Free Analindë (The Chronicles of Lóresse) by Melissa Bitter Page B

most of the time she thought her mother’s exercise was a wasted effort. Although sometimes the exercise made her feel better, soothed perhaps. She hoped it would help her now.
    She looked out into the darkened forest surrounding her and then sat as her mother had taught her with legs folded in front, hands lying palm-up on each knee, back straight, head forward. She took a deep breath, held it, counted to three, exhaled slowly and then repeated the process again. With each successive breath she focused on thoughts of cleansing power washing through her body until she imagined that she felt calmness reach the tips of her fingers and toes. Then she imagined her senses reaching out past her body to the surrounding forest where it felt tranquil. Drawing upon that serenity, she continued to breathe deeply, focusing on settling her energies and calming her mind.
    “Concentrate on your center,” her mother always said.
    Analindë had always called it, “Give me a moment’s peace while I think of what to teach you next.” But now Analindë understood as she felt herself settle. It was a technique made for renewing oneself and finding peace.
    A long while later, Analindë opened eyes that had drifted shut. “Thank you mother,” Analindë whispered while actively blocking the surge of sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her at thoughts of her mother. She slipped slowly out of her hiding spot, checking the shield that surrounded her for weakness as she moved.
    Reaching the ground, she stood for a moment, swaying in the darkness as painful prickles raced up and down her legs. “I should have moved around a little bit,” she mumbled while thumping her thighs with her fists.
    She turned her attention inward to the black void in her mind in order to locate the Humans. They were still an hour’s journey up the trail where she’d last sensed them. The wizard had given up his random strikes, and she felt only the stillness of the night. The Humans weren’t moving and, most likely, were asleep. Analindë shifted her thoughts away from the void and looked around the clearing in front of her, searching for any traps that might have been left to catch her. But clouds had moved in, obscuring the moon and stars, leaving very little light to filter through the trees to the forest floor.
    Stars! It was dark.
    She contemplated how to conjure a light. Well, to be exact, she knew how to conjure a light; she just wondered if she’d be able to shield it properly. . . . Moments later a green magelight flared to life above her palm. No larger than a small pebble, it lit an area ten paces in all directions.
    Analindë scrutinized the void, watching the sparks that represented the Humans while waiting to see if the wizard would recognize her use of Energy and stir. Nothing happened. Branches creaked as the wind wove through outstretched limbs. She shivered in the cool night air and shifted her gaze outward once more. She looked around for traps while waiting, then checked the void again. Still nothing.
    She peered at her scratched and battered hands. They hadn’t fared well during her scramble through the forest. Without gloves she’d need to be more careful. Her muscles ached with fatigue and her left arm hurt where the backlash had recoiled against her. She was injured. But peace, strength, and a bit of hope firmly held her up, giving her the will to go on. She looked to the void once more and found that the Humans hadn’t budged at all.
    Relieved, she smiled, dimmed her light to hide her from things that might be watching, sent the sphere out in front of her, and dropped her hand. She trod briskly away from her hiding spot and the trail she had followed earlier. Not five minutes later, she found it.
    A broken path through the woods.

    Three hours later, as she pushed through yet another twisted patch of scrub oak, Analindë wished that the path was a little less broken. Yet, it was a path, and the Humans were not on it. So she was content.