The Weaponsmaster

Chapter 40

Drea rested for a few hours after Mike left. She didn’t sleep, but meditated, talking to Korena and Shawn about her decision. They didn’t like it, but they understood her reasoning and knew it was the best decision for her. They agreed to help rebuild her strength.

She stretched herself out, groaning every time she moved. Her body was still incredibly sore from her time as a prisoner.

When she walked up the stairs, she saw that she was in a small wooden cabin. She entered from a door near a kitchen. There were a few chairs and a table in what would be the living/dining room, and a couple of stools at the kitchen bar. She didn’t see any rooms that lead to bedrooms, but there were a few sleeping bags and pillows spread around the floor. Drea squinted as soon as she came up; the light was blinding compared to the darkness she’d been living in.

It took a few moments, but her eyes were able to adjust. Mike was standing in the kitchen on the other side on the wooden peninsula and Tom was sitting at one of the barstools. They were talking about something, but when they saw her, they got quiet. Mike came over to her with his infamous smile. “You ready for some training?”

Drea thought about asking what they were talking about, but she knew they wouldn’t tell her, so she decided against it, “Sure. Where?”

He grabbed her by the elbow. “C’mon I’ll show you.” Mike dragged her out the door, leaving Tom in the kitchen.

They were plunged into the bright light of the afternoon sun, and once again she was blind. She walked on blindly with Mike leading her.

“We’re here,” she heard him say. She blinked a few times and saw the place he spoke of. They were in a grassy clearing with trees surrounding them on either side. A nice breeze was blowing through the clearing, ruffling their hair. Mike was standing across from her, looking at her expectantly. She couldn’t say anything though; it was as if her body was frozen while the world around her still moved.

“Come  on,” Mike’s voice forced her to look him in the eyes. “We have to get your strength back.”

Drea smiled. It’d been a while since she had a good fight.

The two of them fought for hours, with Drea always the victor. When they were done, it was dark. A question came to Drea’s mind as they rested for a moment. “You’re such a good fighter Mike. Did you get so good to get away?”

He looked at her with a quizzical, guarded look in his eyes. She could sense his walls coming up.

“I uh mean how long ago did you leave the Lori?” Drea stood up, hoping he would answer, but he didn’t. Mike only walked inside, not waiting for her to follow, his face completely expressionless.

Drea sighed, regretting she even asked that question. She followed him in the dark back to the cabin, using the fire in her hand to light the way. It rested in her palm, tracing shadows on the trees as she tried to remember which way she was going. The forest was beautiful, even at night, with all the sounds of the animals and the sight of the smoke swirling up into the dark night sky. It was so much different than what she was used to.

She spent some extra time in the forest, looking around in the cool night. It was quiet, and that was something she hadn’t known could be missed so much.

Drea re-entered the house twenty minutes later, putting out her flame when she was close. She stepped in and heard Tom’s voice almost immediately, “There’s a little waterfall in the back if you want to get clean. Take the lantern on the counter.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Um where are you?”

“On the floor. Don’t worry, I’m not anywhere you’d step.”