“But then, I saw what you were doing. You know I’m skilled...uh, from our first sparring session.”
“You are more than skilled when it comes to physical martial arts, Rynna.” He dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. “I’ve never seen some of the techniques or styles you use.” He gave her a long, thoughtful look. “Maybe one day, you’ll tell me where you learned them?”
“Telling you would require actual conversations. More than one.”
“Fair.” His eye twinkled, making her lungs seize.
“Anyway...” She cleared her throat, needing to disengage before she said something…else…stupid. “I see you’ve been giving me opportunities to mentor, and I appreciate it.”
“Hey! You guys coming in or what?” Bran’s voice cut through the moment, yelling from across the restaurant.
Fenn winced at the interruption, then waved at the boy before ushering her through the door. “You deserve it. And you’re good at it. Much more mature than I remember being at your age.”
“I doubt that, Guide Fenn.” She knew his reputation. He’d been operating as an elite Vessel by the time he was twelve. You didn’t get to that level without maturity, and if you lacked it, it was forced down your throat pretty damn fast.
“Besides,” she added, unable to stop herself as he fell in step beside her, “whoever said I was actually eighteen or even actually a Novice? Seems like some wrinkly old fart wanted the unaffiliated Hallow-born with little memory of her past for Ember Reach and made an assumption that shoved her into your training program.”
Shrugging, Rynna slipped in front of him, the sound of crashing plates and disgruntled customers echoing behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Fenn, off balance from her words, knocking into nearby tables and issuing a string of embarrassed apologies as he tried to help pick up the mess.
“What’s gotten into him?” Elara asked, handing Rynna a spoon, as she watched their Unit Leader fumble.
“Nothing... yet,” Rynna said with a sly smile, shrugging at her unit mates’ confused expressions.
Chapter twenty-one
“Freakingfinally!”Branshouted,grabbing Rynna from behind and lifting her clear off the ground in a bear hug. “We’re finally going on a real mission!”
Rynna didn’t miss a beat. Adjusting her weight, she hooked her heel around his calf, leaned forward, and twisted her hips sharply. Bran yelped in surprise as she used his momentum against him to flip him over her shoulder, where he landed flat on his back, gasping from the impact.
“Nice one, Rynna,” Elara said with a rueful smile, glancing at Bran as he crawled awkwardly to his feet. “You’ll have to show it to me.”
“We’ll add it to the list of techniques to cover on our journey to Fallowmere,” Fenn said, his hand carefully unfolding a large piece of vellum, its edges yellowed and worn from years of use. “Now pay attention.” He crouched, then spread it out on the ground before them, the parchment crackling softly under his fingers.
“Whoa! Is that the world?!” Bran asked, crawling next to him.
“As far as we know.” Fenn scratched his head. “Nothing’s been found in the great oceans for as long as anyone can remember.”
Interesting,Rynna thought, scooting closer. She had no real concept of what this world looked like on a broader scale.
A single, vast landmass sprawled across the parchment, beautifully rendered with intricate details. Bright symbols marked the various Reaches or elemental territories, hand-painted with vivid strokes of color.
In the center, a massive mountain range cut through the continent like a jagged spine. A great winding river wove through the territory from one end to the other, branching off here and there into tributaries. To the north, dark green forests sprawled across the land. While the west was marked by rolling plains that stretched far into the distance. And in the south, a vast desert spread, barren and golden beneath the illustration of a harsh sun.
“This is Ember Reach?” Taren pointed to a spot where a tributary of the great river flowed south, leading to a large, lush oasis nestled in the dry expanse.
“Yes,” Fenn confirmed. “And here is Pulse Reach to the north in the forests, Tide Reach west of that in the plains and coastal archipelagos, Stone Reach is here in the mountains, and Gale Reach is in the desert south of us.” His finger traced every territory, their borders marked clearly by bright red lines.
“And Void Reach?” Taren asked, his tone serious.
“The Void?” Elara squeaked.
“Void Reach is more symbolic than an actual place. It represents the sixth element in opposition to the other five,” Guide Fenn chuckled softly, looking up from the map. “At least, as far as we know.”
“So where are we going?” Rynna leaned in closer, her attention fully on the map now. She barely noticed where her thigh brushed against Fenn's.
Fenn flinched slightly at the contact but relaxed quickly. “Here.”
He pointed to a small empty space far to the west, nestled between the territories of Pulse Reach and Stone Reach.
