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  "I'm sorry, lass, I can't remember your name," Tristam said to snap her out of the spell Garrick had her under.

  "Caitlyn," she mumbled as she worked hard to stare at her plate. "I'm Alto's sister."

  "I knew that, just couldn't put a name to match your pretty face."

  She glanced up at him, her cheeks glowing from the praise.

  "Caitlyn, dear, don't let this charming stranger confuse you," Lady Kenna said while giving Tristam a sharp-eyed look. "I suspect there's many things going on here that would do us all well to be brought to light." The lady's gaze shifted to her daughter.

  "You thief!" Kar hissed when Namitus's chewing reached his ears and he turned around to see him.

  "Kar!" Tristam barked, stopping the wizard from where he'd raised his hands to threaten to punish Namitus with a spell that would leave him sneezing and farting for hours.

  The wizard turned back around and found himself to be the center of attention. "Yes, well, before my breakfast was so rudely taken, I was telling how Alto had ridden off on his horse last night and bid me farewell. He claimed he was going someplace safe."

  "I don't understand," Caitlyn admitted. "He said this was someplace safe."

  "What's that, dear?" the lady of the hall asked.

  "What, oh? Pardon me, my lady, I was just thinking out loud."

  "Well, please do more of it," she encouraged.

  Caitlyn glanced around and nodded. "Um, well, Alto said we had to come here because it was someplace safe. There were people here he trusted and he said I'd be safe here."

  "This doesn't bode well," Jarl Teorfyr said as he strode into the hall and saw them gathered. He walked up to the table and looked around long enough to let his own smile fade. "What goes on?"

  "Alto's gone," Lady Kenna told him.

  The jarl frowned and then nodded.

  "You knew?" Patrina gasped.

  "No, not precisely. We talked last night some. I didn't expect him to move this quickly."

  "Where did he go?" she demanded.

  Teorfyr shrugged. "I only know what he told me."

  Patrina let out a frustrated cry. "What did he tell you?"

  "He had to keep his family safe, what was left of it."

  Caitlyn let out a strangled gasp, drawing the attention back to her. The jarl's wife reached out to place her hand on Caitlyn's and give it a gentle squeeze. "Caitlyn, dear, what happened?"

  Caitlyn took a breath and let the words rush out of her, going into complete details as Kenna urged her on to share her misery. She told them everything, from the Lady Patrina's visit to the attack and slaughter to Alto's insistence on letting Aleena know he wasn't the man for her. When she finished, they stared at her in shocked silence.

  Patrina slammed her fist into the table and stood up. "Damn him!" she sputtered. "That stupid fool! Why didn't he think he could tell me?"

  She turned and stared at her mother and father with fists clenched and tears brimming in her eyes. She opened and shut her mouth, and then squeezed her eyes shut and would have fallen if Teorfyr hadn't guided her back to the bench of the table.

  "He's been gone all of the night and some of the morning; there's no catching him," Teorfyr said. "Well, Winter could do it, but we don't know where he's gone."

  "Into the mountains," Namitus reasoned.

  "Aye, but the Northern Divide isn't a lonely island for shipwrecked sailors. Those mountains stretch from here across the northern end of your kingdom and beyond!" Teorfyr frowned and took a few moments to stroke his beard. "Get yourselves ready. I'll put the word out and we'll see where he's gone. Might be I could send some scouts if I need to."

  "Wait a minute," Tristam said. "I know he's near and dear to many of us, but is this wise? He's made his choice and this isn't the first time he's put the safety of himself and his friends aside. If there's trouble coming, should we invite it upon ourselves or make ready for it so we can be better defended? I'm not saying this isn't a terrible loss or that he's a bad lad. I'm saying that I've got to look out for the rest of my company and balance the risks against the reward."

  Patrina's eyes narrowed as Tristam talked. She rose up to face him. "For those of you who won't go after him out of love, I will pay for your services. I choose to do it out of love."

  "Patrina, walk with me," Lady Kenna said as she rose to stand beside her daughter. She turned away without looking at her and walked towards a door that led out of the hall.

