Glandera

Glandera stood in front of the dining room doors with a broad grin and took a deep breath. For the twelfth time that morning, she raised her left wrist to eye level and looked at the bracelet. No, it hadn't been a dream: Last night she had chosen Ferron as her Master and had agreed to train as an earth mage for at least ten years at the Mage Academy of High Arts in Chattenberg. She was now an acolyte and was determined to be a diligent student.

In awe, she ran her fingertips over the artifact Ferron had made especially for her. The folded layers of precious metal looked like the rings of a tree, and in her magical vision it glowed blue-violet. She still couldn't believe that she had overcome her fear of the mages.

She opened the door with a flourish. Glandera could hardly wait to begin her new life as an acolyte. Just the thought of seeing Ferron again made the butterflies in her stomach flutter.

In the dining room, conversations in a myriad of languages and dialects filled the room as the mages described their experiences from the weekend. There was the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and a servant was filling a bowl with scrambled eggs. Glandera stepped out onto the terrace with a full plate and looked around nervously. Ferron was not in his usual place, but she saw Furio. She blushed at the thought of their last encounter and approached him at the breakfast table.

"Ciao Bella, how was your weekend?" The fire mage stood up and greeted her with two kisses on the cheek. He grinned broadly at her, his usually brown irises flickering red.

"Good morning, Furio. It's been very quiet, except for Friday." Glandera tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She felt hot at the memory of how the Sicilian had watched the eruption of Mount Etna with her. From a safe distance, he had combined his fire magic with her earth magic to observe the event. At the same time as the volcano erupted, he had given her a magical climax. Melody had been right: he was a wonderful lover. But afterwards, Furio's parents and Ferron had found out. She preferred to put the ensuing discussion out of her mind.

"Glandera!" her name echoed through the hall. When she looked up, Melody waved vigorously at her and indicated that she should save her a seat.

With a bowl of cereal and pieces of fruit, the water mage sat down with them. She hugged her new friend, her eyes falling directly on the bracelet. "Congratulations. When did you decide?"

"Last night," Glandera explained, beaming with joy.

Furio grinned. "Then Ferron will probably be chasing you around the arena today."

Glandera's head snapped back to him. "Why is that?"

"Your protection is our top priority. Even more so after Friday. Just a hunch," Furio replied with a wink.

Melody put her hand on Glandera's arm and her irises changed colour in an instant. Her gaze flickered between her friend and Furio. "Tell me, what did I miss?"

"I'd rather not," Glandera waved away with a laugh.

"We watched the outbreak, what else?" the Sicilian explained with a grin, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't act so innocent." The water mage's eyes narrowed. "I'll find out in time."

Punctually, at the eighth hour, the earth mage stood at the door of Ferron's room, adjusting her dress one last time before knocking. Her heart pounded against her chest as she pushed down the door handle. Good morning, Master Ferron.

The Archmage rose with a broad smile. "Good morning, Acolyte Glandera. I am pleased that your training begins today."

"I'm glad too." She watched as he clasped his hands behind his back. He still looked stern, but his eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Do you have any questions about the book you're reading?"

"No, I've only read about a hundred pages and understood everything."

Ferron nodded. "You are making good progress and will get faster with practice. To learn the basics of this institution, I suggest you start with the encyclopedia of the Chattenberg Academy of High Arts."

"Yes, Master."

His hand gestured elegantly for him to follow. "Today, the lessons will take place outdoors."

"Are we going to the arena of the elements?"

"Ah, you've been forewarned." Smirking, he stroked his beard. "Yes, as your Master it is my duty to teach you the basics for your own protection."

They walked silently through the garden. She recognized Ferron's rock, whose cave entrance was firmly closed. In front of it, they turned left and crossed the small forest. In the middle of the monument, Glandera turned on her axis. "It's so impressive," she remarked in amazement.

Ferron walked purposefully into the earth quarter, took off his robe and laid it on a rocky outcrop. Then he turned to her and plucked at the tips of his silver gloves. "You disobeyed my orders on Friday to stay here."

Glandera raised his hands in defence. "Master Ferron, Furio took me to the Casa di Protezione. We were safe there."

"You assume that. Do you think your friend could have taken care of your protection?"

"He assured me of that." She put her hands on her hips. "Besides, Furio isn't my boyfriend. Didn't you say you were proud of me?"

The corners of his mouth turned up. "I am - even though you cooled the volcano in a very unconventional way." He put his gloves in his pocket and his irises turned grey. Then he conjured a ring of flying tuff around his body. "Let's rehearse the emergency: protect yourself!"

One of his small projectiles hit Glandera. "Ouch, that pinched!" she complained, rubbing her forearm.

