Rising From the Ashes: The Chronicles of Caymin by Caren J. Werlinger Page B

teachers most days, taking the young ones into the forest and teaching them more of the herbs and plants there, teaching them how to control their magic.
    “It will be different for each of you, how you tap into your power, but one thing is true for all. You’ll find it easier here,” said Neela. “The life-force of the forest will aid you. If you were to go out into the world as you are now, it would be difficult for you to harness your power. You probably could only perform magic by accident.”
    Ash was reminded of the night she had healed Cuán, and knew that it had only been in the terror of that night that she had been able to channel the ability to heal him.
    Neela took them this day far from the village. As they walked, Ash wondered again how extensive this forest must be. Neela led them deep into a grove of oaks, and asked them each to go to a tree. They spread out while Neela herself went to the largest tree in the center of the grove.
    “This tree is the mother of this grove,” she said, laying her hands on the massive trunk. “All of these trees are her children. All came from acorns she dropped over the winters. Listen.”
    She closed her eyes. Ash sat at the base of her tree and laid her hands on its roots. She knew what these ancient trees felt like from her lessons with Enat, but even she was surprised to feel echoes of Neela’s touch come to her like a tiny shiver of awareness in the tree she clasped.
    Cíana next to her gasped as she felt it also. They smiled at each other.
    “Each tree is still connected to the mother tree and to the others,” Neela explained. “They communicate with one another, much as we do. We cannot cut one without doing harm to the others. This is true in every forest.”
    The other apprentices looked perplexed as they struggled to feel something. Neela went from one to the next, whispering, laying her hands over top of theirs, guiding them. Ash watched as Neela went to Gai. Remembering what Enat had said to her, she was curious to see whether he would feel the power of these beings. She could not hear what Neela said to him, but Gai closed his eyes and laid his hands again on the tree where he stood. His pale face at first was expressionless, but as he felt and listened, his features softened. A look of wonder came over him, and when he opened his eyes and met Ash’s gaze, for just a moment, it was like looking into the soft eyes of a deer. Almost immediately, the softness was gone, replaced by his usual hard expression.
    “That was amazing,” said Daina a short while later as they began their trek back to the village. “It reminded me how small we are.”
    “It reminded me how hungry I am,” said Diarmit.
    Cíana laughed. “You’re always hungry.”
    Diarmit shrugged. “Aye.” He eyed Ash as they walked. “Why do you limp?”
    Ash felt heat rise in her cheeks.
    “Leave her alone,” Cíana said.
    “Why? I’m only asking,” Diarmit said.
    “My leg was burned,” Ash said. She pulled up her legging and showed them. “It will not straighten. Nor my arm.”
    Cíana winced. “Does it hurt?”
    Ash shook her head. “Not unless I try to force it.”
    “Can you run?”
    Ash grinned at Diarmit. “I can beat you back to the village.” And she took off with her strange lopsided gait that nevertheless was light as a rabbit as she ran through the underbrush rather than along the trail, scrambling under branches and hopping over roots and rocks, arriving back at the village well before Diarmit and the others.
    “Now I’m hungrier than ever,” Diarmit huffed as he bent over, his hands braced on his knees.
    “We thought you might be.”
    Ash turned to find Enat standing at the door to the largest building. No one lived in it. It served as a space for teaching or meetings of the elders of the village or a place to tell stories if the sky was raining or snowing. Today, a large pot hung over the fire and lured them inside with the smell of food.
    The older