by E. L. Todd
She’d wanted to talk to him since the moment they’d parted, but now that they were reunited, she had nothing to say. Just being connected to his mind gave her the comfort she craved.
After a long time, he spoke again. They’re good to you?
Yes.
Because if they aren’t, we’ll burn that place to the ground.
She smiled at his protectiveness. They’ve been generous with their hospitality—just not their acceptance. They’ve never harmed or caused me physical distress. The isolation is just hard sometimes…
It’s not forever. When we’re together again, I’ll tease you just the way you like. His smile returned.
I know you will.
They’ll accept you in time. Just, you know, don’t throw shit at their heads.
She chuckled. I’ve made one friend here. My guide.
One down…thousands to go. You’re going to have to speed it up a bit.
He’s trying to help me do that. The elves are complicated.
That’s an understatement. Not my kind of people.
People aren’t your kind of people.
He chuckled. Touché.
I asked him to teach me the blade. He said he needed to know why…so I told him the truth.
Yeah, that was a mistake.
Yes. It was.
I said I’d teach you, so why did you ask him? There was a hint of offense to his tone.
Because he’s the general of the elven army.
Rush was quiet for a long time. Wait…are you talking about General Callon?
Yes. You know him?
Unfortunately.
You guys don’t get along?
Well, there’s not much room for bonding when you’re trying to kill each other on the battlefield.
Oh…
His mood dropped. Not my finest hour.
It’s not who you are anymore, Rush.
He continued to sulk, his sadness moving across the connection. He’s one of the best swordsmen I’ve ever fought. If he agrees to take you on, you’re in good hands. But never mention me.
Why? He’s seen my sword. I’ll have to tell him eventually.
Trust me, don’t do it. Hide my identity as best you can.
What if I can’t?
Then he’ll never help you.
Twelve
Two Branches
Time passed differently in Eden Star.
Or maybe it was just because she was lonely and bored.
Callon didn’t visit her tree house. He must have returned to his position at the perimeter.
She would go on hikes into the wilderness, pass the elves who meditated in the fields, stroll down to the market to make an appearance, and then repeat all that the following day.
Same shit, different day.
When she remembered the section of the library marked Magic, she decided to spend the day there. No one would offer to teach her anything, so if she wanted to learn, she had to figure it out herself.
There was no one in the Great Hall, probably because it was a beautiful summer day. The elves didn’t seem to like being indoors, just the way Flare didn’t like to be underground. That was fine with her because she didn’t want hostile company.
She pulled a textbook off the shelves and opened the pages.
It was all in elvish. “There goes my brilliant plan…” She closed the book and slid it back in place.
“I doubt it was as brilliant as you think.”
She jumped in place and clutched her heart. “Shit, I didn’t know you were there.”
Callon stood in his uniform, his sword at his side, wearing the thin material of his armor.
“Stop sneaking up on me like that.”
“Not sneaking. Walking. If you didn’t stomp around everywhere you went, you could do it too.”
“I don’t stomp.”
“Your tracks say otherwise.”
“That’s how you knew I was here?”
He wore a bored expression. “Yes.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Guess you’re still mad at me.”
He stepped away and approached the long table near the window. Sunshine flooded the surface of the wood, dust visibly floating in the direct light. His eyes focused on the view, the tall pines in the distance. “I stand by everything I said. The elves will never march on High Castle. To make such a request is insensitive. However…” He turned back to face her, his arms still behind his back, having the sternness of a soldier even when he was off duty. “I do not doubt your character or your ambition. If you decide to take on this ridiculous feat on your own, I want you to be prepared.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
He didn’t need the armor to look like a behemoth. In his trousers and shirt, he looked just as menacing. But his countenance was slightly different when he was still on the job. “We’re the same—both Riverglade. It is my duty to protect you as much as possible. I will train you in the sword—but this stays between us.”
“Thank you so mu—”
“Lai-hie.”
She corrected her mistake quickly. “Lai-hie.”
“Do I have your word that you won’t share this with anyone?”
“Yes.”
He studied her eyes for sincerity and must have seen it because he moved on. “I have a stipulation.”
“What is it?”
“A great swordsman knows how to use a blade. But a great warrior is more than that. Skilled in mind. Skilled in magic. Skilled in life. Only when you understand the true value of life can you take it away.”
“What do you mean?”
He stepped forward. “The difference between men and elves is simple. Men slaughter their animals, their trees, their fellow man—with no consequence. If they felt the soul leave the body, felt the life drain from the bodies, they would be more selective in these actions. It’s a burden to take away life, a very heavy one, so when it’s done, it should only be because there was no other option. A warrior does not blindly kill anything in its path—he decides who lives and who dies. Men are incapable of making that distinction, because life means nothing to them.”
She wrapped her sword in a blanket and disguised its shape.
