Lorin felt a warmth wrap him up like a thick blanket.
"Why I got imprisoned in the first place? Well, it was an ill-advised decision by our Baron." Ash fully sat up and crossed her legs under the covers. "I was sent here to warn him and help prepare. We learned a leader across the Abyss had sent a few scouts to this area. In the past this usually meant a few raids here and there, but over the last few years more dangerous creatures have been invading. Something dangerous was brewing on the borders of the Wilds, and I told the Baron that." She made a flippant gesture. "Well, his face went red and he swore his rule was perfect and everything he looked after was safe—he wasn’t going to let some messenger woman tell him what to do. Those weren't his actual words, but that's the gist of it. He wanted to execute me." She paused for a moment. It seemed as if she were thinking on her next words. "I was sent here instead… Varron told his Father my execution would be like signing his own death warrant, and I guess I looked imposing enough for him to take it seriously."
Lorin said nothing, but the mention of Varron made his mouth twitch.
"I planned to stay for a week or two to let things settle before I disappeared. Then"—she gestured to Lorin—"you showed up."
"You can be gone for a full year without an issue?"
"That is another question."
"I'm going to ask it anyway—what's a few hours?"
"Breaking the rules?" She smirked. "You're learning well. Yes and no. Venators pick their own tasks and decide what is necessary to complete them. Time is a factor left up to each individual. My task was pressing at the time." She gave Lorin a significant look. "But I was told of a banshee Queen being killed at the border of the Wilds. So, I assume my task was done for me, or part of it was. If I find out I’m needed elsewhere, then things might change, but winter is harsh and little will happen until spring."
Lorin nodded and set his now empty bowl in its place. "Thanks for staying with me," Lorin said and cleared his throat.
Ashmere walked over to the book she had thrown and returned with it back to her cot. "Thank you, Lorin, for being a clever and motivated student. Also, thank you for your area of complete ineptitude."
Lorin raised one eyebrow.
"Your failure to die is impressive, and I am grateful you're still around to be my friend." She then nodded and went back to reading.
Lorin pulled his blanket over himself, not even attempting to read his current book, and fell asleep with mix of emotions. Though before sleep took him, a smile crawled across his face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"Remember, people only see what you show them; show less than a shadow," Ashmere said as she unlocked Lorin's cell door.
Lorin nodded and followed. Ash walked down the hall between the cells and opened the large door that closed off their cells from the rest of the building. Every time this door moved, it announced with its heavy unpleasant cry that it was, in fact, opening. However, Ash opened it as silently as pulling back a curtain, showing the deserted dark hallway ahead of them. She held her hand up, gesturing for Lorin to hold while she crept ahead and disappeared around a corner.
Lorin could feel his blood pumping through his ears, filling the shadowed hall with a rhythmic drumming. His breathing was measured to ready himself, if necessary, for an exhale of effort. Ash had thoroughly explained their plan and this night’s activities a span of days ago, and had repeated them every day since. Lorin knew his part and what to expect. Yet, his mind wandered from worry to stress. He had grown accustomed to the routine of his days and nights—they were predictable. Most days he started tired and sore only for them to end with him tired and sore. There were no breaks or lapses of training. It was exhausting, but familiar.
This new change tied a knot in his stomach. He forced it away, but the jumble of writhing anxiety wormed its way back to the forefront of his mind. Ashmere seemed to be taking longer than necessary, and the anticipation was getting to be too much. So Lorin tried to lose his worry with another thought. A smirk formed across his face as he remembered something from when he had been only a little tyke. Lorin's smile widened to a grin and he almost laughed aloud when he snapped back to reality and saw Ashmere peek around the corner.
"Move," she said in a whisper that traveled to his ears but no farther.
