"Go work on target practice," Jones told her, "There are hay bales set up nearby. "Use them."
Janice nodded, heading in the direction as Jones called up the next person. As she passed Matilyn and Eldrin, Eldrin casually stuck his foot out. Janice tripped over it, landing face first on the ground. She let out a cry of surprise, drawing the attention of the surrounding recruits and Jones.
"Get to your feet, Akins," Jones said, "You're wasting time."
Janice got to her feet, her face red with embarrassment. She shot a glare at Eldrin, grabbed her bow again and took off in a run.
"That was messed up," Matilyn muttered to Eldrin, "What'd you do that for?"
"I didn't mean to," Eldrin said, "Well, I meant to trip her. I just didn't think she'd fall over. Most people don't, you know. She should probably work on her balance."
"Hey," Sean said, stepping over to join them, "I saw that, Sheldon."
Eldrin sighed. Jones and Sean were the only two people who insisted on using his first name, no matter what he said.
"Can you cut Janice a break?" Sean asked, "She doesn't feel like she belongs already and you're not making things any easier on her. She's been a huge help to me, and she's going to be a huge help out there on the field."
"Look," Eldrin said, "I already told Mattie, I didn't mean to knock her over. It was supposed to be a joke."
"Well, it wasn't funny," Sean said, "And it hasn't been for a while. Leave Janice alone, alright?"
Matilyn thought Eldrin would have a quick comeback and braced herself for a continuation of their argument. Instead, Eldrin only shrugged, "Fine. I'll leave her alone."
"Thank you," Sean said, moving back to his previous position.
"See?" Eldrin said, "I can be mature."
"Uh huh," Matilyn said. They locked gazes for a moment and then both of them fell silent, each working on their forms. Matilyn thought about Penny while she moved.
Penny had always been a bit high strung but it was one of the things Matilyn loved about her. She was passionate, she was determined, and she held her faith. Despite the fact that her family disliked her joining the Priesthood, Penny had continued her training. Even after her parents had openly voiced disapproval of her relationship, Penny had continued to date Matilyn.
It wasn't always an easy relationship; they were from the same city, but sometimes it felt like they were from different worlds. Penny came from a home where money was more than abundant and Matilyn was the daughter of a blacksmith. Money wasn't tight, but it wasn't loose either.
They'd met as the young teenagers, when they began their training as Priests. Including Eldrin, the three had become fast friends. When Matilyn and Penny started dating, nothing really changed. They were inseparable. Until now. Matilyn knew how upset Penny was about the Guard, but she couldn't bring herself to quit.
It felt right. She felt as though she had purpose in the Guard; she'd be helping to stop the war, helping to bring about an end to the Black King. It felt good to be doing something to help. She'd never felt like she was doing enough until now.
"Sheldon, front and center," Jones called out.
Matilyn forgot about Penny for a moment as she watched Eldrin head up front. The moment he'd reached Jones, the instructor swept a leg under him, knocking him off his feet. Eldrin landed painfully on his right hip, letting out a cry of indignation, "What the hell?"
"Next time you trip one of your fellow Guards' men, it's going to be a lot worse," Jones promised, "Now, you're wasting my time. Get to your feet, Sheldon. It's time to find out what sword fits you. You're small, I'm thinking something one handed and light."
Matilyn cringed as Eldrin pushed to his feet. He winced, rubbing at his hip before stepping forward. She waited for him to make some sort of asinine comment, but he surprised her again with a simple, "Yes, sir."
Eventually, Jones helped Eldrin find a long, but thin blade and sent him to practice with the others. Matilyn tried to refocus on her forms, but couldn't quite concentrate. She couldn't imagine what sort of sword Jones thought might fit her the best. Eventually, he called her name.
Matilyn headed up to the front, eyeing the table apprehensively.
"Alright, Malevus, you've got a decent build to you, let's try you on a two handed weapon," Jones said. He held out one for her to try. Matilyn took the weapon, trying to adjust to it. Before she's gotten very far, Jones snatched the weapon back, "Maybe not," he said. He glanced at the table again, thoughtfully, before handing her a sword very similar to Eldrin's.
