Chapter 10

I jerked awake for a moment, feeling lost, and then the memories of the last week flooded my mind. The council leader’s son had managed to find us. Though I had severely injured him, he was still after Naci and me with even more of a vengeance.

Naci and I had been here almost the whole time after our narrow escape. I had finally started trying to strengthen Naci, though it was slow going. She had power, and there was no doubt about that. It was just that her defenses were so weak. Plus, there was the fact that she was untrained in most defensive tactics.

I sighed as I had Naci again try to stop a bolt I sent at her. Shaking my head, I saw that she held it great at first. Then, she seemed to lose her resolve a few minutes later. A whole week, and I felt she was no closer to being able to protect herself than when we started.

Sitting, I started to run through everything I had ever learned. I was looking for that one thing I felt would help her somehow get what I was trying to teach. Don’t get me wrong, she was a fast learner; it was just getting her to see the concept and trying to teach her exactly what to do.

She was a lot better than a week ago, though to me, not enough. She was my partner now, and I had to be able to depend on her if this came down to an all-out fight. Shaking my head, I knew that she was nowhere near that yet.

“Alright, Naci, that’s enough for today. You feel like strengthening your defenses,” I asked as she was panting.

Naci dropped her eyes, almost a look of shame, as she nodded her head. I opened up, reaching in, feeling her defensive abilities. They weren’t as strong as I felt they needed to be. When we started, she was barely half what I was. Now, I had her at almost three-quarters of what I was. It was not bad, but knowing who and what we were against was insufficient.

“I’m sorry, Toman, I am supposed to be your partner. I feel I am failing you.” She said in a quiet voice.

For some strange reason, I reached out, gently caressing her cheek. “No, I am failing you. If I had been teaching you all those months ago when I promised you, you’d be much better.”

Naci’s mouth dropped open as she stared at me. “No, Toman, you are doing your best, considering.” Here, she looked at the ground again. This time, I saw a few tears escaping her eyes. “I know you have had so much on your mind. Plus, all that you have to do. I’m not sure I could have lasted as long as you had. I lost both mother and father.”

“As far as I know, it is harder to lose one than both. It wasn’t easy as young as we were, but we both made it. Now relax. I’m going to be as gentle as I can, ok?” Naci’s eyes opened wide as she snapped her head to stare at me.

“Yes, husband, I will for you. Thank you for being gentle.” Naci said in a whisper.

Shocked I almost forgot to start. Reaching out, I was diving to where her power was. Strange though, this time, things felt different. Almost a warm, safe feeling. I touched all the strands I wanted to strengthen. Thinking a moment, I started slow, letting the power go up as it strengthened. I swear I could almost feel her sigh. Then I felt something else.

Even as I watched, the strands started to thicken far faster than I had ever seen them. Shaking my head, I slowed the power flow into all of them. Again, I could swear I heard Naci sigh. That’s when I noticed that all the strands had grown far more than I had seen since I started this. I also felt no strain; it was almost a warm, loving feeling. Strange, I thought. I had her higher faster than I had ever had.

Withdrawing, I almost felt disappointed as I left. Again, what in the hell was going on? Why did I feel that she was far stronger than I thought?

Opening my eyes, I looked at Naci; what was that look she was giving me? Then, just as suddenly, it was gone. Had I imagined it? No, I thought I didn’t think so.

“I’m sorry, Naci. I know you are tired. I need to see how much further you are, ok?” I saw a light in her eyes as she smiled and then nodded.

“I am ready, husband; I will hold as long as possible.” She told me.

I was about to start when something Merlin had told me came to mind. “Ok, I have something I want you to try. This time, try not to push everything you have into the shield, ok? Just use the barest amount; increase only as much as you need to keep the blasts off you.”

I saw her eyes open wide as something seemed to click in her. “Yes, husband, I see what you mean. I am ready when you are.”

Opening up, I sent a half-power bolt toward her. When it stopped cold, I smiled, finally. She was starting to get it! Increasingly, I was almost three-quarters power with her still keeping the bolts at bay. I started to smile bigger. This was the highest I had ever been without her being boosted by anger. Smiling larger, I started to nod. I was right at three-quarters power when I felt her start to falter.

