Will Of The Fates

21.

As the fear and confusion wore off, I began to wonder what I'd done. What I'd agreed to.

My confusion was visible on my face as Hanna intercepted me in the forest outside the village. She checked me, we searched for followers and then she led me off the path, nearly out of the forest of a secluded clearing. No fire was lit to keep ourselves hidden. I could sense the heat stones everyone had by them.

Pyr smiled up at me and Pippa seemed to sag with relief. She moved with me to sit beside me. Her familiar mana snaked it's way into my body as she quietly checked me out.

Hanna exhaled with relief as we both sat down. She patted my shoulder. "I was worried you'd gotten yourself killed."

"I would..." I rolled my shoulders and slowly leaned back against the tree. Pippa's arms wrapped around my bare ones. "I would have been back earlier but I took a bit of a long path to get here."

"You look... shaken." Pyr frowned. She looked me over. "You never look shaken."

"Well..." I looked down, where a fire should have been. "I... I don't entirely know what I've gotten myself into." I frowned. "Castle Blackwater... do you guys know anything about it?"

"Vaguely." Pyr shrugged and drew my eyes up towards her. She shifted towards me. "Just that it's a school for blade wielders. They claim to be the training ground of several heroes, but I don't know of any of them."

"I... see..." I ran a hand through my hair. "They train blade wielders alright... but only men. They don't train women."

"Hah!" Hanna scoffed, victorious. "I knew he was lying to you!"

"I... I've been accepted."

"What?!" She immediately snapped, grey eyes narrowed. "Into a school full of... men?"

"Yeah." I nodded slowly. It sounded so stupid when she said it like that. "As his... As Killian's personal Apprentice." I met her eyes. "Apparently it's a... the rule don't signify that the Apprentice has to be a man?"

Her jaw fell open.

Pyr also seemed a bit bewildered. Pippa whimpered. "I don't..." I looked down to meet her big, blue eyes. "I don't think you should go there." She pressed herself to me. "It's dangerous to be alone in there."

"I'm not alone... I'll be kept isolated." I frowned to myself as I realised how that sounded. "He told me I'll have separate quarters, training... and I can't speak to anyone but Alasha and him."

"Alasha and... Killian?" I nodded to Hanna's question. "Who's Alasha?"

"Big man." I muttered, a shiver went through me. "He... He is the... He's like a Chief. Like Sona. But Sona is like a child when it comes to man's height and bulk." I stretched my hands out to the side. "So wide. And massive." I looked down at Pippa. "Like if you stood on top of Hanna's head."

Pippa giggled, her worries dissipated from the stupid comparison. I started to relax with that. "He... He's not happy." I continued. "However, he has no choice. Killian and him seem to have history." I leaned forward and rubbed my face. "I... We should just leave."

"Leave?" Pyr repeated slowly. "Why? Are you scared?"

"I... I can't just..." I didn't know what to say. I was...

I'm their leader. I'm not supposed to do stupid things. Yet all I've done since we left those three is be selfish. Going away with Kieran, spending all my time with him, leaving them all to go for missions on their own... and now this.

Even as the crystal on my neck heated up for the third time in the last hour, I felt... guilty. I couldn't bring myself to reply to him. I couldn't... I couldn't leave them.