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Warriors only ventured outside during the snowstorm for daily chores. One or two warriors usually helped Master Kijani in the barn but when they all worked together it made the job faster. Early in the morning all the warriors went with Master Kijani and Master Lang to feed the horses and clean the stalls. They used a rope tied to a pole on the porch then followed it to the barn, hoisting shovels over their shoulders. It always took a while to shovel snow aside before they could open the barn door.
Three horses were neatly tucked in wooden stalls with hay. One mare bore evidence that a colt would be born in the spring. Elaina grabbed a bucket next to the water pump inside the barn and filled it. The warriors went back and forth between the pump and the trough until the horses had plenty of water.
Khalom milked the vorlin. Its long, thick hair was twisted in bunches to keep it warm. The vorlin was taller than a horse and its small head hung below hunched shoulders, near its stubby legs. Khalom hefted the milk bucket and poured the milk into a tall, metal pail.
Louie took Khalom’s place on a stool and started milking the vorlin. “I guess Sammy is milking the vorlin today.”
Khalom shrugged. “Jailene doesn’t need to teach today and will help Sammy.”
“That will put Jailene in a bad mood. She doesn’t like doing the barn work.”
“But she’ll do it if she needs to. Mom will go out with them.”
Piles of hay were stacked on one side of the barn. Elaina grabbed a pitchfork and tossed some hay in a stall. When the milking was done, Khalom and Louie each grabbed a handle on the milk bucket then hauled it outside.
Elaina grabbed the rope leading them to the house and held on. She paid attention to where everyone was, enjoying her new abilities, despite the biting wind pounding her. She studied how Louie and Khalom walked differently while they were carrying the milk and noticed when Darian tripped on the step. Jessie was watching out the window when they arrived but raced into the kitchen when they opened the door. Davu stayed curled up by the window inside the house.
The next morning Elaina slept in, unaware that the warriors were gone until her grumbling stomach awoke her and the warriors marched in with a full pail of vorlin milk. From that day on the warriors helped in the barn morning and night. If Elaina was around when it was time to leave, she went with them, but she was never told she had to help. Elaina overheard Jessie say Master Kijani and Master Lang were trying to keep the boys out of trouble.
After lunch that day Elaina dueled with Louie near the window. Against Elaina’s better judgment, she agreed to use practice swords. Louie and Khalom assured her they would be fine, yet an odd knot in Elaina’s stomach warned her that dueling with practice swords in the house was a terrible idea. The warriors were more experienced than she was though. Surely, they knew what they were doing!
A wooden frame divided the large window into four sections, each with two layers of glass. On the outside of the windows frost and ice painted pictures of a sword battle. Darian and Khalom were on the other side of the room, slowly going through hand-to-hand combat for level six. Darian’s leg swung back at the same time Louie swung his sword down. Darian tripped, whacking Louie’s leg. Louie plummeted toward the fragile window. Elaina formed a shield behind Louie to prevent him from breaking through, but he was going quickly and hard. The shield would move when Louie hit it, and it was right next to the window. Elaina grabbed Louie’s shirt and pulled hard, leaning backward to prevent him from slamming into the window. He grasped her arms then slid harmlessly off the shield, pulling Elaina down with him. Pain shot up Elaina’s leg from her ankle as it twisted under her.
While they tumbled to the floor, Louie’s leg swung around, tripping Darian who tried to catch his balance. His arm swung to the side, smashing into the wall. His other foot caught Elaina’s ankle, drawing more pain from Elaina, then he stumbled toward the window. Elaina used another shield to prevent Darian from breaking the window. He crashed next to Elaina, his eyes wide. Darian and Louie smacked the floor and started laughing. Elaina rubbed her ankle, resisting an urge to heal it in front of the warriors. Her ankle was going to swell and bruise if she didn’t take care of it soon.
Darian chortled. “I knew we shouldn’t use swords inside.”
Louie slammed the practice sword on the floor. “That is strong glass!”
Realizing how suspicious it looked, Elaina glanced at Master Kijani and Master Lang who were watching studiously. She bit her lip and looked away, aware that she was sitting on Louie’s leg and her foot was on Darian’s stomach. Khalom grabbed Elaina’s wrist and laughingly pulled her up. Darian and Louie scrambled off the floor.
Khalom wrapped his arm around Elaina’s shoulders. “What are you worried about? It’s not like we broke the window! I’m not sure how you pulled Louie away.”
