The Makings of a Warrior

by Peter Wacht

  “I believe you’ve been stalking me for the better part of the morning,” he said, an easy smile on his face that warmed the hard edge of his eyes. There was humor there, as well as an uncommon seriousness, and something else she couldn’t put her finger on. The person standing across from her couldn’t be much older than her, she confirmed. In fact, he looked quite young except for his eyes. “Although I’m not an expert in courtly behavior, I didn’t think spying was taught to young ladies, and especially princesses.”

  “Just how do you know I’m a princess?” she retorted. She had made it a point of not dressing like one, wanting to blend into the crowd.

  Abruptly he started walking toward the Festival. Kaylie hurried to catch up. “It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

  He was nervous. That’s what she had seen in his eyes but couldn’t determine at first. But why would he be nervous? Wait a second. Maybe she made him nervous. Kaylie smiled at her sudden understanding, pleased by her realization.

  “You remember me, I see.” They entered the Festival grounds again, passing by several persistent hawkers they ignored. “I can tell by the look in your eyes.”

  “Yes,” replied Kaylie, grinning from cheek to cheek. She enjoyed nothing so much in life as being right. “I do remember you. From the waterfall in the Burren and then again in Oakwood Forest with the Fearhounds.”

  She watched him out of the corner of her eye for a moment, her thoughts jumbled. She wanted to say how heroic he had been for saving her life twice, and her father’s life, about how magnificent he had appeared up on the hill, shooting down at the Fearhounds unafraid during their charge. Yet, such words didn’t feel right. Then she remembered how disappointed she had been when he had disappeared into the forest without saying a word.

  “Thank you. You never stayed around long enough for me to say that either time.”

  There was a rebuke in Kaylie’s words, but Thomas either missed it or ignored it.

  “I heard it the first time,” he said, not looking at her directly. It seemed as if he was going to say more, then chose not to. Kaylie smiled with pleasure. He was nervous. It made her feel good to know that she could do that to someone, and not because she was a princess.

  The fact that she was a princess made most people nervous, though she had gotten used to it. She had even learned how to make people more comfortable, or uncomfortable, as the circumstances warranted. No, he wasn’t nervous because she was a princess. He was nervous because she was a woman. She relished the thought.

  “When Fearhounds attack a few sometimes hang back to pursue any prey that might escape the pack,” said Thomas. “I wanted to make sure there weren’t any lurking about.”

  Kaylie looked at him in amazement. She was slightly piqued because he had such a good excuse, but what really surprised her was the nonchalant way he had said it. But there was not a trace of conceit or arrogance in his voice. It was purely a statement of fact, as if killing Fearhounds was an everyday task for him, much like a blacksmith reshaping a horseshoe. Except the horseshoe wouldn’t hunt you down and sink finger-long teeth into your neck.

  Kaylie shuddered at the image she created in her mind. This boy really was quite remarkable, and he certainly was full of surprises. Kaylie wanted to get some answers to her questions. He was clearly flustered and did not like talking about himself, so she tried a different tack.

  “You know, I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced,” she said. “My name’s Kaylie.”

  “I know,” he said, stopping so that they once again stood face to face.

  For some reason Kaylie was pleased that he already knew her name. He remained silent for quite awhile, standing there looking at her. It was as if he was memorizing every tiny little detail of her face — the curve of her chin, the length of her eyelashes, the few freckles on her nose. His eyes sparkled with delight, their deep green color — almost a glow she realized — capturing her again.

  For a moment, her knees felt weak and she was afraid she was going to fall down. Now why was that happening? She had heard from her friends how certain boys made them weak in the knees, like Jenna with Berral, but this obviously couldn’t be the same thing. Maybe she was ill. She had skipped lunch, so that was probably it. She was only curious about him, not infatuated like Jenna was with Berral. Her thoughts strengthened her resolve, and her knees.

  “Kaylie,” he said finally, almost savoring her name. She liked the way he said it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, much like any gentleman would upon meeting a lady. As his lips touched her skin her heart almost stopped.

  “My name is Thomas. Would you like to join me for lunch?” Thomas’ heart skipped a beat, fearful that she would say no.

  “Yes, that would be nice,” she said, allowing herself to be directed toward a stand selling an assortment of hot pastries and other treats. The whole way there she played with his name in her mind. Thomas. Yes, that was a good name for him. A strong name. A name that seemed to fit him perfectly.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Learning More

  “So where’s your friend?”

  “My friend?” asked Thomas.

  They had found a small copse of trees just outside the Festival grounds. The long grass offered a comfortable seat and the warm sun fended off the chill of the day.

  “Yes, your friend. The wolf, remember? He’s hard to forget.”

  Kaylie could still visualize the wolf from the last time she saw him. He was as large as the Fearhounds, and seemed even more ferocious. His black fur matched with his large white teeth made for a terrifying sight indeed.

  “Beluil.”

  Thomas hungrily bit into his lunch, enjoying the venison and gravy hidden within the pastry shell. They had bought lunch at a stall run by an extremely large woman who obviously enjoyed the food she cooked. They had decided that if she liked it so much, so would they.

