by Tora Moon
“Ah, Histrun,” she said, haltingly. “I have a favor to ask.”
He sighed in relief. A favor would be no trouble. “Yes?”
“You’ve seen the adolescent boy in the Sanctuary, haven’t you?” At Histrun’s nod, she continued, “Well, he’s my son, Blazel. He’s nearly twelve, and isn’t that the time boys start learning to shift into their warrior form?”
“It is.” He now had an idea of the favor she wanted from him. The men he’d met during his stay were either farmers or herders, and the few warriors he’d encountered had been sent to the Sanctuary to be disciplined by the Supreme, and served as gate guards. He wouldn’t want to trust them to train a young man in the ways of being a warrior.
“Well … could you …”
Histrun took pity on her. “Yes, I’ll teach him what he needs to know. The wolf-form is almost second nature for us, and it’s easy to shift back and forth, but it’s dangerous for boys to try shifting into the warrior form without guidance. They could get stuck between forms.”
“I don’t think Blazel knows how to shift into his wolf form. At least, I’ve never seen him do so.”
Histrun was horrified. To think of a young boy never knowing the joy of running as a wolf. Even the men who chose not to become fighters shifted into their wolf forms regularly, and they’d been taught the nuances of shifting into their warrior form in case they needed to in the event of a monster attack while they were away from the keep.
“I’ll make sure he knows what to do. If you bring him by my place tomorrow after breakfast, we can start then.”
“Oh, thank you!” She threw her arms around him and gave him a quick hug. “You don’t know what a relief this is. I didn’t know who else to ask. I didn’t trust the gate guards to teach him the right way.”
The next morning, Blenora and Blazel were waiting for him in front of his cottage when he returned from eating breakfast. The boy stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes on the ground, shifting from foot to foot.
“Bright blessings, Blenora, Blazel,” Histrun said as he approached them on the pathway.
“Bright blessings, Histrun.” Blenora gave him a smile. “I hope we’re not too early. Blazel was excited.”
“Scared mostly,” Blazel said under his breath.
Histrun clapped a hand on Blazel’s shoulder, causing him to glance up. The boy had dark-gray eyes, an unusual combination with his auburn hair.
“It is scary the first few times you shift,” Histrun assured him. “But it gets easier with practice. Are you ready to get started?”
Blazel nodded and looked, not at his mother, but back toward the cloister. “Chariel wanted to come and watch, but she didn’t think you’d let her.”
Chariel must be the girl Histrun always saw Blazel with. He detected a note in Blazel’s voice that made him think the boy hoped she wouldn’t be invited. Perhaps he was afraid he’d fail and didn’t want her to see.
“No,” Histrun shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea just yet. After you’ve had some practice, maybe she can watch then.”
Blazel’s breath came out in a whoosh of relief. A tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Now why don’t you and I find a quiet, private place?”
Blazel’s eyes brightened. “I know just the spot. I go there all the time to hide … I mean, to be by myself.”
Histrun gestured for Blazel to lead the way. “Why don’t you show me, boy.”
Blazel glared at him. “My name is Blazel. Not boy.”
“You’re a boy. You’re my apprentice now, and you can call me either ‘master’, or ‘sir.’ Or don’t you want to learn to be a warrior?”
“I do.”
“I do, ‘sir.’”
“Yes, sir. I do, sir.”
“Then led the way to your spot, boy.”
Blazel’s lips pursed, but he didn’t say anything. Histrun had been ready to administer some discipline to him, suspecting him of being a spoiled mama’s boy. That didn’t happen often with the children of fighters, since they lived in the crèches. But he had seen it a few times with the herder and farmer packs.
The boy headed toward the river, then higher up the slope. They threaded through a maze of brambles, and in a few places Histrun had to suck in his breath to pass. Finally, they stopped in a shady glade. A stream trickled off to the side near a small pile of boulders that would provide a good sitting spot. They were far enough from the Sanctuary grounds they wouldn’t be disturbed, but not too far as to be in danger. Histrun nodded in approval.
