Inside the Beast's Castle

Chapter 30--Eight Years Old

Kvir

Three days after I found myself telling Lizaveta about--well--me, I found myself having to go outside at "teach" her again.

I swear, I think she just liked to hit me. I never gave any notion that she hurt me--or bothered me, for that matter. I'm pretty sure that she saw through that mask, though.

I walked down the hallway quickly, racking my brains for something that we could work on. Her magic skills had evened out, or even surpassed mine, not that I'd admit it out loud. She worked wonderfully with swords, using them as easily as she could. It was daggers and knives that there was a problem with.

It's not that she was bad with them. Her movements were just always jerky and not smooth. She left spots unguarded.

So knives it is.

Lost deep in my thought, I wasn't paying a bit of attention to where I was walking. There was a hard collision, like riding on a horse that suddenly stops. My breath exited through my mouth with a huff. Still standing, I looked down to see what I had hit.

A little blonde head rose up from the floor. My mind went blank for a split second, the name of the small girl escaping me.

Lia, isn't it?

She stood up quickly, snapping to attention. Terror flickered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sir!" she cried despairingly. "I wasn't watching where I was going, it's all my fault!"

Is she afraid of me?

I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder, feeling her flinch away from me. "It's fine... Lia. Go on your way."

I obviously got her name right, because her face screamed "Surprised!" She stared at me in disbelief until I began to move away. I heard her footsteps skittering away as quickly as she could go.

Wait a minute.

"Lia?" I called after her. I could hear her breath suck in as she stopped. I turned around. "Where is Raul?"

She kept her back to me. "Um, Sir, he--he told me to take over for him today."

"Why did he ask you?" I couldn't keep the nervousness out of my voice.

"He said he wasn't feeling well, Sir."

"Oh. Be on your way, then," I ordered quietly.

A soft thumping made its way up to my ears. I looked down at my hand grasping the cane. Unknowingly, I was bouncing my arm up and down, making the cane hit the floor.

Don't panic. Nothing's wrong. He's just not feeling well. That happens to everybody.

A traitorous thought entered my head.

But does it? I've been this castle long enough to have suffered multiple illnesses, but haven't been afflicted by one yet. The days the creature would go outside in the bitter cold didn't bother me one bit.

That's just it--the creature went outside, not you. If you had, then you would eventually have not felt well either.

Not entirely convinced, I started to walk toward the door again. I could hear Lizaveta humming softly, waiting to go.

"Finally!" She exclaimed as she saw me. She crossed her arms and grinned halfheartedly. "Took ya long enough."

Forcing the thought of Raul from my mind, I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm not late. I arrive whenever want to. You," I pointed at her, "are early."