After several minutes of walking, Eldran bent down to set Nerya on the ground.

  He unfastened the buttons of her coat and removed it.

  Nerya looked her father straight in the eyes.

  “You don’t wander off too far, all right, Nerya?” he said in a calm voice.

  Nerya nodded while Eldran straightened up.

  He then walked toward a small wooden door and pushed it open with a sharp motion.

  Nerya stepped inside, discovering before her a large hall made of stone.

  Great columns rose up to the ceiling, with torches set on each of them, lighting the room.

  Tables were lined up at regular intervals, where people in armor sat, talking while eating and drinking.

  “Papa, where is here?” Nerya asked, puzzled.

  “This is the refectory.

  Before training begins, a meal is offered to those who didn’t have time to eat beforehand,” Eldran explained.

  “You have to eat properly so you don’t collapse from exhaustion.”

  He then moved forward between the tables, Nerya following him, greeting the people they passed along the way.

  They then went through another door that led them into a fairly large courtyard.

  Nerya suddenly felt very small here.

  So this is where he spends his days.

  It’s impressive, in person.

  I didn’t think they were so many, or so well organized… Nerya thought, unsettled.

  The courtyard was split into two distinct parts, separated by a stone path.

  The training grounds were surrounded by patrol galleries.

  Along the edges, Nerya spotted racks holding various weapons.

  Swords, spears, bows… some made of metal, others of wood.

  “Ezekiel, sound the horn.

  It’s time to put these slackers to work!” Eldran shouted at a man standing above.

  The young man obeyed immediately, taking the horn attached to his belt and blowing into it.

  Nerya covered her ears at the sound, far too loud for her small ears.

  The noise gradually faded, and it did not take long before about twenty people appeared noisily.

  “Shut it and line up immediately.

  Do I need to remind you where you are?” Eldran shouted in a firm voice.

  Those who had joined the courtyard then lined up.

  In one single motion, they slammed their right foot against the ground, then lowered themselves, placing one knee on the ground while bowing their heads.

  Then, with a clap of hand against thigh, they all rose again as if they were naturally synchronized.

  Nerya wanted to know what that position meant, but she felt it deep inside herself: this was not the moment.

  And asking would betray her too, since she was not supposed to fully understand what was happening.

  “Telyssia, Arinya, and V?lnor, come here,” Eldran went on.

  Two young women and a young man stepped out of the ranks, coming to stand before Eldran and resuming their posture.

  “At your orders, Captain,” they said in unison.

  “Good.

  You will continue your training.

  You will take Nerya with you and teach her the basics,” Eldran explained, his gaze firm.

  The three youths turned their eyes toward Nerya, who immediately felt uncomfortable.

  She suddenly had the impression that her presence was more of a burden than anything else.

  She hid behind her father’s legs, clinging to them tightly in fear.

  “Captain, she’s just a child.

  She has no place here.

  And we’re not babysitters on top of that,” the young man muttered.

  Eldran’s gaze darkened instantly at those words.

  Nerya could feel that the tension was anything but pleasant.

  Her heart began to beat even faster, as if trying to escape, her face growing tighter.

  “Do you think you’re worth more than a child who needs to learn?

  You, who can’t even reinforce your sword with your mana?” Eldran asked in a sharp tone.

  Those words made V?lnor uneasy.

  He did not know how to respond to that.

  “But fine.

  You’re going to show us what you can do.

  If you manage to touch me, I won’t force my daughter on you,” he added.

  “Clear the area, make some room.”

  Everyone moved aside, leaving only Eldran and V?lnor at the center of the grounds.

  Nerya also moved with the others, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

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  “Stay with me.

  It shouldn’t take long, don’t worry,” a young woman said to her with a smile.

  Eldran raised one hand, drawing his sword with the other.

  V?lnor did the same.

  Even though they were wooden, the difference in posture and weapon handling between the two men was striking.

  Eldran lowered his hand, and V?lnor immediately lunged at him.

  As he closed in, confident of victory, Eldran suddenly vanished from his sight.

  Like an erased shadow, leaving only a cloud of dust where he had been.

  Silence reigned among the spectators, but Nerya could not believe her eyes.

  It was the first time she had seen something like that.

  Eldran reappeared just behind V?lnor, his sword raised.

  And it was then that Nerya saw something strange.

  The wooden blade pulsed with a faint golden light, which he brought down in a clean strike, hitting the young man’s right leg.

  From the impact, V?lnor lost his balance and slid to the ground.

  Eldran stepped toward him.

  “Question my orders again, and I’ll break your bones next time.

  Did I make myself clear?” he said in a severe tone.

  V?lnor turned over, tears in his eyes from the pain of the blow, and nodded without adding a word.

  Eldran then gestured to others.

  Two men dressed in white cloaks helped V?lnor to his feet and led him away.

