Chapter 19 #3
But Torj didn’t look concerned or angry, just a little bewildered as he walked off.
Cal was watching her. ‘Who taught you?’ he demanded.
Thea fidgeted with the hem of her cloak, instinct demanding that she hold back.
Cal had been nothing but kind to her since they’d met.
There was an earnestness to him she found endearing, and she wanted to trust him and Kipp.
She knew her hesitation was borne of confiding in the wrong boy years ago and being singed with regret.
But despite knowing all this, the name wouldn’t form on her tongue.
Instead, she turned to Cal and blurted: ‘Where did you learn to shoot like that?’
Cal’s cheeks flushed. ‘Uh… Well, my family were hunters. Deer mostly. I was basically born with a bow in my hand. But…’ His blush deepened.
‘Game in my homeland grew scarcer every year and my parents couldn’t afford to keep me, so they sent me here when I was a teenager. I left behind three sisters.’
‘I see…’ Thea said slowly. She hadn’t met many people in Thezmarr who had grown up outside the guild.
Most were infants when they arrived, abandoned like her, sometimes sold with a claim a child had a special gift, sometimes as an offering for the good of the midrealms, all of them passing into the care of the Guild Master.
But Cal had known a life outside the fortress, had known a family… and had been ripped away from them.
‘I’m sorry,’ she told him.
He shrugged. ‘It was a long time ago.’
Thea recognised that forced nonchalant tone. She used it often enough herself. ‘But you still miss them.’
‘Every day,’ Cal replied, reaching for the bow.
They practised until noon, and all the while, Thea picked Cal’s mind for advice on how to best handle the longbow.
She soon discovered that he was also rather proficient with the sling and the spear, and was generous with his knowledge.
He patiently walked her through several techniques with both weapons.
‘But from what I’ve seen,’ he told her. ‘Your strength lies with the throwing stars.’
Thea nodded stiffly.
‘That’s not what you want to hear?’ he asked.
Thea chewed her bottom lip. ‘I… I want to be a master of all,’ she answered at last. She waited for laughter or mockery, but none came.
Cal simply shrugged. ‘Then you’re going to need a lot of practice.’
A harsh voice cut through the woods. ‘ — moron is just as useless with a bow as he is with a sword. Furies know why he’s still here.’
Thea’s skin crawled at the sound and, instinctually, she knew its target.
With Cal at her side, they searched the Bloodwoods, finding Kipp wedged between two of Seb’s lackeys, the point of an arrow held to his throat.
‘I’ve been telling you for years, Sebastos, my talents lie in the War Room,’ Kipp said, inching his neck away from the tip, revealing a trickle of blood.
Seb leaned in. ‘And I’ve been telling you for years, no one wants a commander who can’t swing a sword or throw a spear.’
The creaking sound of a bow being pulled taut sounded.
‘Seb!’ Cal had drawn to full height, an arrow nocked and ready in his longbow. ‘Let him go.’
Thea’s heart rate spiked. Things had escalated so quickly. Where was Torj? Surely he should step in.
But Seb turned his sneer towards Cal. ‘You, I’ve never understood. Why you throw yourself in with a bunch of freaks? First this weakling.’ He smacked Kipp’s face with the flat of the arrowhead before jutting his chin at Thea. ‘Then the bitch who thinks she’s a man.’
Thea refused to blush. Instead, she clenched her fists and adjusted her stance. If Cal shot, chaos would follow. She only wished she’d pocketed a few of the throwing stars.
Cal’s knuckles were white around the bow, but he held steady.
‘You want to know why I’m not in with your lot?
’ He laughed darkly. ‘I have no interest in playing errand boy for some entitled prick who uses others to fight his battles for him. You’re only here because your uncle is friends with the Guild Master. ’
Thea’s mouth nearly fell open. What?
The tips of Seb’s ears reddened. ‘That’s not true.’
Cal ignored him. ‘Let Kipp go.’
‘Or what? You’ll shoot me?’
Blood roared in Thea’s ears and she took a step forward without thinking, something crackling in her chest, a static buzzing at her fingertips.