“You don’t need it. Leave it.”
She sat at the table and looked up at him. “How are you going to teach me without a sword?”
He gave her a hard look before he exited the tree house.
“Alright…” She grabbed her pack and followed him out the door.
The sun had just risen, and the birds sang their song. They left the center of Eden Star and ventured into the wildlands, moving off the beaten path and directly through the grass. Cora trusted that he knew where he was going, so she didn’t question it.
Nearly two hours later, they were at a clearing near a stream, an open area between the trees, ample room to move around.
Callon drank from his canteen then dropped his pack on the grass.
“Now what?”
“Rest.”
“We just got here.”
He disappeared into the tree line.
She took a seat and drank her water and munched on the nuts and berries she’d brought with her.
He returned moments later, carrying two long branches that would act as swords.
“I don’t get it. Why don’t we just use swords?”
He dropped the branch down beside her. “Because I said so.”
“But these are clunky—”
“And you aren’t?” He moved a distance away and held his branch like a sword. “Get up.”
She rose to her feet and dusted off her trousers. With branch in hand, she approached, holding it awkwardly because its weight wasn’t evenly distributed.
“There are no male warriors. There are no female warriors. We’re all one.”
She held the branch, ready to defend herself from his move.
“Which means they train the same. You will be bruised. Injured. Maybe even bloody. Do I have
your permission to train you this way?”
Her answer was immediate. “Yes.”
“I can take a different approach if that makes you more comfortable.”
“I said yes, didn’t I?”
“Very well.” He moved with a speed that she couldn’t follow, striking her on the arm then swiping at her knees, making her collapse to the ground.
“Ouch.” She rubbed her bruised arm where he’d struck her first. “I thought you were going to teach me. Not kick my ass.”
He dropped his stick on the grass and reached out his hand to her. “Needed a baseline.”
She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.
He took her stick away and threw it on the ground.
“What does that mean?”
“You aren’t ready for swords or branches.”
“If you just give me a chance—”
“I did give you a chance. You failed.”
“I wasn’t ready for it—”
“You’ll never be ready for it. No one ever is. Drop your ego.”
“Ego?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes.” He righted himself in front of her. “You may be good with a bow, may be good by the standards of your own people, but here, you’re a novice. You’re a child out of the womb. You’re nothing. Accept it. Embrace it.”
She swallowed the insult as best she could and realized he was right. If she didn’t have an ego, she wouldn’t have been insulted in the first place. “Alright.”
“Accept it.”
She nodded.
“Now embrace it.”
She sucked in a breath.
“It doesn’t matter where you start. It matters where you end. And I’ll make sure you’re the best you can be when that time comes.”
The morning had been focused on her posture and maneuverability. She could throw a punch and knock out some teeth when she needed to, but she had never had any formal training. Growing up with three adopted brothers had toughened her up, but working with Callon was a whole different experience.
“The key to dodging is flow. Use that energy to your advantage in the next blow. If I come at you like this…” After he’d landed her on her ass with the branch, he hadn’t touched her again, moving slowly so she could actually see what was happening. He slowly brought his fist close to her face. “You’re going to want to dodge down.” He stared at her expectantly.
“Oh, right now? Okay.” She bent down.
He didn’t bother to hide his look of annoyance. “You can pop up again. But that’s in the opposite direction you just came and a waste of energy. Battle is about endurance, not necessarily strength. So, what should you do?”
“Lie down and take a nap?” They’d been at it for hours without a break, not even for some water. Her stomach growled. Her muscles ached. This was the most activity she had since she arrived here.
His eyes narrowed, his fist still in place.
“Okay, bad joke. If I rise up in any direction, it’s a waste of energy, so I don’t know.”
“You can do something down there, can’t you?”
She gave him a gentle kick.
“Yes. Or when you go down, you can prepare to come up in a certain way, so it’s a curve. Watch, I’ll show you.” He picked up one of the branches and handed it to her. “Attack me.”
She looked at him quizzically. “You’re unarmed.”
A closed-mouth grin came over his face.
“I just feel bad—”
“Give me everything you’ve got. Come on.”
“Okay…” She gripped the tree branch and moved as quickly as she could, prepared to hit him on the shoulder.
He dropped to his knee and dodged the hit, popping back up instantly and knocking the branch out of her hand. “Try again.”
“Uh, how do you move like that?”
“Practice.”
“But you’re so fast.”
“Again, practice.” He grabbed the branch and handed it to her. “Try again.”
She moved as fast as she could, picking a different spot to strike.
He bent at the hips, and the branch glided over his body. He rose up once more and smacked the branch out of her hand.
“Dammit.”
“What did I say about the cursing?”
“It’s just us two.”
“But practice makes perfect.” He walked to the edge of the clearing where the packs sat on the grass near the water and took a seat.
