Wielders of Magic, Book 2: The Trinity

Life is not something to be trifled with. It is a precious, and valuable thing that everyone is blessed to have. Unfortunately some do not know how to protect it well and lose it within a few years of having it.

But some let it go willingly, to save others lives. To preserve the precious gift for others. It is a selfless, and righteous act that none can beat in payment.

A life for a life is the greatest sacrifice of all.

Rey looked up from his notebook and out into the clear, summer skies, his shirt laying beside him as his hair dripped with water.

It was hot out, and he and his companions had decided to take a dip in the lake beside their camp, hoping it would cool them off some. The dark warlock had left early to keep up in his journal, knowing that he skipped yesterday because they had run into a pack of goblins.

"Rey!" Drusilla shouted over at him, her hair a sopping mess behind her. "What are you doing, come on!"

"I don't feel like it!" He returned, jotting down a few more words on to his page.

"Oh come on, please?" Lilith joined in with her, splashing water at him as he sat a yard away from the bank.

"HEY!" He jumped up and shook off his page, a look of terror streaking through his eyes.

"Oh, did I ruin your diary?" His older sister asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she placed a hand over her lips. "Sorry princess."

"Your an ass you know that? That is three days of ruined entries!" He grabbed his shirt and started to walk back to camp, hoping they wouldn't bother him anymore.

Jaden came up from under the water, spitting it out in a stream and sitting on the bank. "Whats his problem?" He asked, scratching his head and disturbing his dark hair. It had been getting rather long he noticed.

"Oh, I accidentally splashed some water on his dear little scribbles." Lilith replied.

"I think that was a little uncalled for. He does work hard on that." Drusilla sat beside Jaden, smoothing her hair behind her shoulders.

"Yeah whatever." Lilith laughed and splashed both her and Jaden, falling in the cool river herself and letting it take her a little down stream.

"Where is Rentham?" Drusilla asked, her eyes shut tight as she wiped the water from her face.

"I think he is back at camp mapping out everywhere we have been before." Jaden answered, standing up and starting to walk back towards camp. "We don't want to keep going in circles."

Drusilla looked into the water and watched as the salmon swam up stream, wondering why they did such a thing each year. It seemed very laborious, kind of pointless, but she was not one to argue with fish.

The fish knew what they were doing.

Getting up herself, she grabbed her heavy velvet robe and slung it over her shoulder, feeling the sun glare down on her like an oven. It was hot out today, and it was a good thing the summer was almost over.

It was ironic really. She could set herself on fire and still be bothered by the sun.

"So we have searched about half the forest, and found nothing yet." Rentham sighed, tired from staying up so late last night doing the same work he did today.

"So we have no idea where any of them are?" Lilith asked, her hair up in a turban to get it dry.

"Well, I know that Kekinda lives in a forest-"

"A forest." Jaden said, looking rather doubtful. "Which one exactly?"

"I don't really . . . know." Rentham replied with a sigh, as helpless as a child in the matter.

"We can not search every forest on the face of the planet! That can not happen! If we do that we will spend centuries looking, maybe not even finding the witch!" Drusilla said, standing up and pacing back and fourth, thinking.

"Look, it is the only choice we have! There are no others! We can not just give up! We can do that, we can just spend our lives being hunted by witch hunters, never having any peace. Or we can go after the Trinity, and save ourselves a lot of pain!" Rentham replied.

"Do we have any other information on the magic user?" Lilith asked, putting her hair up in a towel to dry it.

"Well, she lives in a hut below the forest floor, but does have windows that let some light in. So maybe we should look for some glass or something." The fallen king replied. "She also controls one fourth of a forest and all the animals in that domain with a mass charm spell."

"OH!" Drusilla got up and ran to her tent, drawing out a spell book. "We can just charm the birds and send them out instead!"

"Oh yes, that is a great plan." Rey scoffed. "Do you have enough focus to keep them going for a extended amount of time?"

"Oh . . ." She slowly shut the book, her eyes wide and wondering why she had not thought of that before.

"Here, I'll do it." Rentham took the book and reopened it, finding the spell and beginning to memorize it.

"Oh so we are actually doing that?" Lilith looked over at the grey skinned man, wondering what kind of magic he really possessed. He didn't use it much, and some of them were wondering if he was as powerful as Drusilla and Rey had said.

"I will call the birds for you." The dark warlock stood up and closed his eyes, his breath becoming deep and slow as he focused on the spell, all other thoughts being discarded for the moment.

It seemed like every bird in the forest flocked to their spot, all chirping and talking with one another as Rentham slowly made his way out into the large meadow. He stood in the middle and put his head down, reciting the quiet words of the spell as a blueish smoke wafted around him, coming directly from his hands.

As he moved his limbs, the birds started to follow; all swarming in a flock, following the commands of his hands. It was amazing, and made Drusilla gasp at the power she could possess one day.