Stopping, I looked at Naci. She was hardly panting; hell, she hardly looked tired. Well, that is ‘til she tried to take a step towards me. Catching her before she hit the ground, I picked her up and put her on the mage bed.

Naci’s eyes flickered open, “I’m sorry, husband, I couldn’t hold it longer.”

I smiled at her, “You don’t even realize, do you?”

“I realized I failed again even after you strengthened me.” With that, Naci turned her head away.

I gently took hold of her chin, turning her head toward me. “No, Naci, I was right at three-quarters of my power. I’d say that you made a major jump today. I don’t know what happened, but this changes things greatly.”

Naci could only stare at me as she whispered, “Three-quarters?” Her mouth made a large ‘O’ as she let all that information sink in. Then, like when I had explained how I wanted her to use her defense, I saw something almost click in her. With a squeal, she launched herself at me, kissing my face all over. However, none of those kisses compared to the one she gave me in my mouth.

I almost dropped to the ground from the energy that shot through me. Her wide eyes let me know she was feeling it, too. Breaking the kiss seemed to be the hardest thing I had ever done. As I looked at Naci, I started to feel something deep within me that I had never felt before. I also noticed that she was breathing as heavily as I was.

Shyly, Naci looked away as I saw her face turn reddish, so that was what a blush looked like! “Rest, Naci, I am afraid we will have to move soon. From what I have felt, the council leader’s son Rigal was getting closer.”

“I will try to recover as fast as possible, husband.” She said as she lay there.

“I’m glad you have gone up as far as you have, Naci; it will make things easier and safer now,” I told her as I turned to go out.

“Thank you, husband, I will do better soon.” I heard her say as I stepped out. I waved my hand over the table that was outside our shelter. Two small bags appeared full of all that I had been thinking of. Stepping to the edge of the bubble, I started throwing the seeds in the bag all the way around our camp.

Nodding, I snapped my fingers, watching all the seeds dig down deep ‘til they might be needed. Grabbing the other bag, I pulled out a single flat piece of metal. Waving my hand over it, it soon split into thirty-two identical pieces. Motioning, I watched all of them fly to equal distances from each other and then bury themselves.

With that done, I wondered if I needed more of them and then decided that was enough. Pulling out an arrow, I placed it in the air, snapped my fingers, and then waved both hands over it. It divided many times over ‘til there were at least several hundred. Grabbing a small dragon statue, I waved my hand over it, thanking Merlin for teaching me this.

Breathing into the nostrils of it, I watched it grow and then divide into a total of sixteen. Igniting a piece of wood, I fed it to each dragon as each bowed to me and then accepted the fire. Then, they all went to hide at various points around the camp. Satisfied so far, I started to motion outside the bubble, making a complex series of ropes appear entwined in each other. Extending them completely over us, I felt a little safer, though not much.

I checked on Naci and saw that she was recuperating extremely well. I just hoped she was enough before Rigal appeared. Thinking it over, I wasn’t sure if the defenses I had set would slow him down that much. This hunter was no slouch; he had the best human weapons and far more power than any other hunter. No, I would have to be at my best to survive him and Naci.

Damn it! I could feel him getting closer; soon, he might be able to feel the null field. I could feel he was only about ten to fifteen years away. I could also feel that he was starting to get a small clue about where I was. I knew he was hunting the both of us, though I also knew he was zeroing in on me being the strongest. I had to wait as long as possible to give Naci a chance to recharge. She might not make it through the portal as she was right now.

It was about a day later that I finally felt Naci wake up. Stretching, I saw her look, and then a worried look came to her face as she saw how tense I was. “Husband, is the hunter close?”

I nodded, trying to keep my power down as much as possible. I had to give Naci a chance to recover completely. Whispering, I told her, “I’m sorry I pushed you as far as I did. It made you stronger, though it took over a day for you to recharge most of the way.”

A huge smile crossed her features, “I thank you, husband. Had you not, then I wouldn’t have grown, would I? So it was a good thing.”