Staying awake through Kaele's lesson hadn't been easy. The spell she had cast on me had really taken its toll. In the end I had prevailed though. Even if just barely. I was loathe to give up on the flashy combat spells, but if she said I had no aptitude for them, she probably was right. Among the two of us she had always been the brighter one. Especially when magic was concerned I just couldn't compete. Or maybe I could have, had I locked myself up in the library for days on end like her. No, no chance, that just wasn't like me at all.

I had enjoyed a good night's rest all the more afterward. I had earned it after all. With blood, sweat and tears. As I blinked my eyes open now it was still dark. No light fell in through the high and narrow windows of my spartan room. I couldn't hear any birds either. It couldn't be even close to sunrise going by that logic. Still, something was off. I couldn't quite tell what, but something was wrong. I wouldn't have woken otherwise. I closed my eyes again, pretending to still be asleep, and focused on my other senses instead.

I didn't have to wait long. Plink! A pebble landed on the floor after it came flying through one of the windows. My eyes shot open again. In the dim starlight filtering in from outside I could barely make out the pebble on the ground, next to two others. That's what must have disturbed my sleep. Of course. Kaele and I were supposed to meet with Khuzan and Eldtide today. Together the four of us had planned to go on a little adventure on our own. Kaele hadn't mentioned anything about it either yesterday, so the plans probably hadn't changed.

Of course those plans hadn't accounted for the possibility that I might be running into my brother's ire. A dozen times and face first. Groaning I sat up only to stop right away again. I was still a bit stiff and sore, but the pain I had expected didn't manifest. Well, that was a pleasant surprise. For a certain, very modest value of pleasantness. I got to my feet and stretched this way and that. I put the back of my hand to my head as well, to check my temperature. No more fever as far as I could tell. Kaele's spell must have worked after all.

Now in a good mood I padded over to the window to take a peek outside. In hindsight I really should have waited for the next pebble. But I didn't. Thus it smacked me right in between the eyes. “Ouch! Damn it! Damn it. Damn it!” I rubbed the aching spot and cursed under my breath. That had hurt! Well, no, to be honest it hadn't hurt all that much. The pebble hadn't been thrown with all that much force. But my ego already had a few cracks after the events that had transpired yesterday.

Still, it hurt. At least a little. I frowned at the figure standing outside, just beyond the dry moat. It wasn't much of a moat just like mother's house wasn't much of a castle. Thus I could make out the figures lurking there without too much trouble. Khuzan, Uzzana's son, recognizable by the long pointy ears common among the dark elves that made their home around here, was already bending down to pick up another stone. “Don't you dare!”, I hissed at him. I really could do without another pebble to the face.

Eldtide, the daughter of the village priestess, who was standing behind him, must have guessed at what had happened, as she hit the back of his head playfully while stifling laughter. She had braided her long hair into a number of thick braids which were writhing about her almost like snakes. That wasn't out of the ordinary, as she was a gorgon, but right now, in the darkness of predawn, it looked even more impressive than ever. I would never ever admit it out loud, but it might even look a tad intimidating. “Hurry up. You are last.”, she hissed back in between stifled laughter.

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I nodded and stepped away from the window again. My path led me back to my bed. Instead of getting back in I knelt down and pulled a carefully packed backpack from underneath it. As far as hiding spots went it was mediocre at best, but I had no illusions about mother not finding out about what we had planned anyway. This was more about keeping up appearances than anything else. With a few quick steps I was back at the window. I threw the pack out through the narrow opening and it landed in the dry grass of the moat at the feet of my companions.

Eldtide put her hands on her hips and tilted her head ever so slightly as if she was questioning if I were still for real. Then she gave Khuzan a hearty shove, pushing him down in the moat to get my things. Well, it wasn't terribly deep and the grass pretty much guaranteed a soft landing, so I wasn't terribly worried for him. He was the son of my weapons instructor as well, so he most certainly knew how to take a fall, even if it came as a surprise. “Be right with you.”, I whispered before turning away from the window again.

I couldn't sneak out of the house just yet though. I still needed some things I couldn't squirrel away beforehand. My next way would lead me to the armory. I didn't leave my room right away though. I wanted to try something else first. I grasped the Mana flowing through me and started to carefully construct the spell matrix I had in mind. Finally satisfied with my efforts I let the magical energy I had gathered flow into it, whispering the name of the spell as I did so. “Cat's grace.”

Constructing the spell matrix had taken me longer than I liked, but I hadn't wanted to risk making any mistakes. I would have to work on it some more. Out in the field I should be able to cast simple spells like this one within the blink of an eye without much conscious effort. I sighed relieved as I could feel the spell connecting to me. My steps became lighter and my movements slightly faster. This too would improve as I improved mastery of the spell. For now it would have to be good enough.

Almost as an afterthought I changed into a simple but sturdy tunic before quietly opening the door of my room. I listened, holding my breath. Only once I was moderately certain that no one else was about I ventured forth into the hall beyond it. On tip toes I moved through the hallway leading all the way around the fortified mansion until I reached the door of the armory. Lucky for me, the sturdy door wasn't locked. I guess arms and armor had to be readily available in case of an emergency. Having to search for a key first would be kind of counterproductive under those circumstances.

I could have nabbed one of the dulled weapons from the training ground at the center of the house more easily, but when venturing out into the wilds beyond the village, even if we didn't plan to go far, I'd rather have a real weapon with me. Better safe than sorry. And a weapon was not all I wanted to take along for this little trip after all. I opened the door just wide enough to slip in. It was dark in here. The armory had only a single window, similar to those in my room, barely more than an arrow slit.

The dark almost made me wish I had brought a light. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take though. I would have to navigate through the room and its contents by feel of hand alone instead. That shouldn't be a problem. After all I knew the room and the tools of war it harbored well enough. First I pulled some scale mail off the wooden frame it was draped across. It wasn't much, but the thick, overlapping scales of boiled leather sewn on top of a softer leather vest offered decent protection anyway.

I slipped it over my shoulders right away so I would have my hands free again. I would have to tighten the buckles that would properly hold it in place later. The thing weighed heavy on my shoulders. Next I picked up one of glaives from where they were kept in a barrel. The bronze blade was wrapped in a piece of oiled cloth. I pondered taking it off but decided against it for now. I didn't want the weapon to suffer through my negligence. And the cloth would keep the weapon's blade from reflecting light at an inopportune moment as well.

Last but not least I tied a hunting knife in a leather scabbard to the belt that would clinch the scale mail around my waist once I got around to donning it properly. Now I had everything I would need. At least as far as I could tell. Still moving on tip toes I snuck back out of the armory, closing the door behind me again. I wanted to scream in excitement. It took some serious effort to reign in that impulse. My next goal would be the front door and beyond it a few days of freedom and adventure.