#lgbtqa novel

“Aeli Runik!”

I fell backwards off my stool when a small pebble bounced off my forehead, startling me out of my daydream a couple days after the encounter in the blue world.

A strangled sound came from my throat as I fell, followed by the sound of air whooshing out of me when I hit the floor.  

Giggles erupted around me.  

Even Maedi smiled down at me from the stool next to mine, trying to suppress her laughter.  

I gave her a wry look and climbed back up into my seat.

“My apologies Master Gruner.  I drifted off for a moment there.”

“A moment?” She said. “Aeli, I was trying to get your attention for several moments.”  

My tan face burned crimson for an instant, but I recovered quickly.  

“Would you care to tell us how Raiken works?” She continued.  “Since you’re so keen on paying attention.”

I stood and stayed silent for a moment.  “Raiken is…   Raiken is the manipulation of energy, or Ken.  And it happens by…” My eyes darted around the room, which seemed to be growing smaller as I stumbled through my explanation.  

I glanced at Mae, who was wiggling her fingers.  At first, she wiggled them slowly.  Then, she sped up, moving them more quickly, before slowing them back down.

“People with…  People with Raiken have the ability to manipulate certain types of Ken.  They can manipulate the very energy that particles use to function.” I found my stride.  “By adding energy, they increase the movement of the particles, creating some sort of reaction, depending on the type of Raiken a person possesses.  By removing energy, they slow the movement of the particles, creating the opposite reaction.  For instance, Master Gruner, when you shot this pebble toward me, you used your Dima Raiken to increase the energy of the particles in the pebble and make it fly across the room and bounce off of me.  Had I been paying attention, I could have used my own power to reduce the kinetic energy of the pebble and stop it from advancing any further…”

Master Gruner frowned, unsure of how I managed to come up with the correct answer when she was clearly trying to make an example of me.

“Very good.”

I sat back down and gave Mae an appreciative smile.  

Master Gruner continued on.  “There are five types of Raiken: Zea, Dima, Nera, Eiba and Cosma.  The first four control different forms of Ken: Zea controls life Ken, Dima controls kinetic or movement Ken, Nera controls thermodynamic or light and heat Ken, Eiba controls electromagnetic Ken, while Cosma controls them all.  Only a person with Cosma Raiken can control more than one type of Ken.  People having varying abilities of one of the first four is uncommon, but not extremely so.  Cosma Raiken, however, is incredibly rare.  In fact, Miss Runik here is the only student we’ve had with Cosma Raiken in over twenty years…”

Everyone glanced at me before turning their attention back to Master Gruner.

She kept on talking about how Raiken abilities are inherited recessively through bloodlines, but I could only pay attention for so long before I drifted off again.

When I focused back on reality, everyone was preparing to leave the room.  Master Gruner quickly packed her bag of scrolls and gave me a curt nod before exiting.

I looked at Maedi, who was scribbling something down on a piece of parchment.  She glanced up, startled to see that everyone was leaving.

“What are you writing?” I asked.

“Just notes.  Nice explanation of Raiken earlier.  I was afraid you were going to blow it.”

“Gee thanks.  I appreciate the hint you gave me.  But why couldn’t we just have avoided the whole thing by you poking me when Gruner noticed I wasn’t paying attention?”

    “Sorry, I didn’t think to.  I kind of froze when she looked over toward us.”

“I guess it couldn’t be helped.  She probably would’ve tried to find another way to embarrass me anyways…  Gruner hates me, after all.”

“No, she doesn’t.  She just expects more of you.”

I stared at her blankly for a moment.  “Could you sound any more like an old lady?”  

Mae gave a yip of laughter and I couldn’t help but smile at the way her eyes crinkled in her amusement.

——————————————————————————————-

I meandered through the trees of the orchard, taking my time in bringing my crate of apples back to the storehouse.  

I ran my fingers across the bark and felt the Zea Ken of the trees swirl over my skin as it interacted with my own energy.  

My eyes closed at the sensations.

The trees were a slow pulse around me with multiple small quick vibrations of the wildlife scattered throughout.

I tugged gently at a deeper pulse and the tree released some of its Ken at my gentle urging.  This only happened because the tree allowed it.  It wouldn’t work if just anyone tried to draw energy from their surroundings without heed.  Permission to draw energy from a living being was required.

Even from plants.

I played with the Ken for a moment, shaping it how I wished before I gave it back to the tree I’d borrowed it from.  I smiled and thanked the tree as I felt it respond to the return of its energy.

After glancing toward the sun to gauge the time, I sped up my progress a bit.

