Page 32 of Sword & Shadow
“I suppose so. Though we do have officers.”
Evylin waved off the formality. “Either way—” She turned back to Thom and Ethenn. “We need to keep up our strength and skills. That means running every drill Hewitt taught us.”
Thom watched Evylin’s face, looking for any sign or flash of grief at her uncle’s name. He found none. Another sign that something was up. Even he felt a tremor of disappointment and loss at the thought of Hewitt.
Rafferty hopped up from the hazel. “I’m for it,” the weasel announced. “Not that I’m any more a fan of Hewitt’s exercise regimen now than before. That part’s downright torturous. It’s the sparring that interests me. I’ve been itching to duel for weeks.”
Evylin smiled, and Thom sighed. “All right,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Excellent!” Evylin moved toward the entrance to the camp. “There’s a reasonable clearing a few hundred feet that way. We can run our paces first and spar there afterward.”
“Shouldn’t someone stay with Highlady Calder?” Ethenn suggested.
Ilain brushed a dismissive hand through the air. “Nonsense,” she insisted. “I’ll be just fine with my sketchbook for company.”
“Besides,” Evylin added, “we’ll be within sight. We can even take breaks here at the fire.”
With the kid’s strange protectiveness of the highlady taken care of, Ethenn rose.
Under Evylin’s instructions, they gathered the two training swords they’d deemed to bring into Wauld and headed for the clearing. “We’ll start with a quick warm-up,” she said. “Then a quarter-mile jog before we go one-on-one.”
Thom nudged her arm. “Try not to wear us outbeforewe get to the real work, eh, Evie?”
She held out her arms in a dramatic sweep. “Try not to be such a girl, Thom.”
Rafferty and Ethenn snickered.
The insult rankled at the edges of Thom’s ego, but he paid it no attention. Of all the people in the world, Evylin was the only one who could insult him without damaging his pride. He’d wondered at that peculiar phenomenon dozens of times. He felt sure that her opinion of himshouldbe the one that mattered most. Yet, he could always sense her regard for him in every jest and taunt. No matter how flippant or blunt she was, she spoke with a fondness that he rarely heard from those in his life. And he loved her for it.
Still, the curiosity of her good humor kept his smile from fullness.
“How’s this, then?” he offered. “I challenge you first. And whoever strikes the first hit gets bragging rights for the day.”
“For the rest of the week,” Evylin countered, grinning ear to ear.
“You’re on.”
They wore through the first hour of their morning with the warm-up, run, and the first couple of bouts. Much to his disappointment, no matter how unsurprising it was, Evylin landed the first hit in their duel. They’d set up, her in her usualstance, perfected by Hewitt over more than a decade, and him in his still-improving one. He was prouder of his swordplay these days, but going up against Evylin didn’t do much for a man’s confidence.
Rafferty had called the start of their bout, and Evylin feinted upward before slashing at his hands. The strike left his fingers stinging and his pride bruised.
She didn’t gloattoomuch, but Rafferty and Ethenn jeered at Thom from the sidelines.
“Ah, Thommy, what a shame!”
“It’s not much of a loss, though, is it?” Ethenn said.
“Whyever not, little Lox?”
The kid smirked. “When’s he ever had anything worth bragging about?”
Their baiting proved successful. Thom’s muscles tightened, and his jaw tensed. If he wasn’t so focused on holding his own against Evylin in the duel, he might’ve found the wit to make a retort. Instead, he put his frustrations into the spar, finding his movements more sloppy than usual.
Evylin knocked him off his feet, sending him sprawling in the mud. The men laughed even more vigorously at his demise.
Thom took Evylin’s offered hand, and she helped him up. “You can’t let them get to you like that,” she said, her voice low and her gaze knowing. “A level head is the key to winning any fight.”
“It’s not the only key,” he grumbled. He attempted to brush off his back but only covered his hand in mud. “Strength, skill, and magic help.”