Lorin stepped soft as a kitten, trying to mimic Ashmere's grace. The faint whisper of air he disturbed was the only sound of his movement. Ash didn't even make that sound. She seemed to blend into the dark; like fading images behind closed eyes, her movements shifted delicately and became almost translucent. Lorin had to keep her close and focus on the motion of her shoulders and hips. One look away and she would be gone. Mesmerized by her movements, Lorin didn't know he was outside until moonlight let him see the cobbles under his feet. Immediately, his shoulders and back loosened. He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs more than he could’ve ever done in his cell. The oppression held above him somewhere in the past months had been forgotten and became normal. Lorin turned to say something to Ashmere, but froze when he saw her fifteen steps away along the wall of the building. She turned and gave him an impatient look as he caught up to her. Lorin deflated a bit, but the moment to appreciate the open sky had filled him near bursting with relief.
They crept along in the shadows, passing underneath the barred window of Ashmere's cell and dodging the last few slushy piles of snow until they reached the corner of the building. The main building of the Baron's estate was in the left corner of his rectangular property surrounded by a wall nearly two stories tall. Guards patrolled atop the wall in pairs every hour. Lorin and Ashmere had memorized their patterns during some lessons and had been using the torch traveling through the night as a way to keep time. The right side of the property was a large courtyard with a well-trimmed garden that Ashmere's window looked out to. The backyard was separated from the garden by the stables and the guard barracks. Behind those, the back half of the property was home to a riding ring and training area for the Thornguard. Past that arena, a well-worn path led to a gate in the wall where the lottery bell sat outside.
"The plan, Lorin?" Ashmere said with a curl of her lip that unsettled him.
"We are here to train," Lorin said, edging his voice to almost a question.
"Exactly, but with a slight change." Her smile widened. "Meet me at the center of the arena with one weapon and a gift." With that, she rounded the corner of the house.
Lorin crouched alone, dumbfounded by the change. Every day and every night each lesson had been structured and explained. Tonight had been structured and explained, but meeting her and getting a weapon and a gift had never been mentioned. Lorin let out an exhale that shuddered near the end and tried to focus. She was testing him, that was clear. He started off to follow her, but when he looked around the corner he realized hesitation had cost him knowledge of her location. He pressed his back against the wall and began tapping his head against it lightly as he thought. A weapon and a gift. Lorin scanned what he could see in the courtyard, but nothing more than well-trimmed flowers caught his eye. The barn across from him against the bordering wall caught his gaze next, but only gardening tools would be there. The guard barracks was beside that, and a mix of relief and dread took his breath. There would be weapons aplenty there, but if he was caught all would be over, so it wasn't worth the risk. He shifted his sight back to the barn and saw the steady bobbing of torchlight atop the wall behind it. He smiled.
***
"Here," Lorin said, and dropped a sheathed short sword beside where Ashmere sat cross-legged in sand.
Ashmere held out her hand and said, "The gift?"
Lorin placed a lock of dark brown hair in her hand while Ashmere stared, giving no indication of her thoughts. Lorin could feel the patrol's consistent march atop the wall, ticking away time while he fidgeted and waited for her response.
After what felt like a half a lap, Ashmere said. "Where did you get this? Why would you get this?" She was unreadable.
"
I thought you would be impressed," Lorin said. "I… I took the sword from a guard on the wall." He looked for anything from her, but she just stared at him. "He was asleep in the corner tower—I cut a loose strand before I left." He pointed at her hand, focused on keeping steady. "I thought you would be impressed."
A bead of sweat dripped from his temple, and after three more drops followed the first, Ashmere broke. Her expressionless face shattered into laughter. Lorin stood, hands to his side, confused and a little annoyed.
Once the laughter subsided, Ashmere rubbed her eyes and said, "You looked horrified. Did you think you had done something wrong?"
Lorin, unsure what to do, shrugged and nodded slowly, testing the waters.
"Oh." Ashmere stood up, smooth and effortless as always. "I mean, getting some hair from a guard is a little risky, but you didn't sound an alarm and you made it back here. The wrong thing would be to fail—trying is never the wrong thing."
Lorin opened his mouth to ask a question, but instead saved it and said, "I am ready to train now."