But Rey was right. She would have to learn concentration first. If only she still had a teacher like Jackson, one that connected with her so well. Maybe it was just a personal thing . . .

Rentham extending his arms in a jerk-like motion, making the birds scatter in all directions. He sat there for about half an hour as the companions quietly talked among themselves, hoping they wouldn't break his concentration.

After a few more minutes, he dropped his hands and breathed heavily, Rey running to cushion his, soon to happen, fall. The fallen king fell into his arms and let the dark warlock drag him back to camp, setting him in his tent.

"That looked exhausting!" Lilith gasped. "Can you imagine the concentration one would have to have to preform such a spell for that period of time? For even a mere five minutes?"

"Did he find the location?" Jaden asked Rey as he exited their leaders tent.

"I am pretty sure. He mumbled something about her being two forests over."

"Ahhhhh." Lilith growled. "Do you know how long that would ta-" She gulped her words and looked over at her brother, a smile crossing her lips.

"Rey darling, could you . . ."

"I am not transporting all of you that long of a distance!" He snapped in return. "That would kill me."

"To bad your the only one who uses that kind of magic. I mean, Jackson did, and I am pretty sure Rentham does," Drusilla paused for a moment, her words becoming very particular. "But Rentham doesn't use his magic that much that we know, and Jackson . . . died."

Everyone became very solemn, silence washing over them like a wave of ocean water. They sat there and stared at the pot of boiling stew over the fire, watched as it sputtered and hissed at them until they couldn't stand it any longer.

"Well, I am going to bed." Rey said, getting up and going to his tent.

"Oh, yeah me too." Lilith agreed and went to her own, Drusilla beginning to follow as well.

"So I guess I will keep watch then!" Jaden shouted at them, a small amount of anger in his voice. Everyone left that job to him, and than they wondered why he always fell asleep while riding over long distances.

"Oh, sorry." Drusilla turned around and sat back down. "I will keep watch tonight."

"No its alright." He smiled a bit and looked out into the meadow. "I was going to run through some formations anyway . . ."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"How do you keep your focus so well in battle?" The Red Witch asked finally. "I have been wondering that for two months at least."

"Well, my master taught me a technique that helps a little." He stood up, taking his normal stance and holding one of his Katanas out in front of him. "Every time I make a turn, I imagine a wolf. A normal sized one that is jumping for my throat. I cut him down, and than turn. The next comes at me only its bigger, and it becomes more advanced as I go along. I noticed that you could use that in magic as well."

"How? I mean, how do I use that in magic and how does that increase concentration?"

"Well, for the focus part, you kinda absorb into your surroundings, everything becomes a blur except the task at hand. You continue to fight, to concentrate, to attack and don't let the enemy get a claw onto you." He shrugged, whipping his left Katana around in the air for a moment, making a light whip sound before putting it away. "It could help in concentration, and the ability to react fast."

"Hmm." Drusilla stood up, thinking for a moment before replying. "Show me."

"Uh, alright." He smiled a little and walked a little into the meadow, away from camp by a few yards. She followed and stood beside him, genuine interesting in her face as he drew both of his swords.

"Alright. I don't know really how to show you this . . ." He laughed a little nervously.

"If this is uncomfortable for you I can go-"

"No I got it." He smiled and took a few steps back. "First, close your eyes."

"Alright."

"Now, steady your breathing. Throw everything out of your mind but the one thought you are trying to focus on. That is magic, spells, attacking your enemy." He slowly started to circle her, using his swords to make references. "Nothing matters but that."

Drusilla did as she was told, shoving every thought into the back of her mind except for the attack at hand.

"Imagine something that scares you. Something that you can deal with, but is still alarming."

Drusilla stood there for a moment than opened her eyes, imagining Tiranous standing in front of her. She shook a little but eventually came under control.

"Every time you kill it, it finds a new way to defeat you." Jaden said, standing close enough so he could whisper, as to not disturb her concentration. "You have to be alert, you have to keep turning around, destroying your fear as it sneaks up on you."

"I need a spell book." She said suddenly, Tiranous frozen in time.

"No, no you don't." Jaden stood right in front of her. "You never need a spell book. You have magic in your blood, in your heart. Feel it course through your veins, let yourself become its master, control it."

Suddenly Jackson appeared in front of her, looking at Jaden with a confused look. He than looked at Drusilla and cried out, scaring her to death. She fell backwards and onto the ground, feeling it hard and cold beneath her.

She had imagined him of course, and the fact that a thought had wiggled its way into her focus trance made her disappointed. Maybe she would never be able to concentrate enough to complete powerful spells like their leader, like Rey and Jaden. Maybe she would always be mediocre and preforming simple fire spells.

Would she ever advance?

"Whats wrong? Are you alright?" Jaden asked, extending a hand to help her up.

"Yes. I think that is enough for tonight." She refused his hand and got to her feet on her own, walking as quickly as she could to her tent.

Jaden tilted his head to the side, questioning everything he had done in the lesson. "What . . . what did I do?"