"Then the intensity was just right. When there's an eruption, these rocks fall from the sky."

Another stone flew. "Ow. Ferron, you're hurting me." She made a face and stumbled backwards, holding her arm.

"You need protection. Concentrate. Use your magic." He aimed at her lower leg.

"But I don't know how," she protested, hopping onto one leg.

"And then you're going to a fire-breathing volcano?" He stretched out his muscular arms questioningly. "You'll need a shield or a portal if you really want to get down to business."

She bit her compressed lips from the inside as she took the next hit.

"When you are buried underground during a mission, you need space to breathe and time to concentrate. Your life is precious, Glandera."

"I'm sorry!" she groaned, clenching her fists.

Ferron nodded in satisfaction. "Can you feel the anger building up in your hands? Use that energy." Again he let the projectiles rain down on her. "Focus your crystal lattice and pull it together." Another stone hit her. "Fight back, I dare you, you can do it." Ferron doubled the number of tuff stones surrounding him. They rained down on Glandera like a hailstorm, accelerating as they went.

She huffed angrily and felt the earth over her bare feet. She remembered the stone she had picked up in the river. 'It makes no difference how big it is,' she repeated to Ferron, digging mentally into the ground. "Stop!" With all her strength, she pulled up a wall of earth to protect her body.

Suddenly, there was silence. No more stone drums.

"It's a physical wall. Not what I had hoped for, but still a solution I can accept."

She looked over the side. "Did I make it?"

"Not exactly." His hand gesture caused her wall to crumble into sand. "The shield you need is a magical shell. After a short time, you will internalise it and use it permanently - like a second skin."

"I see. That's why the spectators didn't even flinch during the fights."

"Correct."

Glandera closed her eyelids and concentrated on the grid Ferron had taught her to use to reduce the attraction between them. Now she pulled it tighter, making it feel like a sheath around her body.

 "When you're ready, we'll continue."

"I did it, isn't that enough?"

"No. You know how to do it now. I want to see if your shield will hold if you get distracted."

"I'm good at keeping my focus." Glandera crossed her arms over her chest.

"Good, then nothing can happen to you."

The ring of flying tufa stones appeared around his body again, and Glandera felt queasy. But when he hit her, they bounced off her shell. Still, she flinched for a moment with each stone. "See, it works."

Without a word, Ferron raised his hand and fumbled with the top button of his shirt. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he unbuttoned it. He looked at her confidently and her arrogance vanished. Another stone bounced off as Ferron reached the bottom third of the button row. Glandera focused intently on his eyes until she saw the dark hair around his navel. A flash of lightning went through her body. At that moment, one of his projectiles hit her. "Ow. Crap."

"Concentrate!" he demanded in a low voice. He pulled his shirt out of his trousers with both hands. Steely abs were revealed.

Glandera wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Well done," he praised as the next stone bounced off. "Let's increase the difficulty." Without looking, he fired another and pulled off his right sleeve.

"Damn it, Ferron!" Instinctively, she ran backwards to gain distance.

"You're almost there."

She managed to dodge three more stones while he stripped off his shirt completely. He threw it in a high arc onto the robe. The muscular play of his defined upper arms distracted Glandera. The next blow hurt, but she couldn't collect herself. She stared at his tanned, powerful torso glistening in the sun. He approached her with long, confident strides. She shook her head briefly to remove herself from the sight of the muscles, then backed away further. His steeled chest caught her full attention, and the next stone hit her shoulder. She breathed heavily. Suddenly, her back hit the rough wall of the arena.

The remaining tuff fell to the ground with a thud and Ferron's steps slowed. Her heart pounded in her throat as he caught up with her and tilted his head slightly to one side. He looked at her for a moment, then draped his steely arms over her. His face was so close that she could see the golden flecks around his grey irises.

"Your explosion could have made Mount Etna erupt!"

The fine vibrations of his deep voice made her body quiver. Her stomach tensed in anticipation.

"You have great power, Glandera. Learn to use it wisely."

The air crackled. His breath brushed against her damp skin and his unique scent enveloped her. Her eyes travelled down to his lips, over his dark beard, to his neck. The cubic pendant slowly came to rest. His torso rose and fell evenly. How she longed to touch it. "Please..." Glandera whispered, staring at his mouth again. His smile widened, showing his even teeth.

He stepped back with a jerk and his eyes changed colour. "You've learnt your lesson. Come on, let's cool off before we go to the tailor." Her Master turned and looked at the tribune. With his chin, he pointed Glandera in that direction. She saw her new friends.

"I like having an audience," Ferron remarked, grinning as he picked up his clothes.