  “He’s around somewhere.” Kaylie looked around quickly, a frightened look in her eyes. Thomas was quick to reassure her. “Don’t worry. He’s harmless. He spends most of his time trying to get his belly rubbed. Not what you would expect from a man-eating wolf, now, is it?”

  Kaylie chuckled at the image that popped into her mind — the large wolf lying on its back and sighing with pleasure as Thomas scratched his stomach.

  “So how is it that you two are friends? I’ve never heard of such a thing. In fact, most people would not only run away from—”

  “Beluil.”

  “—Beluil, but also from you. They would think you could work Dark Magic or were possessed by evil spirits.”

  She laughed nervously at the thought. She really didn’t know him very well at all. A whisper in the back of her mind asked what if she was right. How else could he learn to use a bow so well?

  “I see your point. Most people fear what they don’t understand.”

  Thomas licked gravy off his fingers, having finished the pastry. His stomach full, he leaned back on an elbow and stretched out his legs. At first, Thomas’ stomach did somersaults as he talked with Kaylie. He didn’t know what to say. Not because she was a princess, but because she was a girl. The last time he had talked with a girl his own age was back at the Crag.

  To make the situation even more difficult, he was experiencing certain feelings toward her that he had never felt. It was all extremely confusing to him. With time, though, his nervousness subsided. He soon found that talking with Kaylie was not only easy, but also fun.

  “Beluil and I have been friends for a long time, in fact we grew up together, so it’s a very long story. The short of it is that we were both thrust into the same sort of situation and we’ve been together ever since.”

  “Is he somewhere close by? I’d love to meet him. I thanked you for what you did for us, but I never thanked him.”

  Kaylie looked around hopefully. The idea of petting an extremely large and dangerous-looking black wolf appealed to her. Her blood star
ted to flow a little faster in her veins. She had wanted excitement and adventure, and now she just might get it.

  “He’s in Oakwood Forest right now, probably looking for an attractive female wolf,” laughed Thomas. “I’ll pass on your thanks, though.”

  “Thank you. Please do.”

  Kaylie studied Thomas for a moment, taking in his hair, his face, his smile. There was so much she wanted to learn about him, but she didn’t know where to begin. Her stomach fluttered every time he glanced at her. It must have been the pastry. The meat had been just a little too spicy. It couldn’t have been anything else, could it?

  “How did you learn to shoot the bow?” Kaylie sat cross-legged in the grass, her elbows on her knees and chin perched in her hands.

  Thomas studied Kaylie for several seconds, wondering whether to tell her the truth. He doubted, however, that she would believe that he learned from the spirit of the greatest archer ever to walk the continent. Besides, he still had to exercise caution. His grandparents had counseled caution ever since he was a boy, and now was not the time to give in to recklessness, even when being questioned by someone with such a pretty face.

  “From a friend,” he replied. “He made me practice until I got it right.”

  Kaylie waited expectantly for Thomas to say more, but he didn’t, much to her annoyance. Unsuccessful with that approach, she tried a different tack.

  “So where are you from?”

  “From the east,” Thomas answered vaguely.

  “From around Fal Carrach? Or Benewyn? Or maybe the Highlands?” Kaylie was not one to give up easily.

  “From the east,” repeated Thomas.

  He smiled when he saw Kaylie frown. She was used to having her questions answered. He decided to ask some of his own and perhaps turn her mind to other things.

  “So who were those two girls standing with you at the railing?”

  A sudden burst of jealousy erupted within Kaylie. Why would Thomas want to know about them? Wait a second. Why should she be jealous? She pushed her emotions away. She was just talking to him, that’s all. It probably wasn’t jealousy anyway. She just didn’t like it when people dodged her questions. She didn’t like it at all. Yes, that was probably the cause of her irritation.

  “The blond one was Lissa, and the other Erinn. We grew up together in the Rock. Why do you ask?”

  Yes, it must be her anger at him avoiding her questions. That was the only explanation for the tightness in her voice.

  “Just curious. They seemed to be quite interested in Ragin.”

  “Yes, well, they’re both very much interested in good looks,” she said, her voice scornful.

  “And you’re not?” Thomas sounded quite doubtful.

  “No, I’m not,” said Kaylie, leaning back in the grass on her elbows. “Ragin is good looking, I will admit. But to be honest, there’s something about him that seems off.”

  “A lot of people seem to have the same perspective.”

  “Oh?” Kaylie wasn’t really surprised to hear that.

  “Yes, many of the archers were none too pleased by his boasting during the tournament. I take it he’s not very well liked?”

  “No, he’s not very well liked at all,” answered Kaylie. “But he and his father don’t really care. All they want is to be feared. It’s the way Armagh is ruled. So long as they are feared, they believe they are safe.”

  “A very astute observation,” said Thomas. “I could understand now why Ragin was so upset at losing.”

  “Yes, he wasn’t happy, was he?” laughed Kaylie, enjoying the memory of Ragin’s failure. “That was part of it, you know. You weren’t afraid of him. That probably annoyed him more than the fact that you beat him. By the way, what did you say to him after you won? He looked like he wanted to stick a sword in you.”

