Pernicious Family

Chapter 16

Lex's POV

Lex woke up to banging at her door. She got up and threw her cloak on. Upon answering the door she found Raven on the other side raising her fist to start pounding again.

Raven butts her way into the room. She drops the tray she was carrying on to the table.

Lex closes and locks the door.

"So you got what you wanted. I have to get up early and train with the little ones. Then I have to bring you your breakfast. And I am expected to be at your bec and call all day if you need something. Why did you do this to me."

While Raven was ranting Lex went into her closet and changed into the set of cloths that look a lot like pagamas. she then used the conjoining door hidden behind a mirror in the closet to go into Xan's room and grab a pair of heavy staves off his soaring rack.

"Are you running away from me now. Can you not stand there and listen to me tell you what you are doing wrong. Where did you get those staffs?"

Lex tosses the lighter one to Raven.

"No I want that one. " Raven points to the one in Lex's hands.

Lex shrugs and hands her the heavier one while taking the lighter one.

"What do you want me to do with this?"

Lex picks up the notebook. You came in here wanting a fight, so I thought I would get a pair of staves so you can get your anger out.

Raven throws the note to the floor and yells while swinging the staff. "I do not have an anger issue. You just change everything and cause problems."

Lex dodges the blow, and the one that follows.

"Hold still so I can hit you!"

Lex keeps dodging occasionally using the staff to turn Raven's blows just off there mark. This goes on for well over ten minutes.

"Why will you not hold still. This is not how we are taught to fight with theses." Raven puffs.

Lex stands in one spot and Raven swings at her head. Lex drops down and sweeps Ravens feet out from under her.

"No fair." Raven gasps. "I was not expecting you to hit back."

If we were using glaives, you would have been dead many times over. In the outside world your enimes will not just stand there and let you hit them. They will fight back. And a lot of them will use dirty tricks to maim you so you are less effective at hurting them.

"How do you know that?"

Lex lifts up the back of the shirt exposing part of her lower back. Her back is covered with scars most of them overlapping. My step father believed in training me for the outside world hard and early. Him and my step brother would hurl, shoot, and drop stuff on me at anytime. I learned to dodge well.

"Wait a second. Could you have killed me at anytime?"

Lex flicks her arm to release the knife and throws it at the target on the wall.

Raven stands there and thinks. "You were going easy on me, were you not. Why?"

I was trained by your brother and mother before you were born. He started training me after he saw this. Lex pulled off her right glove, and showed Raven the perfect circle in the middle of her palm. I did not tell him that my stepfather missed. He was aiming for my head.

"Ouch. Hearing that I might start liking you." Raven looks around the room. "You do not stay in here all day so what do you do?"

First I have to check on the Thornberrys and the stills. Then weaving all morning, and stills all afternoon, if I have time after dinner either weaving or still work depending on what has yet to be finished or has been left half done. Why?

Raven thinks for a moment. "Is this what you are going to do everyday?"

Lex nods.

"Why. Why not just sit around and do nothing?"

That would feel wrong. If I know how to do something that benefits others why should I not? Especially if the space needed to do it is not being utilized?

"But you have to do more work that way."

I do not think of it always as work. There is an obligation. It is something that I learned early.

Lex eats her cold breakfast. Then starts her routine.