“Now, boy,” Histrun said, sitting on a large, flat boulder. A shaft of sunlight warmed the stone and his back. “Blenora says you don’t know how to shift into your wolf form. Let’s start with that.”
“I can shift,” Blazel said petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest, and sticking out his lower lip.
“Then show me,” Histrun responded cooly.
It was common to see children playing, and for the boys to shift from boy to wolf-pup while running and not miss a step. But Blazel’s shift took a long, painful time. Histrun realized no one had ever worked with him nor taught him how to access his inner magic pool that made the shapeshifting possible.
Histrun sighed inwardly. He had his work cut out for him to teach this child what he needed to know. He had hoped he would be able to leave the Sanctuary before the winter storms blocked the pass, but even if the Supreme released him tomorrow, he couldn’t leave now until Blazel was properly trained.
When Blazel finally shifted back to his human form, he leaned over, his hands on his knees, panting. “See? I can shift.”
“How often do you shift?”
Blazel looked away. “Not often. I’m already an outsider as the only boy. Shifting makes me feel even more of an outcast.”
“Understandable.” Histrun beckoned to him. “Come, sit with me. I’ll teach you how to access your magic so you can shift forms properly. You have to be able to shift easily to and from your wolf form, before you can even begin to attempt the warrior form.”
Blazel chose to sit on the ground at Histrun’s feet, looking up expectantly. He listened carefully, asking questions, before attempting to shift again. Then he practiced shifting the rest of the morning until by the time they ended, Blazel could shift much more quickly and easily. They walked back to Histrun’s cottage, and Histrun paused at the hedge boundary of his yard. “Meet me every morning after breakfast for training.”
“Yes, sir!” Blazel thumped a fist to his chest in imitation of a warrior’s salute, then ran off. He hadn’t gone far when he kicked his heels together and whooped, “Yippee!”
Histrun smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm. What would it be like to be raised in a place where you were the only boy? Histrun would do what he could to help the boy.
* * *
The oak trees blazed orange and the aspen leaves turned a brilliant yellow in their fall colors. The days started off crisp and cool, but then warmed up enough by afternoon that Histrun appreciated the cool shade of Blazel’s hidden spot.
To begin Blazel’s training, Histrun had him simply practice shifting from his natural form to his wolf form, until he could do it from one breath to the next, no matter what he was doing.
After nearly two chedans of this, Blazel plopped his fists on his hips and glared at Histrun. “Is this all you’re going to have me do? When am I going to learn how to shift into my warrior form? Isn’t this for little kids?”
Histrun settled more comfortably on his camp stool. The boulders had quickly become too hard for his old, bony rear. He’d expected this outburst, and was actually surprised it had taken so long.
“You, boy, are still a child. The magic for this type of shifting is easier to access than that needed for the warrior form. You have to be able to automatically pull the energy to you, without thinking about it to shift to your wolf form. This will then help you make the shift to warrior. You’re really far behind other boys you
r age. Usually by now, boys have been shifting to their wolf form for years, and it’s a natural reflex. I’m worried your body and mind aren’t strong enough yet to hold the more powerful magic that’s needed for your warrior form since your body doesn’t have the years of practice.”
“But isn’t shifting a natural part of us? Isn’t it our gift, like the girls are gifted with their Talents?”
“Your friend, Chariel, is a Gray, right?”
Blazel nodded.
“Hasn’t she had to learn to channel and use her Talent properly?”
“Yeah. The first time she had a prophecy, it scared the snot out of us. She got stuck in the trance, and the Supreme had to help her get out of it.”
“This is the same thing. If you’re not strong enough, or focused enough, you’ll get stuck between forms. And that is not a pretty sight, nor is fun. It hurts worse than monster ichor landing on your skin.”
Blazel pondered this silently for a moment, then said, “I’ll go back to practicing now.”
