When she spotted Ceylis outside the entrance to the arena, Narira broke into a jog. There were two strange-looking copper swords strapped to his belt, and he was talking with someone, though his back was covering whoever it was.

Jay, Narira realized. Apprehension swept over her as she wondered what this apprentice was like. Will he like me? What if he thinks I'm competition? Taking a deep breath, she decided there was no use in worrying. "Ceylis!"

Ceylis turned, a smile lighting on his face. "Narira!" Then he stepped back. "This is Jay," he said, gesturing to the boy, who smiled at her. "He's fourteen, like you. I've been training him for four years." He was, also like her, shorter than average. His sandy hair went halfway down his back, tied back with a length of twine. But though his hair was a standard color, his eyes were not the regular medium brown that was common throughout most of the continent. They were a burning blue that shattered the cool morning air.

"Hi," he said conversationally. His voice was high, but not strangely so, making him seem maybe a year younger.

"Hi," Narira echoed, her usual confidence failing her. "I'm Narira, Ceylis's new apprentice. I'm... also fourteen." She fingered her hair nervously.

"Are you from Ilatra?"

She laughed. "No," she sighed. "Everyone asks me that. But as far as I know, I'm mostly Malynrian." Her face took on a resigned look, and her confidence returned as she felt the tense atmosphere evaporate.

"Cool," he responded simply.

"Are you two ready for training?" Ceylis asked, his voice soaked with deliberate boredom.

"Ready when you are," Jay responded.

"Alright. Now, I know you're both at different skill levels... by quite a lot... as far as electrovite magic, but Narira already has some experience dueling. So I'm going to give you some basic exercises that you both will benefit from."

"Does she have her Starrynt yet?" Jay inquired.

"She does now," Ceylis said, pulling one of the strange swords from his belt and handing it to her.

"Narira, this is a Starrynt, an electrovite's standard weapon. It can act as both a sword and a conductor of electricity... though its thin build makes it less than perfect for blocking with."

The copper metal glinted in the sunlight as Narira raised the blade to inspect it. It was long, and it looked sharp near the hilt, but the blade became a rounded point higher up.

"Why isn't it sharp all the way up?" she asked curiously.

"This allows for a more controlled blast of lightning. You'll find it allows for more precision than a regular, flat sword would, and much more than a shot from your bare hand.

"It's also made of a special material," he continued. "Stayagan copper -- copper infused with stayagan gold -- is the best conductor of electricity that has been discovered, aside from stayagan silver, and that corrodes so quickly that it gets too expensive to replace."

"Stayagan gold can only be mined in select places," Jay added. "Most of those are in the mountains of Ilatra."

"Why is the electrovite council in Cecota, then?" Narira asked. "Why not in some Ilatran city?"

"I don't know," Ceylis said honestly. "But anyway, you two will be doing a basic dueling exercise. Narira, I know you know how to do this, but just try to get used to the Starrynt, and Jay... well, you've been working on staying paced with your opponent so it's harder to be surprised. Try to keep pace with her."

"But she's not going to suddenly increase intensity when I'm tired!"

Ceylis rolled his eyes. "Just go."

"Right here?" Narira asked.

"Yes," Ceylis replied, rolling his eyes a second time. "Right here."

Jay smiled, blue eyes flashing as he drew his Starrynt. He lowered into a stance Narira had never seen, his knees bent as if to jump.

She readied her Starrynt, trying to get used to its lighter weight and different balance than her rapier. Caught off guard by Jay's stance, she went into a basic stance, hoping it would compensate for whatever he was going to do.

Ceylis told them to begin, and Jay immediately launched himself over Narira's head. She spun with a shriek, barely managing to parry his first strike.

"Stop!" Ceylis ordered. His apprentices lowered their weapons. "Narira, in that situation, don't try to parry. It leaves you close for him to hit you again, and if you were going against a heavier weapon your Starrynt would have snapped. Try rolling out of the way instead, but be ready for him to follow quickly."

She nodded, already a bit shaken. "Jay, how did you jump so high?"

"I'm an electrovite," he answered.

"Are we allowed to use magic?"

Ceylis nodded. "Just don't shoot lightning at each other. Jay, Narira hasn't had any training on that regard."

I've barely had any training with any magic! Narira thought. But she readied herself again. She didn't expect him to do the same thing again, so she tried to be ready for anything. Actually... what if I attack? He won't expect me to go offensive so early.

"Begin," Ceylis told them.

Narira lunged forward with a swipe. Jay's eyes widened, and then he flipped backward away from her, neatly avoiding her Starrynt. She pursued, attacking again. He spun to her right, where her range was shorter (since she was holding it in her left hand, she had to reach across her body to swipe again) and stabbed at her. She started to push his Starrynt to the side, then hesitated. I'm not supposed to block! She jumped backward, trying to activate her magic, but nothing happened.

Jay then took his turn to attack. He advanced slowly, Starrynt poised to strike.

"Stop!" Ceylis ordered again. "Jay, you need to advance quickly here. Take advantage of your speed and training. Don't let her recover. And Narira, good job remembering to dodge rather than block! It's a tough habit to get into, but once you can consistently activate your magic, it will be a lot easier."

"I'm trying to turn it on," she complained, "but I can't make anything happen!"

"I'll fix that right now," Jay announced. Then he swung his Starrynt at her head.

She screamed, and something inside of her exploded outward. A flare of electricity flew out of her in all directions, catching both Jay and Ceylis and tossing them backward. The grass beneath her feet caught fire and the dirt flew up in a brown cloud.

Narira coughed, staring amazedly as Jay got to his feet. His hair had fallen free of its tie and was sticking out, and his face was blackened. Narira giggled, the adrenaline making her practically explode (although she had already done that once).

"Never do that again!" Ceylis yelled.

Jay whipped around, breathing hard. "I'm just learning from my trainer. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

"I didn't know how to be a good teacher!"

"Well, I don't know how either. That's a completely acceptable reason to almost kill your apprentice." Jay was seething.

"She's not your apprentice! And I didn't almost kill you!" Suddenly, Ceylis didn't seem like the responsible trainer Narira had met, with his eyes practically glowing with fury.

"I'd had a day of training!" Jay shouted at him.

"So has Narira!"

"Exactly!"

"Do you know what the difference is, between now and then?" Ceylis asked. "I was trying to help you. You're trying to get revenge on something that was an accident!"

"Right," Jay said coldly. "Of course, it's just like me to do that, isn't it? I guess that's why you wanted a new, better apprentice." He spun and rocketed down the street, then blasted around a corner and went out of view.

Narira watched him go, a mix of feelings brewing. What were they talking about? She had only understood the very last part. Turning to Ceylis, she blurted, "I'm not trying to replace Jay! I mean, I just-"

"He knows," Ceylis said bitterly. Then he spun just as abruptly and ran in the opposite direction as Jay.

Narira stood there for a moment, stunned. Are they always this spontaneous? Feeling annoyed, confused, and lost at the same time, she picked up all three Starrynts and began walking after Ceylis. Then she paused for a moment. I need to make this up to Jay first. She turned around, fitting two of the Starrynts in her belt and holding the third, then broke into a run, following the street Jay had gone down.