"Keep a hand at your back for balance," Jones instructed. Matilyn followed his directions, trying out her forms with the blade. Jones shook his head.
"You're not quite fast enough for that," he said. He took the blade back and considered, "How heavy was that first? Honestly, now."
"Not too heavy, sir," Matilyn said.
Jones glanced back down at the weaponry, "Here," he said, "try this." He handed her a shorter, broader, one-handed sword. She moved through the motions again, keeping a hand at her back.
"Close," Jones said, "Just wait here a moment. Keep practicing."
Matilyn kept moving while he walked, but she felt unbalanced with a hand behind. It felt unnatural. She sighed. Perhaps, like Janice, she'd end up with a bow. When Jones returned from the other table though, he was holding a shield. He offered it out to her.
With Jones help, Matilyn slid her arm through the straps of the shield.
"Now try," Jones said, "Watch me first."
He did a few sample blocks with his bare arm, while moving his other to emulate sword play.
Matilyn moved back away from him and did a few sample strikes with the sword, moving the shield to block at the same time. She messed up the maneuvers a few times but for the most part, the sword and shield seemed to fit better than any of the other weaponry she'd tried so far.
She swung the sword down towards the ground and struck forward with her shield, imagining an opponent in front of her. Jones gave a nod of approval.
"I'll have you keep working with those," he said, "I'll send you over in the evenings to work with a group specializing in sword and shield. It's a good weapon choice. Nice solid work, Malevus. Go practice. Understand?"
"Yes, sir, thank you sir," Matilyn said, keeping the weaponry close to her as she moved back to the field. Behind her, she heard Jones suddenly bark out.
"Sheldon! Carls! What are you two doing?"
Matilyn glanced over to where Eldrin was. He was sparring with another man. They both stopped, turning to Jones as he approached them, red in the face. "Well?"
"We were sparring, sir," Andy Carls said.
"Did I tell you to spar?" Jones asked.
"No, sir," they both said at once.
"Who's idea was it?" Jones asked.
Neither of them spoke.
"I"m going to ask one more time," Jones said, "Who initiated the fight?"
"I did," Eldrin said, stepping forward. Matilyn bit back a sigh.
"Are you trying to get yourself and Carls killed?" Jones demanded, "Do you know how easy it is to slip up when you've had no practice? Do you want your guts all over the ground?"
"No, sir," Eldrin said, "I wasn't thinking about that. I just thought if we had some practice with each other then we could--"
Jones held up a hand to silence Eldrin, "You are insubordinate," he said, "And you are childish. Those two things are not something any officer would want to see on the field - especially from another officer. Twenty lashes."
There was a collective gasp from the group. Ten lashes was enough to cause severe pain, but twenty lashes was enough to cause a person serious injury.
Jones turned towards the group, "Do any of the rest of you have anything to say?"
Nobody spoke. Jones glared at them.
Matilyn hesitated and then stepped forward, "Sir, that's too many lashes."
Jones glanced at Matilyn, "What was that, Malevus?"
"That's too many lashes," Matilyn said again,
"You'll hurt him too badly."
"That's not for you to decide," Jones said, "Insubordination is punished with lashes. The commanding officer decides how many. Now step back and shut your mouth."
Matilyn glanced over at Eldrin and back to Jones. She took a deep breathe before saying, "Then you'll have to punish me for insubordination too, sir. Because I can't just step back."
"You're willing to take the same punishment as him?" Jones said, gesturing at Eldrin.
"Mattie, no," Eldrin said.
"Yes," Matilyn said.
"Because he's your friend," Jones said.
"No," Matilyn countered, "Because if Eldrin's being punished, then I should be punished with him. And so should they." She gestured at the rest of the group.
"I don't see any insubordination from them," Jones said.
Matilyn shook her head, "Maybe not, sir, but we're a family. We're only as strong as our weakest soldier. If Eldrin makes a mistake like this on the field, we're all going to suffer for it. You want us to act like a family, then we have to share in his pain."
