CHAPTER III #5
“That’s great. Wait… I’m not talking about the King and his family, I mean your own. Do you have family of your own, Golem?”
No.
“Are there others like you? No? That’s actually kind of sad.
I don’t have any family either... But what about Zander?
Could he create another like you? Maybe?
Is it hard to do what he did? Hmm. I bet it is.
I remember reading something about the creation of Golems. It’s powerful magic, Golem.
Real powerful. To create another might be too much for him.
You agree? Do you miss him? Is this your first time away from him?
I miss Bardot every time we leave, but I do love all the cities and towns we’ve visited so far.
The places in Knowledge feel like home, but those in the Court of Warriors… ”
My heavy sigh is one of awe.
“Ancients, Golem, they’re something else, aren’t they?
I thought the Palisades were lively, but they’re nothing compared to the southern cities of Warrior we’ve traveled to.
I see that smile of yours. You agree, don’t you?
There’s just something about them that’s so alive.
Speaking of traveling, how is this going to work?
Do you want me to let you out of the jar for all our stops along the road?
No? Just when we reach our destination for the day? Okay, I can do that…”
I drift off to sleep with the rest of my questions, feeling Golem’s presence at the foot of the bed throughout the whole night.
“Was everyone’s reaction to Golem a bit to over the top last night?” I ask Cal as the two of us stretch by the riverbank.
I was up and packed before dawn, trying my hardest not to wake Alanna as I moved around the room to get ready.
It didn’t take long to realize that I didn’t need to be so quiet- The blonde Discerni was deep in sleep after staying out so late last night that not even a bucking horse in the room could wake her.
Golem stood at the foot of the bed while I got ready, and when it came time to leave, he disappeared into the bathing chamber right before I closed his jar.
I ended up walking out with all of my traveling packs, genuinely having no reason to return to the shared room.
Alanna would have too many questions about my arrival with Golem, and that was something I had no intention of dealing with.
“Not necessarily,” Cal flicks his eyes to the river.
Golem is standing next to the bank, his brown robes gently brushing against the shore as he looks out at the water.
“Golems are old magic, Alex. Real old. They predate the Ancients. Lore says that the Elder Father and Mother created the first Golem before they did any other magical being, and even now, only the strongest of Discerni are able to conjure and command them.”
“But Desmond has been around Golem his whole life, and Holis and Mana have seen him a few times when they visit the castle. Surely they’re used to the sight of him by now?”
“To an extent,” he nods, tying his auburn hair back, “but it wasn’t so much as they were shocked to see Golem last night, only that they were shocked to see him with you.”
I have no response for my friend and narrow my eyes on the magical creature instead. I stopped asking questions when it came to Zander’s decisions early on in my travels and wasn’t going to start doing so now.
“The King didn’t tell you why he gave you Golem?”
“Not exactly,” I sigh, “but Golem hinted last night that he could enter the library in Red Falls with me.”
Cal nods in appreciation, “good. The others may be wary about his presence, but I’m grateful he’ll be there for you. Holis and Mana will be, too.”
Golem quickly turns to look back at the two of us, his brown eyes focusing on Cal who continues stretching.
Ancients, can he hear us from over there?
I shake my head and turn to my friend with a frown. “Last night was the most I’ve heard Mana speak in two years...”
“Really?”
Cal gives me a curious look, considering all of our past trips. “I guess that’s true. Mana just loves his kedge, Alex, so he’ll talk to anyone about it. It’s honestly hard to get him to stop talking once someone brings it up.”
“His kedge?”
“The bladed staff at his back,” he nods, “it’s called a kedge.”
“A cat with a kedge,” I smile, “very fitting.”
“Cat,” he chuckles.
“Cat,” I grin, “Mana reminds me of those forest cats we see every so often. They keep their distance and stay quiet and secretive, but their eyes and bodies are sharp.”
Cal’s boom of laughter raises a few birds from their morning sleep. Their annoyed chirps sound over our heads as they fly towards the river.
“I’m going to have to tell him you said that,” Cal grins, “he’ll find it amusing.”
I try to envision any look of amusement on the Discerni’s face but come up short.
“You look good this morning,” I reply instead.
