“Will my friends be able to join me?" Maddie asked.
“Hmm," Servius considered, “the combat training is usually reserved for warriors. I suppose it would do no harm for them to become more self-reliant. As for magic, it is up to Corentin to decide. The techniques he will be teaching may interfere with their normal magic studies.”
A pang of anger shot through Maddie at the thought that Corentin would be the one to decide yet another aspect of her fate, but really she knew --
“-- That makes sense," Cleo said, "I need to get the most out of my studies. Sorry, Maddie, but it's true. I love you, but I can't be second-rate. Especially if I'm going to help you take down Tereus and his army.”
She reached over and put her hand on Maddie's upper arm. Maddie took a shuddering breath but her anger evaporated under her friend's loving gaze.
“I know. We all have to be as strong as we can."
A knock on the door. Once again Cleo opened it carefully, then widely as Gaius walked in.
" Magister Servius?" he said, “it's, um."
Cleo ushered Gaius to the table and put him in her seat.
" Magister Servius is going to teach us weapons and Magister Corentin will teach Maddie the new kind of magic that Tereus started teaching her. We may get to learn it if it doesn't interfere with our own magic studies.”
Gaius’s eyes widened and he looked at Maddie.
"Is that going to be okay for you? Working with Magister Corentin?”
Maddie nodded resolutely. “It's going to have to be."
It was at dawn the next day that Gaius, Cleo, Maddie, and Servius stood in the training ring outside. As a chilly wind blew through the outside space, Maddie thought that she would rather the training be inside.
“It’s so cold,” Cleo murmured for only Maddie and Gaius to hear. Servius heard them anyway.
“The cold air will wake you up better than any wine. You’re lucky that we’re only doing weapons training and you get to skip the physical conditioning.” He indicated the warrior-druids-in-training doing laps.
“We will be taking this inside in the next few days,” he said quietly, “Cold is only good for so much.”
The group was led to a rack of training weapons and asked to pick from the array of spears, swords, knives, and clubs. Gaius wanted a sword, like any noble-born boy would. Cleo was considering a knife -- something easy to hide that she could carry with her always. Servius stopped Maddie from approaching the rack.
“Your weapon proved to be incredibly difficult, Miss Brigantia. Your blade is essentially weightless but also incredibly large. Even with enchantments we’ve had an incredibly hard time mimicking it. I’m afraid this is the best we could do.”
He picked up a wrapped bundle sitting in front of the rack of weapons. As he undid the cloth, Maddie saw the solution they had come up with. It was a monstrosity. Mostly shaped the same as her sword, it was made of some lightweight material and barely at that. Only the blade portion had a structure, with the back open to decrease the weight. The handle was a simple wooden dowel. Maddie stared at it, speechless. Gaius finished picking out his weapon -- a spatha longsword that was almost but not quite as long as his leg -- and turned to see Maddie’s practice sword. He visibly recoiled.
“That’s…that’s disgusting.”
Servius’s normal frown deepened into a scowl. “What it lacks in beauty it makes up in being the closest we could get to a Divine Blade.”
“Err, yes, sorry, Magister,” Gaius looked contrite. “It’s just… never mind,” he finished quietly, looking at the ground.
Cleo came over with a short wooden pugio dagger that was almost a foot long.
“It’s not ideal, but this is probably the best choice for me.” It was similar to the dagger Maddie had used to stab the king. Maddie gave a slight shudder at the thought.
“This may be more appropriate,” Servius said, pulling out three short pugiones, each half the size of the one that Cleo was holding. Unlike the wooden weapons from the rack, the three pugiones were made of metal, with a rounded tip and rounded edges. Incapable of hurting anyone.
“We’ll begin basic training with these and then move on to your other chosen weapons. And that,” he said, indicating the pile of scrap metal shaped only-sort-of like a sword.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
The three stood up and each adopted a stance. Maddie used the one Tereus had taught her. The one she had used to stab the king, she thought. It was aggressive, but loose, as if she might change her mind and run away instead. Running and hiding had been her number one tactic on her mission to the palace.
“You look like you’re about to run away,” Servius observed. Maddie blushed.
“I think that might have been the point,” she admitted. Servius sighed and shook his head. He looked over at his other two prospective warriors.
Cleo’s stance was almost demure. She held the dagger firmly but kept her hands low, almost at her sides. Servius could tell by the way she held her body that she was ready to use her pugio to react at any moment.