Jones considered this for a moment and glanced at the group, "You lot agree with her?"
When nobody spoke up, Matilyn wheeled around to face them, "He's one of us," she said, "He might be an idiot, but he's one of us. We're going to have to trust each other soon, and with our lives. That trust has to start now. Before this goes any further. We're all part of a whole. Don't you guys see that?"
Matilyn didn't know if she would convince anyone. She didn't know if she was convinced herself. She only knew that she had to try something, something to get Jones to back off. She couldn't stand the idea of seeing Eldrin hurt that badly.
"If you don't stand up for him," she said, "Then you're all cowards, and you're all going to die out there."
Sean stepped forward, "I agree with Matilyn," he said in his usual quiet voice. Janice joined him, "So do I."
Andy Carls, the msn he'd been sparring with stepped forward next. A girl behind him sighed, but joined him. One after another, each person in the group stepped forward, adding their support to Matilyn's. Jones didn't speak at first. He took a few minutes to look at the faces of his recruits.
Eventually, he nodded, "Very well," he said, "Tomorrow, we're going to be learning the proper ways to battle. Tonight, I don't want to see any of your faces. Dismissed."
EIGHT
Haply, When I shall Wed
PENNY PRESSED HER LIPS AGAINST MATILYN'S, WAKING her. "You're going to be late," she murmured to the other woman, "Janice has already left."
Matilyn curled closer to her, letting out a sigh, "I'm sleepy," she whined back.
"You're sleepy and you're going to be late," Penny said. She trailed her fingers along Matilyn's side, "Come on, wake up. You don't want Jones upset with you this morning. Not after yesterday."
"Right," Matilyn said, forcing her eyes open. She rolled over onto her back and sighed up at the ceiling. The room was still dark.
Penny moved, and kissed her again before teasing, "Hey, you signed up for this."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," Matilyn said. She grabbed Penny after and pulled her into a longer embrace, "Maybe I'll stay in this morning. Take the extra miles when I get there. It might be worth it."
Penny laughed.
Matilyn grinned and let Penny go. She sat up in bed, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I'm sore," she said, stretching out her arms, "I didn't realize holding a sword and shield could be so hard on your muscles. It's a lot different than just running and doing push ups all day."
"You know," Penny said, "I've been thinking."
"Oh?"
Penny was quiet for a minute before speaking, "I still don't agree with Priests going to fight, and I still don't think you should be using your Chakran do it. It's wrong, and Father Ashbury would agree."
"Penny--"
"But," Penny continued, "It's something you need to do. And I don't want to lose you, Mattie. Switch, and I'll come with you."
Matilyn blinked, sitting up straighter, "What?"
"I'll come with you," Penny repeated, "If you switch to one of the squads that doesn't use manipulation, I'll come with you. I'll train and we'll be able to deploy and stay together. It's the only thing I can think of."
"You'd really do that?" Matilyn asked.
Penny nodded.
"But you hate the idea of fighting," Matilyn said.
"I hate the idea of losing you even more," Penny told her, "Will you think about it?"
"I will," Mattie promised.
"There's something else too," Penny whispered.
Matilyn leaned against her, "What's that?"
Penny hesitated, "I want to be married."
"We will be," Matilyn said. She took Penny's hand, the one with the ring, and kissed it, "When the war is over."
"No," Penny said, "I want to be married now. If something happens, I want to be married to you, Mattie. It's only right."
"Nothing's going to happen to me," Matilyn said, "Or to you. We're both going to be fine, Penny. I promise."
Penny shook her head, "You can't promise me that," she said, "you don't know what's going to happen. Say the words with me, Mattie. Please."
"Are you sure?" Matilyn asked, "Don't you want a ceremony with our friends and family?"
"No," Penny said, "I just want you, Mattie. That's all. Just you."
"Okay," Matilyn agreed, "Okay then."
"Matilyn Malevus," Penny whispered, "You stand before the Gods on this day, asking to be united with Penelope Belmonte. It is an oath that cannot be broken, a tie that cannot be cut. Do you enter this union with an open heart and a free will?"