"Don't be so serious, enjoy the night. Just don't yell or anything. We are secluded and this area holds in the sound. But, we are escaped convicts and all."
Lorin gave her a confused look.
"Oh shut up, I don't have to be all doom and gloom serious mentor all the time," she said and pushed at Lorin's shoulder.
Lorin instinctively grabbed her wrist to twist it out to the side. Ashmere countered by stepping in and pushing her hip into him for a throw. Lorin expected the move and grabbed around her waist to roll with the throw. Before he could completely grab hold, however, she moved quicker than he could see, and he was on his knees a blink later, his arm held and extended by Ashmere, ready to be broken.
"We finally have room to play," Ashmere said and let Lorin's arm down. "Tonight, we get used to the guard rotations. If this place is watched at all we will have to be very careful, and that will cost valuable time. But in the meantime, we can have some more fun." Then she assumed a stance, beckoning Lorin to attack.
Lorin mirrored her movement and made up his mind. "Why did you want the weapon and gift?"
Ashmere held out a finger. "You looked terrified. I figured you would loosen up faster if you were on your own doing something that pushed your limits."
"If I failed, though"—Lorin blocked a right jab and pushed off to gain his advantage in distance—"everything would be wasted."
Ashmere dropped her stance. "I knew you wouldn't fail."
Lorin lowered his guard as well and was about to say something when Ashmere snapped close and slammed him to the ground.
"The sword will need to go back tonight, but the hair I am not sure what to do with," Ashmere said with a smile.
The first three nights after that were a mix of sparring and watching the guards. The guards never strayed from their march. The dangers outside the walls were more a threat than anything inside them. The fourth night, Ashmere sent Lorin out from the cells on his own to meet her at the arena. After fiddling with his cell's lock for longer then he was proud of, Lorin set up his watch like the past few nights and waited for her to meet him. It didn't take long, and Lorin watched as she walked to the middle of the arena and laid some weapons on the sand. Lorin moved to help, but Ashmere motioned with her hand for him to hold, and so he did. It took her quite a few trips, but when she finished she motioned him to be at ease.
"Now what would you like to learn?"
Lorin looked on the weapons set out before him. The large sword held his attention at first because of its imposing size. He wasn't sure he could lift it enough to properly attack, but if he could, he knew the blade would cut through a tree in a single swing. The scythe caught his attention next. It looked similar to the grass-cutting tool, but this was a weapon through and through. The curved blade looked razor sharp on the inner side while the outside edge was serrated. The head of the blade continued into a thick spike past the wooden handle and looked strong enough to split a rock. The axe and warhammer seemed little more than tools to him, and his gaze swept over those. The two daggers, smooth and precise, had an artful appeal, but the thought of such up-close combat didn't sit well with him. The curved sword beside them looked to be a regular bastard sword, but with a bit of unnecessary flair. Finally, his eyes stopped at the iron-reinforced longbow strung and displayed beside a pile of feather-fletched arrows. He cracked a smile.
"I'm good with a bow, but I'm sure you could teach me a little more," Lorin said, reaching out to the weapon. Before his hand could reach it, Ashmere's foot pressed the bow farther into the sand while in a quick motion she hit Lorin's wrist with a wooden training sword. She struck a small bone on the outside of his hand, causing his fingers to tingle.
"Well if that's your choice, let’s begin," she said, then reached for the hand axe and, grabbing the head, held the leather-bound grip out to him.
Lorin's eyes squinted and he tilted his head. "I said the bow, not the axe."
"You have to work up to a goal. You will become at least proficient with each of these before you can practice your archery."
"But why?" Lorin's voice gave way to more anger than he expected. "I wouldn't fight with an axe. I know I'm better with a bow, and even if I didn't have one I would have a dagger or sword, not an axe."
She raised a finger. "It's never bad to learn new things—there might be a time when all you have access to is an axe, or maybe a butter knife or a chair. Anything can happen, so why not have an idea of how to deal in a less-than-ideal circumstance?"