Elaina chuckled nervously. It was strange having a friendly arm around her shoulders. She resisted an urge to shake Khalom’s arm off and tried to think of an excuse to leave. “I . . . think I’ll get some water.” She walked into the kitchen and pumped clear water into a cup. It took effort not to limp, but Elaina wanted to heal her ankle in her room after she could think of a good excuse to leave.
Louie followed Elaina into the kitchen and snatched a cup of his own. “I don’t know how the window remained intact. I was sure I would break it! Thanks for pulling me away.”
Elaina decided against mentioning her shield and remained quiet.
Louie filled his cup then leaned his back against the counter, next to Elaina. “How does a person like you wander from the northern cities to Bern Village alone?”
Elaina stuttered, “I . . . I’m an orphan. I came here to train.”
“And your training convinced you to travel alone?”
“I was only alone half the time.”
“Who did you travel with?”
Elaina silently reprimanded herself for mentioning that she traveled with someone else for part of her journey to Bern Village. “Oh. I escorted someone to . . . another city.”
“Did you escort someone to Glanton then?”
“Um . . . not exactly.”
“Which city do you come from? Weren’t there rules for who could train as a warrior?”
“Yes. Because too many soldiers dropped out of training, the rulers required a strength test before soldiers could train as a warrior to retain more trainees.”
“That’s a terrible idea! There’s more to Bern training than strength. Most of the beginner trainees aren’t very strong because they’re young. Strength training is part of Bern training. Did the strength requirement work?”
“Not really.”
“I wouldn’t expect it to.” Khalom grabbed a cup from the cupboard behind Elaina.
A slight blush rose in Elaina’s cheeks. It annoyed her that being around other people in a social situation made her uncomfortable.
Louie clearly saw no problem with being right next to her. He was smiling easily while he talked, “I guess they decided you have talent. I heard the northern cities required contracts from soldiers who wanted to train though. That is partly why Ranvir and I came here. Grandpa Crevan didn’t want us to enlist with King Reth.”
Master Kijani listened from the kitchen doorway while Elaina struggled to answer Louie’s questions without revealing more about herself. “I didn’t enlist with the army.”
“Who trained you?” Khalom leaned on the counter near Elaina. “He obviously knew what he was doing.”
Elaina looked from Khalom to Louie, feeling uncomfortably surrounded. “Umm.”
“I know the northern cities talked about warriors doing the training. Were you trained by a warrior?”
“I . . .”
“You don’t seem like you were trained by a warrior. You’re too polished.”
Elaina’s jaw moved up and down, but no words came out of her mouth.
Master Kijani’s voice came from the doorway. “Uncle Crevan trained her. He sent her here, but I need you to stop asking Elaina questions about her life in the northern cities.”
Louie’s smile grew larger. “Grandpa Crevan trained you! How is he?”
Master Kijani’s voice was firm, “Louie, there are reasons Elaina can’t discuss it. You will learn more eventually, but for now we have told her not to talk about it.”
Knowing Elaina was struggling, Davu crawled into the kitchen.
Louie frowned while he put his arm behind Elaina and nudged Khalom, showing Khalom a tear threatening to fall from Elaina’s eye.
Khalom shrugged. “What?”
“I . . .” Elaina rushed out of the kitchen then into her room, followed closely by Davu. She fell on her chair and propped her foot on the wooden table. Elaina pulled the pants legs away from her ankle then she brushed her hand over her injury. Swelling and forming bruises faded. Elaina stopped. Did she limp on her way to her room?
A knock on her door made Elaina jump in her chair. Shoving her pants over her ankle, she called, “Come in.” Elaina wrapped her arms around her legs as she rocked back and forth, her hand gently resting over her ankle while she finished healing it.
Master Kijani walked in. “Keeping secrets can be difficult around here.”
“I’ve never had strong social skills. I don’t know how to . . .” Elaina released an exasperated sigh.
“People will discover who you are then you can talk freely. We only need a month, Elaina.”
“I will do what I can, but . . .”
“But what?
“Secrets make friendship difficult.” Elaina rested her chin on her knees. A tear trickled down her cheek. “I suppose if they knew more about me, they wouldn’t want to speak with me anyway.”
“Why?”
“I’m half elf and the daughter of a cruel king. Now I’m a strong telepath with an intelligent dragon as a companion.”
Master Kijani chuckled. “I’m sure you will intimidate lots of people when they discover who you are. You’ll still have friends though.”
