CHAPTER XIV #5
Both look at me with small smiles as Holis replies, “while they may be brothers, Hirovale and Heysan are also good friends. Their relationship is unmatched between the Ancients, perhaps the deepest between them all.”
“What?” I ask in disbelief.
That can’t be right.
Heysan is known to promote self-indulgence and pleasure, urging people to find enjoyment in life through all things raucous and raw. He was the Ancient that was revered amongst the drinkers, experimenters and celebrators, and he was well-known to favor those who took risks.
Textbooks write of him as bestowing good fortune on those he considered to be worthy of it, people who had an unyielding view on life for all things living and fun.
And though he was the least powerful of the Ancient Ten, he was the most enjoyed by all, and in the old years when the Ancients were awake and roaming the Four Kingdoms freely, Heysan was written about as someone who was seen drinking and gambling with people across the Old World.
His presence was heavily noted at marriage celebrations while he joined in the festivities with the two lovers and their friends and family.
I’ve also read stories of him being spotted down back alley roads, stumbling in his step with an arm slung across the shoulder of a drinking buddy.
If the Court of Warriors ever chose to revere a single Ancient out of the Ten, Heysan would be the one.
“That makes no sense,” I shake my head.
“Why not?” Holis asks with a knowing smile.
“For an Ancient that sees so much death, it would make sense that he seeks out and befriends the celebrator of life and its pleasures,” Mana explains quietly.
Hirovale? The Ancient I met last night?
Seeking out pleasures?
No.
No way.
I want to ask more but Cal moves towards me. “We’ll go about our normal morning exercises until the sun rises, then Holis can take over with the bow.”
“Breakfast after at Margaret’s?”
All three men grin wide in response.
Cal and I move through our normal routines as Stormfall sits on a small bench with Golem standing behind him. We move and sweat until the sun rises just slightly above the skyline, finally taking a break as we both reach for our waters.
“You’re doing good with the larger dagger in close combat, Alex, but I want you to learn how to throw it,” Cal says next to me, “it won’t have the same reach as the smaller, but you should still be able to maneuver it out of hand if needed.”
I’m only finally getting used to the weight of the new dagger in my palm and can work well in close range settings as Cal mentioned, but already I can tell that the blade has me limited.
I would fair well in defending myself if someone attacked me head on, but I yearn to master it in a way that Cal is suggesting.
If I can throw this larger dagger like my smaller, it would do much, much more damage.
“I’m game,” I nod.
Cal grins and walks us over to the archery targets. Holis is already there with two bows and a large quiver of arrows next to his feet.
“Take your stance here,” Cal puts me next to our Discerni friend and angles me at the target, “and hit the center mark with your smaller.”
I pull the blade from my bicep and aim at the circle, hitting the mark dead in the middle.
“Good,” Cal nods, “now stay in this same spot and throw the larger.”
“There’s no way it’ll reach,” I frown.
“I know,” he agrees, “but I need to see how far it will go first. Just to assess your strength.”
I reach down to my boot and angle my body again, focusing on the change of weight as I hitch my hand back and throw. The dagger doesn’t even make it half way to the target, instead landing in the field of grass well before it.
“Don’t sulk,” Cal steps forward, beckoning me with him, “we’ll work on expanding your range just as we did with your small blade. But this distance, here, will be your sweet spot.”
He stops about a step after where the blade rests in the ground and gives me a smile.
“Anything thrown from this distance or shorter will find its mark,” he walks forward to grab the smaller dagger from the target as I reach down to grab the larger. He hands me the smaller and then moves to my back.
“This dagger will require more of your core, Alex,” he places a large hand against my stomach, making me flex the small muscles there, “you can’t rely on the swift movements of your arm for this blade. You’ll need to push forward with your full body for his one.”
I nod and reach behind me, throwing the larger dagger again and barely nicking the bottom of the target. I grab the smaller from my arm and swiftly toss it at the target as well, watching as it lands dead in the center and soothes my bruised ego.
“The range and skill will come with practice,” Cal chuckles, “you can’t expect to pick it up right away. It took you a full year to learn with the first blade.”
I narrow my eyes on my big friend as he shakes his head, “again.”
By the end of our session I’m successfully hitting the bottom edge of the target with each throw, still in a sour mood.
When it comes time for Holis’ training, he takes over for Cal and plants my feet and arms in the correct position for the recurved hunting bow.
