Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
 Echo’s of the Flame


     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.
 

Back