“Took your time, didn’t you?”  Brecht greeted me when I made it back to the storehouse.  “Honestly Aeli, imagine how incredible you could be if you actually applied yourself.”

“I was practicing my Zea Raiken…”

Brecht sighed.  “I can understand getting caught up in the life energies of the orchard.  I do so from time to time as well.  But you mustn’t let it distract you.  Especially in your case.  You have three other types of Raiken at your control.  If you keep focusing only on one, you’ll never master the others.  And that could leave someone like you more vulnerable.  Much more vulnerable than those of us that can only control one form of energy.  Do you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good.  Now off you go, or you’ll be late to training.”

I smiled before I dashed off to the training yards.

¥¥¥

Upon arriving at the yards, Kellen clapped me on the back.  “Cutting it a bit close, eh?”

“I’m always cutting it a bit close.”

“She still made it on time,” Mae said.

I nudged Kellen with my elbow.  “See, this is why I like her more than I like you.”

Maedi blushed as Master Stahl strode into the yard.

“Grab your bows, people!” He bellowed.  “And don’t shoot anyone!”

The students shuffled about as we grabbed our bows and arrows before finding our assigned targets.

“Only stone tipped arrows for you, Pahamu,” Stahl said to Kellen.  “I’ll have none of your magnetic antics here.”

Kellen smirked and exchanged his quiver of arrows for one with only stone tipped ones.  He came back in time to watch Maedi release an arrow that struck dead in the center of the target.

“How, Mae?  Just—How?”  I asked, dumbfounded.

Mae blushed again.

“Do you even use Raiken for that?”  Kellen asked.  “Or is that just pure skill?”

“You know I can’t use my Raiken for this.”

“You can control kinetic energy, Mae.  Of course, you could use your Raiken for this,” I said.  “A slight nudge from a redirected gust of wind would do just fine.”

“Yes, but it’s against the rules to use Raiken during weapons practice.  I don’t cheat like Kellen,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Kellen smirked.  “I can’t help it if it just comes that naturally to me.”

“Oh please,” I scrunched my face.  “Mae’s right.  You’re a total cheat.”

“You three!” Master Stahl yelled from across the yard as he walked toward us.  “Runik and Pahamu,” he said to Kellen and I when he neared.  “Why am I not surprised?”  He glanced at our target.  “Well shot, Jeton.”  He smiled at Mae before he turned to me.  “Let’s see it, Runik.”

I stepped forward, spread my feet apart with the left slightly ahead of my right and took a deep breath.  I knocked an arrow and raised my bow.  

The center of the target looked small.  And the longer I stared at it, the smaller it seemed to get.

I took another breath to steady myself.  This was the part I usually rushed.  As I inhaled again, I drew the string back to my jaw as far as I could pull it and lined up the tip of the arrow a little above the center of the target.  I exhaled and released the string with a twang.  The arrow shot forward and imbedded itself a handbreadth to the left of Mae’s arrow in the center.

“Not bad,” Stahl said as I lowered my bow.  “Your patience is better.  But you forgot to compensate for the wind.”

I nodded, taking note of the breeze that was pushing eastward.

“Now Pahamu…  I’m almost afraid to even ask, but let’s see it.”

Kellen stepped up in front of the target and settled into a wide stance.  He drew back on the bow so hard, I thought it might break.  He released and the whole bow seemed to groan with the recoil.  The arrow sped away and went wide of the whole target.

“And this is precisely why no one is allowed to walk back there,” Stahl said with a shake of his head.  “You shoot a bow as if you were wielding your ax…”

Kellen shrugged and stepped back to allow Mae to take her next turn.

I watched Mae closely as she prepared herself to shoot.  She effortlessly flowed into her stance and knocked an arrow.  For someone who looked so delicate, you’d think she’d have trouble drawing the arrow back.  But she didn’t.  She drew it back with such fluidity and surety, then released it in the same way.

A thud echoed across the yard as her arrow buried itself less than half a finger’s breadth above her first arrow.

I gave a low whistle.  “Why even bother practicing?”  I asked.  “You’re already a master.”

Maedi blushed a deep shade of scarlet at my praise.  

“I’m hardly a master.  It’s one thing to shoot here in the yard, quite another when in a real battle.”

“Of course, she’s right.  Again.”  Kellen teased.  “Just like we’re all quite good at our Raiken, well, except for Aeli with Eiba and Dima.  But we all ran away like normal people the other day in that world with a blue sun.”

Mae and I both nodded at his words.

“I have you and Mae for Eiba and Dima,” I said.  “But, very true,” I agreed.  “Very true.”