This weapon feels even more foreign in my hands than my new dagger does, as it’s been a long while since Holis and I last practiced.
My Discerni friend tilts my elbow up from behind and glances down at my posture before nodding. “Good, let it fly.”
The arrow hits the target with a loud thud, not in the dead center but not on the outskirts either. I let out a sigh of relief, happy to know that my body hasn’t forgotten his previous lessons.
“Again,” Holis directs, “commit this stance to memory.”
I draw another arrow and pull it back, feeling my elbow dip lower. I bring it up before Holis can adjust and release the arrow, watching as it nearly hits the same spot as the first.
“Again,” Holis nods in thought behind me, “but stand taller. Use your core as Cal said.”
I straighten my shoulders and keep my elbow lifted, flexing my core. The arrow finds itself just barely outside the small middle mark.
“Not bad, human,” Alanna saunters forward, her cool grey eyes watching me, “but anyone with basic training can hit a target that is unmoving.”
“Not helping, Alanna,” Holis scowls, “again, Alexis.”
I string another arrow and take the proper stance, letting it fly. The head finds itself just on the outskirts of the middle mark again.
“One day, human,” Alanna teases, leaning down to stretch next to us.
“Maybe if it was you out there I wouldn’t miss,” I mumble to myself, reaching for another arrow.
In the single moment it takes for me to stand back up again, Alanna has quickly placed herself in front of the target.
Ancients, her Discerni speed made her a blur.
“Go on then, Alexis,” she yells from down the field, bringing her hand up to her heart and pointing at her chest, “aim here.”
“You’re crazy,” I yell back at her, shaking my head.
“Oh, human. We both know that you’ve been waiting for the chance to take me back a few marks. I’m giving that to you now!” she smirks from far away as Holis rolls his eyes, “that is, if you think you can.”
I glare at her cool eyes from afar, “I’m not aiming at you, Alanna.”
“Why not?” she laughs with a shrug, “afraid you’ll miss? Not up for the challenge, Alexis?”
I string the bow quickly and aim at her mouth, wishing she would just shut up.
Alanna laughs, “sure, aim for my face, if that’s what will help.”
I release the arrow directly between her cool grey eyes and watch as it moves true down the training field. Alanna grins at me from afar and reaches up to catch the arrow mid-air, her Discerni speed once again too quick.
“Hmm,” Holis mumbles as Alanna walks back to us with a knowing glint in her eyes.
“You thrive under pressure, human,” she says, then turns her glance to Holis, “real life pressure. She’ll find her aim best when seeing something she hates.”
“I don’t hate you, Alanna,” I shake my head, “just find you immensely annoying at times.”
“I know,” she smirks, handing me the arrow before she resumes her stretching.
“Let’s finish the quiver, Alexis,” Holis states quietly, “then head to breakfast.”
I nod and practice until all of the arrows are gone.
“We’ll need to continue the basics of hunting and tracking, too,” Holis notes, the two of us walking towards Cal and Mana, “the Bird of Ash will be able to hunt the small animals now, as you mentioned, but on the occasions he needs heavy red meat while he is younger you’ll need to take down a stag or wolf. ”
Stormfall flies above us, cawing in agreement.
“You two ready?” Holis asks our companions.
Both men smile and wipe their brows of sweat, our group setting off back down the road until the smell of cinnamon greets the air. The elder Discerni woman is already setting up a table when we walk into her courtyard, her smile going broad when she sees us.
“I hoped you’d be back,” she chuckles, eyes landing on the Discerni twins, “heard you all got back in town yesterday.”
“You treat us too well, Duhni,” Mana smiles quietly.
“It’s nothing,” she grins, giving us all a small nod before she bows deeply to Golem, “good to see you as well, Golem.”
Golem’s lips quirk up just a tad in a smile, bowing in return.
“Coffee and tea,” she smiles, eyes widening as Stormfall caws loudly in the morning sky.
Her whole body seems to freeze as she watches him glide down to my shoulder, her glance catching mine in visible nervousness. She quietly takes a step back and walks towards her shop, the smile she had fading into a frown.
“Did we do something wrong?” I grimace and take a seat.
The men remain quiet as they sit down with me.
“Guys?”
Holis shifts in his chair, “I anticipate you’ll be met with different reactions going forward, Alexis. She’s Discerni and can feel his magic. He may look like a hawk now, but when Stormfall grows larger there will be no denying the Ancient he belongs to.”