After that Blazel threw himself into his training, working harder and longer than Histrun had expected him. Histrun added to his training the fighting forms which were designed to create the reflexes his body needed to fight the Malvers monsters to prevent injury. Histrun wished there were more fighters and young boys available to train with Blazel. He couldn’t teach the boy how to fight within a pack without them. So he improvised and worked out a system Blazel could use alone. He couldn’t take on a nest by himself, but he could at least defend himself until help arrived. Blazel proved to be a quick, agile fighter.
Watching him, Histrun decided that when he left the Sanctuary, he’d talk to the Supreme about Blazel coming back to Strunland Keep with him. The boy needed to be around other males, other Posairs, besides just the White Priestesses. He needed a normal life.
After Blazel continued his training without complaint for two more chedans, Histrun decided to reward the boy’s hard work. Over the years of coming to the Sanctuary for the Alpha Competitions, Histrun had found several places within a day or two’s ride that would be suitable for camping and hunting. Blazel needed to learn how to hunt, both as a man and as a wolf. Whenever a fighting-pack was away from the keeps, they supplemented their diets with fresh game. Living off the staples of rice and beans found in the safe-houses could be tiring. Blazel wouldn’t always live in the luxurious Sanctuary, and if he joined Histrun in going back to Strunland Keep, he’d need to know how to hunt or risk being ridiculed for not knowing this basic and necessary skill of a Posair male.
With Rokdar, the second lunadar of autumn, nearly half over, they needed to go on their first trip before the snows fell and made hunting more difficult. Once Blazel had the basics down, Histrun would take him out in the winter to learn how to hunt in the snow. Histrun made arrangements with the quartermaster for supplies and cleared the trip with Blenora.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be training somewhere else,” Histrun informed Blazel on their walk back to the village.
“Where? Will Chariel be able to watch? She keeps bugging me about when she can come and train with me.”
“But, she can’t!” Histrun blurted, scandalized at the idea. If the girl had had even a little bit of Red Talent or even any other Talent besides White and Gray, Histrun would have allowed her to participate.
Blazel frowned at him. “Why not? The other girls learn how to fight.”
“She’s a White Priestess. It would be sacrilege if she fought.”
Blazel’s brows drew together and his lips tightened. “That sounds discriminatory. Are you so old that you don’t remember your history lessons?”
Histrun scowled at Blazel. “What are you talking about?”
“Shandir. She’s the one who ended the Great War.”
“And?”
“She was a White Priestess. And if you look at the mural of the Goddess as a warrior, she has white eyes. So why can’t Chariel learn to fight with me? At least let her do the fighting forms with me. The ones requiring a partner would be much easier to practice with someone besides just you. Who will I practice with when you’re gone?”
Histrun paused. Blazel had made valid points. Traditionally, White Priestesses didn’t fight now they weren’t needed to defeat the enemies they fought during the Great War. The only enemies they had now were the Malvers monsters, and Histrun shuddered at the thought of a White Priestess fighting those beasts. But what would it hurt if he taught the girl the fighting forms?
“Oh, all right,” Histrun relented. “When we return from our excursion, she can start learning the forms with you.”
“Yippee!” Blazel threw his fist in the air and jumped around.
Histrun watched him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. It took Blazel several milcrons before he stopped his antics and stared at Histrun.
“Wait, did you say excursion? Are we going somewhere?”
Histrun nodded. “We’re going on a hunting trip. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“Of course I do,” Blazel sounded affronted. “Well, a little bit. Chariel and I have ridden to the Seven Falls before with Mother and Grandmother.”
“Good. Pack a bag with three changes of clothes. The nights are becoming cold, so pack a warm cloak or jacket. Bring your helstrablade, too. You do have one, don’t you?”
Blazel nodded. “You gave it to me when I was little.”
Histrun raised his eyebrows. He didn’t remember doing so. But then, it wouldn’t have meant much to him, whereas for a little boy, it would have been a momentous event. He certainly remembered when he received his first helstrablade and that had been eighty-five years ago.
