Spirit Speaker

I stared at the line thoughtfully. 

To the others there was no difference between the patch of ground I was staring at and any other. 

To me, it was something different. 

I turned to the spirit that stood beside me, mighty, powerful. 

The Kingdom, who was looking at the line as well. 

- Once she leaves, she will be no longer under my protection. It warned. 

"I know." 

- And still, you choose to go.

I nodded. "I do. She can't spend her whole life hiding in your borders."

- You're taking a risk, Twisted Weave. 

I smiled. "That's what it means to be a mortal, mighty one."

- You still have the books. 

"I couldn't deposit it in the mine." I replied. 

- Why?

I looked up surprised. "You don't know?"

The Kingdom shook its head. 

"Examine my weave. I can't speak of it without being overcome with joy."

I turned, and The Kingdom bent down, studying my weave closely.

It pulled back, slowly, unmistakable tears falling down its cheeks. 

- She's awake. It said. This is… Words failed it. I must go, Twisted Weave. I must see her. 

I bowed, and The Kingdom departed. 

I turned my attention back to the thick, glowing line that cut the road in half and stretched as far as the eye could see on either side.

The border. 

"Anna!" I called. "Come here."

The princess had taken advantage of our unscheduled stop to stretch her legs. Soon she was standing beside me, staring at the same glowing white line. 

"What is it?" She asked. 

"The border. On this side is The Kingdom of Arantha. On that side, Desari." 

I crossed the border and felt energy rush from my head to my feet. Different energy, a different spirit. This spirit was nowhere near as old, or as powerful as The Kingdom, but it was strong enough to shake my weave. 

I held my hand out to the princess. "Okay, I want you to take a deep breath, and then step over the line, carefully."

She looked at me strangely, but took my hand and stepped over the line. 

Her face went white. I quickly put my hand on her side, my other on her shoulder, steadying her. 

"Easy, highness. The first time is always difficult. You're doing great."

She swayed for a moment, and then regained her balance, sweat beading on her forehead, breathing heavily. 

"What was that?" She asked, catching her breath, her voice unsteady. 

"That was the Kingdom withdrawing from you, and the Republic's spirit flowing in. It takes a bit to get used to, and the more powerful the mage, the worse it hits."

"Okay, okay, I'm okay. Thank you, Lukas."

I examined her critically, and then let her go. 

"That was…something else." She murmured, then glared at me. "Why didn't you warn me?"

I shrugged. "My master didn't warn me my first time, I wanted to see what it looked like on the other side. At least I took your hand. My master let me collapse to the ground."

"I told him to warn you Highness!" Rowan shouted from his seat on top of the carriage.

"Thank you, Rowan!" The princess shouted back. She turned to me. "See? At least Rowan knows how to treat royalty."

I shrugged. "Rowan has a strong sense of propriety. Tell me, princess, am I speaking to Princess Anna, the Royal Heir? Or am I speaking to Mage Anna, my apprentice?"

She looked down and mumbled something. 

"Sorry, highness, I didn't quite catch that."

"Anna, your apprentice."

I smiled and tousled her hair. "Then why are you complaining? Oh, I wouldn't cross that border again if I were you, unless you want the same thing to happen again."

Anna stepped away from it quickly. 

"Are you done committing treason, master?" Rowan called.

I nodded and waved him over. "All done, bring the carriage, the princess might need to rest for a bit."

I looked at her speculatively. "That hit you harder than it should have, princess. Have you been exercising?"

"When? I've been travelling with you for the past week and a half."

"And before then?"

She shook her head. "No, I spent most of my time studying." 

I sighed. "Highness, a strong body equals a strong mind." I said reprovingly. The carriage pulled up next to us. 

"How do you feel about learning swordplay from Rowan, highness?" I asked.

The excitement on her face gave me all the answer I needed. 

I smiled. "Let me see what I can do. How about you join the others in the carriage, highness. I'll sit up top with Rowan for a bit…Anna? Come back to me." I said, prodding her. 

"Sorry master." Anna grinned. "When can I start?"

I shrugged. "Let me chat with him, he might be reluctant to start beating up the Royal Heir."

"Tell him I can take it." She said fiercely.

"I don't doubt it, ma'am." I clambered up to where Rowan was sitting, and Anna climbed into the carriage. She shut the door behind her. 

