Freyah and Alissa listened to the story attentively, both of their mouths agape. Eldric knew the story so well that they wondered how many times he had heard it before.
He took a deep breath. “This confrontation became known as the Battle of the Mundane—because magic itself was extinguished that day when every gifted soul perished in the war. Among the fallen was Prince Thayan, the honorable leader who had guided the kingdom to victory. The land, once rich in power, was left forever bereft of its magical essence.” Eldric paused, as if purposely creating a moment of suspense.
“Belfar, which in the ancient tongue means ‘enchanted,’ became Heldraine or ‘victorious.’”
Both women gasped in unison. Freyah put her hand over her chest to confirm her heart still beat properly.
Alissa blinked, trying to process everything. “This is not a myth, it’s a real story.”
He nodded. “Yes. At least that’s what I thought until you told me there are no monsters in Bryniard.”
Freyah frantically waved her hand. “Wait… the walls the monsters were trapped in the story were supposed to be the walls of Bryniard?”
“Yes. Bryniard was the heart of the battle, where everything took place. That’s why no one ever gets near the walls. Everyone believes this story to be the foundation of our kingdom and how things unfolded centuries ago.”
“So… magic really does exist?” Alissa asked, amazed.
“If there is any truth to this story, then magic did exist long ago. It’s now extinct,” Eldric said, drifting from a rock along the road. “I don’t really know what’s true and what isn’t anymore.”
The women exchanged glances, thinking about the conversation they had had only days before when they were questioning the existence of magic. The thought of Senectus being related to magic somehow frightened Alissa. How would she fight this enemy created from magic if magic were now extinct?
“What about this prince?” Freyah asked.
“Oh, Thayan I know for sure was real. There’s a huge statue in his honor at the capital.”
“Does this mean Heldraine is governed by a king?”
Eldric nodded in confirmation. “One that should never have been crowned in the first place.”
In response to Alissa and Freyah’s confused glances, he explained the ways of King Luwrel and his kingdom, built on tyranny and terror. He told them about Queen Gianna and how, although she was known to have a more forgiving nature, she was complicit in all her husband’s schemes.
Living in Bryniard, where there was no bigger power ruling over them and the people mostly lived in harmony, felt like heaven as they heard the countless stories of injustice and abuse that Eldric decided to share with them. He explained why he had become a soldier and how he was stuck in that role he loathed.
They talked for hours. It was the first time in the almost five weeks they’d been in each other’s company that they spoke freely. None of them would admit it, but they were glad they could let down the invisible walls they had built to guard themselves on their journey. At least for a while, they could pretend they were friends chatting and not strangers heading toward danger.
130 DAYS UNTIL DHALIA’S DEATH DATE.
“Your grip should be likethis.”
Eldric was behind her. Alissa’s back was pressed against his chest as he gently adjusted her hold on the hilt. The calluses of his hands were rough against hers, and although she whispered a curse for his audacity, her body made sure to have a distinct reaction to his proximity.
His breath brushed against her ear, sending another shiver; the warmth his body emanated triggered a drop of sweat to run down her neck. Alissa saw with the corner of her eye a half-smile on his lips when she shuddered under his touch. She rolled her eyes.
Alissa told herself all the shuddering was caused by holding herself back from the urge to hit the damn hilt against his head. The truth was, she did not want to dig into that inconvenient physical reaction any deeper.
She had come up with a thousand different comebacks to his provocations, but on the outside, she played the part of the perfect apprentice, because she had to. The fact that they were less than a week away from their destination certainly helped keep her temper in check.
Eldric had been taking advantage. Not of her, of course. But of the fact that she had agreed to do everything he asked during training lessons since she lost that bet.“If I manage to get this dagger pressed against your beautiful neck before you hit that tree with your next arrow, you’ll take my fighting classes seriously. You’ll do everything I say from now on. You’ll not interrupt me, give any unsolicited opinions, or make fun of me and my methods.”
She had agreed, thinking she would easily beat him. She didn’t.
From that moment forward, Eldric had been having the time of his life, using the training hours to dedicate himself not only to teaching them but especially to annoying her every now and then.
He corrected her every move and took every chance he got to criticize her posture, while Freyah, on the other hand, was all about praising and kudos. Considering Freyah had almost accidentally beheaded her instructor the week before, one would say this discrepancy of behaviors was built under bias. Still, now that they had been practicing every day before sunset, they were finally beginning to see some improvement in their physical conditioning, body strength, and skills.
Not that Freyah and Alissa were ready to take down dozens of soldiers alone or wield a sword with expertise. Far from that. Now, they could wield the sword without giving in to the weight of the weapon and even execute a few strikes decently. That was already a great win in comparison to how they stumbled like newborn fawns when they first started practicing.
Maybe Eldric was not that bad of a tutor after all.