Chapter 15
The next morning, I’m up early; and that’s because I went to bed so early last night.
The place is killing me. Once Rauk is home, there’s nothing for me to do but hide in my room.
That’s getting really old. I plan to talk to him today.
No more of this staying here. I need to go wherever he’s going and do whatever he’s doing; that’s the only way I’m going to talk him into helping the other kingdoms. When I get to the kitchen, Rauk is nowhere to be seen. “Hey, Elowen.”
“Good morning, Harper. Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Thanks. Has Rauk not come in yet?” I thought I timed it for when he eats breakfast.
“Oh, he already ate and left.”
I set down the bowl I’m holding. “Really? I missed him?” She looks over at me with interest. “I was going to demand he take me with him today. Where did he go? Maybe I can catch up to him.”
“He left hours ago, and you can’t go with him to where he’s going today.”
“Why not?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “You just can’t.”
I study her, but she doesn’t say anything else. “All right. I guess I’ll move on to my other plan then.”
“Which is?”
I grin. “Teaching Auri how to defend herself.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Elowen says with a worried frown.
“It is,” I argue. “For a lot of reasons. But for right now, it’s a way for her to release some anger and tension.”
“I don’t know. If Rauk finds out...”
“He won’t find out.” I cross my arms and level a look at her. “Right?”
Her lips tighten. “All right. Fine.”
I can’t help my smile. “Perfect. Thanks. Now, let’s get Auri to come eat breakfast so we can get to work.” When I get to her room, she’s in a little better mood than yesterday. “Morning, Auri. You hungry?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Let's go eat, so we can get to the fun stuff.”
She fixes those dark eyes on me. “Fun stuff?”
I rub my hands together. “Yes. Let’s get to it.”
I walk behind her and open the door for her when she needs, but other than that, she doesn’t really need me.
As soon as she’s in the kitchen, I head back to Rauk’s room to get the weapons I need from his stash.
When I try to open his door and find it locked, I shake my head.
“That’s not going to keep me out, Rauk,” I mutter as I use my two daggers to pick the lock.
It goes pretty smoothly, and soon I’m opening the hidden door to his weapons room.
I take my time studying the weapons again.
It doesn’t escape my notice that his halberd is missing, along with several other weapons.
I absently wonder if he’s training, or if he simply was worried that I’d touch them again.
That thought makes me laugh. If he’s training though, I should really ask him about getting in on it.
I haven’t trained for a little while, and I don’t want to lose what I worked so hard for.
I finish choosing a few weapons for Auri to try.
Then with weapons in hand, I head to the kitchen.
“Are you done eating?” I ask, as I push open the door.
Auri takes in the weapons in my hand but doesn’t react to them. Elowen, on the other hand does. “What are you doing?”
“Just some training,” I reply easily.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she repeats herself from earlier.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t get hurt.” Not wanting Elowen to talk Auri out of it, I stand and wait for her. “You done?” She nods, and I walk towards the door. “Let’s go then.” As soon as we’re out of the kitchen, I face Auri. “Does your brother have a place where he practices with these?”
“He does.”
“Good. Where is it?”
She lifts her chin. “In the basement.”
“Hmm. Well, that won’t work.” I turn in a circle, trying to think through where we could practice with weapons and not ruin anything.
“I’ve got an idea. Follow me.” I walk over to the door we went out yesterday.
I push the button, disengaging the locks, and hold the door so she can wheel her chair out. “All right. We'll make this work.”
“There are stairs,” Auri points out.
“Yes, there are.” I look at her and try to think through the best way to do this. “I’ve got a plan. Give me a minute.” I open the heavy door once again. “Elowen.” She appears a few moments later. “Will you help me?”
Her lips tighten, and I know she doesn’t want any part in this. “Look, if Rauk ever finds out, I won’t dime you in.”
“He will find out,” she says in return.
“Will you help us?” I ask again.
She sighs. “Of course. What can I do?”
I stand in front of Auri’s chair and glance over at Elowen. “Do you think you could lift the chair and carry it down the stairs?” Her eyes widen. “I mean just wheel it down the stairs; you don’t have to actually pick it up.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“What about me?” Auri asks, her voice a little cross.
“You are going with me.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “You’re going to lift me?”
“I am going to carry you down the stairs.” She arches a brow and gives me a look that is so disdainful, she must have learned it from her brother. “Don’t look at me like that. Let’s go.” I lean over her and pause and meet her direct gaze. “Will it hurt if I move you?”
She drops her gaze. “No. I can’t feel anything in my legs.”
My heart tugs in my chest, but I don’t let it show.
“Okay then. Let’s do this.” I lean forward and send out a prayer that I actually can lift her.
I’m really not sure. It takes me a moment to get my arms around her in a good place, and it takes a moment for her to trust me and wrap her arms around my neck.
