Chapter 7
Seven
A Purpose
Nobody else was in the common spaces of the outpost when I awoke. Someone had built up the fire, but there were no other signs of activity. A light rain pattered on the roof as I decided on some distraction to fill my time.
Opening the door revealed an icing of fog that clung to the valleys between round mountain peaks. Bright drops from the sky misted my face as I made my way to the trees.
There were large branches that hadn’t taken in much water yet, and more dead branches in the trees I could reach to cut as well.
The rhythm of the axe was music to me, and I hummed one of the old mountain tunes Bryn would sing as we worked.
Work felt good, right. The fae were kind but made me feel as though I were a novelty.
Or perhaps it was my own discomfort at attention that made me feel that way.
Regardless, I needed a task, and the forest always provided me something to do.
The misty rain didn’t stop until I had tied my bundle and started the walk back.
Fog still clung to the edges of the mountains, but the yard was clear and sunny.
Even from a distance, I could see Schula at her post again.
She was striking it with cloth-wrapped fist and booted foot in precise jabs.
Her strength was enviable and her movements graceful.
All three of them were like that, and I had to sigh that the human parts of me had robbed me of the same.
The rough handle of my axe weighed heavy in my hand. It had done nothing against Thain. It would do nothing against any of them. Not that I thought I needed it here, with them, but the wraith was a thornbush prickling at the edge of my mind.
Schula nodded as I entered the yard before continuing her exercise.
Her chest heaved, pulling air through her with practiced ease at the same arc of motion each time.
Sweat glistened on her pale skin. Her efforts were as plain as day, and I scolded myself for assuming any of it was easy.
Dropping both the bundle of wood and my lingering fears at the side of the yard, I headed toward the icy-white fae.
It was time to do something about these feelings.
A corner of sturdy fencing made for a good perch where I could watch Schula while resting my aches.
She didn’t pause for me; she just continued in a trance.
Everything was a pattern. Left hand, right hand, left foot, right foot.
Again. Now reverse the order. Now again.
I watched for some time, mesmerized by her movements.
In a heartbeat, so quickly I didn’t register at first, she stopped.
The only motion that remained was the rise and fall of her chest, hungry for air.
She walked over to a waterskin hanging on a fence post. She turned and settled her icy eyes on me, sending a chill down my spine.
So friendly, so welcoming, but still so foreign a sight. “Did you need me for something?”
“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I said.
“Nearly done anyway,” she panted, reaching for the waterskin and drinking deeply.
Shrugging, I dove right into the question. “Could you teach me how to do that?”
She turned back to look at where she had been, hanging the waterskin back up absently. “How to hit a wooden pole in the ground?”
My mouth formed a tight line, wondering if I had said or done something stupid. But her eyes danced with mischief, and I realized she was teasing me. Just as Bryn might have, except Bryn had the subtlety of a rockslide.
“Yes, I could show you the basics. Why the interest?”
“When Thain caught up to me, we encountered something monstrous,” I said.
Schula frowned. “He did mention a wraith,” she murmured.
“We came out of it unscathed, but only due to Thain. If I had been alone with it, I wouldn’t have been so lucky.”
“You want to protect yourself.” She scanned me with a measured concentration: arms, shoulders, a glance at the wood I’d brought, the axe at my side.
“Not that Thain isn’t capable,” I started, “but the only one I can guarantee to be with me at all times is me.”
“Well put.” She closed the gap in a few steps.
“I’d be happy to show you a few things. I train my body, but not in weapons.
A solid body is the foundation of any form of self-defense, and an excellent place to start.
If you would like to go beyond that . . .
” She shrugged. “You look pretty comfortable with that axe.”
“This isn’t the same, I’m sure.” My hand fell to the familiar handle. “Nothing so grand as a soldier’s tools.”
“A soldier’s tools?” Schula mused. “The fae tend to rely on the magic of the Wyldes, but some magics don’t suit every situation.
You’ve probably noticed Thain can call wind, while Eberon can call fire.
But wind can’t do everything, and in some situations fire would do more harm than good.
Some, Thain and myself included, would rely on our bodies for combat.
Others, like Eberon, use swords and such.
But a stick in Eberon’s hand is better than a sword in the hands of the untrained.
It isn’t the tools as much as the person using them, and I think you’d be more formidable than you expect, given a few lessons.
But I can at least start you off with your body. ”
“I would love to learn from you,” I said. “If you have time.”
“Thain told us about you trying to hit the wraith with your axe.” Schula smiled, arms crossed.
“That’s some bravery, and I can’t grow that in a person.
That’s all you. I can’t promise you’ll be as strong as a full-blooded fae, but I can at least teach you enough to get by.
