Mistress Lyrei watches closely as Alex is led into the room by Master Ardreth. “Mistress Lyrei, It’s a pleasure to see you so resplendent after the busy evening you had.”

She looks sharply at Master Ardreth. “Why, thank you Master Ardreth. I had an extremely restful night and feel much more motivated today.”

“Master Syllen requests a meeting at your earliest convenience.”

“I will be only too pleased to meet him after I have finished the lessons this morning.”

“I will let him know. If you will excuse me, I have other duties I must attend to.” Master Ardreth replies coolly, then he gives a short standing bow before turning and leaving.

During the exchange, Alex moves over to Candy at the table, kneels and bows to Mistress Lyrei who looks in his direction. “Eilaes, how are you feeling today?”

“I feel well, Mistress.”

“Please stand and remove your tunic.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Alex responds and then does as instructed and Candy averts her eyes.

“Turn around and face the door.” Alex again does as instructed. There is silence for a few minutes before Mistress Lyrei speaks again. “Eilaes, the wounds on your back have completely healed, so I will stop the medication and treatment. You may replace your tunic and being your lesson with Talia.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Alex responds putting on his tunic, then kneeling turns to Candy who looks at him with a small smile.

Mistress Lyrei observes as Alex progresses with learning the elven script. She is impressed with how quickly he progresses. His use of the brush, however is an apparent area of weakness that needs improvement. Master Ardreth returns after a few hours and takes Alex off to commence his physical conditioning.

Ten minutes later Master Syllen enters the office and glowers at Mistress Lyrei who turns to Candy. “Talia, go get some wine for Master Syllen.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Candy replies and dashes from the room.

Master Syllen takes a deep breath and visibly relaxes his jaw. “Master Ardreth advises me that you were in the lab for over three hours. He was extremely concerned, especially when he discovered that the door was locked and you wouldn’t respond. When he did gain entry, he noticed that the room felt strange, almost dead. He said it reminded him of the feeling he experienced when he explored ruins. What were you doing?”

Mistress Lyrei looks him in the eye, then smiles. “I was checking the merchandises core as we agreed and I confirmed there were hairline fractures present. I locked the door as a precaution, in case someone tried to enter, to give me time to hide what I was doing.”

“The scan did not take three hours. What else did you do?” Master Syllen demands.

“I took the opportunity to do a complete body scan to ensure there were no other injuries. Don’t worry, I removed all evidence of the scan from the workstations.” Mistress Lyrei replies still smiling.

“Wait, did you just say his core is fractured?”

“The scan showed the damage was minor, so I decided to give him a dose of nonaligned prana to accelerate the healing. As a consequence, it also healed his back and now all you can see are faint white lines where the stinging bush was left in his skin.”

“That was not what we agreed you would do.” Master Syllen declares angrily. “The use of nonaligned prana is extremely perilous. Give too little and it doesn’t work properly. Give too much and you could make the cracks worse and cause prana to leak. If you get it drastically wrong it could cause the core to shatter, discharging the prana in a flash. I take it you have never seen the results of a core exploding?”

“No, I haven’t. I measured his core and ensured I only gave him the required dose of nonaligned prana. After all, he did not explode and a second scan verified the hairline fractures were cured.”

“The people in the lab will notice the missing prana.”

“No, they won’t. I used the crystal relic first to empty his core and I then returned later with Talia and had her charge it to finish replacing what I used. I also ensured that I left no evidence in the lab.”

“I’m deeply disturbed that you are being so reckless and endangering both of us.”

“You know there was very little risk.”

“The risk of discovery was significantly increased by you spending over three hours in the lab, then you used nonaligned prana, and finally you had to return to clean up your mess.” Master Syllen scoffs.

Mistress Lyrei stops smiling and responds intensely. “It was in the middle of the night and the lab was shut. Do you have such little trust in my judgment?”

“The fact is you took such an impulsive action and you could not be bothered to consult with me is both infuriating and extremely concerning. You put the trust the Baroness has in both of us in danger.” Sir Syllen growls in repressed anger and then visibly takes another deep breath before he continues in a more level tone. “The Baroness recommended you as someone competent and trustworthy, but now I have serious doubts about that.”

Mistress Lyrei stares at him. “As I have explained before, I need this merchandise to be presented at the ball and make the greatest impression conceivable. I deemed that as I was already in the lab I should utilize the occasion to get the best result possible for both of us. I apologize if my taking the initiative has upset you, as that was not my intention. However, I will always strive to get the best results and if that means taking risks then so be it.”

There was a quiet knock at the door and Mistress Lyrei waits a few seconds while her gaze is locked with Master Syllen’s before calling out. “Enter.” The door opens and Candy enters carrying a tray holding a bottle of wine and two glasses. As Candy moves across the room, the soft rattle of glasses can be heard. Candy places the tray on the table in front of Mistress Lyrei, who casually waves a hand over her left shoulder, and Candy moves to kneel behind her.

Nothing is said for a few seconds and then Mistress Lyrei asks. “Care for some wine Master Syllen?”

“I must regretfully decline, Mistress Lyrei. I have an appointment with the Head Steward, Sir Vamen and I don’t wish to be late.” He replies tersely. “I’m pleased that your recent actions have been so positive, nevertheless, I would appreciate you refraining from taking any further action without consulting me first.” He then gives a small standing bow before briskly leaving.

