understand. What do you intend on doing with us?” The original questioner spoke again. By the colors in his aura, his knees should have been knocking and his voice resemble that of someone being led to his execution.
“An excellent question. I’m sure that you have heard the rumors about the army that is advancing on us. I have also overheard rumors detailing how outnumbered we are. As Gifted, you are worth a dozen men if you are trained with your abilities. We need every advantage that we can get.”
“So… you are going to train us?” The inquisitive soldier bore an incredulous expression. The news that they were intended to face hostile armies instead of an executioner’s axe seemed to have calmed his frayed nerves to a surprising extent.
“Yes, Alvin will train you in combat techniques and I will train you with your Gifts.” Em’risi saw a sudden, although not unexpected flair of surprise mixed with a little distain. The men glanced between themselves and back to her. She knew that they were asking themselves what a young woman thought she could train them in the use of their Gifts. Best not let them linger on that thought before genuine doubt set roots. “Shall we begin?”
“We aren’t going to do it, you know, here in Keom are we?” The hawk eyed one inquired nervously. “People might see us.”
“True. I thought that we might require some privacy so we will be doing our training in the Sea Fort.” Em’risi ignored the mumbling and turned on her heel with Alvin right behind. The men took the implied order and fell into line with Redzyn taking up the last place. It was not unusual for Em’risi to be seen in the city so there was nothing more than the curious glance cast in her direction as she led the procession through the streets. It wasn’t long before they passed through the ancient gate that presided over the entrance to the Sea Fort. Inside was a large courtyard with only a couple workers busy repairing the wall. The stairs along the inside to the top had been especially eroded by the elements and where base material permitted, had to be chiseled out. Other places were being built back up enough to match the rest of the stair. A few ancient sections of the cobble stone had come up and were still being re-laid, but the majority of the work had been completed. There was only the last couple workmen present.
“What are we supposed to do now? Most of us don’t even know what our powers are.” A new voice, belonging to a scruffy young soldier near the front, inquired restlessly.
“Alvin will begin testing you to find what weapon and fighting style will suit you best while I begin examinations to determine what your Gifts are. I will start with you. The erin valker.” Em’risi motioned the inordinately nervous man who had been asking the first questions to a bench while she took a seat on the opposite side.
“What is an erin valker? What does that mean?”
“Erin valker is a term from the ancient tongue that basically means fast mover. You seem to already have a basic understanding of what your Gift is so why don’t you tell me what you know about it. Your name would also be nice.”
“I’m Arkis. If I’m not mistaken, then you are Em’risi. What exactly is your Gift, if I’m not being rude by asking?”
“Not necessarily rude. Perhaps a little impertinent, but a legitimate question nonetheless. I am rarely mistaken for being other than Princess Em’risi, but it would save time if you simply call me Em’risi. Also, don’t think that I have forgotten that you haven’t answered my question; however, I will answer your question if you will answer mine. I can see people’s energy. For those that aren’t Gifted, I can see their emotions as colors. For people that are Gifted, I can see more, like how you use your energy with your Gifts. Now it is your turn.” Em’risi leaned back as Arkis flushed and seemed to force the words out like a confession.
“I wish my Gift was something so easy to hide. If I lose concentration, then I move too fast, like when your bodyguard threw that rock at me. It started when I was young. I was always fast. I never lost any foot races, but then I just kept getting faster until I could outrun a horse. It was then that I knew that