Flame Touched

Chapter Six - Eian

Eian did not know where his brother was—still. His twin was back in the castle, but he wasn't at breakfast or at his morning training session. Whatever happened the evening before must have drained his brother to no end. Work called Matt to a lot of places Eian did not care to go, and made his brother do things he'd never dream of doing. Matt was a little too attached to his job, and far too young to be so dedicated. We're supposed to be having lunch today and going out to the dunes. If he's too tired to be present in mind as well as body, I'm going to cancel. The time Eian spent with his twin, just the two of them, was becoming fewer and farther apart. He figured that'd be the case as they got older and prepared for their lives as adults. I'm not sure I want to be an adult just yet, though.

He surveyed his group of trainees, watching as they tried to perfect how to put up a shield of magic. They were all preteens in the beginning of their military training for the Dragon Guard. Start them young when they had more of an open mind to learning new tricks. Not to mention, most adult men didn't respect Eian since he was only seventeen. It didn't matter if he was an expert in how to protect oneself from all kinds of attacks. He was young and passive, and thus not worthy of their time. Because unlike Matteo, Eian didn't make anyone respect the authority placed on his shoulders. Maybe he should have, but he couldn't stomach being nasty to anyone—even out of necessity.

On top of that, the spells he taught were hard to learn. Frustrated children were a lot easier to deal with than frustrated adults. And all of them struggled; totally normal. Aggressive spells were so much easier to learn: impulsive, raw, and intuitive. Defense, on the other hand, required a lot more discipline and concentration. It meant having to drown out the rest of the world and trusting the magic itself to be strong enough. Easy in theory, but add in magic and weapons honing in from every direction, and it was almost impossible to do on the spot.

Almost impossible for everyone but Eian. While his brother could create a fireball capable of decimating an entire city, Eian could make a shield to shelter the city from such an attack. And he could do it with nothing more than a blink of an eye. It was effortless to create. Maintaining it was another story. Magic cost a price. To create so much energy, meant a lot of his energy would be used. Same went for the powerful attack spells. It helped create balance, and an understanding that those spells shouldn't be used at such strength unless absolutely necessary.

Thankfully, the dragon nations were at peace with one another. As long as the dragons didn't fight, then the humans would have no need to fight either. Each nation was ruled by dragons, after all. Their purpose on the earth was to protect the humans and guide them through life. In some nations, there was minor say from the humans as to who was elected into positions of authority. The Terran and Oceina nations seemed to have a successful system that allowed for such a thing. Eian's homeland of Inero was not so reliant on human ideas. Dragons acted as representatives of the lower classes. Some took the job seriously, others not so much. There was no fear of rebellion, though. Any efforts would be squashed in an instant. His father made sure of that by sending Matt out to do the dirty work.

Eian bit down on his lower lip as he watched the trainees continue to struggle with their shields, trying his hardest to push out the thought of more people suffering for the sake of the empire. More people who weren't having their concerns heard. Nothing is ever going to change. There was so much room for progression, so much potential, and it would never be fulfilled as long as his father remained stubborn. It's not my problem. I can't make it my problem. I can't save the world.

"I did it!" one boy cried out. Sure enough, when Eian turned his attention to him he saw a faint glow of fire surrounding the child. The shield didn't stay for long, and the boy pouted.

Eian walked over to him, smiling. "Don't be upset. You did great! This is our first day. Most aren't able to do it until about a week in." He addressed the rest of the class. "Remember to keep your mind clear and your heart pure. Thoughts cause doubt and distraction. Negative feelings will channel your magic into other avenues. I know it's frustrating, and frustration is a difficult emotion to drown out. On the battlefield, you won't have more than a second to deal with whatever you might be feeling in the heat of the moment. Learning to control it now, will be what ends up saving your life farther down the road." He looked back at the boy who had succeeded in the spell. "And be proud of keeping it for that one second. Because that's all you need. Just enough time to stop your enemy from hurting you. Being a show off is only going to waste your energy. It's not worth it."

The boy nodded, and sat down, clearly tired from exerting so much of his magic. Eian watched him for a moment, knowing he'd have to report the success to his father. Only the most powerful magic users could conjure the shield on the first day of trying, or the most pure of heart. He hoped for the latter, but knew he had to make note in case it was the former. His father apparently had big plans for the magically potent such as Eian and his twin. Plans that were probably only trouble. Eian loved his father, and hated his politics. Whatever he's thinking, I need to remember he believes it's for the better. He had to hold onto the positive truths.

Eian glanced toward the doorway of the training room, and saw his brother. "Take a break before we try again. Then we'll call it a day." There was a quiet murmur of "yes, sir" as the boys went to get a drink of water, all glancing at Matt as they went.

The guy was a legend. Most of the boys in the class didn't believe Eian when he said they were twins. Eian was too real and calm to be related to someone as cool as Matt. The idea made him laugh more than anything else. Matt wasn't cooler than anyone else. He was just as normal and human as the rest of them. Or as normal and human as a dragon could get.

With a small smile, Eian approached his brother. "I wasn't sure if we were still on as planned."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Matt asked.

"You weren't at breakfast."

"And?" Matt raised an eyebrow, clearly challenging him.

Eian shrugged. "Breakfast is the best. You don't miss it unless you're working or dying."

"Sleeping."

"Ah." Not surprised since you came in so late.

Matt frowned. "How did you know?"

Wincing, Eian faced away from his brother. Sometimes, the two could read the other's thoughts. Another one of the perks to being twins with an abundance of magic. It worked to their advantage in a lot of ways. They'd learned to control what to share and what to keep to themselves a long time ago. Every so often, one would slip up and not be so careful.

After a long moment passed, Eian shrugged. "You remember how my magic works. We don't have to talk about what happened. If you're still tired—"

"I got in a good nap, and I'll sleep again when I get to my next assignment," Matt said.

"Next assignment?"

Matt waved a hand in front of him. "A longer project. I'll be gone for a couple of days. It's nothing bad or violent either, so you'll have nothing to worry about. Father needs me to observe one of the nearby towns for a potential love nest location." He rolled his eyes. "You know how paranoid he is."

Eian wasn't sure he was buying the excuse, though he did believe him when Matt said it wasn't a dangerous task. The smell of a lie was present, faint, but that didn't change anything. It only meant the lie was small. And I don't want to waste my time pushing him for the truth. I have more effective ways of getting my answers. "Let me finish my class, and then we'll go."