The soft grass felt good beneath her feet.
“Close your eyes.”
She did. It seemed like minutes passed in silence; she was just beginning to wonder what he was doing, when she heard his voice again.
“What do you feel?” he asked.
Caitlin thought.
“I feel…the wood, your staff, touching my shoulder. And I feel the grass beneath my feet.”
“What else?” he pressed.
Caitlin concentrated.
“I feel…the wind in my hair…I feel the warmth of the day.
The humidity. It’s sticky on my skin.”
“Yes,” he said. “Very good. Now, I want you to reach out, palm up, and hold the staff between us. Keep your eyes closed.”
Caitlin reached out slowly with her hand, and grabbed hold of the staff. It was an ancient, worn, smooth wood, and she could feel the energy coming off it as she grasped it.
“Don’t grasp it,” he said. “Just place your hand beneath it and hold it. Don’t make a fist.”
Caitlin loosened her grip.
“Good,” Aiden said. “Now while you hold it, I want you to tel me what you feel.”
“I feel a piece of wood,” she said. She felt stupid, but she was not sure what else he wanted.
“What about the wood?” he pressed. “Can you feel each individual grain? Can you feel its weight? Can you feel its thickness, its length?”
Caitlin focused harder. Slowly, she began to feel al the different textures and elements of the wood.
“Good,” Aiden said. “Now, very slowly, lift the wood, high above your head. Use only your palm, not your hand. Use only the energy running through your body, coursing through your palms.
Find it. Feel it.”
Caitlin focused, and as she did, she felt her palm grow warm, felt a bal of energy exude from it, as she slowly lifted the piece of wood.
“Good,” Aiden said. “Excel ent.”
He paused. “Now open your eyes.”
Slowly, Caitlin opened her eyes.
She was shocked by what she saw.
There, before her, was Aiden’s staff. But it was not actual y in her hand. It was hovering, in the air, about ten feet above her, over her open palm.
She looked at Aiden, in shock.
As she did, the staff dropped from the sky and landed hard on the ground.
Aiden frowned.
“You broke your concentration,” he said.
“How did I do that?” Caitlin asked, stil amazed.
He reached down and grabbed his staff.
“It is one of your many powers. It’s the only one I want to teach you for now. You have it inside you. I cal it centering.
You can use this to move objects a great distance from you.
Or to bring them close to you.
“You see, there is no separation between you and the physical universe. As soon as you realize that, you wil master the art of combat.”
And with that, he turned and walked off into forest. And after two steps, he completely disappeared. Caitlin searched everywhere, but he was gone.
She stood there in shock.
But even more in shock at herself, and at what she had just done. Just how deep did her powers run? And how much about herself did she have left to learn?
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Sam stood in the Roman Colosseum. He was dressed in full battle gear, armed from head to toe, wearing a helmet.
He looked out through it to see another warrior facing him, also dressed in full armor.
He charged, and the two of them sparred furiously.
The warrior facing him was bigger and stronger, but Sam parried with him blow for blow. Sam was getting more and more tired with each strike, and finally, his arms were too heavy to lift. He sunk to his knees, as the warrior raised his sword high, ready to plunge it into Sam’s chest.
Sam blinked and opened his eyes to see that he was standing in the desert, the hard-baked sand stretching beneath his feet as far as his eye could see. In the distance was a giant mountain, and Sam found himself slowly hiking up it, using his sword as a staff. He was now dressed in a white robe.
Sam pulled back his hood, dying in the heat, and looked up the mountain. There, at the top, was a man outlined by the sun. The man also wore a white robe and hood, and held a staff. Somehow, Sam knew that this man was his father.
Sam hiked higher, excited to meet him, trying to increase his pace, determined to reach him. But it was getting harder with each step, the mountain steeper, and as he looked down, he saw snakes and scorpions slithering all around him. It was getting hotter, too, and he knew the road was