"You shouldn't have promised that, sir." Rowan said as I took my position beside her. 

"Why not? You're a great teacher! You taught me all I know about swords."

"You're useless with a blade, sir."

I grinned. "Imagine how much worse I'd be if you didn't teach me."

Rowan shook his head. "Do you remember how rough the training was? You spent the whole time trying to dump buckets of water on my head, but couldn't even gather the strength to do it."

I laughed. "Oh yes, that's true. You're lucky. About halfway through I was ready to bury you under a mile of dirt."

"And you want me to do that to the Royal Heir?"

"She's strong, Rowan. She can handle it."

She did in her last life.

He looked at me doubtfully. 

"Relax, Rowan. She's in a new land, and she doesn't know any of the spirits here. She's not as strong as she used to be. She'd be able to dump a glass of water on your head at best."

"That does little to inspire confidence, sir." he said, looking ahead, and then he sighed. "Alright master. I'll teach her. But on one condition."

"Anything."

"You'll be doing the training too."

*

The princess was dressed in loose-fitting, comfortable clothing. She stretched her arms and back, bending one side to the other. 

She was grinning. 

I, on the other hand, was not. 

"Cheer up, master. I'm sure he'll go easy on us."

I sighed morosely. "You don't know him, ma'am. He's a terror when it comes to training."

"Isn't he your servant? Can't you just command him to stop?"

"What and let him win? Never."

"Enough chatter." Rowan said. 

I shut up. 

He drew a wide circle in the ground around him. "You see this? Use everything you have to knock me out of it." He tossed the sword in his hand over to Anna, who just barely managed to catch it. 

"Anything?" She asked. "Even magic?"

Rowan nodded. "If you think you can."

He stood unarmed, relaxed, and casual in the middle of the circle. An easy target. At least that's what Anna must have been thinking. 

I sighed and sat on the ground, as the princess launched herself at him. 

I winced as she hit the ground, hard. 

"Come on, princess, you can do better than that."

There he is. That bastard.

When Rowan taught, he would goad and insult, trying all he could to get a rise out of his trainee. 

Anna pulled herself from the dirt and approached a little more cautiously. 

She raised her sword. 

"Oh?" Rowan said he grinned, his eyes dark, "Come at me if you think you've got what it takes."

Anna stepped into the circle, and hit the ground again, her legs being swept out from under her. 

She rolled over onto her back and blew a strand of hair from her face. 

"Come at me again, highness, I'll let you start inside the circle this time."

"Don't go easy on me, Rowan," Anna said, her eyes flashing red. 

"Make me." 

The princess stabbed at him, only to hit air. 

She stepped forward unbalanced, and Rowan tapped her on the back, toppling her over. 

"Alright highness, that's enough. Go sit beside your master." He helped her up and dodged a savage swipe at his stomach. He stepped behind the princess and tapped her on the back again. 

She hit the dirt. 

"Come now, princess. A sneak attack? I thought you royals had honour."

Anna stepped away from him, gripping her focus tightly, her expression fierce, her eyes flashing red. 

Clouds began to gather just above Rowan's head. 

He looked up, then back at the princess. A cruel grin crossed his face. He raised his hands and caught the cloud between his fingers.

"Wha-" 

Rowan threw it at her, and a bolt of electricity hit the princess square in the chest, knocking her off her feet for a fifth time.

I got up, dusted my pants, and walked over to the princess who was breathing heavily on the ground. 

Her hair was a mess. 

I grinned and pulled the green band from my pocket, handing it to her. "I'm going to want that back," I said, helping her up. 

"How, what, huh?" 

"I'll explain later. See what I mean about him being a terror?"

Anna nodded, she looked at Rowan, who watched her, concern clearly evident on his face. 

Her expression softened. She bowed. 

"Thank you, Rowan."

He bowed back. "You're welcome, highness."

Then he turned his eyes to me. He crouched down, his one foot planted squarely in front of him, the other stretched behind. 

I raised my hands. "Hold, Rowan, I won't use magic." 

"You're going to regret that choice, master." Rowan replied, straightening, resuming that same, nonchalant, arrogant, irritating stance. He walked to where the sword had fallen from the princess's hand. 

"Will you be needing this sir? Or are you going to summon that abomination?"

"I wouldn't insult you by using anything less." I said and focused. A shimmering black blade appeared in my right hand. 

"Come at me, sir."

*