Only If The Feelings Are Real.

“Don't get me wrong. I love to fuck you but how do I know this is you talking and not what ever you call it but I...” I shook my head. "I like to think were friends and I hate to fuck that up on a whim."

“It's not that but it's something close. I rather not get into it but maybe one day.” She smiled and gave me a kiss and a hug.

“Okay.” I nodded. “You might want to let go now before parts of me change my mind.” I said making her laugh. We finished bathing and then headed back to the village.

True to word it was raining the next day. Though the school grounds were small there was a room inside for study. The maven showed me to a room made of stone with a sand floor were practicing offensive and defensive magic was encouraged. Mostly since you couldn't set stone on fire I would assume from scorch marks on the wall. Some wooden dummies stood in for people for target practice but I was working on defensive magic.

“Murum.” I said. I had managed to cast the shield spell but it wasn't much bigger then a buckler and I couldn't hold it for long.

“You do know you have to mean it right?” I heard a voice and turned to see Jinx standing in the doorway as she leaned against it with her arms folded.

“How is that? I don't think the dummy will do me much good.” I smiled and looked at the wood mannequin who had taken more then his fair share of ****.

“Get ready to cast it.” She said and walked into the room and held out her hand ready to cast a spell.

“Okay.”

“Ignis.” She said and threw a considerable sized fireball at me.

“Murum.” I yelled and threw up my shield. It was the size of an actual shield I had seen knights use in lancing competition. The fireball hit it and spread out over the surface though I could still fill the heat of the flames.

“See. It's a defensive spell.”

“Couldn't you have thrown something a little smaller.” I shook my head.

“No. You wouldn't feel threatened by a simple flair and I would have put you out if you caught fire.” She grinned. “Eventually.” She had a point. The only reason I had pulled it off was because I had been surprised by the size of the spell thinking I would actually be hurt.

“Care to try for a double? If you can think you can keep it up that long? I know some guys have a problem with that.” She smiled and held out both hands. Jinx was actually enjoying herself it seemed..

“Why not?” I said and got ready. To both block and dodge if needed. She threw one after the other and the shield held though it shrunk a little with each hit.

“I think you got it. Just keep in mind that holding the spell will tire you faster and as you saw will dissipate when taking damage.”

“Ready to try it against something with a little more kick.” She grinned.

“Will it kill me?” I laughed.

“Fine. I will tone it down just a little.” She shook her head.

“Never meet an elf who was a sadist.” I joked.

“Lets just say I wasn't raised by elves and leave it at that.” She shrugged. She raised her arms up.

“Fair enough.”

“Ventus.” She said swirling her hands in circles and then threw them up. I did the same as a small tornado swept up sand as it flew at me. I threw up both hands and cast a shield spell and had to close my eyes to keep the sand out of my eyes. I was pushed backward by the **** of the spell. The spell dissipated and the sand fell back to the ground.

“What was that?” I said brushing myself off.

“Whirlwind. It's your basic wind spell with a little more power. You blocked most of it otherwise you be on your ass right now. Never use the spell indoors unless you won't to redecorate the place.” She grinned slyly.

“Noted.” I nodded shaking out my hair. I would need to go down to Willow's hiding spot and clean out all the sand she had kicked up. Something like that in a crowded room would create quit a mess and maybe be just as dangerous to the caster as it was to the target.

“Now for something the book doesn't tell you about the shield spell.” She pulled a necklace from around her neck with a small gem attached and swirled it around her hand and ran at me.

“Murum.” I threw up

“Lux.” She yelled and the gem let out a blinding flash of light then it felt like she thumped me in the head with her finger to let me know I would be dead right now.

“What the fuck was that?” I said as I covered my face and rubbed my eyes but all I could see is white though it slowly began to dim into blurred colors..

“Simple light spell with a small tweak of my own. Every spell has its weakness. It only works for a few seconds and you have to be pretty damn close but it has saved my ass a time or two.”

“Jinx. What do you think your doing?” Another voice said. It sounded like Ava the valkyrie.

“Helping the new guy practice defensive magic.”

“She is fine. I was working on a shield spell.” I shook my head and winked several times as I saw shapes.

“Which she knows doesn't block light.” Ava said and I felt her touch my arm and then put her hand over my eyes.

“And now he knows.” Jinx replied.

“Consano.” She said and then moved her hand as my vision returned to normal. “Better?” I shook my head. I saw jinx smiling at me as she swirled the crystal on the string then tossed it to me.

“Here. Might save your ass one day and comes in handy in the dark. I have a spare.” Jinx slung her necklace at me.

“Thanks.” I nodded and she left.

“Sorry about her.” Ava smiled. “I heard you and me meet already.”

“Yeah. You were part of my test. You were very helpful and friendly she was stubborn and determined.”

“Sounds like us.” Ava laughed. “She has a lot of pent up anger. I keep telling her she should go to the sanctuary but she refuses.”

“So. How does a Valkyrie end up here of all places?”

“We can be a bit free spirited our first few hundred years when are young.” Ava shrugged.

“So I take it you are studying Attack magic?”

“No. Defensive and healing. I am not against fighting, being a warrior is in my blood, but I would prefer to serve by protecting others.” She smiled. She didn't seem like the warrior type to me for some reason.

“So any advice on defense?”