All the fear she had felt fell away and her focus became singular: teach Sebastos Barlowe a lesson.
Her whole body coursed with a fierce energy that she knew in her bones could take that bastard down.
‘Well?’ Seb taunted, digging the tip of the arrow into Kipp’s neck.
Their friend winced, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face.
Seb was enjoying this. ‘You going to shoot me or what?’
Thea took another step forward.
‘Maybe he will,’ came Torj’s deep voice from behind them.
Seb had the good sense to flinch.
Thea froze.
‘And from what I’ve seen, Whitlock doesn’t miss,’ the Warsword added, moving to Thea’s side. His voice was calm, as though he hadn’t just found his shieldbearers in a deadly standoff, but his ice-blue eyes betrayed the fury beneath.
‘Everyone lower your weapons, now.’ Pure command, no room for insubordination.
Immediately, the lackeys released Kipp. Seb dropped the arrow, and Cal lowered his bow. Thea let her fists fall to her sides, but kept them clenched, her tingling fingernails digging into her palms.
Torj surveyed them coldly. ‘This can go one of two ways…’ he drawled.
‘One, I chalk this up to the usual shieldbearer hazing bullshit, and we don’t speak of it again.
Two… If I ever find this happening again…
I’ll string you up in the mountain cliff caves and let the storms drown you slowly. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, Sir.’ Came the unified mumble.
‘Good.’
After that, he called their training to an official halt. ‘Get yourselves back to the hall, eat up. I’ve got no doubt that this session was a warm-up compared to this afternoon’s.’
Thea and Cal waited until the group had dispersed before they rushed to an ashen-faced Kipp.
‘I’m fine,’ he mumbled, wiping the trail of blood from his neck.
‘He’s a fucking bastard,’ Cal snarled, watching Seb disappear towards the fortress.
‘That was never in dispute,’ Kipp replied.
Thea looped her arm through his and squeezed his hand. ‘You’re sure you’re alright?’
Kipp gave a resigned smile. ‘I can’t say that’s how I wanted to spend my morning. But yes, I’m fine. Thanks to you and Cal.’
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Thea said truthfully.
‘You would have,’ Kipp argued. ‘You looked… powerful, like you had some secret weapon you were going to bring down on him. I was almost scared myself.’
Charged energy coursed through Thea even now, but she laughed. ‘Apparently rage will do that.’
‘Apparently…’ Kipp echoed, sounding distant.
‘What is it?’ Cal asked.
Kipp hesitated, visibly swallowing before removing his arm from Thea’s, his body caving inward. He didn’t look at them when he spoke. ‘You both know that I’m more inclined towards military strategy, don’t you?’
Thea exchanged a confused glance with Cal and frowned. ‘What of it?’
‘Well… I just want you to know that I’m good,’ he told them tentatively. ‘ Really good. I might be “useless” on the battlefield, but I will always have your backs from the War Room.’
Thea’s heart fractured for him. ‘We know that, Kipp.’
‘Of course we do,’ Cal chimed in. ‘Everyone has their strengths.’
Kipp forced a smile and tapped his index finger to his head. ‘This isn’t just for decoration, you know.’
‘Thank the Furies for that, cause it ain’t pretty.’ Cal threw an arm around Kipp’s shoulders.
Kipp snorted. ‘Can always count on you for a morale boost, can’t we, Callahan?’
Thea laughed shakily, the tension ebbing away at last.
As they started back to the fortress, Kipp’s hand drifted to where the arrow tip had broken the skin on his neck. Shaking his head, he muttered. ‘Fucking Seb Barlowe… He’d never get served at the Fox.’
For once, Thea and Cal didn’t comment.
Back at the Great Hall, Thea snatched up what food she could carry and made for the alchemy workshop. Even though her old cohort had every third afternoon free, she knew her sister would be tinkering away at her Ladies’ Luncheon Teapot.
Wren was hunched over a workbench, scowling at some part of the porcelain design, when Thea walked in. Ida was seated a few benches over, she glanced up and a slow smile spread across her lips. ‘Althea Nine Lives lives to fight another day.’
