Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) by E.B. Acevedo Page A

A sharp golden spike protruded from the steel hammer.  Overwhelmed with curiosity, she grabbed it from his hands. 
    “Young lady!”  He snatched it back from her.  “What do you think you are doing?” 
    She frowned in disappointment.  “Oh, I thought I was going to get to use it.”
    Vienken wrapped the handle’s leather strap around his wrist to secure his grip, before going through the motions of swinging the weapon.
    “My dear, if you had been listening earlier, you would have heard me say I need to first demonstrate the technique.”  He raised his eyebrows while he reprimanded her.
    “Right, sorry.”
    “Moving on.  As you have probably gathered, this is a war hammer forged for magical use because not all of us are blessed in the way you and the Her Holiness are.  Priests, such as myself, cannot fully activate Vesalys’ power using sheer will alone.  For that reason, we rely on different tools to aid us in channeling and amplifying our goddess’ strength.”
                  He turned to face a row of practice dummies.  At the sight of them, Raiven surveyed her surroundings.  She had not even noticed the mannequins there, and knew she had truly been distracted by her earlier thoughts. 
                  “We will skip the rubbish and begin with a serious technique.  Now, watch.”
                  He held the hammer while he summoned a magical white glow that seemed to transfer into the hammer.  The runes lit up in response to the holy power that filled the weapon and in one swift motion, he swung it back and ran at one of the dummies.  He clenched his teeth and snarled when the weapon made contact with the target.  Blue electricity flowed from the golden point, surrounding the wood, and scorched it without a sound until it dissipated to ash.
                  He turned to Raiven with a satisfied grin and said, “I am a bit rusty, but you get the idea.”
                  “A bit rusty?”  She chuckled and dashed up to her instructor.  “Can I try now?”
    “Young Priestess, it is understandable that you greet this art with enthusiasm, but combat magic can be very dangerous.  The choices made while exercising such power must not be taken lightly.”
    “Yes Master Vienken, I understand.” 
                  He sighed and went on with the lecture, “In the past, the temple has used an ancient technique against our most powerful enemies.  This is referred to as the hand of Vesalys.  I have just showed you what the attack looks like coming from a priest like me.  It is now time to show me what you can do.”
    The priestess knew she would have to beckon Vesalys from within, just as she had done for her healing spells countless times.  Though the intent was different, Raiven was confident she could do it.  She closed her eyes and started to concentrate.  Behind her, she could hear her instructor guiding her through the motions.
    “Channel Vesalys’ strength that lives inside of you and focus it on the target.  Control the magic with your mind and spirit.  Use your hand as the outlet to release the attack on your enemy.”
    A tingling sensation traveled up her body, giving her goosebumps.  She raised one hand above her head and waited.  Raiven could feel the energy building up.  When she opened her eyes, encircling her was a miraculous, pulsating blue electrical current.  The electricity snapped and crackled with intensity.  Enlivened by the force she had created, the priestess knew she was ready to attack.  Her fierce eyes fixated on the practice target when she swung her arm down with determination and force.
    A blazing bolt of blue lightning cracked down from the sky, striking the ground in front of the dummies.  In an instant, the electric energy sprouted from the ground, crawling up the wooden targets.  She watched as the flashing current engulfed the bodies.  Then with a thunderous bang, the dummies