Tom’s head was in the clouds.
He wasn’t quite sure where he was or why he was there. His
muddled brain wouldn’t allow him to focus on such trivial concerns. Soft,
powdery earth cushioned his back, sweat cooled on his skin and Tom felt none of
it. His thoughts floated listlessly, focusing on nothing and everything at
once. His eyes however, were opened wide, his focus off in the distance. A
voice in the back of his head told him that he needed to get up, that there was
something important that he was forgetting. But for the moment, he seemed content
to stare up at the sky.
He was sure that he’d never seen anything quite like it. Great
fluffy masses of clouds drifted lazily across his vison. It reminded him of a
painting. Like visiting the art galleries as a child and looking at the
masterworks of great painters. He could have sworn that he could see every
brushstroke. The pale blue color of the sky was like looking out at the ocean,
expanding endlessly out to the edges of the world. Great masses of clouds
drifted across the sky, like great continents across an endless sea. It all
seemed so far away and yet so close. Looking up at that great landmass, he must
seem like a giant. If he could only reach his hand out; he was sure he could
touch it.
Soft blue gave way to the darker colors of rain soaked
thunderheads. A storm was coming. Even his sluggish brain recognized that. The
sky was still blue but it was clear it wouldn’t be for much longer. The clouds
were darkening as they swallowed up the sunshine streaming through the breaks
in the cloud cover.
A shadow fell on him as a female figure stepped into his
vision, blocking one of the last patches of sunshine and creating a halo of
light around her body. It casted her features in shadow, hiding her identity
from him. Tom’s brain struggled to put the pieces together. Finally, his eyes
adjusted to the changing light as the face of Aresta came into focus
“Get up. The lesson isn’t over yet.”
Tom remembered to breathe. He took in a ragged breath as
wonderful oxygen returned to his lungs. He rolled over onto his side and
coughed into the powdery dirt as everything came rushing back to him. Tom rose
to a sitting position, his ears still ringing from the explosion that sent him
to his back. Stars danced in his vision as he started to get a handle over
himself again.
Aresta stood over him, bouncing a fireball in the palm of one
clawed hand, a smug expression on her face. That’s right, he thought, combat
lessons.
“Had enough little Tommy boy, want to call it a day?” Aresta
said, in a mocking tone.
“Fuck that.” He said. A touch of defiance and irritation creeping
into his tone.
Tom stood up on shaky legs before getting his balance under
him. Tom cursed the muggy, humid weather as he wiped sweat from his brow. His
shirt was sticky against his damp skin. Even as the sunshine vanished, heat
still radiated off the ground. A mocking reminder that the promised reprieve of
rain had yet to arrive. The heat right before the rain was always the worst
part of summer rain storms.
Muggy, hot and sticky, he thought, as he surveyed his
surroundings.
They were in a rock quarry on the outskirts of town, in the
midst of a combat lesson. Although, Tom wouldn’t quite call it a lesson. Aresta
would have to be teaching him something for it to qualify as a lesson. He
wasn’t sure trying to stay alive as she threw fireballs at him qualified as a
lesson plan.
Aresta launched another fireball at him before he had a
chance to fully regain his breath. He saw it coming and stepped to the side,
allowing the ball of reddish flame to soar past him and impact the cliff face
behind him.
“Enough fucking around. Defend yourself.” She barked.
Tom squared his shoulders with the fiery demon. Aresta was
in her demon form. Leathery wings and pale red skin, contrasted with bright
pink hair and piercing eyes that glowed slightly in the dying light. He forced
his muscles to unclench as he felt the flow of magic down the nerve endings of
his arms. His fingertips tingled with energy, unformed spells itching to be
used.
