Training?

Lacey was up early so she could wash her hair in the stream, there were still remands of blood in her hair. When she was done, with wet hair hanging down her back soaking the back of her dress.

A twig snapped behind her. She reached for her spear she had set against a tree beside her.

"Hey Princess." She turned around at Ray's voice. "Oh! Good morning." She said, setting her spear back, He nodded. "Good morning. So, where are the others?" He said looking around them, she pulled her hair over her shoulder then curling it into her hand she squeezed the remaining water out.

"They are making breakfast by now." She answered. She grabbed her spear, and they walked to the treehouse.

After breakfast the group walked through the forest following Ray, they had been walking for 15 minutes.

"So why do you live in the Claw Tree instead of the treehouse?" Silvia said. "I did live there when I first came here, but then I started to find a lot of nifty things laying around, I moved to the claw tree because it was already hollowed out and I made a small library for them all." Ray replied. They walked a little longer, all of them asking Ray a ton of questions.

Ray came to a stop in front of a wall of vines. He pushed them aside and stepped into the darkness beyond. "Come in. I will get a light." Ray called from behind the vines, his voice echoing through the tree that was bigger even than the ones on the other side of the island.

They helped Tim off Lilly's back. Lilly stayed outside as they pushed back the vines and entered a dimly lit room.

The room was big, Books lined every wall and there were makeshift bookshelves that came up to her chest in neat rows in the room that made the room seem smaller.

A staircase twisted on a slant though the middle of the library to the top of the tree. Ray laughed at the looks on their faces. "Every item in this place has some kind of magic." Ray said beckoning for them to follow, they climbed the stairs and entered another room.

This room was filled with every weapon imaginable, small, long, big, and short. Ray walked through the room leading them to another set of stairs. Lacey stopped and stared in amazement, so did Silvia and Tim.

"Anyone would kill to have this many magically weapons." Ray said with a deep chuckle. "Could I have one of those swords over there?" Tim asked, pointing to a table that had several swords laying on it.

"Sure, I don't have a use for them all. I just want to keep them safe from the wrong people." Ray said. "Well when your leg heals then you will have to come chose one." Ray continued, as they followed him up the stairs and into another room but this one was smaller and had.

Everything from a wand to staffs, and from necklaces to rings with beautiful gemstones and pretty rocks in them. There was clothes and helmets and armor, and so many things Lacey could not recognize.

They went up yet another set of stairs. In this room there was everything you could find in a day in the market. They went up one more set of stairs and into a door that entered what looked like (Ray's room?)

"Here we are." Ray said with a half laugh. "This is where I have been staying for about a year now." Lacey and Silvia sat Tim on a chair. Lacey yawned and stretched her back out. "Wow, this place is cool!" Tim said. "Dude, I wish I was magical." Tim said, looking around the small room. "This place in 'cool!' but you should see my cabin!" Silvia said, taking a seat on the floor, because Tim was sitting on the only chair in the room. "Well of course it's not as big as this place or the treehouse." She said,

Later that day Lacey stood beside the stream outside the treehouse, in an attack position. Her feet planted firmly on the soft ground at the bank of the stream.

She swung her spear in practiced maneuvers around her. "Nice." Ray said from her side, she spun stopping inches from cutting into his side. Her breath comes in gasps from the exercise. "I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!!...." She yelled, she then blushed.

"You don't just sneak up on someone!" She said, Sighing, she put her spear on her back. "Hey, you don't have to be jumpy. Plus. I knew you wouldn't hit me." He said, chuckling.

"Yeah. And how did you know that?" She asked. "I'm not the best person with weapons, and like you I haven't been trained from birth." She said, "You seemed pretty good to me." He said.

"Yeah because I have taught myself. But I still just know the basics." She sighed. "I could help you train if you like. And maybe Silvia might like to join us. She did not say anything but nodded.

"We can start with stamina and endurance building." Ray said, rubbing his hands together with a mischievous look on his face. She burst out laughing. "Ok! Let us go ask Silvia if she would join us!" She said still laughing, Ray smiled.

Lacey, Silvia, and Ray stood in a line ready to run. "Go!" Tim shouted as they took off. Lacey fell behind as Silvia took the lead and Ray was right on her heels.

She jumped over rocks and bushes. She had been running for a minute when Silvia ran past her going the opposite direction.

Her lungs burned and she tried to focus on breathing through her nose like Ray had instructed before they had started. "your falling behind!" Called Ray as he flew past following Silvia. She finally got to the tree and touched it before turning back.

But stopped to take a breath, her heart was beating out of her chest. She took it slow on the way back and jogged. When she had almost reached the treehouse, she heard Silvia laughing and Ray sat on the ground taking deep breaths.

"I win!" Silvia was chanting. She jogged up. "Ugh! I'm more out of shape then I thought…" She panted. Ray stood up. "You did great, now we just have to do that every today for a while and you with be in shape in no time." He said, she looked to Silvia who nodded. "And don't worry I will join you." She laughed again. Tim had a proud smug look on his face as he looked at Silvia.

"Now can I see that spear of yours?" Ray asked when her heart had stopped beating a mile a minute. "Sure." She said, grabbing it and handing it over.

He studied it intently before moving back a couple feet and swinging it in all directions. "It's well balanced." He commented. "She found it in the swamps." Tim put in. "Is that so? So. Do you know if it has a power?" He asked looking at Lacey, she shook her head.

"No…"

"Well I guess you will find out when you get out of the bearer." Ray said handing it back to Lacey she took it, placing it on her back. They split soon after Ray went back to his Tree and they went to the treehouse.

-To be continued