Gaius’s stance was that of a warrior. Similar to Maddie’s, he held his dagger firmly in front of him. But instead of looking like a scared rabbit about to bolt, he looked like a lion poised to pounce. Clearly the boy had some training as a warrior. His style was very similar to what Servius would have taught.
“There,” he said to Maddie, indicating Gaius, “do that.”
Maddie’s body tightened. She placed her feet more firmly and held the pugio more steadily.
“She still looks like she wants to run away,” Servius said to Gaius, “help her out. And, girl, remember what you are fighting for!”
He moved over to Cleo. “What kind of stance is that?”
“It’s what’s taught to all the Ptolemy girls. We’re meant to defend ourselves but not seem aggressive.”
“Well, you’re going to be aggressive. In fact, you might have to stab people before they try to stab you. I assume you were taught to react to attacks.”
Cleo nodded. Servius picked up the long pugio and swung at her. Cleo’s dagger shot up and deflected the blade.
“Good reflexes, good form. But your stance is off. Go learn with them.”
Cleo bowed her head and went to work with Gaius and Maddie. Servius let out a deep breath. At least they weren’t all hopeless. Except the girl. She had the longest way to go and the most urgent need for training.
Maddie sat on one of the stone benches on the Academy grounds. On the lawn Corentin conducted his magic class. While the students were still ordered by their aptitudes, it no longer featured the isolating squares that had made her feel despondent those weeks ago. The students stood in neat rows with enough space around each student to let them sit on the ground. Maddie scowled when she realized that the rows were even without her. She continued scowling as she watched Corentin animatedly discuss whatever new thing he was teaching them. She was just too far away to hear his lecture.
Maddie wore her brown initiate’s robes. It had been Gaius’s idea -- supported by the scholarch -- that she dress like the other students and walk around the grounds the way she would if she was attending classes. They probably didn’t intend for her to stare angrily at the other students, though.
As if sensing Maddie’s mood, Cleo turned toward her and gave her a smile and a little wave. A smile replaced Maddie’s scowl and she sort of zoned out, watching the other students like they were images in front of her instead of a group she desperately wanted to join.
Cleo and Gaius walked over to her when class was over. Maddie’s glassy eyes refocused on her friends. She half-faked a big smile.
“How is class going?” she asked.
“Oh, well enough,” Cleo responded, “Probably not more interesting than your private lessons will be.”
Maddie pushed down the scowl about to make its way across her face.
“Some of the other students were getting a little freaked out when you started scowling at them,” Gaius said plainly.
“Gaius!” Cleo admonished, “That’s rude to say!”
“Maybe, but it is true. I think Maddie would rather know, right?”
Maddie shrugged. “I guess so.”
Then her expression turned somber. “Maybe I shouldn’t stay around when class is happening. Especially when I’m still angry at…him.”
Cleo put her hand on Maddie’s arm. “It’s okay. We like having you nearby. Just…maybe walk us to class and meet us after?”
When Maddie’s shoulders slumped more, Cleo pulled Maddie into a big hug.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, “we’ll always be here for you and we will never let you feel left out.
“Now, let’s go to the greenhouse. It’s starting to get really cold.”
Sitting against the warm stone made some of the tension leave Maddie’s body. She breathed in the earthy smell that reminded her of the woods near her house, except more intense.
“Have you ever been to the woods?” she asked her friends.
“I’ve been to parks and gardens, but there aren’t any forests near Alexandria.”
“Of course. I used to go hunting with my tutor and my retinue all the time. I miss my hounds sometimes.”
“I used to pick berries in the woods near my town. There would always be birds singing and animals rustling in the bushes. And the berries were so sweet and perfect. Better than the ones they grow here.
“I miss home. It wasn’t really that different from here, but it was…happier, somehow.”
“I know what you mean,” Cleo said, “this place couldn’t be more different from Alexandria. But I came here to learn and see new places. I could have easily gone to the Academy in Alexandria, or even had the magisters there tutor me at home. But I wanted to learn in a new way.
“I suppose it wouldn’t feel the same if I couldn’t attend classes. I would probably feel so alone. Except for you guys, of course. You could get me through anything.”
“And you do get me through it all,” Maddie said gratefully, “I could never do this if you weren’t here for me. I don’t know if I could have done any of it, even sitting in magic class that first month.”
They settled into a companionable silence. Suddenly, Gaius perked up.
“Oh, we forgot. We’re allowed to attend your special classes. Corentin talked for a while on the differences between the types of magic and their strengths and weaknesses, but he said we could learn it, too.”
Maddie smiled. She would need her friends to get through the torture of learning from Corentin again