The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 01 - Elseerian Read Free Page B

humans. Dwarves and elves arrived at the age of twenty and stayed until they reached the age of accountability for their respective races.
    Once on the island, everyone began with the basics of unarmed combat. After that they could select a single master to teach them in a specific style of fighting or continue in unarmed combat. Most elves chose to study the short sword or longbow, the most common elven weapons. The few humans and dwarves usually chose a master of the broadsword, longsword, or battle axe. They would then study with that master until their Acabi ceremony.
    Those who passed the Acabi could choose to return to their homeland or stay and continue their studies. Since elves and dwarves could live for several hundred years, many elected to remain. Humans usually returned home as soon as their ceremony was completed. During their training, if any student mastered a specific weapon, they were allowed to select another teacher and learn an additional skill.
    While his thoughts continued to wander, Taryn strolled down the trail and enjoyed the early morning. Frequent breaks in the trees allowed a view of the gorgeous sunrise. The sun was already halfway up, with the water reflecting the colors perfectly, making the horizon disappear. Red, orange and yellow shimmered in the water and sky, setting the sea on fire.
    By this time of day, students could normally be found running on the trails for their morning exercise. Today being an Acabi ceremony, however, all normal lessons would be cancelled. The trail continued to dip through the light forest at a steady decline, gently turning back on itself when it became too steep. Enjoying the feeling of solitude, Taryn broke into a run.
    Swift and careful, he placed each foot on stone or hard dirt, leaving no sign of his passage. His elven heritage granted him speed and silence—but he also had stamina, which was not a normal elf trait. Unending endurance was only common among the dwarves, who were known for fighting for days without rest. Coming to a small stream, he leapt up to grab a thick branch twelve feet above the gurgling water, and swung himself across without slowing.
    He smiled to himself. Every day since he was five he’d run a few miles before dawn. It was the only time of day that he could think without being disturbed. At first it was just the solitude that had appealed to him. Later it had become a game to avoid all contact with anyone. Hearing footsteps, he would slip into the woods and ghost past someone without them ever knowing he was there.
    Taryn continued to run for ten minutes until he came to one of the villages. Without breaking stride, he used a tree to swing himself onto the roof of a cabin and lightly crossed to grab another branch. Like just another shadow in the morning, he passed through the village without touching the ground. On the other side he dropped softly from a tree and sprinted down the trail. Getting closer to his destination forced him to be more careful as the appearance of one, and then another person, spurred sudden detours. Coming within view of Seascape he slowed to a walk. He had covered almost seven miles in a little over thirty minutes, but suddenly he didn’t want to arrive so early.
    The city lay sprawled out below him. Cottages and cabins were placed around the outside while the dining hall, arena, and other communal structures were situated in the middle of town. A small strip of forest separated the settlement from the beach. Beyond that, a large dock stretched out into the ocean with the Sea Dancer, one of the few ships to come every year, bobbing at the end.
    Since he still had over an hour before he had to be at the arena, he decided to go down to the dock. Wanting to avoid anyone talking to him, he set a quick pace through town and stepped onto the long pier. Continuing to the very end where the great ship lay berthed, he turned onto a smaller dock for fishing boats. No one was on the jetty itself, but there were