On top of that, Terindi fulfilled Ahjul’s expectations: she took it well. All of it. Even the crazy bits about prophecies and wars and the Shadow Region.
Since she’d already heard the story multiple times, Talea lent her attention to a study of the new ward. What ethnicity was she, anyway? Not Zentyren, not Irlaish, and not Sanonyan. Must be Canadise, then. Though hadn’t Larak said he was Canadise? Yet he didn’t share any of Terindi’s distinguishing features. He had chocolate brown skin like Alili, much darker than Terindi’s.
The bracelets on Terindi’s thin wrists caught her eye. She wore several, simple rings with colorful beads. She toyed with them as she listened to the Wardens and asked an occasional question. She was a pretty girl, even if somewhat exotic looking to Talea. Not a stunning beauty or anything, but there was a grace and a serenity in her countenance. Everything about her was composed. No matter how bizarre what the Wardens were saying was, she listened quietly—with interest, with surprise even, but always calmly.
All considered, Talea decided she liked her already.
They had been talking for several minutes when a tired female voice came from the haliop below. “Terindi! Where are you? What’s taking so long?”
Terindi spun one of the bracelets around her wrist a couple of times, glancing back toward the haliop. Fortunately, they were concealed from whoever had called by the incline of the hill and the trees. “I better go. I’ll talk to my parents about all of this. Perhaps you might come back, this evening? Seven o’clock?”
“We’ll be here,” Yhkon agreed.
After nodding, Terindi looked at each of them in turn a moment. “Well…until then.”
Talea smiled at her, as did Ahjul. She returned the smile modestly before walking back down the hill to her haliop.
The three of them started in the other direction, back to where the other Wardens and wards had been left to set up camp. Talea ended up walking between Yhkon and Ahjul, feeling rather dwarfed by the two men who were both at least six feet tall. “So uh, what ethnicity is Terindi? I mean I assumed Canadise, but that’s what Larak said he was, yet they don’t look at all alike.”
“She is Canadise,” Yhkon answered. “Canadi is split into two regions, the Northern half and the Southern half. Or at least that’s what they think. The rest of us just think that the two halves squabble but are in fact the same region. Either way, the people of either half don’t share the same physical traits. Terindi’s mother is half Northern Canadise, while one of Larak’s parents was Southern Canadise.”
“Oh.” She smirked. “Is being a giant a normal Southern Canadise trait, or…?”
Ahjul chuckled. “No, that’s just Larak.”
They walked in silence for awhile. Talea shoved her hands into the pockets of her skirt. Since they’d been re-entering civilization—almost, anyway—she’d had to go back to wearing a dress, rather than the pants and shirt that had become her new normal. “Well anyway, I like her. Think her family will take it as well as she did?”
“I doubt it.” Ahjul’s smile had dimmed. It brightened again, however, and he added, “But I’m glad you liked her.”
Arriving at where they’d left the celiths, all three mounted, Talea riding behind Yhkon. That was a new normal, too. While their travels through the mountains to get to Jalkiva had been mostly on foot, they’d ridden for most of the return journey. Yhkon had said it was a little risky to ride celiths in mountain terrain, but it was worth it to him to make the trip shorter. Once they’d left the mountains, they’d continued on celithback and at a faster pace. The Wardens were clearly used to all the riding. Wylan was at least somewhat accustomed to it. But to Talea and the twins, the first couple weeks had been a constant battle with soreness and stiff muscles.
Now, after a month of it, she rarely felt sore. Yhkon had often let her ride front, to give her practice at celithmanship, something he said she ought to master sooner rather than later. That was fine by her—she had come to enjoy it.
It took a little less than half an hour to get to the campsite. They’d picked a spot a few miles from Terindi’s home and village, to hopefully avoid anyone noticing their presence. Especially anyone wearing the maroon dragon that was Kaydor’s insignia.
She’d been learning more about this Kaydor over the past month of travel, too. Yhkon didn’t divulge much about the new king, though he made it plenty clear that he quite disliked him. She got the feeling that perhaps Yhkon had some sort of history with Kaydor, and not a good history. The other Wardens told her and the wards about him, though. He was a military man, they said. He had convinced the Leadership to start the Eradication in Zentyre almost two decades ago, and had been a primary figure in its execution. But the Leadership had changed their minds after about a year. Kaydor had remained in a top rank of the military. After that he’d become one of the Leaders, and then, somehow, he’d convinced everyone that Zentyre needed a king and that he was the perfect candidate.
They rode into the camp at a trot, coming to a stop and dismounting. Yhkon and Ahjul tied their celiths, while Talea walked forward to meet the twins as they moved to greet her.
“So? How’d it go? What’s she like?”
“Did she think ya were crazy?”
Talea smiled. “Actually, no, she didn’t seem to think that. She took it well. She’s uh, well, she’s nice. Quiet. Canadise, apparently. She’s going to talk it over with her family, and we’ll go back tonight.”
The Wardens and Wylan meandered their way closer for a report too, though they got theirs from Ahjul, since Talea had already turned back around to stalk Yhkon as he unsaddled his celith, Eclipse. “So, why did I have to be the one to talk to her? You going to tell me your reasons now?”
His narrow eyes scrutinized her, while something like reluctance tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“Hey, that’s not fair. You already said you would.” She crossed her arms. “You can’t back out now.”
Yhkon scowled at her, though she could tell he wasn’t actually irritated, and was perhaps even in an unusually decent mood. “Fine. But you’re going to learn to handle a sword, while we’re at it.” Before she could respond, he raised his voice to address everyone. “Let’s do some training, plenty of good daylight left. Gustor, perimeter check. Larak, Resh, Ahjul, see if there’s any game to be had. Wards, with your Warden for a lesson on swordsmanship.” He faced Talea again, and jerked his head in a beckoning motion. He was smiling just a bit. “Come on, get over here.”
Giving him a suspicious grin for no reason, she edged forward and crossed her arms again, this time expectantly. He, meanwhile, withdrew his sword from the scabbard on his hip. It was certainly not the first time she’d seen the weapon, yet she still admired its beauty. It wasn’t a mere chunk of metal hewn into a blade, it was more like some sort of magnificent masterpiece of art that also happened to be a deadly tool.
Yhkon’s gaze traveled over the sword as well, a look of satisfied pride lighting his features. He grabbed the flat of the blade and extended the handle to her. “Here. Ever held a sword before?”
What do you think? Haven’t you been shadowing me most of my life? “Uh, no…” She gingerly wrapped her fingers around the pommel. It was sleek, black, the top and bottom embedded with bits of crystal in hues of silver and blue.