The Tome of Haren by Damien Francis

Author:Damien Francis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shawling Publishing Group
Published: 2022-07-26T14:12:14+00:00

45

TAL

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Time flew by within Mar-Toride. Designed for the safety, security, training, and research of the Shan, it had become Tal’s new home. It’s many unexplored corridors his escape, the hidden rooms his discoveries, and the unusual applications of magic his adventure. Unlike the Vanguard, no two days were the same. Some days he practised under Horrin’s attentive gaze; other days, he wandered the halls with Chrystle, asking questions of the place and of her. And other days, he was alone, free to discover at will. There seemed to be no rush to his lessons, and Horrin would call a rest whenever he felt like it. But in the weeks since beginning his studies, he hadn’t seen any improvement. If anything, he was worse.

Tal swore, unable to lift the cup of water off the table. He scrunched up his fists.

“Take a break Tal,” said Horrin.

“No, I can do this.”

He raised his hand again, letting the magic flow through to his hand. Then he screwed up his face, trying to push all other thoughts from his mind, focussing on lifting the cup.

“Tal.”

“Give…Me…A…Second!” he grunted through gritted teeth. ‘He would get this! He could do it! They would laugh if he couldn’t. They were all laughing behind his back. He knew the other students and apprentices avoided him. They thought he was a joke. Would Lylla think so too? Did she even care? Chrystle cared. But she was busy with her own studies. And what if Aeidor came back? What would he think of Tal then? Would he accept him for his magical abilities? Would he laugh at him too for his failures?’

“TAL!” shouted Horrin, the first time Horrin had shouted at him.

Tal grunted, releasing the magic, so it didn’t drain him any further. The cup of water, a few centimetres off the table, plopped down and fell over, spilling over the ground. Horrin waved his hand, and the water and cup righted itself.

“I can’t do it, Master,” Tal said, looking away. Horrin’s shoulders sagged. It hurt to see his apprentice like this. He only called Horrin master when he felt like a failure. Recently he had been using it all the time.

“Take a break.”

“No! That’s all I’ve been doing, taking breaks. I want to get this. I’ve…I’ve never failed anything in my life before. I want to keep practising.”

“I understand your frustrations, but you do need to rest. Using up Shan-tri under these circumstances can be dangerous.”

“But I feel great!” countered Tal, almost hopping from one foot to the other.

“You’re clearly tired.”

“I’m not. I feel fine.”

“Your eyes say otherwise.”

“I understand how it looks, and if I’m honest, I haven’t been sleeping well. But using magic isn’t tiring.”

Horrin sighed.

“I just…I want to get it.”

Horrin looked back at the cup and water.

“No. We’ll move on to something else. You need time to clear your head. You must remember that distracting thoughts will prevent you from using Shan-tri.”

“You say this, over and over and over. I know what it is I’m meant to do, but I don’t know how! My mind won’t clear.

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