  Patrina caught up to her and waited for her mother to speak. The moment didn't come until Lady Kenna turned and entered her garden, the same place where she'd spoken to Alto only a few weeks past.

  "Daughter, did you know I spoke to Alto in this very same place?" she began the conversation.

  Patrina nodded. "Well, I didn't know you'd brought him here, but he mentioned you'd talked to him."

  Kenna stared down at the frozen fountain for a long moment before she said, "I fear this may be partially my fault. I told him that we were all fond of him, but that the only way he could have your hand was if he proved himself worthy and had my blessings, your father's blessings, and yours since he was not a noble. I didn't expect anything to come of it, to be honest. The truth of it is he'd also need the blessings of your uncle, the king, in order to wed."

  Patrina stiffened as her mother spoke but she said nothing.

  "I fear that perhaps I dangled too sweet a carrot in front of him," Lady Kenna continued. "I'm worried that he might be rushing out to try to prove himself."

  "You're fond of him?" Patrina asked.

  "Yes, quite. I've always thought well of him. Even more so now, though I think he may be rash."

  "You haven't seen what we've fought," Patrina rushed to say. "You've heard tales of it told by drunken soldiers, but you haven't been buried alive and surrounded by men and monsters that want nothing more than to hurt and kill you. You haven't seen how he stands there like an island with waves breaking against his shores and will not allow the people he protects to be swept away. You haven't been there."

  Kenna watched as her daughter rubbed away her tears and lifted her face. "I don't care whose blessing he has—he has mine," Patrina said. "I love him and if I have to leave this city and this land behind to be with him, I'll do it. I'll miss you horribly, but I'll do it."

  Patrina's mother blinked at the moisture in her eyes as her daughter went on.

  "I'd spoken to Father and he knew how I felt before any of this happened. He promised me that he was going to see what he could do to help us out. I hoped that when he talked to Alto last night, those arrangements would be made clear to all of us."

  Kenna shook her head. "I don't know of any such thing," she said. "I will tell you that you do have my blessing if Alto should return from his quest. I can't imagine what it is that he thinks he can do, but his devotion to his sister and others is admirable."

  Patrina took a deep breath and nodded. She let it out and said, "I gave myself to him last night."

  Kenna's eyes jerked up from where she had dropped them to the fountain. "You did what?" she said in clipped tones that showed a forced calmness.

  "I slipped into his room while he was with Father," Patrina confessed. "When he showed up at last, I offered myself to him and told him how I felt. I know he loves me. I see it so clearly!"

  The lady nodded and bit her lip.

  "He turned me away," Patrina whispered and drew a gentle sigh of relief from her mother. "Now I know why. He wanted to protect me. He does love me."

  Kenna nodded and gathered her trembling daughter up in her arms. "You're so young and beautiful," Kenna whispered. "You deserve a man like Alto, but you must steel yourself. He has chosen a task not so different from what even the great Kevard could not have done."

  Patrina sniffed and backed up. "Difficult, yes, but I know what he's gone to do."

  "To stop people from coming after him and his sister?"

  "Yes, but I mean I know exactly what he's doing," Patrina said. "He's going to kill the dr
agon, Sarya."

  Chapter 5

  Aleena finished tying her boot and rose to her feet with a hiss of air. It had been two weeks since she'd started training but not a day passed where she didn't wake up aching. She closed her trunk and locked it, and then turned and walked into the heavy cloth that had been hung up around her bed in the barracks. She scowled and punched the divider aside, and then realized she'd finally accepted it. Even more than that, she'd gotten used to the sheet and the unusual situation it represented.

  Sir Amos had insisted that it was important she bunk with the other recruits. From some of the heated words she'd heard through closed doors, she suspected the impropriety of the situation had caused a stir. To combat any problems, sheets had been hung up around her bed to give her a semblance of privacy. Being able to hear and still talk to the other recruits shattered the illusions and made the first few nights difficult.

