Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,74

for most of my life that you’d be coming to study with me. I’ve prepared for this Peak, and I’ve longed for it since the celebration of my eighth winter season. I have so much to teach you.”

Needless to say, Shalee was unnerved by the woman’s confession—so much so that she turned to rush out of the store. But in her haste, she noticed the door was not getting closer. Looking down, Shalee was shocked to see that her feet were not touching the floor. She was frantically moving her legs, but she was not getting anywhere.

Helga laughed as she circled the suspended Shalee. “Oh, Child. I have known you were going to try that since I was a young girl. I was prepared to foil for your escape.”

Shalee went from surprised to angry. “You better put me down, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what, Child?” Helga responded with a soft voice. “You won’t do anything until I let you down, and I’m not going to that until you calm yourself.”

Shalee thrashed about. “I said, let me down, doggone it!”

Helga remained patient and continued to speak in a soft voice. “If you will just think for a moment, Child, you’ll realize that we’ve spoken before. You know who I am. Concentrate. Think of our spiritual visits. They’ve prepared us for this Peak.”

Shalee struggled to the point of exhaustion before she gave up and relaxed. She took a deep breath and then thought back to her dreams. To her surprise, she remembered Helga’s face. This woman had been in a number of her dreams, and she remembered speaking with her. In fact, Helga was one of the few beings that had given her a peaceful feeling. Sure enough, the way she had dressed in her dreams was almost as bad as real life, but at least her visions of Helga’s attire had been a bit more fashionable. Her outfits were nowhere close to the tragic mess she had on now. The rest of her nightmares had been of creatures, wars and angels who were fighting for her affection.

Shalee relented. “I do remember you. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I know you. Can you please let me down now? I’m ready to listen.”

Helga waved her hand, spoke a few words that Shalee did not understand, and then Shalee drifted to the floor. “Oh, Child ... now that we have that bit of awkwardness out of the way, perhaps we could work on something a bit more constructive.”

Shalee shrugged. “Okay. Why not? I brought coin for the lessons anyway, so we might as well.”

Helga smiled and then moved beyond a large bear rug that hung across an opening which led to a room behind the store. She shouted loud enough that her voice could be heard through the rug. “Your coin is not necessary here, Child! You have much to learn, and you’ll need to pay attention, not coin. Bring your staff with you, and we’ll get started.”

Shalee was cautious as she moved beyond the rug. The room was large and spacious. Thick pillows, made of leather, had been stuffed with straw, and they were being used to line the walls. Even the beams in the middle of the room and on the ceiling had been covered. The floor had a different look. Soft mattresses had been placed side-by-side and covered its surface. Shalee grinned. The only thing missing is some gymnastic equipment, she thought.

“This is where your training will begin, Child,” Helga said with beaming eyes. “Never mind the decor, it tends to come in handy with a new sorceress.”

Shalee looked puzzled. “I don’t know that I like the idea of being called a sorceress.”

Helga’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

Shalee had to search for a response. “I guess it just sounds wicked. Don’t you think?”

Helga shook her head. “It’s just a name, Child. What else would you call yourself?”

“I don’t know... Just not that.”

Helga motioned for Shalee to join her at the center of the room. “You can call yourself whatever you like. I, however, will call you my sorceress-in-training. You, like any other being on this world, have the right to do whatever you want. But I would guess you’re curious about what your staff does, are you not?”

Shalee nodded and then presented her staff to Helga. “So what do I do with this thing? It didn’t come with an owner’s manual.”

An odd look appeared on Helga’s face. “Owner’s manual, Child. Whatever do you mean?”

“Ahh, nothing. So what do I do?”

Helga laid the staff