Elaina gave Master Kijani a doubtful smile. “I started Bern training before my eighth birthday. Master Crevan wouldn’t let many soldiers duel with me. He selected certain trainees he knew wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.”
“That is about how old many of our level one trainees are. Gifted trainees will usually become a warrior at fifteen or sixteen here. Seven is too young to duel with a trained soldier. I understand things work differently in Glanton, but you should have been practicing with other kids your age.”
“King Reth didn’t care what happened to me. He said I was so small I shouldn’t count as a trainee. I don’t know why Master Crevan agreed to train me. Perhaps he knew the alternative would have been worse. Master Crevan knew how to make sure I wouldn’t get hurt. King Reth probably would have sent me to train with foot soldiers had Master Crevan refused. They would have trampled me. I was a tiny child, smaller than a normal human of the same age.”
Davu listened closely to the conversation. “You care about Master Crevan.”
“Yes.” Elaina stood. “I believe I am ready to come out now.”
“One more thing Elaina. Thanks for saving the window and sparing Louie and Darian several gashes.”
A bright smile appeared on Elaina’s face.
“Did you hurt your ankle?”
Elaina looked away. “My ankle is fine.”
“Alright. Let me know if you want me or Tvuna to look at it.”
A guilty knot in Elaina’s stomach urged her to tell Master Kijani that she already healed it. Elaina looked away. No. Not yet.
Master Kijani walked back into the hallway.
Davu mentioned to Elaina that he was hungry again. Elaina wondered how Davu could be hungry when he ate constantly, but he was growing far more quickly than she thought was possible. She followed Davu out of the bedroom. “Let’s get you some food, Davu.” They went to the cold storage room under the kitchen. Elaina left Davu in the cold storage room to devour the elk while she wandered up the stairs, wondering if the elk would last through the snowstorm.
Curious as to how long the snowstorm would last, Elaina peered through the frosted window, watching snow swirling around the dark sky. She felt someone enter the kitchen. “I suppose it’s night,” she said to whoever was walking in the kitchen behind her. It was either Mehdi or Khalom, judging by their size and the way they walked. The door clicked when it closed.
“It looks like it.” Khalom leaned against the kitchen door, next to Elaina.
“Are storms around here always long and harsh?”
“We have a few every year.”
“How long do they last?”
“The longest storm I recall lasted for over two weeks before a break. It let up for a few hours then started again.”
“Most of winter is spent indoors?”
“During storms.”
“What do you do between storms?”
“Sometimes we investigate crimes. We watch for wild animals, train indoors, read, study, and take care of livestock in the barns. If the weather is unusually clear, we go hunting.”
Winter at Bern Village limited too many activities. Elaina was anxious to train and become a warrior, but training wasn’t possible in deep snow.
Louie strolled into the kitchen. “When is dinner? I’m starving.”
Davu crawled up the stairs from the storage area. Elaina had kept the door cracked to let Davu come out when he was ready. Earlier that day Davu learned to close the door with his tail. It clicked closed.
Louie and Khalom gaped at Davu. “You let your dragon go into the storage area on his own?”
Elaina knew Davu had a hearty appetite, but Master Kijani assured her they would get more meat before it was gone. Elaina couldn’t explain that Davu was intelligent and was being polite by only eating the meat Elaina got for him. Grasping for a response, Elaina stuttered, “It . . . It smells like stew tonight.”
Jessie pulled several bowls out of the cupboard. “We can eat now if you like. I think Mom is talking to Dad and Master Lang again.”
“Thank you, Jessie!” Louie snatched a bowl then scooped stew into his bowl until he had to lick the sides to prevent it from dripping onto the floor. He wasn’t entirely successful. The others followed closely behind.
The storm raged on for days before the wind died down and the torrent of snowflakes reduced to a flurry. Davu was two weeks old, had eaten most of the meat in the house, and could fit through the doorways only if he wriggled through. His head grew to Elaina’s shoulder. He had to be careful with his horns because they were firm enough to scrape wood.
Darian bent down to get a better look at Davu’s wings. “He’s huge!”
Elaina cringed. How was she going to take care of him?
Khalom poked a horn on Davu’s back. “He could do some serious damage with those. Where are you going to keep him?”
Elaina sighed. “He can’t stay in the house any longer. I suppose we will find somewhere else for Davu to live.” Elaina walked outside with Louie, Khalom, Master Lang, and Davu.
It was shocking to see Davu spread wings the size of the front porch, demonstrating how large he had grown. He briefly rose into the air before plummeting back to the ground. Davu sulkily crawled into the forest. The other warriors were still on the porch, watching Davu. Khalom tapped Elaina on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be back.”