  Now she fell into her bed at night, exhausted. Sleep took her and didn't bother her with dreams or fantasies. Aleena lived in the moment, scarcely even having time to daydream about Alto anymore.

  Her days were filled with prayer, lessons, and training. Sir Amos had her eating four times a day and exercising in the morning and at night, as well as the training with sword, mace, and spear. She'd started learning to wear armor, but so far they had no heavy armor that would fit her, so she wore leather and chain hauberks with the heavier pieces she could wear. She looked a sight with her arms, legs, head, and neck protected by solid steel but her chest and back in lighter armor.

  As grueling and brutal as it was, Aleena could feel the difference in herself. She prided herself on being strong and capable–she had to be to fend off the drunkards in her father's tavern–but now she was different. She was adding strength and muscle she'd never known she could. Her armor wasn't crushing her anymore, though it was a far cry from being comfortable. Her weapons she could hold steady in one hand. And best of all, in spite of all the food she was eating, the clothes she'd first worn to the church were fitting looser by the day.

  "Ready for today?" Celos asked her as she walked out to join him and the others.

  Durak chuckled and let his eyes sweep over her from her boots to her head.

  "What's today?" Aleena asked. She ignored Durak; she knew he meant no harm or disrespect with his look. His laugh, on the other hand, concerned her.

  "A day of testing," Celos said. "You're new enough you might sit this one out."

  "Testing? For what?"

  "A perfect score means you go from trainee to squire," he explained. "A complete failure, on the other hand, can get you dismissed. Sir Amos uses this to determine where we stand and what he needs to teach us."

  "Oh!" Aleena frowned. Was she ready for testing? She wasn't very good with a sword yet. Or much of anything, really. Her confidence a few moments ago teetered and crashed. "They might dismiss me? How often do these happen?"

  "Twice a year," Durak said. "Hope you've been paying attention."

  "Durak, stop it," Celos admonished him. "Aleena just started; they won't send her away."

  Durak looked at her and squinted one of his eyes. He smiled and shrugged. "Probably not. You've been getting better, even if you are a girl."

  Aleena glared at him. "My father once told me that he wouldn't be half the man he was if it weren't for my mom."

  Durak laughed. "Your father runs a tavern!"

  Aleena's smile faded at Durak's implication that her father was somehow less than a full man because of his profession. She stiffened and glared at him. "He's had to wrestle and fight more men than you've even met."

  "Aye, that's true," Durak conceded. His thoughtful expression cracked into a grin when he added, "Even if they were all drunk!"

  Aleena snorted and turned her attention away from him. The others were laughing or trying to act like they weren't paying attention. Celos shook his head. "Ignore him. He's still upset that he was unseated from his horse by the jousting dummy last time around."

  Aleena ignored the laughter and Durak's red face. She stared at Celos with her own jaw hanging open. "We have to joust? You mean, like, we ride a horse?"

  "Don't worry, you're not expected to do well. Jousting isn't trained until you become a squire."

  Aleena nodded and swallowed past the lump in her throat. All of a sudden, she felt unsteady. Even worse, were these tests seen by anyone other than Sir Amos?

  The door opened before she could ask any more questions–or be sick in her chamber pot. She saw Sir Amos standing there with a somber expression on his face.

  "Recruits, it is time for the testing."

  Aleena's eyes felt like they might fall out of her face. She'd grown accustomed to exercising first thing in the morning and then eating. It seemed the testing was a different affair altogether.

  "Walk with me; we'll see to your conditioning first," Sir Amos said. "May Saint Leander's blessings be upon you."

  They fell in behind him in the organized line Aleena had come to expect. Being the youngest and least experienced recruit, she was in the rear of the procession. That made her the last through the door that led out the rear of the church. A cold wind slapped her in the face as she beheld the grounds that had been made into an obstacle course.

  "By Leander's grace," she whispered. She saw barrels and ramps set up. Elsewhere there were wooden beams with ropes hanging from them and walls that seemed to serve no purpose at all. Light snowflakes were blowing past her in the wind and adding to the swells gathered at the base of some of the obstructions. "What is this?"

