Wait For Me

“How are you feeling about this?”

“You just kicked my ass. What do you mean, how am I feeling?”

Ikae laughed. “I mean, how are you feeling about your skills? I would say it was a close fight.”

Close fight my left buttcheek.

We spent the last few days in mock combat, and today I had finally managed to land a blow. I’d pushed him into the lake, cocooning him in water and sinking it. He froze the ball and broke it, pushing his way to the surface, ready to further ruin my day.

“Two weeks ago, that would have killed me so, not bad, I guess.”

“Good.” He sat in the lake with me. I was floating on my back, hoping the cool water would help my new bruises. We often sat like this after training, Ikae relaxing in the cool water and me hoping my bruises wouldn’t be too bad. “We have a big event coming up.”

“Oh?” I’d heard whisper of preparations for a big to do in town. People were going to come from all over the country to get in. It was the first time in a year that travel restrictions were being lifted, though I knew all the guards would be on high alert.

I let out a sigh, hoping I wouldn’t have to make an appearance. My eyes were closed, feeling the breeze over the water. Oh, yeah. I was going to have an enormous bruise on my back.

“You’re going to be presented to the country in a week to boost morale.” I tensed up and started to sink. “We’re hosting an all-day festival just to show you off.”

I sat up. “Do I have to do anything? Do I just stand there and look pretty?”

“Iljana and I will be there to help you give a presentation of how you can do both types of magic, and then His Majesty will give a speech. People will probably want to talk to you.”

I could feel my anxiety start to build, and I chuckled. I’d have to tell Sanyr he was wrong—I’d seen combat, and I was still getting anxious at the thought of talking to people I didn’t know.

“Guess that nixes the look pretty part of my question.”

“Hmm? Oh, you’ll still have to look nice. I’m assuming you’ll have at least three different outfits.”

“Three? Isn’t that excessive?”

“It’s meant to be. You’re important to everyone here. You need to look as important as the king.” He paused. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

I snorted. “I can keep a secret.”

I had been keeping Enri’s secret since she told me a few weeks ago. It was hard to keep a straight face, knowing that everyone here knew that Enri was here against her will, but acted like it was normal. Acted like Zann had done nothing but good things. I wanted to punch him, but that would only do more harm than good.

I managed to keep it together for the next week as we choreographed the fights between me and my teachers. I was going to fight Enri first to show that I, if all else failed, could be a foot soldier. Then I would fight Iljana, then Ikae. They weren’t actual fights, but that didn’t stop Iljana from coming at me like I was his sole problem in the world.

The morning of the festival, I got my clothes for it. The first outfit was a bloodred and black sundress that brushed the ground when I walked. It was far nicer than anything else I’d been given. I refused the heels and stuck to my boots. If I was going to be walking around town all day, I needed to be comfortable. My hair, which I normally pulled back into protective braids, fell to my shoulders. With my months old dyed hair, it looked like a failed ombre, but I liked it.

Enri came to escort me in a sundress of her own. This one was red and gold, shimmering with each step she took. She also stuck to her boots and let her hair down, the pale curls in loose braids down her back.

The mounting anxiety made me want to hold Enri’s hand, but I decided against it. We didn’t need any comments about it.

The palace was in a flurry of movement, maids and butlers and cooks hustling around to make sure everything was perfect. They were so distracted they didn’t even stop to bow.

As we approached the entrance, I could feel the breeze pushing its way through the open doors, ruffling our hair. Sunlight poured through, outshining the perpetual mage lights.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Absolutely not,” I said.

She smiled. “You’ll do great.”

They decked the main road out in all kinds of decorations. The Bright Dusk Festival was full of warm colors and food, but this one was full of Yvantan colors: red, black, and grey. Mage lights floating listlessly around the road to town, and I could see a steady stream of people coming from the northern gate to get in on the festivities.

The chatter carried on the wind as people ate, walked, talked, and sang. Everyone looked to be in high spirits, loitering around as people of all ranks mingled. As we stepped out of the palace, I could see that while every store had their doors open to the public, the temple had its doors shut once more.

