Hidden Spirit {Completed}

Chapter Twenty: Hope is Unreliable

Amelia and Feren stood in open daylight, the breeze comfortably picking at their sweaty sleeves, and a row of spirits beside each of them as if to cheer them on.

They were in the middle of a heated match, shooting wisps of blueish-purple energy to the other, hoping it would miss their hands. Feren shot a ball at her, and she swatted at it with her hand to shoot it back at his opposite side. Feren lunged to return it, barely catching the wisp on his fingertips to throw it back at her two lengths away. She swung her arm to his other side and he missed the shot.

"Aha!" she cried in triumph, throwing her arm into the air. "I win!"

"A dirty move, there. Again."

"Only if you're content with failure!" she teased, producing another ball-shaped wisp and bouncing it in her hand as she waited for him to get in position. "Don't let it touch the ground this time!"

She threw it directly at him.

After a few more rounds of jumping, jerking, and lunging to reach the ball, Amelia came out victorious by a single point, and that was enough for her.

Feren groaned in his defeat and rolled onto his back, breathless after the exciting round. And maybe even a bit of his magic was exhausted. But only a bit.

"I can't believe I used to go at this all day," she panted, falling next to him. "That's exhausting."

"You are insane," he told her.

"Ha!" She looked at him as if to mock.

"Come here," he growled, playfully reaching for her and calling wisps into each palm. She squealed when he wrapped his arms around her waist and the wisps wriggled around over her belly like cold butterflies. Amelia squirmed, unable to contain her laughter, and called for her spirits to jump to her aid.

Feren did the same, which resulted in each of the spirit pairs to jump at once and end up merging together, then blankly staring without an offer to help.

Tired, Feren lie back on the ground, Amelia comfortably moving herself to rest her head on his outstretched arm.

"You know, sleep is as important to training as training."

The soft grunt was his agreement, because his eyes were closed and he looked half asleep already. It had been a couple days since he'd been able to sleep. He couldn't shake the sense that there was something... other than himself circling Leera. Something with... power. 

His mind flicked to Andrew's sister; the one everyone had accused of being a witch. He didn't know her well, but he did know that she was never quite... human. 

Feren's thoughts were again brought to the present. "But who's to practice with me if you're asleep now? Hmm?"

As if on queue, all spirits were dismissed except Grey, who sat right beside Amelia, cocking his head with interest.

"What? No! I'm not playing with him," she cried with a fake gasp.

Feren just closed his eyes and grunted again.

"Maybe if you hadn't stayed up all night...."

"I know, I know.... That I be hanged for fulfilling my duties," he mumbled sleepily.

She grumbled in objection, turning onto her belly closer to him. Their hips touched, and she moved her elbows so they wouldn't poke his chest. "Curse you and your duties. That they be dissolved."

"We may dream, aria," he whispered, opening his eyes and turning just slightly enough to see her propped on her elbows over his arm. "I can't stop the feeling we get when something foreign passes through these areas," he said, referring to himself and his spirits. "And experience has proven foreign beings are dangerous. And I have much more to worry for now than ever before...."