  "This is to test your conditioning," Sir Amos called out loudly, though he looked directly at her. "You think all that running and jumping you've been doing twice a day was my way of putting you in your place?"

  The other recruits chuckled while Aleena's cheeks burned.

  "Carrying Leander's message into the world is a difficult and challenging task," the priest continued. "You will face peril time and again. There are those who do not want to care about Saint Leander because they know nothing of him. Then there are others who will fight back because they have their own beliefs that are contrary to yours. If you are winded or weak, how will you carry Leander's light into the darkness?"

  He turned to Celos and nodded. "Celos, you may begin the testing."

  The blond-haired recruit called for Leander's blessing and ran onto the course. He ran back and forth between barrels and then leapt over some gates that had been set up. He dove into the snow and crawled under the next set of gates and then climbed back to his feet and grabbed one of the ropes Aleena had seen to swing across and land on a box. He kept going, climbing a net and then tumbling when he leapt off the other side. Without rest, he came to one of the walls and had to leap up and climb over the wall as well.

  Aleena's mouth fell open as Celos made his way through the course tirelessly. She saw him pick up and push a cart loaded with dirt and then grab a training sword and run through several dummies, striking each one along the way. He continued through the challenges and finished by running hard and coming to a stop before Sir Amos.

  The priest turned a small hourglass over and saw that there was still sand left in both sides. He nodded. "Well done, recruit. William, your turn."

  Aleena watched William, another skilled recruit, take his place and call for Leander's blessing. He began the course and did almost as well as Celos. Aleena shook her head as one after another of her fellow trainees ran through the course ahead of her. Seeing them do it made it so that it didn't look that hard, but she knew better. They were panting for breath and a few winced as they walked when they finished. Durak flashed his hand at her and smiled, showing how he'd torn the skin off his calluses at some point and was dripping blood on the ground.

  "Aleena, it's your turn," Sir Amos called to her after everyone else had gone.

  "Good luck," Durak whispered.

  Celos gave her a nod when she looked at him. It wasn't much, but she returned it and bowed her head to call for Leander's b
lessing. So far, three of the recruits had completed the course after the sands ran out, guaranteeing they would fail the testing. She wouldn't be alone, at least!

  Aleena took a deep breath and broke out in a run. Her foot slipped on the snowy ground but she caught herself before she fell to the ground. It served as a good warning to her when she came to the barrels. Knowing her footing would be treacherous, she slowed so she could make it around the barrels. She misjudged the second one and bounced off it, driving the breath from her lungs and bruising her hip. She bounced off and ran on, brushing against the barrels and slipping through until she made her way to the next obstacle.

  Aleena cleared the first gates and then found herself sopping up the dirty slush beneath the next gates. She rose up, breathing hard and grinding her teeth against the cold. She grabbed the rope and tried to swing across to the box but her hand slipped and she fell off into what turned out to be a snow-covered pit.

  She scrambled out of it, her cheeks and chest burning with heat enough to make her forget her sodden clothes. She grabbed the rope and tried again, wrapping it around her wrist once for extra support. She made the swing but stumbled on the box and ended up rolling off it.

  She managed the net so well she thought she might have made up some time but the next obstacle stalled her. The wooden wall was easily ten feet up, so tall that she couldn't reach it even by jumping. She cast about, looking for something to use to help her gain a few inches she needed. There was only the wall. It wasn't fair; she was too short to reach it! How could they count that against her?

  Aleena scowled and glanced at the gathered recruits and Sir Amos. Several of the trainees were shaking their heads or looking away. Only Durak and Celos were staring at her. She turned back to the wall and stared at it, and then decided to try something she'd seen her little brother do once when he was young and even shorter than she was.

  Aleena backed up and got a running start. Rather than leaping straight up when she reached the wall, she jumped at the wall and planted her foot against it. She pushed down, giving herself a boost and struggled to throw her hands as high as she could.