Page 6 of The Awakening of Essensia

Freya disappeared, only to pop her freckled face over the gate a moment later, her green eyes alight with excitement. “It’s not fair really. You’d probably come out on top this round if it weren’t for Rurik. You were firing arrows before you knew how to walk.”

Vaelira snorted at the exaggeration and waved her away. When Freya was gone, she turned towards Millie, patting her neck as the mare nuzzled into her. Vaelira might not have come out on top in archery, but she would have been damn close. Now she’d be lucky to land a single shot.

Mounting had not been easy, but she’d swallowed her pride and used the stool to climb into the saddle. Vaelira could have sworn Millie was walking more carefully than usual. If even her horse had noticed her injury, the others surely had too.

Heat prickled the back of her neck. She couldn’t afford to be the weak link.

The sun was beating down over the walls now, turning the winter’s day to one of early spring. Recruits lined up in their saddles outside the stables, some fiddling nervously with their reins, others unnecessarily adjusting the straps of their quivers.

Facing the group, Commander Lysander sat tall atop his bay stallion. The two Royal Guards flanked him on their white steeds, the standard mounts for Caerthalyn guards. Their bright coats gleamed, out of place amongst a sea of chestnuts, greys, and blacks.

“Gods forbid they let us forget who they are,” someone mumbled from behind Vaelira.

She didn’t disagree, but she couldn’t help but marvel at their splendour, at the way the sunlight caught their pearlescent coats, turning the hairs gold as they shifted under their riders.

Commander Lysander began speaking just as the dark-haired guard’s gaze found hers. He held her stare for a heartbeat longer than felt natural. Her cheeks had barely begun to heat before he looked away. She looked down at the reins in her hands, cursing herself for getting distracted, and by a man of all things.

Vaelira drew her attention back to the Commander as he explained that they were going to be leaving Anhaven and travelling the short distance to a nearby wood. An excited ripple passed through the recruits. Leaving the safety of the walls was unexpected, even if there wasn’t much to fear in the daylight.

“Scouts have reported raiders crossing into Eastvale these past weeks,” Commander Lysander continued, “keep your eyes sharp and watch each other’s backs.”

An armed group of their size would be enough to deter any raiding party, but you never did know when it came to raiders, at least as far as she had heard. They were as unpredictable as they were ruthless. With their wicked weapons and merciless nature, they cared only for what they could take from you and showed no mercy to those that didn’t oblige. She half hoped she would run into one out here. To make them pay for the pain they had caused so many.

Had caused her.

They filed through the town gates, riding down the slope before turning north. The wood was already visible on the horizon, a dark mass of trunks crowned by gilded branches.

Vaelira was grateful they kept to a walk. Dread pooled in her stomach at the thought of having to ride at full speed through the trees, her stitches straining, balance faltering, let alone trying to wield a bow.

The sun hung high overhead by the time they reached the woods. The low canopy of branches swallowed them, pulling them into shifting patches of gold and shadow. The soft, leaf strewn ground swallowed the sound of the horses’ hooves, and the cool breeze faded as they emerged into a wide clearing.

It might have been peaceful, if not for the crush of horses and recruits crowding the space. The wood seemed to watch them, curious or angry at their disruption, Vaelira could not tell.

They dismounted, boots thudding into the dirt, recruits glancing at the trees hemming them in. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who felt the eyes of the wood.

“This is the start of the course,” Commander Lysander announced, gesturing to a winding path that snaked away behind him. “You will enter one at a time. Red targets have been placed along the route. You must ride at a gallop, strike each target with a single shot, and do not stop. When you reach the first right hand turn, take it. It will lead you back south. Lord Jurah,” he gestured to the older of the two royal guards, “and I will ride behind keeping score. Once you exit the woods, Captain Wren will be waiting at the treeline to escort you back to Anhaven in groups.”

So, that was Lord Jurah, Commander of the Royal Guard. Vaelira had heard the name in passing but had never seen the man. He’d never deigned their town with his presence before.

Commander Lysander let the words settle, his gaze sweeping over them. A few people muttered complaints about not having prepared for mounted archery. With the pulsing in her side worsening with each inhale, Vaelira couldn’t argue.

“Beyond the walls,” the Commander continued, voice sharp, “you won’t get warnings, and you won’t get second chances. Ride hard. Ride smart.” Several recruits straightened instinctively, their heads held higher. “Form an orderly line and wait for your signal. The Three see all.”

A hand stuck up from the group of recruits, and Vaelira spotted Freya gesturing for her to join her, but Vaelira shook her head. She wanted to put off the pain of the ride for as long as possible, and the less people that witnessed, the better.

Recruits disappeared one after the other into the trees, until only a few remained in the clearing. There was nothing for it. She would just have to do her best and pray Millie kept her footing even and didn’t send her toppling to the ground and ripping her stitches. She caught a flash of white in her periphery, and a rider sidled up alongside her.

“You fought well yesterday,” came a smooth, deep voice.

Turning, she found the younger of the Royal Guards looking down at her, his face unreadable, his dark hair swept back from his face.

“Thanks,” she murmured. She couldn’t tell if he was mocking her or being kind. Her side twinged in pain, as if she needed the reminder.

“Here,” he reached out his hand, his fingers bent around something.

Vaelira looked towards the line of recruits. No one was watching. Everyone’s attention was fixed on the woods. “What is it?”

“For the pain,” he said, nodding at her midsection. “Chew it. Keep it between your teeth and your cheek. It works fast.”