by W.O. Cassity
Chapter Eleven: Freedom
After the incident with the bear, Talia had spent much of the last four days working with both Adam and Donadeir to improve their fighting skills. She had set up over a dozen rabbit snares and caught enough food for Adam to focus on training instead of fishing. She made each of them a dummy sword from wood to practice with and showed them the basics of various stances and pivots, including limiting how much of their bodies they exposed with each move.
Since Adam had years of strength training and exceptional balance, he picked up the basics very quickly. Donadeir on the other hand, did not fare quite as well. Seeing this, Talia decided to train him using a staff instead, and Donadeir excelled. This change actually worked out quite well, since it was also good experience for them both to learn how to defend against various weapon types.
The truth, which Talia really hadn’t wanted to face, was that particular day represented the eleventh day after the Blood King’s death, and meant the heir’s power would fully awaken. So far, the day had passed much like the last week, and the sun’s descent into the western sky was below the mountain’s peak shadowing over them. No matter how she looked at Adam, she could not believe he had the qualities to become so vengeful. After all, he had acknowledged Donadeir’s bravery with the bear and even offered his life debt to Donadeir who had deserved it.
Talia hoped their training was keeping their minds distracted and her worries and fears would come to nothing. Everyone was in better spirits since they received the bedrolls. Talia, still curious about who left them, had slipped away during her watch late at night, hoping to catch a sign of their visitor. The only evidence such a person existed, was Donadeir’s cloudy recollections.
Talia could tell Donadeir had adjusted to his change in diet and exercise. He was faster on his feet and he looked thinner in his face and waist than he had only a few days ago. The confidence Donadeir built over the last week was reflected in his smile and bright eyes. It must be true what the old tales say: “There’s always a silver lining.”
She worked with her boys closely throughout the day, offering personal instruction to help them improve their techniques. Talia’s work had already begun to pay off and both of their faces beamed with pride and confidence. She began to believe their fears about Adam becoming the heir were unfounded after an uneventful day.
