*It pains me to say, that in the next installment, horrors will happen. Can’t we delay it? Does it have to happen? Ean has sent the demi-liches. Saravia has sent her own warriors to combat them, but will it be of any use? Blood will be spilled. However, before we get to that installment, let’s see what the earth soldiers have taught our two heroes. It is better to have a passage of joy before…the inevitable. *
They had 4 weeks of peaceful travel. Cara was content to be protected and Peter was content to learn how to be a soldier. They were so content that they nearly forgot Peter’s original intent and journey.
And the warriors? The earth soldiers doted on the boys, especially Thea and Skala—in their own ways. Thea told them long yarns after dinner or read from the books the women carried—Cara had been surprised to find out that each woman had a favorite volume they kept strapped to their chests. Though the covers were worn and gouged, the pages were all intact. They were as sacred as the weapons they carried.
Thea read each night from one of the books, not mattering if it was a beginning or an ending, a poem or a simple observation—she read like someone who had studied the arts of the stage. And when there was a song, she sang as if she were in a royal palace. As if her audience were Sharus and matriarchs and kings.
On the other hand, Skala treated the boys like a mother wolf does towards her rambunctious and unruly cubs. She spent her time scolding Cara for not eating enough and pulling Peter by the collar as a way to keep him from whatever danger he’d found to play with.
Each woman had something to teach the boys that would keep the curious gleam in their eyes and their hands busy. Eivyn Arjun taught Peter how to land from a high jump without breaking his ankles. Eivyn Maeve showed Caragris the magic of dyes. Eivyn Inye taught the boys to play the flutes that Eivyn Karfa had made them. Eivyn Meroc taught them how to move with stealth in the forest and how to hunt with honor. Both boys sang with softness and full of respect for the hunt. Eivyn Roeze taught the boys how to prepare the meals—Peter showed an intuitive skill at making stews and on their hunts, he searched for roots and mushrooms ever puzzling on new tastes. When Peter learned sword fighting with Eivyn Karfa, Thea taught Cara how to sew as well as how to pretend how to sew when really they were spying (because an interesting word can always be ransomed for coin, no?). And while Eivyn Karfa taught Cara how to use everyday objects as dangerous projectiles, Thea taught Peter how to address a princess, how to fold a napkin, how to be a gentleman at a palace.
They spent their days laughing, travelling idly, bellies full. But sadly, this will end, no?
jaedawson 