Free Wings of Arian by Devri Walls Page B

Kiora had decided to start with the first lesson, Bubbles. It sounded like it should be interesting
    A Bubble is a short term protection against magical detection. The bubble will not only remove you from the sight of others, but also keep any magical threads inside of it trapped. Most bubbles can only be maintained for a short period, no more than an hour. It is perfect for emergencies. A bubble can be made larger or smaller depending on the needs of the person making the bubble. However, the more people under the bubble the more energy it takes to maintain it and therefore the shorter time you have before the bubble lapses and you are again visible to those looking for you. The bubble is made by accessing your magic and envisioning what you would like to have happen. Stay focused and do not lose sight of what it is you are trying to accomplish.
    “Accessing my magic, what does that even mean?”
    Setting the book down she closed her eyes imagining a bubble it as it grew bigger and bigger, surrounding her. One bubble turned to many as her mind wandered. Soon she was thinking about lots of bubbles, floating all around her. Sitting in a bathtub with bubbles from her head to her toes. Her mind suddenly snapped in on itself, realizing that she was far from the task at hand.
    “How did he know that was going to happen?”
    Shaking her arms and legs she wiggled around the tent, coaching herself. “Okay, clear your mind Kiora, think bubble.”
    Taking a deep breath she relaxed, holding herself perfectly still. Closing her eyes she saw the bubble again. It was huge and beautiful. Different colors shimmered on its surface, reds and blues swum across it in a perfect water ballet. In response to the visual imagery something moved inside of her, sliding out to her toes and her fingertips. She kept her eyes screwed shut, forcing herself to focus. The feeling was now leaving her fingertips. Cautiously she cracked one eye to see the bubble like film surrounding her. She followed the reds and blues swimming in front of her nose. A smile spread across her face as she stood too scared to move for fear she would break the bubble.
    Slowly looking down to her feet she noticed there was nothing under them, no bubble. The bubble came down and connected to the ground instead. She pointed out a toe, moving it around on the ground. Surely she could walk— it looked like she could at least. She took one cautious step forward, holding her breath. The bubble moved with her.
    “YES!” She screamed throwing her arms in the air. The bubble promptly popped.
    “Rats.”
    ***
    Emane stood facing Aleric, his back dripping with sweat and his whole body ached. If he didn’t get this soon he wouldn’t be walking tomorrow. Emane normally would have felt foolish facing down a white haired old man, but after the last couple of hours he was beginning to doubt there was any result other than him slamming his backside into the ground.
    “Alright, Emane. You will only have a second to react once I lift my hand up. Magic moves as fast as thought,” Aleric reminded him. “You must learn to anticipate what I am doing. Remember, magic moves out from the user in a fan like pattern, it starts smaller here, he tapped his right hand, at the point it leaves the body, fanning out to a larger area as it leaves. The closer you are to the bearer, the easier it is to avoid.”
    “I know, I know,” Emane waved him on, “We have gone over this already.”
    “Are you ready?”
    Emane eyed him warily. “I think so.”
    Aleric huffed, “Don’t ‘think so’, Emane, I don’t have time for thinking.” He waved his hand at him as if he were an irritating gnat. “You must be ready, and you must focus.” “Sorry.” Emane snapped with a scowl. “I am ready.”
    Looking partially mollified, Aleric said, “Good, then let’s get on with it.”
    Aleric and Emane stood facing each other as if they were about to duel. Neither one of them spoke. Aleric watched Emane—