Thea grinned. ‘I’m a shieldbearer…’ she ventured, glancing at her sister to gauge any emotion. Nothing. Wren was absorbed in her work, as usual.
‘So we’ve heard,’ Ida replied. ‘Everyone’s talking about you.’
‘Saying what?’ Thea hoped her chipper retort would stir some sort of response from Wren.
‘Some say you’re a brazen fool. Others say you’re the fresh blood Thezmarr needs.’
‘Interesting.’ Thea approached the bench, studying Wren’s handiwork and handing her a thick slice of bread.
At last, Wren looked up and took it gratefully.
‘How’s the design coming?’ Thea asked.
‘Not quite there yet,’ Wren said around a mouthful. ‘I’m using dye to colour the water so I can be sure there are no leaks from the different chambers.’
‘That could be unfortunate.’
‘Exactly. It’s taking some tweaking.’
‘You’ll get there.’
‘I know,’ Wren replied, taking another enthused bite. ‘How is life as a Thezmarrian shieldbearer? Is it everything you always dreamed it would be?’
Thea glanced at Ida, who looked intensely interested in her own potions.
It wasn’t that Thea kept secrets… not many, anyway.
But she didn’t talk as openly with the others as she did with Wren.
Despite her sister being younger, Wren had mastered wisdom and a cool head – much to Thea’s frustration.
With Ida distracted, Thea allowed herself to consider Wren’s question.
She thought of the morning lesson with Torj and the pull of her muscles as she drew the bowstring back.
But she also recalled the fear spiking as she entered the dormitories last night, the eyes on her both there and across the dinner table. ‘Parts of it,’ she said honestly.
Wren nodded.
‘You knew it would be like this?’ Thea asked.
Wren grimaced. ‘I suspected that not everyone would be thrilled about a woman wielding a blade alongside the guild’s most prized warriors.’
‘I was too wrapped up in getting here, in being able to call myself a shieldbearer.’
‘I know,’ Wren said again.
Thea hauled herself up to sit on the workbench, her feet dangling beneath her. ‘You seem to know a lot these days.’
Wren laughed. ‘I’m very all-knowing, all-powerful.’
‘Doesn’t surprise me.’ Thea paused.
Shaking her head, Wren shifted through various sheets of parchment before consulting a sketch. ‘I suppose you want to be a Warsword’s apprentice? That was the announcement this morning? What you and… Hawthorne were discussing?’
Thea baulked. ‘How did you know he and I discussed anything?’
Wren shrugged. ‘I saw him approach you in the courtyard,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘I don’t like the way he was looking at you.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Thea retorted. Her pink-tipped cheeks did her no favours, though.
Wren gave her a knowing look. ‘Wars have been started over looks less heated than that, sister. Is something going on —’
‘No,’ Thea cut her off. ‘He only wanted my word that I wouldn’t nominate him as a mentor. Less than nothing there.’
If her sister detected the note of hurt in her voice, she didn’t say. Wren only continued looking at her designs. ‘I don’t think that’s the issue, Thee…’
‘There’s no issue.’ Thea sniffed. ‘And who wouldn’t want to be one of their apprentices?’
Wren scoffed. ‘I can think of a few people —’
‘I was made for this, Wren,’ Thea interjected.
Wren’s gaze lingered on where Thea’s fate stone rested against her skin beneath her shirt. ‘I don’t doubt it,’ she said. ‘Just be careful. You’re not invincible.’
A flicker of fear from the previous night fluttered to the surface, but Thea didn’t want Wren to know the half of it.
So Thea finished her food and brushed the crumbs from her chest.
‘Must you?’ Wren chastised, motioning to the mess that now littered her workspace.
Thea only grinned. ‘So, what else are people saying about Althea Nine Lives?’
Wren gave one of her long suffering sighs that constantly had people assuming she was the older sibling. ‘Mostly variations of the two previous notions. You’re either an idiot with a death wish, or an enlightened vision of the future.’
Thea snorted. ‘And what do you say?’
Wren concentrated on her creation, tinkering with an element that Thea couldn’t see. But there was a smile on Wren’s lips and the glimmer of pride in her eyes. ‘I tell them you’re my sister.’