I felt shame burning behind my cheeks as Val’s tearful eyes stared at me through my memories, my blade pressed against her throat. “Seems like you learned more from her than you thought.”
She nodded thoughtfully as she continued to stare off into her past, until a sudden burst of excitement perked up her ears. “Wait, you said I passed the test! What happens now? Do I get to advance to the next level of training?”
Lia repressed a laugh. “There’s no next level to advance to. As you get better at using your mana, I’ll teach you how to use other types of magic, but beyond that, you just keep practicing and getting better with what you already know.”
“Actually,” I interjected as an idea dawned on me, “there is one other thing.” Marin clapped excitedly, while Lia turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Without further explanation, I jogged into the house and ran to our table of magical artifacts. My fingers traced along the metal edge of the gauntlets that once belonged to the King’s Strength, and I gave myself a reassuring nod. If she’s ever forced to face off against her sister, Marin should at least be on an even playing field. I gingerly wrapped the gloves in my cloak, then took the bundle back outside.
Lia’s eyes widened as her Detection revealed the gift I intended to give. Are you sure you want to give those away, Lux?
Of course I am. Are you worried she’s not ready?
No, it’s not that, it’s...well, I thought you would want to keep those for yourself, is all. Her voice dissipated with a small laugh, and she gave me an encouraging smile.
As interested as Marin was, the idea of using Detection to determine what I held beneath my cloak had clearly not crossed her mind. “What’s that?” she asked, bouncing in place. “Is it a reward for passing the test?”
“You could say that,” I grinned. “It’s how you start your next level of training.” I held the bundle in front of me and bobbed it up and down, gesturing for her to inspect it. She hopped forward and moved the supple black cloak aside, digging through the fabric until her prize revealed itself. I heard her breath catch in her throat, and she took an unsteady step backwards.
“Those are one of the King’s Primes,” she whispered.
“No, not anymore,” I corrected her. “Now they’re yours.”
She shook her head. “I can’t take them. I’m not, uhm, I mean, I can’t—”
“Yes, you can. You’ll put them to better use than their previous owner ever did, I guarantee it.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she reached out and brushed her hand along the intricate metal fingers. There was a long moment of silence as she inspected the gauntlets with a religious reverence, until she finally stepped back again. “They’re too big for me.”
I let out a barking laugh so loud that Marin jumped and let out a startled yelp. “I can help you install some padding inside later. Right now, you need to try them on.”
She turned to Lia with pleading eyes. “It’s okay, Marin,” Lia reassured her. “You’ve earned them.”
After another long moment of hesitation, Marin nodded and plucked the first gauntlet from my outstretched arms. She slid her arm down the length of the metal glove until her fingers found their way into the articulated handpiece, which she flexed cautiously. The gesture seemed to fill her with resolve, and she quickly donned the second gauntlet as well. “They’re...lighter than I thought they’d be,” she commented softly. She continued to test her range of movement and threw a few punches at the air. “I can’t believe how easy it is to move with these on.”
I smiled, pleased with her assessment. “Are you feeling up to testing them out?”
“Of course!” she replied immediately, her trepidation from moments before nowhere to be seen. “I’ll definitely beat you this time.”
“I’m sure you would,” I chuckled, “but we aren’t testing them in combat. The magic stored in those gloves is too dangerous to spar with.” Her eyes widened as she pursed her lips, and she gave me a small nod. “Follow me.” The three of us walked to a particularly large emberwood tree at the edge of the clearing. “Punch this tree. No magic, just a regular punch.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, but shrugged and took her stance next to the trunk. A moment later, her fist lashed out and cracked against the bark with a loud thump. “Oww!” she whined, recoiling as she shook her hand against the pain. “Why did you make me do that!?”
“We needed a baseline to compare with your next attack,” I answered, reaching out with a small tendril of mana to her hand and activating the healing rune on my ring. Her scowl quickly faded alongside the pain as her fractured fingers mended under a faint green glow. “Now that we’ve seen what you would normally do, you can activate the enchantment stored in the gauntlets.”
Marin bit her lip. “I’m not sure I know how to do that.”
“It’s easy; all you need to do is reach out with your mana and turn the enchantment on.”
“Lux, I don’t know what that means. Am I supposed to—”
“Just try it, Marin. Trust me.” I tapped her once on the forehead with my index finger. “Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Let the mana flow through your body, and then reach out to the gauntlets. You’ll know what to do from there.”
I felt Lia’s energy rush out over my own, and we both watched intently as Marin began to channel her remaining mana reserves down through her arms. She hesitated there momentarily, then suffused the metal that covered her fingertips. I saw an immediate reaction as soon as the
