty-one, thirty-one, seventy-four, forty-seven, and eighty-three. Go!"
Steele was drilling me on all of the form combinations he could think of. It was a bit of a game, and it was something I enjoyed doing. The positions were numbered from one to one hundred thirty-six, and I needed to be able to maneuver and combine them as fast as possible without making mistakes.
It was a test of physical ability, mental awareness, and accuracy.
I loved it.
Sword in hand, I let my body fall into the motions of each and every position, performing them with the desired speed and accuracy of a knight or warrior from all of those stories I grew up reading.
I started with my blade in the appropriate position and stabbed it into the ground during certain maneuvers in imitation of striking down an enemy as I rolled and tumbled in the fields. I twisted and kicked, snagging my dagger from my ankle sheath and switching hands as I lashed out and punched with as much ferocity I could muster.
My voice rang out as I shouted from time to time in an attempt to sound intimidating. The wind picked up, making my flowing shirt billow and flare. My auburn hair flowed like flames of a fire off of my head. I charged forward and lunged, spinning on my heel and slashing out with my sword before tossing it into the air, rolling forward in a tumble, and catching the blade at the end as I stood and thrust once more.
Steele, watching me closely, made no movement as he watched me. I could see his keen, militaristic gaze on me. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he evaluated each and every movement I performed.
I had to be perfect.
There was no way I wasn't spot on with every position!
I knew better than to open my mouth prematurely to protest, but there was some part of me that was getting antsy. Still, I held my stance in that lunge, sword outstretched and threatening to get heavier every moment.
Then, a contagious smile spread across Steele's face. He raised his immense hands and, very lightly, began to clap, pride shining in his features. Only now did I know it was alright to break position, and so I did, exiting my exercise through the right poses and taking a deep breath. My heart was racing. Every part of me felt powerful and strong.
I did it!
Once my heart calmed, I charged forward toward Steele, my feet unable to carry me fast enough. Instinctually, he lowered his hand and let me slam into his open fingers. I wrapped my arms around his fingers as they closed around me. I was weightless as Steele lifted me into the air, propping his hand up on his leg as he sat with one leg crossed and the other propped up.
I spun around and faced him, seeing the flecks of violet in his eyes practically glowing with unspoken praise. As he spoke, he addressed me in his tongue, speaking in his native language.
"Terrilyn, you have done so well! Every movement was executed perfectly. Your stance and your energy matched our finest warriors. You would be welcomed in the Orion's ranks as a true warrior for certain," commended Steele. With that, the Orion leaned forward and tenderly pressed his forehead to mine.
It was a simple gesture, and it was one we had done a million times, but this time somehow felt different. This time, it felt like some kind of acknowledgement of equality. Was that some kind of test he just put me through? Some kind of warrior training test that only the Orion would be familiar with?
I wasn't going to soil the mood with too many questions now. For the present, I was here with Steele enjoying the warmth of the sun and a job well done in my training.
When the moment ended, Steele glanced toward the ocean and then back to me, a youthful grin playing at his lips.
"Care for a victory swim?" he asked. I knew exactly what that meant, and I crouched on his palm, bracing myself for what was to come.
"Let's go!" I shouted. With incredible speed, Steele spun from a sitting position to a standing one, giving my head a harsh, swirling sensation as he leaned forward and charged toward the water, running as fast as he could. For being older, he knew how to move quickly.
Steele's strides shook the earth far below. I dared to lean forward and lean partially over the edge of his hand to watch the blur of bright greens and colorful flowers below. Step after step jostled my entire body, but I had practiced enough with Steele to know when to brace for each step.
The cliffs were just ahead. I felt him accelerate, and for good reason too. Steele needed to time this perfectly if he wanted to jump onto the beach and then leap into the water. His stride lengthened and then in three strides, two strides, and then one, he lowered his shoulders and cleared the edge of the cliff in a single bound.
He made one massive step on the beach, his stability wavering only for a moment, before he leapt out as far as he could. Steele's hand clutched me to his chest, and I braced myself for the impact of the water.
The sound of Steele's body impacting on the water was like that of an avalanche, the roar of the waves erupting out from under him as he created a whole new pattern of waves using only his torso. The water encased his fingers, and me with it, within seconds. Together, we sank down a short distance before Steele raised his hand up, breaking the surface of the water and letting me take a breath as he regained his footing and stood on the ocean bed.
