Chapter Six

  I barely made a sound as I padded back the way we’d come from, down the carpeted hall and staircase, into the commons. I took the time to admire all the things I had missed while my thoughts were racing earlier during my brief tour on the way to the bedrooms. In the commons area, there were a few round tables and a kitchen area. It was deathly quiet, and so far there hadn't been a soul still awake to run into, just like I was hoping. I was slightly confused, however. Shouldn’t there be some sort of guard’s shift happening? I’d never lived in a royal outpost, but I had run into enough guards in my line of work to know that they were normally everywhere, even if they were slacking off. Here, however, it was a ghost town. There was nobody to be seen at all on my trip into the kitchen. Peculiar. I thought with furrowed brows as I walked in to investigate the room.

  The kitchen area appeared to be fully stocked, and I took the opportunity to rummage through it. I found a bowl of nuts and fruit, and helped myself to a handful of nuts and a large apple. I quickly found a small knife in the drawers next to me, so with my apple and paring knife in hand, I continued my self guided tour of the outpost. It was a fairly nice looking place, save for all the mystery and dreary halls. Every time I walked down a dark and narrow hallway, I shuddered inwardly. This was partly why I left Haven. I couldn't stand the dark and damp cave system any longer. I wouldn’t call it claustrophobia, per se, but more of just a serious distaste.

  I stopped every so often to admire large tapestries on the walls, or poke my head in an open door or two. Most were boring, looking like meeting rooms and private spaces. By all accounts, this was just a normal outpost in the middle of nowhere. It was just the people inside that were strange Gia would’ve loved it here, I thought to myself. She was always reading those books with mysteries and secrets. She probably would’ve had this whole place cracked wide open by now.

  I sighed a bit, remembering my twin I’d left behind in the years before Sailor’s Rest. Her icy blue eyes, Mother’s eyes, bit into the very core of my mind. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I couldn’t go there. Not here, not now. Onward I walked, until I eventually found myself standing before the armory. The wide array of weaponry stared back at me, each piece of metal had a very slight shine in the glow of the surprisingly bright lanterns that hung from the ceiling. How are these powered? What’s the source inside the glass? I pursed my lips as I stared at the white orbs floating around in the glass lanterns. Wonder if they’re magic. I wandered further inside, taking in everything else in the grand room. Bows of various sizes were braced against a couple racks, next to those were buckets containing a few quivers full of arrows. There were plates of armor to fit any style, and swords and knives of all sizes and material lined the walls. Some I had never seen before, and I hadn’t the slightest clue how to wield them. “Wow.” I commented to myself, keeping my voice low. I sliced off another piece of apple and ate it directly from the blade. “This is impressive.”

  “Quite. You know, it’s not exactly polite to speak with your mouth full.” A voice cut through the silence, startling me. I recognized him immediately, and turned on my heel to meet the tall figure standing in the doorway behind me. His arms were folded across his chest, and he leaned against the frame, filling the doorway with his presence. His chocolate eyes shone with mischief, and something deeper.

  I swallowed the slice of apple that I’d subtly choked on and coughed a bit. “Finnegan. I didn’t realize I had company.” I replied. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

  Finn snickered as he responded, “Following my insubordinate partner. You had orders to remain in your room and await further instruction, correct?” He stepped into the room with me and came to stand at my side. He didn’t wait for an answer though, and admired a sickle on the table in front of us as he continued, “I'm assuming you can't sleep. Too many things to process.” He ran his fingers along the iron curve, down to the handle wrapped in leather.

  “I was in your shoes, once. Although I don't know your position and life before this, I do know you're here for a reason. V had been looking for someone like you for a very long time. I hope you'll eventually find your place here with us.” I furrowed my brow in response. I was taken aback by this display of empathy. That was the last thing I’d expected from a single one of the men here. Before I could answer the loaded statement, the tall man picked up a shortsword with a dull edge above the table that was clearly intended for training. He tossed it to me, and I caught it with one hand. “Let's go to the yard. It'll do you good. You can show me what I'm working with, and get some of your tension burned out.” He picked up another sword for himself, and started toward the second door.

  Maybe it was all a show, or some sort of plot against me, but I gained the smallest bit of respect for Finn. He seemed genuine, at least, and I definitely wanted to get this feeling of overwhelming anxiety to fade. So, I set my jaw and followed him into the training yard. The fresh air rushed in to greet us. It was a welcome feeling in my lungs before I even stepped through the door, and I inhaled long and deep to savour it. A full moon was past the high point in the sky, indicating that it was well past midnight by this time. The training yard was a vast, dark green courtyard amidst the high stone walls of the outpost. There were a few oval-shaped dry patches where the grass no longer grew. It had clearly been stamped down for many moons. We stepped in tandem into one of these patches, swords at our sides. “I apologize, I am not acclimated to sparring customs here.” I admitted, a bit embarrassed. Finn laughed, genuine and bright, and turned to face me.

