The Wielder Trials. Franca Ogbonnaya
tilted her head. “Which class?”
Britea sighed as she pushed her bowl away. “Dance and etiquette.”
Danai’s eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
Britea thought about telling her about Lianne’s inane questions. Then she shook her head. She could not keep running to Danai with every problem.
“I can handle the dancing class.”I hope! she added to herself. “I just feel like I…I don’t belong in either class.”
The fire wielder snickered to Britea’s surprise, annoying her. “You just don’t understand, that’s all.”
“What do you mean?”
Danai hesitated, then took a deep breath. “When I first arrived here, they didn’t know what to do with me. From my assessments in general studies, they could see I wasn’t stupid. So they put me in a class with my peers, but as for my wielding…well, I think it confused them.”
Britea frowned.
“A lot of Weltonians are wielders, unlike the landlocked humans. I don’t know why. It’s just always been like that. So, we also tend to start wielding earlier.”
“How old were you?”
The hesitation this time was longer. “I was nine years old.”
Britea’s eyes widened. “What?” The average age was usually twelve!
Danai nodded. “Yes. I was nine and I got a lot of teaching by the time I was sixteen years old. But I wanted more. So, when I arrived here, I showed them how good I was. So, they placed me in an advanced wielding class with students who were a few years older than me. It was a disaster.”
Danai saw the expectation on Britea’s face. “Lady Selina Arkei. She was the belle of the class. Students flocked around Selina because of her status. Once it was common knowledge I was Weltonian, she made it her mission in life to make me miserable.” She paused, lost in her memories before continuing. “It got worse when she was assigned to me as a mentor. I don’t know which instructor suggested that. But to keep a long story short, things got out of hand, and I was moved to the wielding class just below hers. I’m thankful for that because I met Navos, Lexia, and Shran in the new class.” She shrugged. “So, don’t feel bad about being in the junior class. They just learned from the mistakes they made with me.”
Britea was speechless for a long moment. Once again, she battled with telling Danai that she too had just been partnered with the younger Arkei. Instead, she went in another direction. “I…I’m sorry about what happened with Lady Arkei.”
Danai waved away her apology. “What are you sorry for? You didn’t create her. She’s responsible for her actions, and sadly, her sister is just as vindictive as she is.”
Britea looked down as the wooden boards, suddenly realizing how far from home she was in this very strange place. By the Maker, she missed her cat. Moments like this made her wish she had never left Weldaros.
“What’s on your mind?” asked Danai as she noticed her roommate’s expression.
Britea eventually looked up. “Do you ever miss home? The sea?”
Danai stared at her, startled by the question, then understanding dawned. “I do, sometimes. This place can get overwhelming.”
“My dah will be gone in less than three days, so I’ve thought of running away at times.”
Danai stood up and came to sit down beside her. She held out a hand and Britea took it. “I know what that feels like, but you can’t run away. This place isn’t perfect, but it will help you nurture your gift and provide opportunities for you and your family in the future. Do not throw this chance away.”
Britea felt tears in her eyes. “But what if…what if I fail? What then? What if I’m not supposed to be here?”
“You took the first step when you boarded the Windrider, the second step when you allowed a Dyhaeri to train you, and the third when you helped save everyone on board that vessel with your wielding.”
“That was all Kahl and Natia the Alkynaia,” countered Britea.
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure you had a big part to play in that. If you hadn’t been on the Windrider, Kahl would never have offered to teach you and…”
“The Namiran warships would have sunk the Windrider ,” finished Britea.
Danai nodded. “Now, you understand. Tell you what. I have an idea.”
“What?”
“Letters.”
Britea’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“Start writing letters home, to your mah, your dah, your sister, or your friends. It will take a few months to get there, but I promise, it’ll help. And when I go into town on my days off, I can take them with me to give to any Weltonian ship. My next day off is in two weeks. Maybe you could even come into town with me if Warden Asteros agrees.”
Britea felt a smile grow on her face. “I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks!”
“No problem. And I’ll let you in on an open secret. Some Weltonian ships can sail much faster now. They had to improve their engine design because of the attacks from the Namiran raiders.” The fire wielder got up and returned to her side of the room. “Now get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow as always.”
“Thank you, Danai.”
“Anytime, sister.”
As Britea got ready for bed, she was already excited about what she would write to her family.
Then another thought entered her mind. Could she write one to Kahl?
CHAPTER 5
“Incoming!”
Kahl bounced on the balls of his feet as he tried to anticipate his cousin’s shots. After a week of physical sparring, Mat had suggested they also incorporate wielding sessions. Both Dyhaeri had approached the Weltonian captain with the request, and he had warily agreed.
Kahl didn’t blame the captain for his caution. Mat was a high-level wielder, as was Kahl, but battle wielding on the deck of a ship was enough to scare anyone. For the first two days, the deck crew was suspiciously absent, probably for fear of being accidentally hit by errant shots.
But once they had realized the Dyhaeri aimed at the water and took care not to hit the rigging or masts, the crew had gradually returned to the deck.
While the exercise was taxing, Kahl had to admit it was also a lot of fun. He forced his mind to return to the present and dove low to avoid a fast-moving orb of air. He responded with one of water, and his cousin laughed gleefully as he leapt over the watery missile, simultaneously firing another orb of air at his opponent.
Kahl quickly sidestepped the attack then felt an impact on his left shoulder.
“Another hit to Mat!” yelled the young female crew member keeping score.
Kahl groaned, held a hand up, and waved it in a circle.
“And his opponent concedes!”
A smattering of applause peppered the deck. Kahl sighed as he watched his cousin take a bow for his admirers.
He had no idea how Mat did it. He would have thought his cousin’s charms would work only on fellow Dyhaeri, but surprisingly, they also worked on Weltonians. It had been no secret when Mat had first boarded that he hated being on a human ship and surrounded by humans. His cousin hadn’t been at all friendly, and Kahl had expected the Weltonians to take offense.
Instead, the crew had given both Dyhaeri plenty of space and left them to their own devices. Only the captain had spoken to them, gruffly barking out orders from time to time.
And