I wiped the water away from my eyes and watched as Steele's face and head emerged from the water, droplets the size of my head clinging to his hair. Playfully, he shook his hair free from the water, splattering me with a round of rain, before we both burst out in a round of chuckles and laughter. Sopping wet, I pushed myself up to my feet before glancing down over the edge of his hand and, taking a big breath, leapt into the water far below.
I plunged into the refreshing water and forced my eyes open to look into the blue abyss around me. The endless ocean extended far below to where I could barely make out Steele's toes from where I was swimming. Maneuvering through the water, I cupped the water and kicked my legs up and down as I dove further down.
I loved being under the water. It was like I was being suspended in space, moving in three different ways instead of just two. Being completely weightless, I tried a couple of the maneuvers I did on land before I needed to come up for air.
Just as I came up for air, I saw Steele duck beneath the waves, making us eye-to-eye for a moment, before he snagged a handful of sand and followed me to the surface. The waves made it difficult, and my clothes were not helping, but I managed to make it over to the side and onto Steele's hand where I sifted through the sand to find more shells and teeth.
We did the same thing for nearly an hour before we decided to go and dry ourselves in the afternoon sun's light. Steele waded through the water, setting me down on the edge of the shale cliffs as he hoisted himself out of the water and onto the grassy ledge.
Happiness.
Fun.
Training.
Educating.
This is everything a life should be.
I laid backward into the grassy hill behind me, staring up at the flowers and, just for a moment, pretending that the flowers were immense, and I was small.
What a fascinating perspective.
I must have dozed off because the sun was much lower in the sky when I opened my eyes next. My momma's voice calling for Steele and I is what caught my attention. I was about to call back when I heard some twinge of something in her voice. Worry? Concern?
Like being jolted awake by a sudden splash of cold water, I was upright and on my feet, hand on my sword, in an instant. Steele evidently heard the same thing in my momma's voice too because he was also upright and had turned her attention toward our home.
She was running quickly from our home, her red hair bouncing and flying behind her, giving her an odd ethereal look about her as she ran.
"Mom! We're here! What is it?" I called, looking down the road and across the fields for anything that might be the reason for her alarm. When she finally made it up to me, I glanced over her in a frenzy. She wasn't injured. There were no bruises on her face or her body. Her clothes weren't torn.
What happened?
"Mom?" I asked, catching her light, bark brown eyes with my own. "Take a breath and calm down. What happened?" I felt a calm settling over my body as I prepared for the worst. In reply, momma handed me a spyglass she had bartered for the last time the gypsies came to town. She pushed it into my hands and pointed to the horizon.
Confusion settled over me, but I obeyed her silent command and turned the spyglass to the horizon. I traced back and forth methodically, trying to spot what my momma had spotted. Was she looking for us and see something from home? I swept over the horizon again, much slower this time.
That's when I saw it.
Sails.
Massive, beautiful, impossibly white sails.
I pulled the spyglass from my eye and glanced back to my momma, but noticed Steele's reaction first.
His entire body was completely rigid. An odd tenseness settled over him, and there was an anxious energy radiating from his body.
Why was Steele nervous?
"Steele? What is it? What do you see?" I asked as I held the spyglass to my eye once again. I looked to the mast of the ship to see a crest on a white flag. It looked like four odd red crosses against a bright gold background, three on top and one beneath, while the bottom third was a smattering of white and blue triangles. I looked back to Steele, whose eyes had not shifted from the ship in the distance. Even at his age, he could still see and detect so much at such a great distance.
"Steele? Do you know what that means?" I asked.
"Yes," said Steele, his voice low in a borderline growl. "That is the crest of Iothea – my people – and I suspect I know why they're here."
Iothea? Steele's homeland?
So… that meant…
I looked back to the ship, jaw slackening ever so slightly as the realizations hit me.
That ship was from the Orion – was filled with Orion.
But why were they here?
Steele said he suspected why, but now I felt curious.
Why wasn't he saying why he thought they were there?
I looked at the ship through the spyglass and realized that we would find out soon enough. The sails were furling, meaning whoever was on that ship was coming ashore.