Elaina smiled. “I was wondering how it would feel to fly.”
Khalom glanced at the sky, then down at Elaina. “I’ll bet I could get used to flying. I guess we should go home now. See you around.”
“Bye Khalom.”
Master Lang, Louie, and Khalom left. Ready to move around outside with more space, Elaina pulled a practice sword from the barrel in the living room. Upon seeing her outside, Mehdi and Darian came out as well. The snow was deep, making training almost impossible. They returned their swords to the barrel, grabbed shovels, and scraped snow off the steps. They dug a pathway from the front door toward Main Street then widened the path to the barn. By lunchtime, Elaina’s arms and back were aching. She promptly decided to sooth her muscles with her healing abilities that night before going to sleep.
Later Davu crawled back, his long tail swishing in the snow over the footprints that littered the training field. “I will stay in a cave about five hundred meters from the training field at night then come here during the day.”
“Will you be too cold in the cave?”
“I don’t know what cold feels like.”
“You’ve never been cold?”
“No.”
“It’s freezing out here!”
“That doesn’t bother me. I can talk to you from the cave, which means it is close enough to you. When our telepathic connection is stronger, I will stay in the cave with the dragon eggs.”
“Are you sure that is what you want to do?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Can you get your own food now?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? I can help you hunt.”
“I can catch something by myself.”
Since Davu was insistent on getting his own food, Elaina didn’t pursue the matter further. Davu and Elaina stayed on the training field until evening, then Davu returned to the cave while Elaina shivered into the warm house for dinner.
In the middle of the night Davu reluctantly informed Elaina that he needed help hunting. Elaina stole out of the house then ran on her shield over the snow toward the cave Davu called home. She shot a bear then helped Davu drag it to the cave.
When Elaina arrived home, Master Kijani was watching from the window, his jawline firm. “It isn’t safe for you to leave at night Elaina.”
“I . . . needed to help Davu hunt for food.”
“I can tell. I would have gone with you.”
Elaina glanced at the blood smeared on her coat sleeves. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Wake me next time.”
Elaina hesitated. “Alright.”
The early winter dragged on, bringing days of snowstorms and weeks of cold. Elaina trained with Darian and Mehdi in the house. She talked to Davu during the day and met him outside whenever the weather permitted. Master Kijani hunted with Elaina when Davu needed more meat. Though Elaina felt guilty asking Master Kijani to hunt in the freezing cold, Master Kijani never complained. He was intrigued with how Elaina’s shield worked on top of the snow and he used the opportunity to ask Elaina questions about Davu and her elf training. One day Master Kijani informed Elaina that he denied Mehdi and Darian’s requests to help Elaina hunt for Davu’s food to get updates on Davu’s progress.
When Elaina was inside, she spent much of the day studying. Jessie and Master Kijani easily answered her questions, though Elaina tried not to bother them. Often, she listened to their explanations to Darian and Mehdi’s questions. Though Jessie was younger than Mehdi, she was obviously more academically advanced.
Davu was interested in everything Elaina read and heard. She gave him summaries and read books to him telepathically while he curled up in the snow on the training field during snowstorms. Darian mentioned to Elaina several times that it was odd to watch her study. She would set a book aside then take other books off the shelf, obviously in search of specific information. Only Master Kijani and Tvuna knew she was finding information for Davu.
Training at Glanton didn’t include the Bern strategy books. Elaina finished the first one quickly. It discussed basic Bern Village laws. Warriors enforced the law and defended the village against animal attacks.
The second level was divided into different books. The series went into more detail about Bern Village laws and included some mysteries that were solved by Bern and his children. Davu insisted on hearing every mystery. They discussed what happened and what course of action they would take. They figured out most of the endings long before the story was done. The second series also discussed the most dangerous animals that attacked Bern Village. The book included how the animals usually attacked and how to kill them. Davu and Elaina quizzed each other, memorizing animals and their behavior. Since much of this information was also in the Forest Guide, Elaina had a head start, a fact Davu liked to point out whenever he missed a question.
Elaina was surprised that the second series had a section on religion and ethics. She didn’t study religion at Glanton, but after reading the strategy book she understood why religion and ethics were included. It helped warriors gain a sense of right and wrong and helped them understand the motives people might have.
