Chapter 72
My mother bit back a tired sigh and moved a hand through her hair before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat.
"Now, is Jonah going to be upset with you, Marii?
" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me with lips pressed into a thin line, and I turned to look at her.
I bit back a small frown and cocked my head to the side, not knowing why he would be upset with me, even though I had a small feeling that he wouldn't like it that I was going to start training my siblings without talking to him first but wouldn't be that upset about it.
"Why would he be upset with me, Mama?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied her.
"Because you told us everything that had happened to you before you told him," she said and tucked her head closer to her chest, studying me further. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat while she stared at me. "Would he be upset with you because you did that?"
I bit back a tired sigh and rubbed my hands together while I leaned back just a tad, making sure that I didn't fall down onto my back before I sat straight again.
"I haven't told you everything that has happened to me, Mama, and I would like to talk with Arden and Jonah about the rest of it before I do that. "
"That is fine," my mother said and nodded.
She rubbed her hands together and sighed before she shook her head and cleared her throat, pursing her lips in annoyance.
"Now, how much longer do you have until you leave for training tonight, Marini?
" she asked and changed the subject, studying me further. "You will have to leave soon, correct?"
I hesitated before I slowly nodded, knowing full well that I was going to have to leave soon, especially since I had to meet with the prince and his guard.
"I have enough time to fix my skirt, apron, and Toran's shirt before I have to leave," I said and bit back a tired sigh, moving a hand through my hair and across my face.
"I can answer any and all questions about anything and everything else later.
It'll have to be tomorrow after work, however. "
"And it's going to have to be in here, right?" Yeely asked, and I nodded in confirmation. She furrowed her brows and slowly nodded while she bit the inside of her lip. "How much training are we going to have to do, Marini?" she asked and looked at me. "Are we going to have to do a lot?"
"Yes," I replied and nodded in confirmation.
"You all are going to have to do a lot of training, especially since some of you are starting your training so late than what you would normally do if things were different.
" I looked at Griffith when I said that, and he hesitated and looked down, not meeting my gaze.
"And we can't say anything to anyone?" Rayana asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me.
"Correct," I said and nodded. "No one can know that you are learning about all of this unless I deem it safe for you to tell them.
" I paused and cleared my throat while I shifted on the ground.
"Unfortunately, you all won't be able to go outside the border just yet, but if we ever have the borders open, then you will learn everything about the outside world and how to navigate that. "
My mother shifted in her seat and pressed her lips into a thin line. "And are you going to be with them when that happens?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation while I turned to look at her.
"I won't be leaving them alone while they learn about the outside world, Mama." I shook my head. "I can not leave them out there by themselves because they are my responsibility, and I do not want something bad to happen to them."
"Can something bad happen to us, Marini?" Yeely asked, and I nodded in confirmation while I looked at her. She frowned and narrowed her eyes while she studied me. "Like what? What can happen to us?"
"You could be tossed into a lake by something," I said and shrugged, pressing my lips into a thin line. "Or you can be surrounded by Dwarves that want to take all of your stuff because you are not from there."
"Has that happened to you?" Yeely asked, and my mother shifted in her seat ever so slightly as if she was afraid of my answer.
I glanced at my mother before I looked at Yeely.
"The Dwarf thing happened to Prince Caspian," I said and leaned back just a tad while I bit back a smile, remembering everything that had happened.
"Rowa and Ren led me over to him so that I could help him out and make sure that he stayed safe during the night until he could be safe inside of the walls.
He also took a berry from a bush that I had taken what I could, and he got smacked by that bush. "
"Why?" Yeely asked with a small laugh. "Is that what happens when we take more than what we can?" she asked, and I nodded in confirmation. "Can birds take more if you have taken that amount?" she asked and furrowed her brows.
"Yes," I said and nodded. "Humans can only take a certain amount of berries from a bush, and it doesn't matter if a different human takes some after the first human.
Different species have different amounts that they can get from one bush to another, and you have to make sure that you know that before anything happens. "
"And what about being tossed into a lake by something?
" my mother asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me, and I turned to look at her with a blank look on my face.
She scowled and narrowed her eyes while she studied me.
"What happened then? Who did that happen to? Did it happen to you?"
I hesitated and licked my lips before I shook my head, not answering her questions. "I think that it would be for the best that I get everything done before I leave, Mama," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, silently praying that she wouldn't push me to answer her questions. "We can talk more at a later date, but for now, I think it is time for everyone to leave the cellar so that they can do whatever else they want to do."
I turned to look at my siblings, and my mother scowled and narrowed her eyes while she stared at me with a hard look in her eyes. "Training will start tomorrow night before I train with Jonah and Arden every night until you all know everything that I know."
"And more?" Yeely asked, sounding interested and excited about what she and her siblings were about to learn about this new world. "Are we going to learn more than you, Marini?" she asked and cocked her head to the side while she studied me.
I bit back a small chuckle and shook my head.
"No," I said and cleared my throat while I shifted on the ground, "because I will still be learning the same thing as you and more.
I will be learning more because I am a dragon rider and have a dragon, and I will have far greater responsibilities because of that. "
And I had a dragon that I hoped I could contact soon because it was killing me not to hear his voice or feel his presence in my mind...