“Yes, lunchtime.” She followed him and took a seat beside him. After a deep drink of her canteen, she opened her pack and pulled out her pathetic lunch of assorted berries, fruits, and nuts. She’d been constantly hungry since she came here because nothing could ever really satisfy her.
Callon pulled out his lunch—which was nothing like hers.
He had a bowl of rice with sautéed vegetables and potatoes, with crushed nuts for crunch. There was a sliced baguette that smelled fresh the moment he opened the cloth containing it. He also had a salad with assorted fruits and cheese.
She looked at her pathetic lunch then at his. “Um, where did you get that?”
He pulled out a wooden fork and scooped it into his rice bowl. “I made it.”
“The bread too?”
“Got it at the market this morning.”
Now her lunch looked like a snack in comparison. No wonder why I’m hungry all the time…
With his eyes on her, he chewed. “I’ll teach you to cook.” He had an extra container in his bag, so she shared his rice concoction, his salad, and his bread.
“You don’t have to do that.”
He set the bowl beside her and continued to eat. His eyes on the stream, his posture straight like he was meditating, he ate in silence, his powerful jaw shifting as he chewed. It’d been a long morning, but he didn’t seem tired at all.
“Thank you.” She scooped her fork inside, and on the first bite, she moaned. “Damn, this is good.” Bite after bite, she cherished the combination of flavors, tasted the subtle salt and pepper, devoured the black potatoes. When she finished it along with the salad, she scraped the bowl with a slice of bread. “Do you use eggs in this?”
“No.”
“Then how does it taste so good?”
“Because there are better things than eggs. You’re closed-minded and believe there’s only one way to do things. There are many ways to do many things. Once you realize that, life has infinite possibilities.” When he finished with his lunch, he pulled out something else covered in a cloth wrapping. He opened it, revealing two cookies.
“Is that what I think it is?”
He gave a slight grin as he handed one to her.
“I can’t take one of your cookies.”
“I brought two on purpose.” He continued to hold it out to her.
She smiled and took it, breaking off a piece and popping it into her mouth. After a few chews, she closed her eyes. “Lai-hie. Lai-hie a thousand times.”
He released a quiet chuckle. “You’re like a child.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him again.
His eyes were crinkled in affection. “In a good way.”
“Does your kid like these?”
He nodded. “His favorite, actually.”
“They’re my favorite now, too. Do you do the cooking or does your wife?”
He turned back to the stream, his affection disappearing. “I do.”
“Wow. A man who fights and cooks…lucky lady.”
He took a few bites of his cookie, unresponsive.
“I’ve been living off berries and nuts this whole time, and I was about to eat my own arm I was so hungry.”
“Cannibalism is forbidden in Eden Star.”
She turned back to him, her eyebrow raised. “It was a joke.”
“You can kill an animal and roast their carcass over a fire. Add some salt and pepper, and you’re finished. But when you’re sustaining yourself on things that grow, it’s essential to combine everyth
ing together to make meals. It tastes much better than meat and provides all the nutrition your body requires.”
“It sounds like more work.”
“Anything worthwhile requires work.”
The stream provided a backdrop of quiet music, the branches of the trees moving with a subtle breeze that sounded like the strings of a harp. Birds sang from the treetops, as if they’d followed them all the way from the center of Eden Star. It created music without instruments.
After he finished eating, he sat there, his eyes on the passing stream. His visage was consistently hard and focused, but the clouds passed over the sun and blocked the sunlight from hitting his face, revealing a subtle look of sadness. A drop in his energy, a gentle sag to his eyes, a moment of unspoken grief.
“Everything okay?” she whispered.
His eyes shifted to hers.
“You just…seemed sad for a second.”
His eyes burned into her face for a few moments before he looked at the stream once more. “Everything is in a state of impermanence. Your joy will fade to sadness. But that sadness will also fade back to joy—eventually. It’s difficult to embrace, but tolerable to accept.”
“I’ve been sad lately. Being away from my friends…being in a place where I’m unanimously hated.”
“Not unanimously.” He looked at her once more.
“Well, almost unanimously.” She gave a slight smile. “So…what brings you sadness?”
He dropped his chin and looked at the grass under his legs. “When you lose people you love, grief is a state of permanence. The sadness that is derived from it comes and goes. There are times when I can accept their absence, and there are other times when it’s impossible for me to do that. Today, it’s impossible.” Without his confidence and valor, he wasn’t the powerful general men revered. Now he was just a man. A man with a broken heart.
“I’m so sorry…”
He remained that way for a long time, contemplative, quiet.
She gave him all the time he needed.
When he raised his chin, it was a sign that he was ready to continue. “It’s time for meditation.”
She didn’t make the smartass comment she would normally make because of what had just transpired, but she was disappointed. “We didn’t make much progress with the fighting.”