Cal nods in agreement. “I think the whole group took it easy last night, except for that little Warrior spitfire. She drank pretty well for her size but not nearly as good as you.”
Alanna.
There’s only one person in our group who could be considered a little spitfire.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
I nod and move into a bracing position.
“Good,” he grins, angling his fists to my face, “let’s start with hand to hand and then you can show me this new blade of yours...”
When I first started my travels for the King I had no desire to become a fighter like Cal.
There was no raging call for me to physically train my body, nor was there any dying need to handle a weapon.
In fact, when Cal approached me on our first trip, I politely declined his offer.
It wasn’t until he offered again that I accepted, and that was only because the King had pressed the issue.
Zander explained that I needed to know the basics of self-defense for my travels, regardless of how safe we both felt his Kingdom was.
Therein started my morning lessons with Cal on all our travels.
He taught me the basics of hand to hand combat and then gradually progressed into how to use a dagger.
I quickly came to appreciate his guidance and even started to enjoy the feel of my body becoming more able and honed.
I now had a stomach that didn’t need bindings to flatten it down, as was expected in the Queen’s Ladies in Wait, and my arms and legs strengthened with small muscles from all the hard work I put in.
I also enjoyed the small level of comfort the trainings gave me.
It was good to know that I could hold my own if a bad situation ever arose.
There was one night when a drunken stranger had surprised me in an alley in Brierman last year.
.. I never found out his intentions, whether he just wanted to talk or attempt something more sinister, and instead tucked my foot under his and flipped him hard into the ground, sending him to an early night’s sleep.
That feeling was euphoric, knowing I could defend myself in the most basic way, and it kept me coming back to Cal day after day while laughing at my previous ignorance.
“Let’s see the new one then,” he huffs as the two of us wipe our foreheads.
I reach down my thigh and grab the weapon hiding under my boot, handing it Cal and nearly forgetting its size.
His eyes widen. “This is a damn fine blade, Alex.”
“It is,” I smile at the green agate, “but it’s much heavier than I’m used to.”
Cal nods, fingering the balance with precision, “I think this should be your combat blade, not a throwing blade.”
“Combat blade?” I laugh, “Ancients, Cal. Do you expect me to go to war?”
“Close range blade,” he corrects quietly, “something you can use against another that isn’t your fists.”
“Will you teach me?”
“We’ll start today,” he grins and hands the weapon back, “if you think you still have the stamina.”
“How are you even questioning that?”
Cal chuckles and moves around to my back, his big arms circling mine from behind as he adjusts my stance.
“Do you feel that?” he asks, dropping his palm to press into my core, “hold this position in defense. Make your body remember this stance.”
“It feels foreign,” I answer honestly.
“As did the first month when you began with me.”
“True,” I grumble, committing the pose to memory.
Cal nods again and moves to my front, his hand instantly darting to my fingers as he properly angles the dagger.
“Why do we pretend to do this in secret, Cal?”
“What do you mean?”
I give him an exasperated look, “you always have us meet in secluded areas away from Holis and Mana, even though I know they’ve seen us training more times than I can count. You speak in whispers whenever you reference these exercises, but I know they hear us too…”
Cal smiles and ducks his head to the side.
“So why do we continue to feign secrecy with them?”
“We don’t have to with the twins any longer,” he adjusts my arms, eyes darting to my planted feet and core, “this is good, Alex. Engrain this stance in your memory. Teach your body to remember this hold.”
“I will, but can you please answer my question?”
Cal sighs and runs a hand through his beard.
“Two reasons,” he nods quietly, “the first, and always remember this, Alex, is that there is nothing wrong with having your own secrets. The Old World doesn’t need to know your business and everything you do, nor should you let it.
Second, and you know this as well as I… we train with green agate.
I was unsure how comfortable Holis and Mana would feel being around that. ”
“But Mana’s own kedge is made of the stone,” I frown, “Holis’ arrows, too.”
“You know there’s a difference when the stone is handled by a human.”
I sigh.
There is.
It’s another thousands year old rule that was placed on us mortals.
“I would advise that you keep this blade in your boot at all times, away from the prying eyes of the rest of our group. I’m not worried about the twins any longer, but we’ll continue to train in secret for this trip.”