I smiled as the moisture I pulled from the air filled the canteen as water. The canteen floated to the ground and stopped as the lid sealed. The canteen then settled on the ground. Lily let me know she was thrilled with what I had done across our bond.

A spark of lightening and fireball shot across and hit a large rock sitting at the cliff’s edge. I heard clapping after showing I could control the destructive energies.

“Well done,” a voice said.

I turned and saw the pixie elder hovering along with several others in addition to Lily. “Thank you.”

“Now, defend yourself,” Trillium said before throwing her own zap at me.

I pulled energy from around me and formed an oval shield in front of me. The spark of electricity splashed harmlessly across the energy shield. I smiled and started to dismiss the shield as Trillium smiled and gestured to several other pixies.

“Oh, cow dung!” I exclaimed reconjuring the shield to deflect the attacks. I noticed my familiar leaning against a stick or cane wearing tan robes smiling. I shook my head and just that little lapse of attention allowed one of the attacks through. “Ow!”

“Are you hurt?” Lily asked. Her concern radiated through our bond as I shook my left wrist.

“Not really,” I answered.

“Good,” Lily replied. “Heal yourself.”

“Huh?”

“You were cut and are bleeding,” Trillium pointed out.

“What kind of attack cut me?” I asked.

“A wind blade,” May answered. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright since it’s part of the training,” Lily replied.

“What she said,” I added. That made the pixies giggle.

“Just focus the energy inward and on the cut,” Lily encouraged me.

Through our bond she advised me to focus on stopping the bleeding first. I gathered some of the surrounding energy and pulled it into me. The bleeding stopped as I pictured what I wanted to happen in my mind. The cut healed a moment later.

“He did it!” Yam exclaimed.

“Yes. My pupil has completed his training,” Lily said pitching her voice lower. I looked in her direction and saw she not only had her ridiculous outfit, but the pixie also had long green ears.

“Where did the ears come from?” I laughed.

“The getting place!” the pixies chorused.

“I should have expected that answer,” I replied to laughter.

“Yep!” Lily exclaimed. She was now wearing one of her normal dresses. This one a blue that matched her eyes.

“Oh! Does this mean Jase is now a wizard or sorcerer?” Willow wondered.

“He had to learn to harness the energy around us, so, wizard would be my vote,” April said. Several pixies agreed with her.

“But he was technically born with the ability to use the energy,” Yam said. “That would make him a sorcerer.”

“I think mage would work,” Trillium said. “As has been stated, he has learned, and Jase has skills outside of wielding the energy.”

“Oh! He could be a sage then!” May offered.

“I don’t know. Jase doesn’t exactly have wisdom,” Lily replied. The pixies laughed. “He’s also only a little mature for his age.”

“Hey!” I objected to more laughter.

“I’m sorry my Jase. You know I love you, but it’s true,” my familiar said flying over to me and kissing my right cheek.

“Probably,” I admitted as she landed on and then sat on my right shoulder.

“Jase may make a great sage one day,” Trillium said. “He already is well on his way to being a great medicine man. With his ‘magic’, becoming a sage makes sense.”

“That’s if my Jase can learn wisdom and maturity,” Lily added.

“Indeed,” the pixie elder agreed as I shook my head.

“Can we get a training montage now?” Yam asked. Most of the pixies became excited about the idea.

“No,” I said shaking my head.

“Come on! Pretty please?” Willow tried. “It’ll be fun!”

“He won’t do it,” Lily pouted. “I’ve been trying for the last few weeks to get my Jase to do one.”

“No, I don’t think I’m a montage kind of guy,” I said. “I am the wanting chicken for supper with ice cream for dessert kind of guy though.”

“That works,” Lily readily agreed.

“Ice cream! Ice cream!” the pixies chanted as I laughed.

*

“Hi Gabriela,” I greeted the merchant as I walked up to the caravan leader. Lily was riding on my shoulder and waved at the merchant before flying over to Diego, her cat familiar.

“Hi Jase. You’re just the young man I was hoping to see,” the older woman replied. Gabriela was one of the few women that I had seen that led caravans.

“You want to order some of my wares?” I asked.

“Yes, but that’s not what I wanted to ask you about,” Gabriela replied. A few of the villagers checking out the merchants’ wares shook their heads and kept walking.

“Ok. What’s up?” I asked as Lily flew up and landed on my shoulder again.

“I know,” Lily silently told me using our bond. “Diego told me.”

“Going to tell me?” I asked my familiar.

“What and ruin the fun? No way Jose,” Lily replied.

“What I wanted to know is if you’ve thought about teaching others,” Gabriela said.

“Not really,” I replied. “Why?”

“My niece wants to learn to be an alchemist,” the merchant said. I frowned and she smiled. “Alright, herbalist.”

“Why tell me this?” I asked.

“Because you’re one of the best herbalists or medicine men around,” Lily smugly answered.

“Because you’re one of the best at doing what you do around,” the older woman said. Lily laughed. “Is something funny, Lily?”

The pixie smiled and shook her head.

“There are others that are older, more skilled, and wiser than me,” I objected.

“You’re right,” Gabriela agreed. “And those others already have apprentices or aren’t teaching.”

“So, I’m a last resort?”

“No silly,” Lily replied.

“No,” Gabriela quickly answered. “In fact, Selma Wicker in Asheville recommended you after I broached the subject with her. Selma is retiring, so, she isn’t teaching anyone else.”

“Ah,” I replied.

“It might be fun bossing someone around,” Lily said.

“You know that’s your idea of fun and not mine,” I replied.

“Hey! I only do that to you,” Lily objected. She kissed my cheek after sensing that I was joking.

Returning my attention to the merchant, I asked, “Why not ask Trinity?”

Gabriela snorted. “Her mother and I want Isabella to learn from someone that has knowledge and skills good enough to impart them to her, not someone she wouldn’t like or get along with. Trinity doesn’t have the temperament to teach.”

“I don’t know if I have the temperament needed to teach,” I said.

“I think you do and more importantly, I think having someone near your own age around you would do you some good,” the merchant countered.

“Oh, she has you there,” Lily said nodding in agreement with what Gabriela had just said. “You’ll always have me but having more human contact and friends would be good for you.”

“True,” I admitted. Out loud and to the merchant, I said, “I need to think about this. When are you wanting to pick up some of my wares?”

“Tomorrow works for me,” Gabriela answered. “Let’s say after lunch?”

“Alright. I’ll have an answer for you then. Now, I need to see if Mitch has any chicken,” I said.

“Ok. See you tomorrow,” the caravan leader replied and turned to talk to some other villagers.

“Are you going to do it?” Lily asked me as I started walking toward the butcher shop.

“It depends. We will need to see if this Isabella is trustworthy and can keep a secret or three,” I replied.

“Meeting her first is a good idea,” Lily agreed. “See! You can show wisdom.”

“Ha-ha.”

“I’m serious,” Lily said.

“I know,” I replied.