I finished lacing up my soft Aiel boots and
stood to leave. I took a look around my small room realizing that no matter
what the outcome of tonight I would be forever changed. I flung a knife
at the picture which made for target hanging on my wall, a present from
several of the other warders. It was a picture of some girl they didn’t
like, I didn’t understand it but it made a good target, after I watched
it hit smack dab in the middle of the picture I headed for the door.
As I touched the latch I suddenly realized
I was afraid. It was a fairly uncommon feeling for me; I understood fear
and had felt it before. Many times when I was out hunting in the blight
I had looked into the eyeless face of a fade and would feel all my barriers
against emotions begin to break as that look sent fear straight to my very
bones, but I had always overcome it.
This time it was different though, I could already feel those
barriers crumbling and I hadn’t even begun my trip to the cause of that
fear, this was far more frightening than what any halfman’s stare could
do. I somehow managed to get the door open and get outside of my room but
I will never know how. I couldn’t turn back now, I knew if I did I could
never change my mind again so I began my journey to a new life.
Each step brought with it hundreds of doubts
to my mind and hundreds of reasons why I should return to my room. Night
had descended upon us so there was hardly anyone around yet I still felt
as if hundreds of eyes were upon me. I continually would try to clear my
mind, to erase any doubts that I had but then I would take another step
and all would return to me with countless new ones.
It seemed like hours to make it to the Green
Ajah’s section of the tower, and years for me to find my way to the warders
apartments, but I eventually found myself outside the door I had been summoned
to several nights before. Beyond this door lay a thousand possibilities
to my future, and possibly my new life. Yet all these possibilities depended
on whether or not I had the ability to channel saidin. I took a steadying
breath to calm myself and then knocked.
Aelric Calrillian greeted me at the door and
after I had entered he shut and latched the door behind us. I looked around
his room taking in everything I saw. It was bigger than my own, which was
to be expected, books filled the shelves and several lay open on his desk
and bed. His sword rest upright and sheathed near the door, this was as
much as I got for he quickly snapped my attention back to my purpose of
being here. I’ll never know why he finally decided to test me, maybe he
wanted a true challenge and I was it or maybe he just felt it was his duty,
I’ll never know for sure.
He explained to me what he was going to do
and then gave me instructions as to what I was supposed to do. I listened
to every word he said not wanting to make any mistakes. Fear surged through
me but I tried not to let it show, I failed. He gave me a reassuring smile
and a few calming words and then we began.
It really was a simple thing in all, I had expected something
requiring physical exertion but instead I had to stay still. I emptied
my mind of everything and concentrated on only the flame, which had appeared
and was now floated, in front of my eyes. I did exactly as I was told but
nothing seemed to happen. After what seemed like hours I began to worry,
but when the flame disappeared and I looked down at Aelric He gave me a
pleased smile.
Relief along with disbelief and many other
emotions flooded through me. I couldn’t hide my joy or my fear. I knew
of what being able to channel meant and I also knew about the taint that
came with it could mean. All these things went through my mind in the blink
of an eye. The next thing I remember was Aelric giving me instructions
on how to reach saidin and how to control it.
I spent the next several hours with Aelric,
him teaching me the basics and exercises to help me become stronger. I
left near mid-night back to my room overjoyed by what had transpired that
night. I spent the rest of the night reading the books I had checked out
of the tower library on my new gift.
Over the next weeks I grew stronger in the
power, my greatest talents being in earth and fire with spirit not far
behind with water and air after them. Aelric usually had little time for
teaching me so he sent me to Sorhan al’Danielle who would also teach me.
I took every advantage to visit Sorhan at the Bardic Hall, where he taught
me the art of illusion. This skill I learned rather quickly and became
quite good at it, he also tried to teach me delving but even with my strong
abilities in Earth I just couldn’t get the hang of it. My greatest triumph
came when he taught me the way of making power wrought weapons. From this
I created a set of balanced throwing daggers made which I made unbreakable
and also would not dull, they’re true gift though in was that they could
kill any shadowspawn creature instantly with only the slightest nick, except
for myrddraal that is for those creatures never die quickly. They were
made of solid gold (which had come from one of my few good delving experiences)
with eagles carved in the blade and hilt.
The nights I did get instructions from Aelric
I would learn the art of healing, along with some instructions on how to
use saidin as a weapon and also how to defend myself with it. I enjoyed
the healing lessons much more than the latter two for I found no fun to
hunt down something only to make it explode into flames. I would practice
my talents only when my instructors were present until they finally decided
that I was responsible enough to handle it myself.
Both my instructors under took the job of
teaching me how to travel using a gateway and also how to skim, these were
also a talent I found myself good at. Eventually I was alowed to travel
by gateways to their rooms or other places they wished to teach me at.
One day I traveled to the Bardic Hall for another lesson and found both
men waiting for me, this was to be my last lesson. We spent a few hours
talking each giving me their last bit of information that they felt I should
need and then I left to learn on my own.
