“Again.”

The three mages facing Samuel lifted their hands into the air, pointing directly at him, and fired bolts of fire at him. Samuel, standing roughly twenty feet away, sent out a destructive clump of mana, slamming into two of the spells and dissipating them. He was unable to catch the third, which slammed into his barrier harmlessly, disappearing. He let out an exasperated sigh. The younger mages looked a little tired, so he waved them away.

“I just can’t manage more than two at a time,” he said with another sigh. “I need to be much better if I’m going to grow at all.”

He heard the sound of feet stepping through the sand behind him, and turned to see Tobi approaching. His apprentice was drenched in sweat, and his legs looked unstable as he reached Samuel and sat down on the shore, facing the lake. They’d learned by now that it was lake Zuria, the same they’d seen before, though they were on the northern shore now.

“Working hard with the other apprentices?” Samuel asked. He knew that, after teaching the chosen students his father’s War Strike, he’d spent the past two days training hard with those wild mages who could perform psonics. Preoccupied with his own practice, he hadn’t been able to keep a close eye on his apprentice’s progress, but he’d seen a definite improvement.

“Yes,” Tobi said, his breathing slowing down a bit as he rested. “I’m making a little progress. It’s slow, but still progress.”

Samuel nodded in understanding of his predicament. It was exactly how he felt, tackling this newest challenge of his arcane skills. Sivarn had explained to him that normal mages, or at least those who could harness the Ahyan Tongue, used Laban as a measure to dissipate spells. Samuel had taken nearly a full day to learn how to scale his own power back so that, instead of reflecting the spell, he could now delete it.

“I sympathize,” he said, sitting beside Tobi. “I can’t get the hang of this new counter-magic, not to the level I want. But now we’re out of time, so this will just have to be enough.”

He had shared everything Sivarn and the elders had said with Tobi after the meeting ended, including the account of their own clash with the beast and the possibility that Samuel’s unique trait was enough to finish it off, once they’d forced it to self-destruct. Tobi had been taken aback, but not surprised. Having seen Samuel’s control over his own and other’s mana, it was a logical conclusion. He’d trained endlessly over the past two days in an attempt to ready himself, but he was surprised to learn that Samuel was as doubtful of his skills as Tobi was about his own.

“At least we won’t be facing it alone this time,” Tobi commented, fishing a water skin from his belt and taking a long drink. “In fact, I think we have a good chance of winning this time.”

Samuel nodded, but did not reply. His attention was on the surface of the lake, which was unnaturally still today. Only minute waves broke the smooth surface, causing the reflection of the bright moon to waver on the face of the water. It looked so calm that he couldn’t help staring at it, wishing to himself that he could be as composed.

They had spoken with Sivarn and the elders the previous night, after they’d had some time to scout out the most capable mages in the colony. They’d gathered four others, with Sivarn making up the seventh member of the party. Samuel wasn’t sure if the number was enough, but after a practice session with the others, which included a lot of practical demonstration, he was convinced of their skill.

“It’s certainly possible,” Samuel said. “Our chances would be even greater if I could harness spiritual magic before we set out. But it would be a miracle to learn one of those spells on my own, let alone in two days.”

“Do not regret that which you cannot achieve,” Tobi said with a slight grin. “Be confident in what you can, and forget what you cannot.”

Samuel turned to view him. The apprentice’s silhouette in the moonlight was oddly impressive. For a brief moment, he looked much older and wiser. “That’s one of your father’s sayings, isn’t it?”

Tobi nodded. “I suppose he told you that before?”

“No. It just sounds like something he would say.”

Tobi laughed at that. “He’s full of wise sayings for every situation. I can’t tell if it’s his own experience or his old master.”

“Ah,” Samuel said, only just remembering. “You mean Raveonic? I imagine he was a great man. Shame I never got the chance to meet him.”

“You speak as if he’s dead,” Tobi said with a wider grin. “But alas, he is still alive. Father traveled to visit him only six years ago, and Raveonic sends him letters about twice a month.”

Samuel stared blankly at the faintly amused look on Tobi’s face. “How is he still alive? I know Grimr said that some mortals can become so powerful that they live longer, but he must be at least two hundred years old by now.”

“I’m not sure exactly how old he is,” Tobi admitted with a thoughtful frown. “But when father returned from his trip, he said that he hadn’t aged a day since he’d last seen him.”

Samuel blinked rapidly, his mind trying to put the pieces together. What was it about inherent or earned power that stopped someone from aging? He’d hardly aged a day, if at all, since he’d been changed into an Ancient by Arcana, but that was a special circumstance. If it was possible for every person in the world to achieve this power, then why wasn’t the fact more widely known? How did anyone die, if such powerful magicks existed?

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Sivarn, who had padded down the shoreline to where they sat. The wild mage leader was dressed in simpler furs today, having discarded the fine silver hides that had made him appear so distinguished on their first meeting. He moved more casually now, and Samuel thought that, if he’d seen this version of him on the first day, he would have never picked him out as the leader.

“Good evening, Tree Stalker,” Samuel said. He’d originally felt awkward with constantly referring to Sivarn by the title given by his people, but he’d grown accustomed to it. “Is there more to discuss about tomorrow?”

Sivarn made a brief hand gesture dismissing Samuel’s question. “Nay. Ishira and I would like to extend you two an invitation. We wish for you to dine with us tonight.”

Samuel got to his feet, brushing crumbs of sand off of his robe. The prospect of food, as always, brightened his mood at once. In his short time with the Wild Mages, he’d learned that Sivarn’s wife was an excellent cook. Furthermore, she shared Samuel’s love for coffee, even if it was only a simple beverage for her.

“We would be honored to join you,” he said enthusiastically. Tobi nodded his agreement as he stood as well. “We will go to your tent shortly.”

Sivarn made another negative hand gesture. “We will not eat in my tent tonight. As is custom before a great battle, we will have a communal feast around the fire. You two are welcome to sit beside us, along with the other members of our party.”

Samuel raised his eyebrows in surprised, but nodded his understanding, and Sivarn turned to return to his wife. He moved in a sort of slow jog, clearly eager to return quickly. Samuel hid a grin as he noticed this. No matter how powerful the man was, he still had to answer to the ultimate authority in his life, the slender, olive-skinned woman that he loved.

“He’s a good leader,” Tobi commented. “I’m not sure that leading purely through strength is the right way, but it’s not a bad one.”

Samuel made a small noise of agreement, and the two made their slow way to the center of the camp, where they could see the preparations for a huge fire were already underway. Many large stones had been arranged to form a pit, with a spare pile of logs to keep the flames burning for many hours. Just as he watched, one of the mages lit the fire with a flick of a finger, and others began to gather around it, sitting down and talking amongst each other with occasional laughs.

Samuel sat to Sivarn’s left, with Tobi taking the spot beside him. Two of the others sat to their left, with the other two taking the empty spots to Ishira’s right. Sivarn greeted them with a silent nod which they returned, also replying to Ishira’s welcoming smile. The warmth of the fire washed over them at once, dispelling the light chill of the evening air. Sivarn stood.

“Welcome, family and friends. Tonight, we feast beneath the stars, surrounded by the Mother’s protection. We enjoy our life, and pray for our descendants. For the Mother!”

His last cry was echoed throughout the crowd, with Tobi and Samuel joining in, albeit a little late. There were a few appreciative chuckles at the embarrassed looks on their faces, but everyone was quickly distracted as the food began to appear, being laid out on the fire. In no time at all, the area was suffused with the smell of roasting meat and coffee, as small cups were passed around to those who wanted it.