"I do," Matilyn said. She repeated the words back to Penny.
"Of course I do," Penny said, "I do. With these words, before the Gods, let us be united."
She placed her hands on top of Matilyn's, "If this were a full ceremony," she said, "They'd tie the ribbons right now. But we don't have ribbons. We just have to imagine. One is for trust, one is for honesty, and one is for loyalty."
"One for commitment," Matilyn added, "And one for friendship, and one for love."
She pressed her lips against Penny's. The kiss was longer than it should have been and when the two broke apart, they were both a little out of breath.
"You know," Penny said, "I think about what you said before, about the extra miles being worth it? I think that sounds like a fantastic idea."
"Do you now?" Matilyn teased, leaning into kiss her again.
"Well," Penny said, drawing out the word, "Well, I am your wife now. And as your wife, I order you to stay in bed for at least a little longer."
Matilyn laughed and pulled the blanket over them both.
Sean stared down at Janice's palm, willing the flesh to knit back together. The cut was shallow, and should have been easy to heal. He'd had plenty of practice lately; every night, he and Janice stayed up late working on manipulation.
For the most part, he could manipulate just fine. There were days though, when he couldn't even begin to center himself enough to call upon his Chakran. Today was one of those days.
It couldn't be, though. Jones was testing everyone on their manipulation prowess. If he couldn't manipulate today, there was a good chance that Jones would dismiss him from the course. Sean couldn't let that happen.
"You can do it," Janice urged. They were in pairs, practicing. Everyone but Eldrin, that was. He stood by himself. Nobody wanted to partner with him after he'd gotten the group yelled at the night before, and Matilyn was missing that morning.
He didn't seem too terribly bothered by it though.
"Focus," Janice said, drawing attention away from Eldrin and back to her.
"It's pointless," Sean said, "I can't do it, not today. I don't know why. I can't focus on it. Jones is going to make me leave."
"No," Janice said, "Come on, Sean. Don't think like that. Don't say that. You can do it. You've done it a thousand times before. This time should be easy. Just take a
few deep breaths and try again."
Sean nodded, drawing in lungful after lungful of clean, fresh air. He let each one out slowly, trying to block the outside news. He focused on the palm of Janice's hand, thinking about the flesh and willing the wound to heal.
He sighed. It had stopped bleeding on it's own already, clotting up rather quickly.
"Okay," Janice said, "Try closing your eyes. Sometimes that works for me."
Sean nodded once more and closed his eyes. The noise didn't stop though. It felt overwhelming and all encompassing at the moment, as though it were pressing in on all sides. He couldn't seem to draw another breath.
Then Eldrin's voice snapped him out of it, "Need help?"
"No," Janice said quickly.
"Too late," Eldrin smirked, "Sean, open your eyes. Look at Janice."
Sean opened his eyes to see Eldrin standing next to Janice, holding out his own practice knife. "What are you doing?"
Before Janice could move, Eldrin had grabbed her arm. He slashed the blade down into her arm, causing a deep cut that began to pour blood all over Janice and the grass in front of her. Janice let out a cry of shock and pain.
"Look at her," Eldrin instructed. "Heal her."
"You do it!" Sean said, "Quickly! She's losing a lot of blood."
"She's getting pale," Eldrin agreed, "Look at her, Sean. Think about it. Think about Janice. Focus on her, focus on the time you've spent together. Do you want her to be in pain? Do you want her to bleed to death? Focus!"
Sean gave Janice a frightened look. Like Eldrin said, she was growing paler by the second. Tears streamed down her face, and she looked as though she was trying to focus enough to manipulate the wound herself.
"Don't," Eldrin warned her.
Sean let out a low curse. He focused on Janice again, trying to block everything else out. He thought of her smile, of her laugh, of the way she was always beside him, helping him. Without her, he'd be completely alone.
A sea of darkness threatened to overwhelm him and in that moment, he reached out, the instinct to heal suddenly all encompassing. The wound on Janice's arm quickly disappeared as he manipulated the cut to close.
The Warriors of Valishna (Cartharia Book 1) Page 9