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“Where were those clothes the day we met?” I ask, feigning shock. “I could’ve gone without seeing your” —what was it that he called it?— “your tallywacker?”
Viv’s eyes crinkle with tears as she laughs. “Ken!”
Meanwhile, Ken looks proud. “Hey now. I’m perfectly comfortable in my skin.”
“No wonder the poor girl was so shy when she got here.”
A sense of pride builds in my chest at Viv’s words. She used shy in past tense, as if I’m finally growing past the timid girl that arrived here a short while ago.
“Do you have energy left to work on combat stances?” She asks, taking charge of the conversation before Ken gets too carried away.
I’m exhausted, but there’s no way I’m admitting that. I bob my head up and down enthusiastically as I down the last of the water, dribbling some onto my tunic.
We go over footing, proper arm positioning, and how to keep the core engaged—foundations of combat, as Viv says. Ken, despite being a goof, is extremely knowledgeable on the topic and a great coach. His patience and enthusiasm are contagious, and he always roots for me even when I’m a failure.
We take another water break. Viv and Ken take the opportunity to talk through their own drills for their shifts in the woods. I still don’t know much about the woods, other than the fact that the trees are cursed and cause people to hallucinate their worst fears. They don’t talk much about it in front of me, and I don’t bother them about it. Usually, I’m filled with questions related to training. It’s extremely kind that these two busy warriors take time out of their morning routine to train me daily. They don’t owe me anything, yet they give me their most precious gift—their time. I figure it’s best not to impose any further or demand answers that don’t belong to me.
I’m sure a day will come when I decide it’s not enough, but for now, I’m content with the gifts they give me.
Once we finish up for the day, I lay on my back in the grass, catching my breath. Viv and Ken talk animatedly off to the side of the castle, leaving me to recover.
Finally, when my lungs no longer burn and I have the energy to stand, I wander over to the stone wall guarding the entire property. It’s thrice as tall as me. When I first arrived here, I thought the wall was to keep prisoners like me in. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. At some point, I stopped looking at myself as a prisoner. And now, I realize the wall is designed to protect the Umbra Court—to keep the woods at bay and those in the castle safe.
The wind picks up, rustling the bushes.
“Alessssssssia.”
Pausing, I question if I really heard what I think I heard. I look around the bushes at the base of the wall, but there’s no one there.
Maybe I’m hearing things.
I spin, eyeing Ken and Viv who are still talking passionately, both flailing their arms around animatedly. It wasn’t them. Maybe I didn’t hear anything at all.
But then my name is whispered again, barely audible.
“Alessssssssia.”
I scan the yard, searching for the origin. It’s a faint, whisper, drawling out my name, almost like the sound of whistling wind, except, the leaves over head sit still, no sign of a breeze.
Coming from…where exactly, though? The other side of the wall?
“Nope,” I mutter to myself.
I learned my lesson the night Rainer saved me. As much as I hate that he had to rescue me, I’m secretly grateful he was there. Who knows what could’ve happened had the shadows got me.
“Forgive me for lying,” the wind whispers.
A chill takes over my body and I freeze.
“Forgive me, my Alessia.”
Char’s last words.
My resolve snaps and I search for a way over the wall. The iron gate is further down, closer to where Ken and Viv are. I don’t want them to see me peeking into the forest. And that’s all I plan to do—get a better look.
A sturdy willow tree with low hanging branches stands a few yards to my right. I head over, trying to hoist myself up onto the low branch.
After my training session, my arms are as pliable as cooked noodles. I struggle at first, using the tree’s trunk for foot support as I shimmy up. It takes a few tries but I successfully lift myself onto the thick branch.