  “Telyssia, Arinya, do you have anything to add?

  Or can we start the training?” he asked.

  The two young women did not answer, and the one holding Nerya by the shoulder held out her hand.

  “Come with me, we’ll get started.

  Better not get on your father’s bad side, otherwise you saw what’s waiting for us,” she said with a smile.

  “I’m Telyssia, and she’s Arinya.”

  Nerya took her hand and followed her away from the others.

  She glanced toward her father, who gave her a small crooked smile followed by a wink.

  She smiled back, still surprised by what she had just seen, but also excited at the idea of learning.

  He’s really strong.

  I understand better why everyone greeted him on the road.

  I want to become like him.

  Now I know what I want, she thought, determined.

  Telyssia then approached the rack holding the swords and took two wooden ones.

  She handed one to Arinya, then went to a table to take a small dagger which she gave to Nerya.

  “It’s not really ideal, but for your age, it’s the only thing that fits.

  You come with me, you’ll see, it’s not complicated.

  You do like us, but go at your own pace, all right?” she explained in a gentle voice.

  Nerya nodded, then went to stand between the two young women.

  They took position, legs aligned and slightly bent, while raising their swords above their heads.

  Nerya copied their movement, watching every placement.

  They then brought their blades down, cutting through the air with a sharp sound.

  Nerya, trying not to draw too much attention, did the same… but let her small dagger slip.

  Even though she put all her will into it, her small fingers still struggled to hold the dagger firmly.

  “That’s good, Nerya, but you need to grip it tighter when you bring it down.

  And move your left leg forward during the shift, okay?” Arinya explained, picking up the dagger.

  “Arinya, she’s still a child.

  If you talk to her like that, I doubt she’ll understand much,” Telyssia murmured.

  Even though she had already understood the movements, she listened carefully to the instructions the two women gave her.

  She kept making a few small mistakes, but even as the movement was repeated again and again… she was having a lot of fun, deep down.

  They spent a good hour repeating this training, Nerya taking small breaks regularly as fatigue set in.

  Then Arinya and Telyssia placed their swords back on the rack.

  “Nerya, come put your dagger away.

  We’ll resume later, but you need to hydrate too to stay in shape,” Arinya explained.

  They headed toward a barrel far too large for Nerya to see inside.

  Telyssia took three cups, then grabbed a ladle, filled it, and poured the water into the cups.

  She handed one to Nerya, who took it and drank it in one go, coughing from drinking too fast.

  “Thank you Tatayssia,” Nerya said, wiping her lips with a small hiccup.

  The two women laughed when they heard the name Nerya had given her.

  Telyssia took her cup back, refilled it, and handed it to her again.

  “It’s Te-ly-ssia, little heart.

  But if you want to call me Tata, I don’t mind, don’t worry,” she replied with a wink.

  Nerya smiled back at her before drinking her cool water.

  “Looks like you’re taking it easy, from what I see.

  I’m going to have to crack down, apparently,” a rough voice said.

  The two women stiffened instantly at the firm voice, and Nerya dropped her cup in fright before bursting into tears.

  Even though she was only startled, she still did not fully control her body, which reacted on its own.

  “Oh, forgive me, Nerya, I didn’t mean to scare you.

  Come here, come with papa,” Eldran said.

  “I was just joking, forgive me.”

  Telyssia and Arinya turned around, seeing Eldran take Nerya into his arms.

  The two women smiled at the gesture.

  Nerya calmed down, her tears slowly stopping.

  Eldran then set her down before straightening up.

  “Pa… sorry papa,” Nerya said, her voice broken.

  “Don’t apologize, I was the stupid one.

  You didn’t do anything wrong, all right?

  Wipe those little tears,” Eldran replied.

  But just as everyone was enjoying the small break, a horn sounded, followed by the ringing of a bell struck without pause.

  Everyone froze for a moment.

  Nerya, however, did not understand what it meant.

  Calm down, come on.

  But what is that?

  That’s not normal… their looks changed all at once, she thought.

  Then, without warning, everyone sprang into motion.

  The guards who had been training dropped their wooden swords and rushed toward the doors.

  “Move it, faster than that!” Eldran shouted firmly.

  “Telyssia, Arinya, you can’t come.

  But I have a favor to ask of you.”

  “We know, don’t worry.

  We’ll take care of Nerya as if she were our little sister.

  Go on, Captain,” Arinya replied, holding Nerya by the shoulder.

  Eldran began to run, joining the others who were moving in every direction.

  Arinya then grabbed Nerya’s hand, gave her a reassuring smile, and started walking.

  Even though she did not know what was happening, nor where she was going, Nerya followed without protest.

  She knew it, all this agitation meant nothing good.

  But all she could do for now was wait…

  and hope that everything would turn out well after this.