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  “That's no issue, I expected as much. No offense taken. Traditionally, we bow our heads and touch blades at knee height.” He took a step back and demonstrated, holding his sword out toward my knee. I mimicked his motion, and tilted my head down as I touched his blade with my own in the same manner. He looked up, flashing a cocky grin, and raised his sword. “Until surrender. No mortal or permanent wounds, and no cheap shots. You go outside the ring, it's an automatic fail. Do you agree to these terms, Huntsman?”

  I gave a curt nod in response and raised my own sword. “I do. And I told you before, Finnegan, it's Rune.” With that, we both paced backwards and took our stances. I noticed quickly that he went for a broad stance, which was surprising for his stature. I whipped my sword around in circles a few times, cutting the air to test its weight. He's leaving himself wide open. I thought as we circled. Neither of us made the first move. He was waiting on me. Well, here goes nothing. I obliged, lunging for a swipe at his abdomen. He brought his sword across his body to block my blow, and a metallic clang echoed into the night.

  I didn't wait for him to retaliate, though. I became a fluid being, circling him with cuts and jabs. We soon fell into the trance of swordplay, Finn countered and matched my every stride. However, thoughts continued to litter my mind. They distracted me, slowing my response time. What does the Queen want with my people?” I pondered. What prophecy has anything to do with a single changeling? Surely one shape shifter could do no meaningful harm to a king with a god at his side. Finn aimed a blow for my shoulder and I narrowly avoided it by ducking and rolling to my right, underneath his blade. I sprung back up and the dance continued. It didn’t last long, however, because his blade grazed my thigh and I winced as I stumbled into the dirt. Damn it. MOVE, Rune. He can handle it. Focus! I grumbled, angry with myself for a split second. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on myself. I felt the magic pulsing in my blood, albeit not as strong as before. Definitely still accessible, though. He didn’t put magic in the terms. My magic creeped into my fingertips as I suppressed a sly grin. Then, as he came closer to draw his sword to my neck, I knocked his feet from under him with a pulse of wind magic. I sprung back up as he hit the dirt and scrambled to recover my own footing.

  When he came back up, he was laughing. Laughing? “Am I a joke to you, Finnegan?” I called out as I shed my tunic. Sweat drenched our bodies at this point. I had no idea how long we'd been going at it by this time. Finn shook his head, still grinning like a fool. His curly auburn hair had fallen into disarray, going down into his face.

  “Of course not, Mr. Huntsman. I find this absolutely riveting. It's been a long time since I've sparred with anyone who held their ground besides Kir.” I rolled my eyes at hearing the formal name yet again. What is this guy's deal? “Have to say, though, that was a dirty trick.” Finn raised his sword and our blades locked again. “You should be more specific in your sparring rules.” I retorted over the clang of swords. Finn only responded with a breathy chuckle as he fended off my attack aimed at his shoulder. I held a more desperate fury behind my blows, though, and found myself holding back less. We were locked in, leaving no room for error. I grew increasingly frustrated as we both landed blows.

  When we came away, Finn's left arm had blood trails running from his shoulder, as well as a few minor wounds on his torso, peeking through cuts in his tunic. I found myself in the same boat. My leg wound was starting to burn, making me sluggish. I noted a few lacerations on my stomach, and a place on my lower back that would DEFINITELY be bruised tomorrow.

  We both panted heavily, sweat stinging our eyes and burning our wounds. “Still going, are we?” Finn called out, but I could see he was just as tired as me. I dropped to my knee, shaking my head.

  “No,’’ I admitted with a chortle, “I'm out. Well done, Finnegan.” When I looked up, he was standing over me, offering me his hand. I grabbed his arm and he grabbed mine, then hoisted me up. “Thank you. This was genuinely helpful.”

  “My pleasure. It's been a long time since I've had an opponent to match my own skills. I genuinely look forward to working with you, Rune.” My eyebrows raised slightly as our gazes locked, and I felt the mutual respect radiating from him. Now it was my turn to flash a grin of my own. We had formed a bond over this match, and I could tell Finn trusted me a little more now.

  I retrieved my shirt and used it to wipe the sweat from my face and torso. Finn combed his dripping hair away from his face with his fingers. “The service gnomes won't be active for another couple hours yet. We should really get back to the residence wing.”

  He picked up his shortsword from the dirt below, and I did the same. I followed him back into the armory, where we took time to wipe down and restore our blades. Finn took his time with this, being attentive to every detail, which was another surprise to me. He took my blade and replaced it on its previous spot above the table where the scythe lay. After he did the same with his own, he looked over at me and tossed his head towards the door. “Come on, then.”

  I wasn't quite sure how I'd got there to begin with, I had just ended up there by chance when I was wandering. I was grateful for Finn as he walked ahead with purpose, weaving through the halls and rooms like it was nothing. Before I knew it, we were back in the hallway of our living spaces. What would've taken me probably an hour, he wrapped up into a handful of minutes.

  “Go get cleaned up. First meal will be at first daylight. Then maybe we can give you an actual tour before you get your first assignment.” Finn went into his own room, leaving me to stand in the hall alone. I wasted no time, though, and dug the key to my own room from my pocket. I pushed through the door, about to let it swing closed on its own. I grabbed it at the last second to keep it from slamming. After the door settled into place, I high-tailed it to the washroom to scrub away the whole mess of a day I'd had.