We were told to be fashionably late so everyone there could get a good look before the festivities started, and as we made our way through the crowds, everyone recognized Enri. They stopped and bowed or nodded. When their eyes landed on me, recognition ignited as they realized who I was. There were too many faces I didn’t recognize staring at me, and I couldn’t get past the natural anxiety I felt in crowds. There had never been more space, but it felt small. Enri kept her hand on my back as we moved through the crowd, smiling and nodding at nobles and citizens alike as if it were second nature.

I spotted the makeshift stage that we were going to demonstrate on later as we moved further into town. While the south side of the capital was full of refugees and their homes, it was once an empty space before hitting the lake. They held training exercises for the schools and any dance or assembly would be there. Now the only space to be had was about an acre between the infantry school grounds and the camps. I could almost see the area Ikae and I were training in this morning.

Looking at stage made my stomach roll until I saw Sanyr and Vanli loitering near it. Sanyr greeted me with a smile and wave, and while Vanli couldn’t stand me, at least I knew her.

“You look ready to throw up,” Sanyr said, laughing. “How about that?”

I laughed. “I’ve seen combat and I’m still full of anxiety. It’s an intrinsic part of me I can’t shake.”

“Glad to see nothing’s changed since you left. The three trailblazers are here if you wanted to say hello.” He gestured with his drink to the temple. I hadn’t noticed before, but three people were huddled on the steps of the temple, sipping cold drinks and sharing a plate of food. Eumen, Clecia, and Corek were relaxed for the first time since I’d known them, donning regular pants and shirts instead of leather armor.

Even though I hadn’t been able to catch up with them since Ikae and Enri kept me busy, I still heard about their achievements from Enri. All three were top of the class and dominated every exercise and mission they were sent on. It was wild to know that the three of them considered me their equal when I could never do what they did.

I wanted to break away and head over. Talk to them for the first time in a while and feel more like myself than I would mingling with strangers. I turned to Enri. “Am I allowed to sequester myself over there with them?”

Enri looked sympathetic. “Not yet. We have to be here at least until the demonstration, which won’t be until about an hour from now. We’re expected to mingle and talk to everyone.”

I sighed, looking back over to them. Corek slapped Eumen on the back and she almost spilled her drink. “It’s a shame Zann has never actually talked to me outside of a relaxed context. I am terrible at schmoozing.”

“I’m… not sure I know what that word means.”

“Just means talking to people in a way that endears you to them for your personal gain. I’m too straightforward to do something like that and I don’t want to.”

Sanyr laughed again. “You really are interesting, Kaiya. If you just stay over here with us, I think His Majesty would frown upon it.”

“Enri can help you,” Vanli said. She was looking around like she was surveying a battlefield. Maybe she was anxious too. “She’s better at words than she seems.”

“Thank you, Vanli,” Enri said. She turned to me. “I can walk with you.”

Enri was indeed good with her words. As we walked around and people stopped us, she took over most of the conversations, schmoozing and smooth talking like it was her job, and making sure I was in just enough of the conversation that they didn’t feel like I was just standing there. I would have happily let her lead me around all night if Zann hadn’t signaled.

We went to the temple to get changed, and while the priests didn’t look especially happy to have us taking over their space, they welcomed us in graciously enough.

They led us to a room behind Akten’s statue where the two maids from my first day (Sanus and Turja, I’d learned, twin sisters) were waiting with another outfit for me. This one was closer to the clothes I normally wore, but of much higher quality. When I put it on, it felt like it had been carved to fit the contours of my body perfectly.

Enri also changed into a similar outfit, but hers was lined with just red, while mine was lined with red and grey.

We choreographed our fight down to the force of the punches. I knew exactly what to do, but I couldn’t focus on anything. Our time was running out, and we needed to head to the stage.

Enri grabbed my shoulders. “Look at me, Kaiya. You and I are going to do what we always do.”

“Pine at each other from a distance?”

