A Dangerous Destiny: The Pure One Book I

Chapter Nineteen

Let's get back to Karina. Been awhile since we got her POV. Recall that Manna went to Caleb on behalf of her student? Well Karina is going to get her first taste of combat very soon. This chapter is a bit shorter than my others so I'm planning a second update on Friday. Enjoy:-)

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Karina

When Manna told her that she would train under the great swordsman Caleb Blackwell, Karina had nearly burst with excitement at the news. She had long envied Aidan and his friends, whose fathers sent them to study with the sword master. Aidan often bragged about his teacher and how strong he had become studying under Blackwell's tutelage.

"You don't look so strong to me," Karina would tease, though secretly she knew she was jealous. But she was a girl, and it was said that Caleb Blackwell would not train girls. It seemed impossible that she would now have the good fortune to see her secret dream come true.

The night before her first lesson, Manna gave Karina a pair of breeches and a loose cotton shirt she had prepared for her. Karina was delighted. She'd always resented the weight of the long skirts Manna said were proper and wished she could run, jump, and play as easily as the boys in town were able to. Karina was even more excited when Manna presented her with a bow, a sword, and a small dagger.

"These belonged to your mother," Manna told her. "When you have learned enough to use them, they will be yours."

"My mother could fight?" Karina asked incredulously, all at once surprised and enthralled by the idea.

"Indeed she could," Manna answered with a small smile. "She would be glad to see how much you like her gifts. Your mother was quite the hunter and fighter as well. I believe I have never seen a woman wield a sword as skillfully, nor a man for that matter."

Karina's eyes went wide, a hundred questions racing through her mind. Manna so rarely told her anything about her mother and now she found herself inheriting weapons from the woman. While it was not unheard of for girls to be trained in the art of combat, it was far from common. The idea that her mother had been a warrior filled Karina with a pride and elation she could barely contain. Who was this woman who had left her weapons as a legacy? Why had Manna kept this secret for so long? How had her teacher managed to convince the master swordsman to train her? Did it have something to do with her mother?

But by the time Karina put the questions together in her head, Manna had already put her mother's gifts away, and busied herself with other tasks, expertly sidestepping the chance for Karina to ask any thing else. Karina could not help but resent the fact that she'd barley even had the chance to even look at the weapons but she new better than to press Manna further on the matter. Her teacher would never reveal any more knowledge than she wished and it was no good arguing. Still the questions burned in Karina's mind even if she could not give them voice.

That night Karina crept out of bed long after her teacher had fallen asleep and tread silently through the dark to the cabinet where she had seen Manna restore her mother's weapons. The sword and bow were now wrapped in cloth, but the dagger lay on a top shelf, fully exposed, daring Karina to retrieve it. She couldn't help herself. The weapon belonged to her now after all. Surly there was no harm in taking a closer look. The handle and shiny silver pommel were cold in her hand as she reached out and retrieved her prize before going to the dying fire to examine the dagger in the remaining light it provided.

Sitting by the hearth, Karina could now see the carved wooden handle was textured. Richly decorated with an intricate design of branches and leaves wrapping around its length, and inlaid with a dull greenish stone. She recognized it as Labradorite, the stone of sight, known for its ability to strengthen the inner eye and see past the veil of the Fae. As she turned the dagger the firelight showed a shock of blue running through the stone, disappearing and flashing again when she rotated the dagger. Karina didn't think she had ever seen something so beautiful.

Removing the weapon from its brown and green leather stitched sheath, Karina ran a finger along the flat of the blade. It was not long, but it certainly seemed sharp. The metal too was decorated, etched along the edge in with an ancient script Karina had seen before in Manna's older texts. Karina had not yet learned to read the older letters, but though she could not understand the words, she was struck by the sense that this knife was something very powerful.

As she re-sheathed the blade, Karina closed her eyes and tried to imagine her mother, hoping that somehow the woman's essence still remained around the knife. That her echo be coaxed to come forward to help her daughter remember the woman she'd never met.

Karina had often envisioned her mother as a beautiful, with long brown hair and kind eyes. Now she imagined that same woman, powerful and strong, her hands wrapped around the hilt of a sword. The kind eyes were sharpened in concentration as she stood tall and proud, ready to defend her people and family from any threat. The image made her smile. Perhaps she might never recall the great woman who had given her life, but at least now she knew her protection remained. She had gifted it through her weapons and now Karina too might grow to be strong and powerful, just as her mother had been.

Karina lay down on the ground, staring at the dagger for hours, memorizing the carved design as she traced it with her thumb, gazing into the ornamental stone as the blue streak flickered through its center. When her eyes finally grew too tired to remain open Karina fell asleep curled up by the fire, the knife hugged to her body as a young child might cradle a doll.

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Manna

When Manna found the girl the next morning she was immensely disturbed by the image. There by the hearth Karina lay, lovingly clutching Fiona's old athame, her hand curled around the handle of the dagger in a death grip even in repose. Manna saw it as a bad omen of things to come. As she carefully removed the ritual weapon from her student's hand and replaced it in the cabinet, some part of her wished that she had never been to see Caleb, that she had never given Karina Fiona's weapons. This time Manna made sure to lock the cabinet door.

Staring at the still sleeping girl Manna could sense the feeling of something rotten growing in the pit of her stomach, a fear she could not yet name. A vision of the black-eyed child she'd once held appeared unbidden, flashing through her mind with a cold shock. 

Manna shuddered as her memory forced the image of those unfathomable dark chasms of pure power upon her. When the child finally rose and dressed Manna found she could barley force herself to look Karina in the eyes for fear the vision of her mind might manifest in the present.

As the young girl left for what would be her first taste of combat training, Manna could not help but see that in approaching Caleb, she'd finally allowed Karina to take the first step from childhood into the dark unknown future she kept from her student for so long. Manna could only hope she'd made the right decision. That Caleb's training would help tame the bit of Karina's strength that still frightened her. That in learning proper defense, Karina would be able to protect herself if she and Fiona could not be there to do so.

As I said, it's short, but I hope this chapter gave you a bit of new info on Karina. What she thinks of her "long dead" mother ( If only she knew:-/) and how she feels about the prospect of learning to fight. What do you think of Manna's fears? The vision of the black eyed child?...If Karina is the child of prophecy as Manna seems to think, what does that frightening power mean?? I'd love to hear what readers think, so if you have comments please let me know! As always I take any and all questions, comments, and critique ( I will respond to everyone). And if you liked the chapter be sure to click the star:-)