  “If we were alone he probably would have tried,” agreed Thomas, smiling as he remembered how his words affected the High Prince. With his beet red face and flaring nostrils, Ragin resembled a volcano ready to explode. “I didn’t really say anything at all. I was just correcting something he had told me earlier. Obviously, he didn’t appreciate it.”

  Thomas’ expression came across as innocent, but his eyes shined with mischief.

  “I guess you could say I was rubbing it in.” Thomas held out his hands in mock supplication. “I know, I know. It’s not very honorable. I just couldn’t resist.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much over it. He certainly deserved it.”

  “Yes, he did,” said Thomas, a satisfied smile on his face. “So, besides politics, what are some of your other interests, Kaylie?”

  “My interests?”

  Thomas’ question took her by surprise, never having been asked the question before. She really didn’t know how to answer. Most people simply assumed that she had no time to do anything else but act like a princess. She was often seen as a way to gain something, and not as an actual person.

  “Yes, your interests. What do you like to do besides discuss politics?”

  “Well, right now I’m learning how to fight with a sword.”

  “Really,” said Thomas, sitting up. “Are you any good?”

  His voice didn’t hold the derision that she had come to expect from people like Ragin and Maddan, who scoffed at her efforts, but rather true interest. Speaking with Thomas was becoming an extremely enjoyable experience. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had treated her like a regular person, rather than as a princess.

  “Kael Bellilil, our Swordmaster, says I am,” she replied with pride, though careful not to brag. It was obvious that Thomas had no use for such talk.

  “I still have a lot more to learn, though. I didn’t realize how heavy a sword was until I started. I’m actually better with a dagger. For the longest time my father wouldn’t let me practice the sword, so I learned the dagger instead. In fact, my father didn’t give in until after the attack in Oakwood Forest. It was not the way I wanted to convince him, but at least something good came from that experience.”

  “Well, if the Swordmaster says you’re good with a blade, I’m sure you are.” Kael Bellilil. That was a Highland name, and one that sounded familiar to him. “Of course, you can’t spend all your time in the training circle.”

  “No, I don’t,” said Kaylie, with some disappointment. She wished she could spend much more time there, but her duties, and her father, wouldn’t allow it. “I also do things with my friends. I don’t lead a very exciting life like you do, though. If I’m not in the training circle, then I’m learning to be a queen.”

  “Well, I really wouldn’t call my life exciting.”

  “Oh, come now.” Kaylie leaned forward again. “Fighting a pack of Fearhounds isn’t exciting?” she asked sarcastically. “What else do you do in the forest?”

  “Whatever’s necessary, really.”

  Kaylie looked at Thomas in obvious frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she could barely get anything out of him. His answers, though truthful, were remarkably evasive. She considered asking him point blank if he was the Raptor, then decided against it.

  “It must be a lot of fun to wander through the forest every day, looking for new things to do, finding adventure behind every tree,” she said. “Fearhounds one day, who knows what the next.”

  “It’s not really like that,” protested Thomas. “I don’t go looking for trouble.”

  It wasn’t the complete truth, Thomas admitted to himself, but there were certain things he didn’t want Kaylie to know. At least not yet. Besides, he really didn’t go looking for trouble. Trouble simply had a habit of finding him.

  “Even so, most of the time I’m cooped up in a castle going from one stupid ceremony or audience to the next or making decisions about the most inconsequential things. It’s a complete waste of time, really. Nothing I do is important.”

  Even to Kaylie her words sounded somewhat childish, though she chose to ignore that fact. Her face scrunched up into a look of distaste. Her life wasn
’t what she wanted it to be, and now was as good a time as any to sulk.

  Thomas leaned forward and captured Kaylie’s eyes. He wanted to make sure that she remembered what he had to say.

  “You think I don’t have responsibilities, but I do. I have a great many responsibilities. It’s really just a question of how you look at things.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Give me an example of one of the decisions you’ve made, one of the most inconsequential.” Thomas’ tone indicated that he didn’t think her decisions could ever be unimportant.

  Kaylie thought for a moment. “Well, a few weeks ago a woman came to the Crag complaining that a craftsman had sold her a shoddy teakettle and refused to repair it.”

  “And what did you do?”

  “I looked at the teakettle and couldn’t see anything wrong with it. But the woman said that when you poured water into it, the teakettle leaked. So I had a guard do that, and it leaked. It was a trivial thing, really.” Kaylie clearly didn’t understand why Thomas was so interested in a teakettle.

  “What did you do next?”

  Why he was so intrigued with her story?

  “Well, I had the craftsman brought to the Rock. I had him give the woman back her money and then fined him two golds for doing such a poor job. He also had to fix the teakettle for her.”

  “And you don’t think that’s important?”

  “Not really. It was just a teakettle that cost no more than a few coppers. How could it be important?”

  “It’s all a matter of perspective. To you, a few coppers is nothing. But to that woman, she may have saved her money for weeks to buy that teakettle. Imagine her dismay to find that after all that hard work, in a sense someone had stolen her money.”

  “I never thought of it like that.” Why didn’t she?

  “Why should you? You’ve never had to do that before. Not only did the woman get her hard-earned money back, but you also helped everyone else in the same situation as the woman.”