Shadow

Idonia Torbet

The next morning, Rae and I woke up in a mess of bed sheets and limbs. We got dressed and ate breakfast before going to gather Mikkeal and Olen. Both were ecstatic to hear of the journey outside the wall. Rikki escorted them, but I decided to stay behind last minute. I know Rae and Rikki will do right by them and help them get the perfect colt to train.

So instead I go down the the training yard. Sitting on a stone wall, I see Hertha. Her legs are crossed below her and in her hand is a notepad. She's drawing the men as they train.

I walk up to her and glance at the four images she has on the same white page. "How is the research going?"

"Good," she mumbles as she looks up to the males before continuing with her sketches.

"Well, I am to train," I tell her, making her smile. "You're welcome to keep me company."

She gives me a nod. I warm up, stretch, then grab a bow and a quiver of arrows. While shooting, I can see Hertha drawing more. She's drawing me. My arrows fly true, hitting some part of the main circle each time.

"Did you learn the bow first?"

"I shot a bow first, but I learned to fight first, hand to hand with no weapon." I draw again, the arrows hits the edge of the circle.

"Against who?"

"Many different Viker trained me." I draw again, this one hitting closer to the center. "Mornings I would fight, in the afternoons I sat in the library with Viker Eydis, nasty old male he was, who taught me the ways of a Viker. Their morals and code and honor."

"Honor that killed Danal?"

I look at her, taking a deep breath. "Honor doesn't kill, beasts kill."

"And lycan don't shit brown," Kosta's voice fills the air. I turn to see him, watching me and Hertha. "Who's your new protege?"

"Hertha Dolph," I tell him.

"Two Khaneleas in one place, this must be a rare treat for a peasant like me."

"You think honor kills?" Hertha redirects the conversation.

"The call to honor gets males killed fast than any disease I've ever seen."

"Yet here you are," Hertha protests him. "Fighting in the Khannun's army."

"That wasn't honor. We are forced to be here," Kosta tells us both. "We all got letters requesting our presence here, but it was no request."

"Hertha, this is Kosta Nenouf," I tell her. "He helped Olen yesterday. Can you tell me more about the letter?"

"It was signed by a Khannun's Viker, I don't remember his name. It had the royal emblem on it though."

I look to Hertha, then back to the male, "Will you spar with me?"

"I'm no good, I'm afraid."

"Do it anyway. I need to show Hertha what fighting looks like." I retrieve my arrows and put away the weapon in the armory.

Kosta and I grab two blunt swords and go back. He circles me, his stance too wide. I watch him, he is staring at me, but not observing. When I strike, he doesn't anticipate it. His sword wobbles and almost falls out of his hand. It is only a few strikes later that it does actually fall to the ground. Kosta looks shocked at the sword, I sweep my leg under him and he falls right along with the dull blade.

"You're right, you're not very good," I offer him my hand, which he takes and swiftly stands from the ground.

One he is up, he dusts himself of and retrieves his sword, "As stated, I'm better with my knives."

"Noted."

After training and tea with Khanea Rika and Sive, Hertha and I retire to the library. There she shows me around the grand royal collection. We end up speaking on the philosophies of Hranfast and his principles on light theory. That is, that without the light the sun provides our beasts would turn savage again as force us to either become a shadowbeast or leave us human. Hranfast wrote many books on the matter of our species, all of which are kept in the library here.

On Theris, we kept an extensive library ourselves. We had books by every great mind, but the castle has all the books by those same writers. Not only the ancients texts by Hranfast, but from Magnus, Freygerd, and Gyrd. We only had some of Gyrd's poetry, but none of the female's manifestos on the view of female image, poverty, and state. Though they were dusty and unread, the castle contained all seven of her manifestos and the three poetry books we has on Theris.

"This one," Hertha hands me one of Gyrd's books. "You should read this one first."

Soon enough, Rae returns with two colts in tow. One was black with a cropped white mane while the other had chestnut coloring with a few painted splotches. Both boys looked happier upon their return. When Olen sees me, jumps off the back of Rikki's horse and goes to the chestnut one.

"This one is mine, Idonia. His name is Magni."

"Mine is Tyr," Mikkeal tells me. "Rae says he is going to help us train them."

"As you should. A good steed has a relationship with his rider."

"Can we go riding when Magni is big enough?" Olen asks me next.

"When Rae says you're ready," I promise him. "But for now, you must take them to the stable to be settled in."

Rikki helps take both of them and their colts to the stables. Horses can be delicate, I visited Edilda last night after dinner. She seems to be settling well and even has bonded with a mare who's stall is next to hers. Today she would be out grazing in a feild, hopefully as happy as she was in Theris.

"Did he behave?" I ask Rae as he wraps his arms around me.

"You brother is very, em, energetic," he states, chuckling slightly as I groan. "No, no, he was perfect. Olen and Mikkeal get along great. I wouldn't be surprised if they were best friends in a week."

"Good."

"And how have you settled? What have you been doing?"

"Training, reading, exploring," I list off.

Rae leans his lips down to my ear, "Do you remember the way back to our bedchamber?"

"Depends," I draw out. "Why are we going back to the bedchamber?"

His tongue runs over my ear, "Privacy."

"How urgent is the privacy?" I ask coyly, letting his hands squeeze my hips. He presses into me, letting me feel his cock against my stomach.

"Pretty urgent."

"Then you should definitely lead."