And that inner strength is what will help you through your training, if you’re serious about it. ”
“I’ll work as hard as I need to,” I promised.
“That’s unexpected.” I jumped at Thain’s voice to the side, throwing a hand over my pounding heart.
“You big oaf,” Schula scolded. “You’ve frightened her right out of her skin.”
Cool, silver eyes moved between us. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said.
A slow breath hissed out of me, and I dropped my hand. “I’ll be fine. Apparently, this is something I need to get used to.”
“Did you find anything on the wards?” Schula asked quietly.
“No, nothing. I can’t even see where the wards are failing, but things are definitely slipping through.” Thain scratched his neck. “I can’t find the problem, so our next step is to report it.”
“What exactly are these wards?” I asked cautiously, remembering last night.
“Witching magic,” Schula explained. “There was a time in which the witches were in the Wyldes, and a barrier of sorts was constructed to prevent some of the darker things of our lands from seeping into the human territories. The details aren’t as clear as they once were, given how long ago this was, but the wards have remained intact in their absence. ”
“Until now,” Thain finished. “If there is a connection to the witches, we’ll need to find out.”
There isn’t, is there? But Mila had no obligation to tell me her business. She’d taught me so many things, but there had been no reason to teach the ways of her sisterhood to me. Still, she lived her life in quiet, doing good for the mountain and the people. She did nothing maliciously. Right?
Schula sighed then turned to me. “We start tomorrow. I’m going to go clean up, and you should get another day with three full meals and plenty of sleep. You’ll need it.”
Even covered in sweat and tired as she must have been from her routine, Schula’s stride was firm and alert as she retreated to the warm outpost. She overflowed with confidence, and it showed in her every movement.
I wanted that. Mother’s grace, I wanted that.
Maybe if I were more like Schula I wouldn’t worry so much about what in the Wyldes could kill me.
Thain shifted his weight next to me, a subtle reminder that he was still here.
“For what it’s worth, you would do well with an axe made for fighting.
It would be a familiar weight in your hand, and I know you’ve built up the right muscles for it.
Schula’s a good teacher; she will start you off right. Eberon knows much about weaponry.”
“Maybe,” was all I managed, but I’d never been ready to brawl with anyone before.
The few times I’d tried after being teased by village boys, Bryn had stepped in quickly.
At the time, it would have done more harm to the tolerance everyone had maintained toward something from the Wyldes living nearby.
If I’d started sending their sons home with bruises, things would have been far worse.
And yet, those skills might have been helpful if I’d had them when I needed them. Hopefully Schula could set me on the right path.
Schula was a demon. Another horror of the Wyldes, sent to torment me under the guise of helping.
My morning had started with three quick raps to my door, followed by shoving strange clothing in my arms and pulling me outside to the yard.
She had to help me tie the wrappings that wound around the middle of the tunic, and she told me their purpose was to help keep loose fabric out of the way while working.
Apparently, many garments in Thanantholl had this feature, so I did my best to watch how she tied them.
Once I was dressed to her standards, she walked around me in silent observation.
“We’ll straighten your posture,” she listed out loud. “Good structure in your arms, though you’re still so sleight. You’ll need to be able to judge your weight against your opponent’s, that’s a key part of what I have to teach you.”
After a list of assessments, she stopped before me and clasped her hands together. “Let’s stretch you out.” She grinned, her sharp teeth lending a sinister aura to her smile.
For the rest of the morning, Schula contorted my body.
She pulled and pushed. She made me move in ways I never had before.
I didn’t so much as look at the pole I had asked to hit yesterday; my arms probably would have fallen off if I’d tried.
Schula, on the other hand, moved like water.
She demonstrated every stretch, every pose that she asked me to do, and she made it look as simple as breathing.
By the time we were done, even breathing wasn’t a simple task.
“I want you to take a bath, and I want you to stay in there for as long as you can stand it. Soak those muscles so we can do this again tomorrow, all right? I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Tomorrow?” I groaned. “That is . . . I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. Truly.”
Schula laughed, patting my shoulder as I winced, and led me inside.
Eberon and Thain sat at the table, smiling as I dragged my body through the main room. I wanted to make a rude gesture, but I was too tired. I heard Schula close her door upstairs as I entered the bathroom below.
The bath was more marvelous than it had been the last time I’d used it.
Empty and scrubbed, it took a while to fill the tub, which I didn’t mind as it gave me plenty of time to slowly scrub out the aches with the rose soap, though I did chance a smell and a swipe with a rich-scented, earthy soap that made me sneeze.
Cleaned, and with the hot water almost full, I eased into the water with a groan.
Once it finally covered me, I turned the faucet off and laid my head back.
In the warm tub, everything relaxed fully after the morning of movement.
It took only a little time for me to doze off.