As the sun set below the horizon, the forest fell silent. The village was on high alert; the air was thick with anticipation. Toren and Mira had mustered a small group of villagers, men and women who once trained under Toren when younger. The village had always been peaceful, but this was a new reality. Creatures like trolls were an ever-present threat, drawn to the fringes of civilization.
Caelum's heart thundered in his chest as they moved quietly through the forest. He stuck close to his parents, his eyes scanning the trees, the underbrush, every shifting shadow. He could feel it-a presence just beyond his sight, primal, like the low growl of a predator waiting to strike.
It wasn't long before the first sign appeared—a huge, gnarled footprint, the size of a cart wheel, crushed into the soft earth. Toren crouched next to it, examining the tracks. "It's recent. Maybe a few hours ago. We need to hurry."
Mira was close behind him, her hands glowing with a soft green light, ready to heal anyone who got hurt. Caelum stayed close, his mind focused on the magic he had felt before-the wind, the earth beneath him. He tried to reach out to the threads again, but they were harder to grasp now. They were fleeting, like smoke, but he didn't give up.
As the group went deeper into the forest, it started to grow cold; the sounds of the forest died away-no birds, no rustling of leaves. Then, something moved in the distance. It was huge, about twice as big as any man, its skin thick and like rock, its face wide and grotesque, eyes dark and red, shining faintly in the twilight. The troll.
Toren signaled for everyone to halt. "Stay behind me," he whispered, the pale moonlight revealing a glint of cold blue steel as he drew out his sword.
The troll sniffed the air, heavy footsteps echoing in the silence. It was clearly aware of the group now, and it bellowed-a deep rumbling sound that shook trees around them. Its voice was a low growl, as if the very earth was trembling with fear.
Caelum's heart was racing, but the threads were far more lucid now, urgent. He closed his eyes, concentrating. I can do this. For some reason, the magic worked at his touch, the treetops flapping against their leashes of light like wild dogs egging him on.
Toren's voice cut through, firm and steady. "Ready."
The troll moved forward, swinging a massive club. Toren rushed forward to meet it, his sword clashing against the troll's weapon with a sharp ring. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the ground, and the villagers that had followed Toren flinched at the sheer power of it.
Something inside Caelum snapped; he didn't know why, but his instincts surged, and before he even knew what he was doing, he was reaching out, trying to pull threads to his will. Wind. Earth. The very air itself.
The troll swung again, its great arm arcing down on Toren, and with a shaking voice and heart racing with fear, Caelum called out to the wind. He could feel it, like Lirael had tried to describe. Whipping around him, the threads attached to his body, to the trees. Raw, wild-but he didn't falter. With all of his will, Caelum pulled on the threads, and the air followed.
The air around the troll suddenly rippled, churning into a violent gust. Caelum opened his eyes as his hands started glowing in a faint way. As the winds began to hit the troll's heavy gait, its form was laid low. Its swing hurtled past Toren only by a matter of mere inches. It let off a roar in frustration.
"Caelum!" Mira shouted, her voice both filled with concern and awe. "Focus!"
Caelum's head was reeling, for magic constrained him. He felt it-the wind began spiraling out of control. He had to concentrate lest it destroy everything surrounding him.
The troll recovered, its eyes now locked on Caelum. It charged forward, faster than Caelum had anticipated, and for a moment, fear gripped him. But as the troll's massive shadow loomed over him, a flash of green light streaked past him. Lirael.
She materialized between him and the troll, her silver hair glowing like a halo in the moonlight. Without a word, she raised her hand, and a surge of green energy-pure elemental force-ripped through the air, hitting the troll square in the chest. The beast staggered back, its roar turning into a guttural howl of pain.
Caelum watched, amazed, as the troll reeled under the blow. He could feel the power of Lirael, wild, untrammeled, and wonderfully sweet, a mistress of her magic.
Lirael turned to him, eyes blazing with an inner light. "You have the power, Caelum. Use it-have no doubts!
His mother's words still echoing in his ears, Caelum invoked the threads once more-surer this time. The youth concentrated his whole will on the wind and belted, bending it to a weapon. The air crackled with the growing gusts swirling in a huge cyclone around the troll.
The troll roared and struggled, trying to get free, but the wind gave it no quarter. Finally, with a tremendous crash, the troll's huge body was thrown to the ground, its strength finally overmastered by the fury of the storm Caelum had conjured.
The village stared in shocked silence at the unmoving form of the troll, its body defeated and still on the ground. Caelum's hands were shaking violently, and his body was drained of energy. He took another step forward and almost fell, but before he could collapse, Lirael enfolded him in her arms.
"You did it," she whispered, very softly, with reassurance in her tone. "You did it, Caelum."
Toren, Mira, and the villagers all hurried to his side, faces agog in wonder and pride. Toren knelt beside his son, his eyes wide with both awe and worry. "You've got raw power, Caelum," he said in a heavy voice, carrying all the weight of what had just transpired. "But you're not ready to control it fully. You need guidance."
Mira nodded, her face a mix of relief and concern. "This magic… it's dangerous, Caelum. You need to learn to wield it properly."
Caelum looked down at the troll's fallen form, his heart still racing. He had done it-he had defeated the creature. But in the back of his mind, a new realization took root. He had power. But power without control was nothing but destruction.
He couldn't continue living in ignorance. He would need to learn to rein in the magic, to make sense of the threads Liriel had shown him.
This was only the start.