“Meet me at the stables in the morning.”
“Yes, sir!” Blazel saluted with a face-splitting grin, then ran across the grounds toward the cloister.
Histrun turned into his yard and winced as his knee buckled. He envied Blazel his youth. He bent over and massaged his knee, then glanced up at the sky. Not a cloud marred the clear blue expanse. He turned around and ambled to the common room in search of a Blue, who worked with the weather. He found her in a small cottage not much larger than his own. At his request, she wandered outside and gazed for a long time at the sky.
“The first storm’s coming,” she told him, still looking up. “But it won’t arrive for another chedan, perhaps ten days. It feels like it’s just rain for this elevation, but if you go much higher, there will be snow flurries.”
Histrun thanked her, then went back to the quartermaster to requisition rain gear. He planned on staying in a cave he’d discovered, so he didn’t bother with a tent. The cave would be warmer—and drier—if the rain arrived sooner than expected and they were caught in the storm.
The next morning, the horse-master brought out Telen and a dark-chestnut gelding with four white socks, a white blaze on his nose, and a lighter brown mane and tail. He looked small next to the big, black stallion. The lack of fine stripes indicated the horse wasn’t plains-bred. Both horses were already saddled.
“Who is this fine boy?” Histrun rubbed the gelding’s nose.
“That is Bosetel,” the horse-master said. “He’s a gentle soul and will take good care of young Blazel.”
The door from the cloister slammed open and Blazel ran through it, his bulging saddlebags thumping against his back. He skidded to a halt in front of Histrun. His eyes widened at the sight of Telen, who at 17.2 hands was nearly as tall as Histrun at his withers.
“That’s a big horse,” Blazel said, awe in his voice.
“Telen’s my horse.” Histrun pointed to the much smaller gelding. “That is yours.”
Blazel sighed heavily, then gave him a sheepish grin. “Oh. I know Bosetel. I’ve ridden him before.”
Histrun affixed his saddlebags to the back of his saddle, then mounted. It took several more milcrons before Blazel was ready to mount his horse. If Histrun had been younger, he would have rolled his eyes. The horse-master had to show Blazel how to buckle on the saddlebags
, then took the time to show him how to check the girth strap and adjust the stirrups. Finally, Blazel clambered into the saddle, fidgeting in his seat. Histrun shook his head, then gave a nod to the horse-master. She’d chosen well. The gelding didn’t sidle or jump at his rider’s antics.
“He’s voice trained,” she explained.
“Ah, good choice.”
“Good luck.” The horse-master waved at them.
Histrun urged Telen forward while telling Bosetel, “Walk.” The gelding plodded forward, giving Blazel time to sit deeper into his saddle. It looked like Histrun would also be giving riding lessons. As they rode from the courtyard, Histrun looked back and saw Blenora standing in the doorway to the cloister, with her arm over Chariel’s shoulder. Blenora saw him looking at her and waved. Chariel looked hopeful, but when Blazel left without looking back, her shoulders fell and her head drooped. He didn’t recall seeing her with any other children. A tendril of guilt threaded its way through Histrun. He resolved to take her under his wing as well when they returned.
Chapter 16
Histrun led his charge out the gate, nodding at the guards as they left. He kept to the firmly packed sheadash road. After an octar of riding, Blazel finally settled into the rhythm of his horse’s gait, and Histrun increased their speed from a plodding walk. Soon afterward, they passed the Sanctuary’s walls, and he turned Telen off the road to cross the wide valley. They trotted through the meadows where multas and sheep grazed and climbed above the Sanctuary grounds. Within a measure, the trees thickened and the forest closed around them.
The trail meandered through the trees, and Histrun shivered at the coolness in their shadows where the sun couldn’t reach. The sound of rushing water came from ahead of them, and after another half-octar of riding, they came across the Storengher River. He rode in a parallel course for a few measures before veering away.
“Can we stop soon?” Blazel asked, a whine in his voice. “My rear-end is numb, and I’m hungry.”