“I am sure you have heard the whole strong emotions thing but for me when I am protecting others my magic is at its strongest compared to protecting myself. As far as the shield spell you were doing can cover a greater area if you use two hands and spread your arms.” She said and stepped back and held her hands out to either side of her and created an almost perfect bubble around her. I felt a little small compared to the level of magic they were able to preform while I was learning the basics. “Though it requires a lot more energy. Plus it works against any thing physical such as swords and arrows as well.”

“Good to know.” I smiled. That might come in handy. Suddenly I heard a bell.

“What is that?”

“The town bell.” Ava said as she went running. I followed her as she went out of the building and into the rain which had dwindled to a light drizzle. She left the Arcanaeum grounds and I followed after here. We saw Kara carrying a young man around my age toward the sanctuary.

“What's going on?” I said as I saw Willow coming this way as well.

“A hunter got injured and another one is still out their. They were looking for dryad sap for the temple and from what little I heard they went pretty deep into the woods. Wulvers from the look of the woods.” Willow shook her head.

“Anyone going looking for the other one?” I asked

“You are. You will volunteer in a few seconds.” The Maven said as she came up behind me with a sack on her shoulder. “Willow will argue but she is needed here and you have the best chance of reaching him in time. Ava I need to to fly to town of Brookvale and tell the hunters there are wulvers in the woods. The skys will be clear enough for you to make it. I will need...”

“An arrowhead from as arrow to cast a hunters spell.” Willow said as she pulled an arrow head she had on a necklace from around her neck and removed what looked like string from around it. Ava took off up into the air and spread out her wings.

“Still remember that spell I see.” The Maven smiled.

“Yes. Comes in handy with the princess runs off.” Raven nodded. That explained how she was always able to track the princess down no matter were she went.

“Please. Maven. My brother is still out...” Ceri. The Inn keeper said as she ran toward us.

“Easy child. I already know. I need but a single hair from your head.” She said calming the woman with a touch of her hand. Ceri plucked a hair from her head and the maven wrapped it around the arrow head. She covered it with her mouth and whispered into it then looked to me and held out her hand. The arrow head rose up into the air and turned pointing south. “This will guide you to her brother. Follow the arrow head and it will take you to him. If you leave now you can reach him in time and take this as well.” She said handing me a satchel.

“I will get your horse ready. You get your bow and sword.” Willow said and I nodded. I went into the sanctuary and grabbed my baldric that held my sword, quiver, and knife. I put the necklace jinx had given me around my neck. I checked the satchel the old woman had given me but it was full of glass jars wrapped in cloth to keep them from breaking. No clue why I needed them truthfully but she knew far more then I did about what was to come.

Once I exited the sanctuary grounds Willow was coming up the trail with my horse. I mounted up and rode like the wind only stopping to see which way the arrowhead was pointing and at the first pine tree I saw to rub it's needles on me to mask my smell under the powerful scent then did the same for the horse not that I could mask it completely. I would smell like a pine tree for the next few days but it wasn't a bad smell.

No matter how far I road the arrow still pointed south. They had to have rode horses into the woods to get this deep. I kept an ear out for anything dangerous but hopefully on horseback I could outrun most or the beast in these woods. Just before sunset I saw the arrow had finally moved. I was close. I changed direction and followed my new course and just as I came through some brush I found an elven man with a bow and arrow pointed at me.

“Easy. The maven sent me to find you.” I said and held up my hand before before dismounting. I saw his leg was badly wounded.

“You don't know how glad I am to see someone else.” He lowered her bow giving a small laugh under her breath. His leg looked pretty messed up but it seemed he managed to bandage it and stop the bleeding.

“How is your leg?”

“Pretty fucked up. Can barley walk. A wulver got a chunk out of me but I got the asshole.” He shook his head. It looked at it but it was beyond my ability to heal it.

“Can you ride with that leg?” I asked..

“Yes.” He nodded.

Suddenly a wolf let out a howl though it sounded much bigger then a wolf. I readied an arrow and got ready for them. I heard them tear through the forest nearby and saw a few along the treeline. They were as big as a man and ran on four legs. One stopped and stood up on two legs glancing in our direction as I ducked behind a tall bush. He was hunched over with a wolf like head. He sniffed the air then ran off after the others.

“Seems they found something else to hunt.” I shook my head. Their only seemed to be a small handful but I would prefer not fight them. I heard a cry echo through the forest. A ringing sound as loud as thunder. A chill running down my spine. “What was that?”

“A dryads call or part of one.” The man shook his head. “Bastards are going after her. They will try and capture her and sell her to the fucking Trow.” He cursed angrily. I was sure from the way he said it wouldn't be a good thing for the dryad.

“I will handle that. You get on the horse and get out of here.” I said helping her up.

“You can't fight those things alone.”

“I have to try. Go before they can catch up with you.” I said helping her onto the horse and gave it a slap on the ass. I ran towards the direction the wulvers were heading. Not my best idea but if the dryad died so would part of the forest. I ran after them and slowed my pace when I hear them ahead in a small meadow.

I saw a dryad or at least that was my guess since she looked like a cross between a human and a tree. It took me a second to see ropes around her arms and neck. Figures moving in the tall grass. They had ambushed her in the tall grass and were after her for the same reason as the hunters though they weren't going to ask politely for her sap like the elves. I had to do something but what?