NOELLE’S POV,
The starlight festival starts when the sun goes down, so I still have the whole day to train. However, all the normal trainings are canceled for 2 days. So, I decide to look for Faith and see if she has some time to start my healing magic training. I find Faith in the kitchen instructing the cooks on all the food they should make for the festival.
”Hej Faith, do you have a moment?”
Faith takes her eyes off her list, ”Yeah of course. What’s up?”
I look around the kitchen which seems to be in control. ”I was wondering if you maybe have time for a bit of healing magic teaching. Maybe I can help you with something in return?”
Faith takes a moment to think, ”Mmm I suppose I would have an hour to spare if you go get all the drinks from the shop.”
I nod eagerly, ”Yes of course.”
Faith gives me a list, ”Here is the list. I will meet you at the pool in 30 minutes.”
She quickly continues talking to the cooks. I hurry to the square and try to find all the different drinks that are on the list. Then I deliver them to the kitchen and make my way to the pool. There I find Faith waiting for me. Faith is standing against the rock wall, and I wonder what we are doing at the pool.
”Why are we practicing at the pool?” I ask her.
She looks at me mysteriously, ”We are not. We are going to a sacred place that not a lot of people have access to. Follow me.”
She takes a key out of her pocket and puts it into the rock wall of the mountain. She turns the key and pushes against the wall. A small door made of rock seems to open. It shows a tunnel leading right through the mountain. I follow her inside and the tunnel ends at the other side of the mountain. There is a small waterfall that goes down the mountain. On the walls, there are glowing worms, and, on the floor, there is a thick layer of moss. It feels like a peaceful spot, the only thing I can hear is the sound of the water. When you look outside where the waterfall goes you get a nice view of fields and forest.
Faith sits down on the moss, and I sit down next to her.
”What is this place?” I ask her.
Faith closes her eyes and looks like she is meditating, ”This sacred place is only for people gifted with healing magic. Healing magic is pure and light and good. You need a distraction-free environment to learn it.”
She points at the glowing worms and the water, “For healing magic, you need 2 things water and light. Some are so gifted they can produce the light themselves while others need to use whatever nature provides.”
She takes out a knife and makes a small cut on her arm, ”Watch and learn.”
She levitates a bit of water out of the stream and makes a bubble of it. She takes one of the glow worms and puts it inside the bubble.
”Lumina vitam,” she whispers.
The glow-worm dissolves and the whole water bubble is now glowing with light and Faith says, ”His sacrifice will help someone else survive.”
She puts the water over her wound and commands it to go left and right over the wound. The water becomes less and less until there is nothing left. To my surprise, there is also no trace of the wound.
”That’s incredible,” I say breathlessly.
Faith smiles at me, ”Now you try.”
She gives me the knife and I also make an incision in my arm. I make a water bubble but when I want to take a glow-worm, they all dim out. I look at Faith confused. She however doesn’t look surprised, ”Nature is telling you that you don’t need to sacrifice anything to produce light. It would be an unbalanced sacrifice if it wasn’t necessary.”
I shake my head, ”Amazing how these things work. I will try then but I must warn you I am not great at producing light.”
Faith gives me a cheeky smile, ”Just try to think of a certain King with blue eyes and I am sure you will be fine.”
I stick out my tongue to her and then close my eyes, ”I think about how happy Gabriel was when I came back and how it felt to be so close to him.”
I hold the bubble between my hands and when I open my eyes my water bubble is glowing. My heart jumps with excitement. ”Faith I did it!”
Faith laughs, ”Yes great job now apply it on the wound until you have no water left.”
I do what she says and when the water has disappeared so has my wound. I turn my arm in all directions to look at it.
”Amazing,” I say.
Faith takes my hand, ”That’s enough for today. let’s go back.”
We walk back and Faith leaves me to go prepare more for the festival. I decide to visit Thorn and practice what we learned yesterday. It depends on how strong you are connected to your dragon whether you need incantations to make them produce fire. Because Thorn and I can read each other’s minds we don’t need spoken words.
We go to the practice grounds where they have set up wooden piles and training dummies. Thorn looks excited when I get on his back.
”Let’s make them burn boy,” I tell him through our mind connection.
Thorn chants, ”Burn baby burn.”
I laugh and we lift off into the air. I make him go high and then shoot down to one of the piles. When we are close, I think, ”FIRE!” and Thorn sets it ablaze.
Then we fly past the line of dummies, and I tell him, ”ATTACK!” Thorn rips them apart with his claws or teeth.
I stroke the golden scales on his neck, ”Good job boy.” I see that the sun is going down so I tell Thorn to go back but I can feel him hesitate.
”What is it, boy?” I ask him.
”I would like to get something for Dagahra because it is the night of starlight,” he snorts.
I tease him, ”I knew you liked her big softie. But don’t worry about it. I will talk to the dragon grooms about getting you and Dagahra a nice piece of meat to eat together.”
Thorn snorts happy and takes me back to my room. I watch him fly away from my window and then go take a bath. I give myself a good scrub and wash my hair. Then I put on my new silver glitter dress and some silver glitter pumps. My hair I curl and then let it fall loose on my bareback. I put a little bit of makeup on but not too much and then I feel like I am ready.
I must be the last one to arrive because the sun has already gone down, and the stars slowly emerge. I hurry and follow the signs that lead me to a mountain far on the left. It looks like a part of the mountain has been cut off on top to make a big dance floor. I walk up the stairs and I hear Celtic music when I come closer. When I get there, I can see that the floor is made from obsidian. It shines and reflects the sky. On the edge, there is an elegant band playing lovely music and there are tables everywhere filled with delicious food and drinks that seem to sparkle. When I walk onto the platform everyone becomes quiet to look at me and they make an opening for me to walk to the middle of the dance floor.
My heart beats faster when I see Gabriel standing in the middle. He is looking at me intensely and I think, ”My god no one should be able to look that good.”
He is wearing a dark blue suit that seems to shimmer in the starlight. Although nothing ever seems to shine as bright as his eyes. I walk to him nervously, but I keep looking into his eyes. At that moment It feels like there is nobody else there, it is only me and him.