I tug her forward and into my arms. There’s a moment where I sort of lose my balance, but I quickly correct.
Her arms wrap around my neck, and I readjust her in my arms. I keep my eyes focused on the steps in front of us even as it registers how incredibly easy it is to carry her.
Alarm spreads through me because she doesn’t feel as heavy as I think she should feel.
I’m no child expert, but I think maybe she’s underweight. That worries me.
“Here.” Elowen meets us at the bottom of the few steps with the chair, and together we get her situated back in her chair.
“All right. Here we go. Thanks, Elowen.”
“Of course. Just let me know when you’re finished, and I’ll help with the chair again.”
“You don’t want to stay outside with us?” I ask.
“No, no, no. I don’t want to watch.” She disappears back inside.
I look down at Auri. “Ready?”
“For what?” she asks warily.
I grin down at her. “Throwing knives.” She gives me an unimpressed look. “Oh, come on; don’t look at me like that. Throwing knives is fun and therapeutic.”
“You know my brother probably won’t be very pleased with you if he finds out about this,” she says, casting a sly glance at my face.
“Oh, I am very aware of that; but don’t you worry about him.
I can handle him. Now, let’s talk basics.
” I talk her through how to hold it and how to throw it.
We maneuver her chair until she’s in a good position, just a few feet from a huge tree.
“All right. Now, it’s very important to remember that each weapon is different.
You may be really good with one but terrible with another.
That’s okay; that’s how everybody is. We all have our weapon of choice.
Right now, we’re going to train you on all the weapons, so you can decide which one you are the best with.
So don’t get discouraged if one or more weapons don’t work for you.
We will keep at it until we get the right one. ”
“You do realize I’m ten, right?”
“Yep, and I learned how to wield a knife by the age of five.”
She looks up at me. “That’s terrible.”
I shrug. “That’s how I grew up.”
“Why would you need a knife at five?”
"It's just how it was.” I don’t want to bring the day down, so I continue on.
“Now let me see you hold the knife properly.” She shows me, and I make the tiniest adjustment.
“Now, mimic throwing but don’t actually release it.
” I watch her do as I told her. “Good. Try that a few more times while I go mark a few trees. Do not throw that dagger while I’m walking over here.
” When I get close to the tree I want to use, I brush off the snow and reveal white bark.
I look around for a stick or something to mark a spot, but everything is buried in white.
I look back at the tree and try to mark it somehow.
Surprisingly, when I pull on its exterior, it comes right off in thin sheets.
I dig a little more into the tree, shocked at how soft it is.
When I have a spot clearly marked, I walk back over to her.
“Okay, to start with, move a little closer.” When she’s where I want her, I hand her the knife. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Her first throw is weak, and the knife lands in front of us. “I’m terrible at this.”
I pick up the knife, but when she puts out her hand, I keep it just out of her reach.
“Are you going to whine about it?” She scowls at me, and I wait.
“Or are you going to try it again? You do realize you won’t become a master at throwing blades with just one throw, right?
” She continues to scowl at me but finally nods.
I hand her the knife. “Okay. Let’s try it again. ”
Her second throw isn’t much better; neither is her third, fourth, fifth, and several after that.
Finally, though, she hits the tree. “There you go.” I almost get a real smile out of her.
“Do it again.” She throws knives for a long time, and only two more stick; but they stick.
That's what counts. After a little while, I notice she’s shivering; and I decide it’s time to head inside.
She’s not used to being out in the cold.
“Let me grab Elowen to help with the chair, and we can head inside and get warm. She doesn’t argue, and I have a feeling I may have pushed her too hard today. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’re going to leave me out here by myself?”
“I’m just grabbing Elowen.”
“What if something happens to me?”
I eye her skeptically. “I think you’ll be okay.” She scowls, but I ignore it. The faster I have Elowen’s help, the faster we can get inside and Auri can start warming up. I make my way up the steps to the door, being careful to watch for ice. “Elowen,” I call out once I open the heavy door.
She appears a few moments later, wiping her hands on a towel. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, thank you. If you could just grab the chair.”
“Of course.”
We step back outside and get to work. “All right. Ready?” Auri nods, and I notice she doesn’t look as scared this time.
Or maybe she’s just exhausted. Either way, I lift her, so Elowen can take the chair.
“Pull it up backwards; it will be easier,” I call out.
I feel bad not being able to help her, but she manages just fine.
When she gets the chair to the top, I carry Auri up the steps and set her in her chair.
Then Elowen holds the door, and we manage to get her chair back inside.
I watch as a full-body shiver rolls through Auri.
“I’m sorry I kept you out so long,” I tell her.
“It was good,” she says, surprising me.
I rub my hands together. “It’s freezing in here. Let’s get a fire going.”
Auri glances at Elowen. “We don’t usually light the fireplace in this room.”
I don’t even want to know why, so I plow right ahead. “Well, that changes right now.”