She ignored me. “Do exactly what we’re trained to do. It’s a dance. Follow my lead and we’ll have nothing to worry about.”

The door opened before I could respond, and we were ushered out and onto the stage. The crowd was dense. Almost everyone, including refugees, showed up to watch. Water and terra mages stood a few feet in front of the stage for damage control and a few infantry soldiers stood even further away for crowd control.

Enri and I stood across from each other and, just like we practice because we both knew I would be anxious, took a deep breath. We matched our movements, raising our hands and lowering them to our sides. It didn’t stop the jittery feeling, but it centered me enough to move.

It was hard to describe the fight. I wasn’t attacking her like I was fighting for my life, but I did punch her. She didn’t come for me like I was her enemy, but she did pin me down. Enri was right: it was a dance. Parry, punch, dodge, kick, spin. Dance. Fight. Attack.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her down, kicking her over my head before flipping up. She swept my legs from under me before spinning to her feet. I needed to come close before losing. Enri couldn’t be seen losing to a novice.

The crowd didn’t have time to adjust before the ground started to rumble and I leaned back to dodge the spike that emerged from the ground. Enri backed off the stage as another spike came toward me. I braced myself, putting my hands out to redirect its momentum up. Unlike Enri, this was less of a dance and more of a schoolyard tussle. Since seeing my ability to use water magic, Iljana had become more bitter than before and couldn’t keep it to himself anymore.

I didn’t care. It made for a more compelling fight, anyway.

I raised the ground, giving myself the advantage and dug deeper, mixing the dirt until it turned into a fine dust. I was meant to win this fight and by the gods, was I going to be a sore winner. Surrounding him in a dust tornado was part of the plan, but turning that dust into a razor-sharp blade and tearing up his fancy clothes wasn’t.

He let out a growl but, much like his entrance, Ikae cut him off, sending a deluge of water onto the stage. I took control of the water, redirecting it to the ground, and converting it to steam. We needed to start slow when transitioning. Using one magic after the other was like trying to throw a car immediately into reverse while going a hundred miles an hour. It would work, but there was going to be an issue.

Ikae grumbled, pulling the water vapor into hands before throwing it, turning the water into ice shards. I pulled up the water as a shield and turned the water into a whip, constricting his movements.

We continued back and forth, though the last bit was mostly me losing my grip on the water and trying to get it under my control. I was sweating profusely and was having a hard time keeping up. The hard switch was taking its toll.

Ikae cut the battle short by trapping me in a ball of ice. I was grateful for it, wanting to just lay down and bask in the chill.

The ice broke, and we hustled off the stage and back to the temple. I collapsed, almost hitting the floor, when Enri rushed over and caught me. She lowered me to the ground, putting her hand on my forehead. She started to murmur something and her hand glowed. I recognized it as the same spell she used when I had my panic attack.

The shaking stopped, and my heart started to go down to a regular pace. Enri shot a glare towards Iljana. “I told you not to push her too far.”

“If she were a worthy mage, she would have been fine,” he sniffed. “Goes to show what Earthlings are worth.”

“You’re such a bitter old man,” I said. Enri was still holding me in her lap, and I didn’t want to get up again. “Get over yourself or shut up. It’s that easy.”

“We all need to change,” Ikae said, cutting in. “We’re supposed to be out there again in twenty minutes. Iljana, cool it with the insults. His Majesty already talked to you about it.”

Iljana huffed, clearly irritated no one else was on his side. He grumbled as he left, snatching his next outfit from another maid, who followed him out. Ikae also peeled off into a side room and Enri leaned over me, murmuring a soft chant. She did this with me after I came back from Sandbreak to help expedite my burns healing. The scars were still there, but not as bad as they could have been.

I didn’t know if the position was necessary, but I wasn’t going to complain about it.

After ten minutes, she lifted her head, and I felt like I could take the longest, heaviest nap known to man. Extreme drowsiness was a side effect of her healing me.

Enri smiled. “Time to get dressed.”