"I understand, but it's a waste of the little time we have."
"It's not a waste of time. Even if you never pick up another axe again, knowing how to effectively use this, or any of these, will give you an insight that your enemy might not have. You will know how best to wield these weapons, so you know where they are best used. Should you face an opponent with one of these or the others in that armory you will know how they will attack. In turn, you can counter that. Make sense? Now let us start."
Lorin grabbed the weapon from her and swung it around to get a feel for the weight. Then, he ran the pad of his thumb perpendicular to the edge.
"They aren't blunted."
Ashmere chuckled out loud. "No they aren't, so don't hurt yourself. Let's start."
Without a reply, she launched an unarmed attack against Lorin, catching him off guard. His pitiful defense did nothing to prevent her from tripping him with a sweeping kick and knocking him flat on his back.
"Keep your stance split and ready to shift your weight. I would like to move to sparring with a weapon as well tonight, but you need get better against an unarmed opponent before we do. So reset and let's continue."
Lorin stood, patting the dust from his clothing. "I wasn't exactly ready to be attacked."
"Then learn to always be ready. Your wife and children would be alive if you had been."
The words stung, bringing a rush of blood and tingling adrenaline to Lorin's fingertips. He attacked without warning, bringing the axe down to bury it into her collar bone. She instead took a step closer, grabbing the handle with her left hand just below the axehead, then used the momentum of her step to bring her fist to his throat. Lorin palmed her hand before it could hit, and the force of the blow shook through the bones in his arm. Ashmere, caught off guard by the block, didn't react to Lorin bringing his head down against the bridge of her nose. She rocked back on her heel, and Lorin released his grip. Before she caught herself, Lorin had already driven the heel of his foot into her side, just below her rib cage. Ashmere was nearly lifted off the ground and fell hard. Lorin stepped on her shoulder a breath later and raised his axe high, bringing it down just beside her ear and burying it in the sand. His eyes locked with hers. She smiled and was breathing heavily. "Well done. I'm sorry I said that, but you are impressive when motivated."
Lorin took a few steps back and waited till she stood ready. "I know they would be."
Then Lorin rushed her again, the axe held high.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Lorin wiped away the dusty tally marks and added a pebble to the growing pile in his cubby hole. During the lesson last night, Lorin had graduated from the curved scimitar, which he had grown an appreciation for, and moved to using the scythe. The stance and movements required to attack with that half pole-arm, half grass-cutter had found new muscles to fatigue. On top of that, this morning the lottery had gone poorly for the majority involved. Twenty-seven times the bell had echoed out. The breeze carried the smell of death and melancholy, and Lorin was exhausted.
He set everything in place for his breakfast and fell into bed. The food would taste just as bad cold as warm, but getting some sleep before would make it bearable. Raising his face from where it was buried in the pillow, he looked up to the cell across from his. "Ash, how do you never sleep?"
Ashmere was standing by her window, looking out and watching like she did most mornings. Without turning from her watch, she said, "I do sleep when I need to, but sleeping away my vacation feels like a waste to me."
Lorin nestled into his pillow and muttered something only the stuffing of his pillow could hear, then fell asleep mid-sentence.
Ashmere stood at attention.
***
"Lorin."
Her whisper cut through his dreamless sleep and he turned over to look at her still standing at the window.
"I could use a little more sleep. Last lesson took more out of me than normal," Lorin said and rubbed his eyes as he sat up on the edge of the bed.
"We won't be able to do our regular training tonight," Ashmere said, not turning to him. There wasn't any major inflection, but something about how she stood and the way she spoke raised hairs on Lorin's neck. The curtain of sleep drew back in a flash, leaving Lorin alert and ready to act. He went to his cell door and unlocked it; he had become better at picking his cell's lock, but he wasn’t as fast as Ashmere, and it took a few seconds before he stepped into the hall. He crouched at her cell door and started to work on that lock, when Ashmere grabbed and directed his hands to unlock the door faster.