Master Kijani quizzed Elaina on what she read and passed off books when she was ready. By the third strategy series Elaina was learning many things, like more details about animals and their habits. Tracking animals was a familiar concept, but Elaina learned helpful pointers. Davu was keenly interested in how to track animals. He used what he learned and talked to Elaina while he was hunting. Together they found animals for Davu to eat. Davu learned how to describe animal tracks he saw, and Elaina guided Davu to his favorite animals.
Chapters in the third series included stories about capturing criminals and determining true culprits. It also contained more information about different religions. One day, while Elaina was absorbed in a mystery from the third strategy series, she heard a strange chirping in the living room. Tvuna marched into the center of the room with her hands on her hips. Darian and Mehdi stopped wrestling.
Tvuna shook her head. “We have a scintil in the house.”
Darian clenched his fist. “Yes! Let the hunt begin!”
Master Kijani frowned. “You can help too, Elaina.”
Though most scintil preferred hunting in groups, sometimes one strayed from its group. They were only dangerous in groups but could be annoying on their own. Scintil were carnivorous and often found their way to storage areas where they devoured whatever meat they could find. In groups, scintil attacked small animals and larger ones who were trapped or weak.
Elaina snapped the strategy book shut and searched for the small, yellow creature. Scintil looked a lot like a reptile but were warm-blooded and had fat stores under their skin to help them tolerate freezing weather.
While Darian and Mehdi moved the sofa in search of a short yellow tail or a scintil hole, Elaina carefully analyzed the room. She sensed a small animal holding still underneath a chair in the corner between the kitchen and study doorways. She waved at Darian and Mehdi then pointed to the chair.
Elaina’s dagger was in her bedroom in her weapon pack, but the scintil was sure to move before she returned with it. Both Darian and Mehdi had daggers already. Elaina picked up the chair. Darian and Mehdi surrounded the squirming scintil. Master Kijani opened the door. The scintil scampered between Darian’s legs then out the cracked door.
“That didn’t last long enough,” Darian said sulkily. “Maybe there’s another one.”
“I only heard one.”
Finding no more scintil, Elaina walked back to her room for her coat and weapon pack. When she returned, Darian was flipping through pages in the level six strategy book. “Where are you going?”
“Rachel’s shop.”
Darian groaned. “I’m almost bored enough to go with you.”
“Maybe you’ll find another scintil.” Elaina closed the door behind her then trudged through the snow. Elaina knew exactly what she wanted, but she didn’t know if one was available at Rachel’s shop. She marched past the clothes to the counter where Rachel was talking with a thin man who had a concerned crease on his forehead. His voice was low, but Elaina could hear what he was saying, “Carina is having a hard time learning to use the crutches. They aren’t . . .” The man noticed Elaina then stopped.
Rachel smiled a little. “Hello, Elaina. How are you enjoying winter at Bern Village?”
The man left to restock leather boots and shoes.
Elaina considered Rachel’s question. “Um . . . it’s cold. Do you have a sheath that will let me keep a dagger near my shoe?”
Rachel smiled brightly. “What size?”
Elaina pulled a throwing dagger out of her weapon pack.
“I have exactly what you need! I keep most things like that near the shoes, but we’re low on supplies right now.”
Rachel led Elaina to a shelf filled with steel daggers, pocketknives, steel swords, and sheaths. “We only carry steel weapon sheaths and cases because aurium sheaths are made by the leather workers. Harris finished this one last week. I think it will fit.” Rachel handed the small sheath to Elaina.
Elaina slid the dagger into the leather sheath then strapped the sheath to her ankle with the bottom of the sheath in her sock. She tugged on the dagger to test the sheath. Since it took a solid tug, Elaina presumed the dagger would stay in place. “Do I have enough credit?”
“Yes. Will there be anything else?”
“No thanks.” Elaina bit her lip. She wasn’t ready to go home yet but wasn’t accustomed to making small talk. “Where do you get the daggers?”
“The blacksmiths make them when they have time. Warrior swords, aurium bows, and aurium daggers are ordered from the blacksmiths. The leather workers make weapon packs designed for warriors as well.
“Sometimes we have to wait for the blacksmiths to make weapon magnets that hold swords and daggers in place because normal magnets are too heavy for weapon packs. That’s why we’re low on sheaths right now.”
“What about these bows?” Elaina pointed to two wooden bows hanging near the ceiling.
“Harris makes them.” Rachel pointed to the balding man who was still stocking shoes. Elaina tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came to mind. She purchased a dozen wooden arrows then left for Master Kijani’s house.
