The Storm Apprentice

Chapter 4

Ceylis smiled, then turned away. "Follow me," he ordered, starting down the cobbled street at a brusque pace.

"Where are we going?"

Ceylis slowly turned his head to face her. "I need to see how fast you learn," he said with a sly grin. "See if you can figure out how to use some magic." Then he spun and dashed down the street, leaving a startled Narira behind him.

She paused for only a moment. "I guess this is how it's going to be," she told herself with firm resolve. "If this is how he's going to 'train' me... well, I've always enjoyed experimentation." Then she smiled, feeling excitement take over her previous nervousness. Her eyes flitted up to catch the form of Ceylis running. "It's on," she whispered, taking off after her new trainer.

Taking off in a sprint, she tore after the man. He was fast, but Narira had always had a gift of speed. She couldn't help laughing as she ran, the soles of her moccasins slamming into the cobbles, the wind raking at her face.

Just as she got near Ceylis, he took a flying leap sideways, then rolled and continued down a side street. With a yelp, she skidded to a stop and shifted her weight to the side, working hard to regain her momentum. I'll be ready for that next time, she thought. She didn't know how she would react, but she would try to heed his advice of figuring out how to use her magical energy.

When he jumped to the side again, she pushed into her leg, trying to trigger some sort of magical happening. She went careening diagonally, with nothing but momentum aiding her jump. With a loud crash, she slammed into a merchant's stand, knocking a rack of jewelry to the ground. He gave her a look of raw outrage, opening his mouth.

"Sorry," Narira mumbled, taking off again before he could reprimand her. She felt guilty, but the guilt quickly evaporated in the face of nervousness when she realized that she couldn't see Ceylis anywhere. Heart pounding, she ran to the end of the block and into the intersection. Glancing right and then left, she couldn't see any trace of her trainer. She opened her mouth to call for him, but then snapped it shut. I'm going to do this.

Glancing around, she located a convenient building. It was shorter than most were in the tightly packed city, and there was a covered wagon parked not far from it. The sign read, "Marnella's Moccasins." She climbed on top of the wagon, balancing on the wooden bar that held the cloth up. Then she eyed the lip of the building's roof. Crouching down slowly, she readied herself. Then she jumped forward, catching the roof's lip. She held in a shriek as the rough stone dug into her palms, then pushed against the wall with her feet and heaved herself onto the roof. She smiled, looking down at the street and admiring her accomplishment. Then she made her way to where the building practically bumped into a taller building next to it. This jump was easier, and soon she was staring out over the city.

Relief came in a wave when she spotted Ceylis running down a street parallel to the one she had been on. He hadn't gone far; clearly, he was focusing on losing her rather than getting distance. She watched with satisfaction as he turned around, realizing she was gone, then jogged in the other direction. Crouching down on her roof, she watched him pass her on the street. Then a sudden thought made her panic. Can I get down?

"Ceylis!" she called in alarm. He turned around, eyes roaming the street.

"Up here!" she shouted, standing and waving.

His eyes widened. "How'd you get up there?"

"I jumped off that wagon," she said, pointing. "Then I climbed up here. But I don't think I can get down!"

"Just go the way you came up."

She stared at the drop down to the next roof. "I'll fall off!" she said desperately.