Later in the day, Alex was returning to the office after spending a lengthy period running, tackling the assault course, running, sparring and finishing with more running. Master Ardreth led them down a corridor with two more guards following. They stop in front of the office door and Master Ardreth knocks, then after a few seconds he opens the door. Alex follows him and when he enters he notices that Mistress Lyrei and Candy are still in the same places they were when he left.

Mistress Lyrei is tapping on the screen and after a few seconds looks up. “Eilaes, please continue your lessons with Talia.”

Alex looks surprised, he’s aware that it’s extremely rude to ignore Master Ardreth and address him first. “Yes, Mistress.” He replies and quickly moves to kneel next to Candy.

“Master Ardreth, how did Eilaes perform?” Mistress Lyrei asks with a tight smile.

After a few seconds, Master Ardreth nonchalantly responds. “He seems to have fully recovered from the abuse he received. I’m astonished at how your escapade yesterday seems to have cured all of the injuries he suffered. His overall performance is as good as when he was removed.”

“So, he’s ready to progress to the next stage?”

“I would prefer to improve his conditioning for another tenday.”

Mistress Lyrei looks sharply at Master Ardreth. “But, we don’t have the time for that.”

“You are probably correct Mistress Lyrei. I can begin the training tomorrow as you request, even so, if they can’t make satisfactory progress then I will advise Master Syllen that the training will need to be changed.”

During the exchange Candy quickly uses her finger to draw two sets of three English letters on the floor between them. She first draws out ‘nwo’ Alex peeks at her and gives a slight nod and she then draws out ‘prw’ and he gives a second slight nod.

Mistress Lyrei looks over to the small table. “Talia, what are you waiting for? Begin.” She then turns back to Master Ardreth. ”I’m confident that they are both ready and can complete the training. Now, is there anything else? I need to ensure that we make up the lost time.”

“No, Mistress Lyrei. There is nothing else. I’ll be here tomorrow to commence the training.” Master Ardreth responds evenly and then barely gives a bow before promptly leaving.

Alex settles down to learning the intricacies of the Elven script with the assistance of Candy. Every so often Mistress Lyrei requests Candy to bring samples for her to inspect. After numerous hours Alex begins to find it difficult to focus and mistakes pile up.

“Enough, you’re struggling to concentrate. We will continue in the morning.” Mistress Lyrei declares. The guards escort Alex back to his cell and hand him a bottle of basic and shortly after he falls asleep.

The guards usher Alex back to the lessons early the following morning and after he settles he make better progress. He continues working with Candy enjoying the interaction, even though they are unable to discuss the things he wants to. The time passes quickly until they are interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Enter.” Mistress Lyrei calls.

Master Ardreth enters and gives a small standing bow. “Mistress Lyrei the next stage of their training is ready. It’s time to see if they can be worthy.”

“Eilaes, Talia, I’m certain you will exceed my expectations. Now go and prove my confidence in you both is not misplaced.”

Master Ardreth gives another small standing bow and leaves. Alex and Candy also bow to Mistress Lyrei then hurry to follow Master Ardreth. They quickly move down numerous corridors before they emerge into a walled garden that has a large lawn and low hedges. Around the perimeter are armored guards who have pistols strapped to their side rather than the usual batons. Master Ardreth strides to the center of the lawn and turns to face Alex and Candy as they approach and then kneel and bow.

He looks down at Alex and Candy. “You will now begin training in how to protect your master or mistress. The dangers your master or mistress can be exposed to include kidnappings, assassination, harassment or theft. Before you can be deemed worthy, you need to prove that you have what it takes to protect them. It’s putting your life at risk in order to safeguard another person. You will undergo lots of rigorous training to ensure you know how to spot warning signs and keep your master or mistress away from harm.

“When you are with your master or mistress you must remember that you are expected to protect them at all costs. You must always do this as your collars will be linked to a control stone they possess. If they die whilst in possession of your control stone the collar will activate and you will perish in a most painful way.

“We will be covering what is expected of you to ensure you are prepared and understand what it means to protect your master or mistress in any situation. You will be trained to anticipate and accommodate the actions of any bodyguards and to understand what types of situation may occur.

“If you are working with a bodyguard you must always remember that the bodyguard’s orders take priority over those of your master or mistress. This is can be an area of conflict because they may not understand that the bodyguard is only there to ensure they are unharmed and won’t hesitate to use you to do this. The reason for this is that they don’t always know what’s best for them and their happiness does not always mean they are safe. The bodyguard will generally have an override stone that when activated will take over the control of your collar. This is to neutralize you if you go rogue and also to stop any interference by your master or mistress at the wrong time.

“In protecting your master or mistress the bodyguard’s main goal is to make sure they are not in the same area as the threat. It’s the bodyguard's job to first, de-escalate, and second, if de-escalation isn’t possible, either remove the threat or remove your master or mistress from where the threat is. The bodyguard will almost never respond to the threat with force. The fact of the matter is once a weapon is drawn, the bodyguard has already failed. Their goal is to keep your master or mistress out of harm’s way, preventing potentially dangerous situations in the first place.”

Master Ardreth turns and nods to one of the guards behind Alex and Candy. The guard steps forward and gives two sleeves to Candy and commands. “We will now be going through some exercises so you can understand what is expected of you. You have been given two Shield sleeves. I will walk around the perimeter of the lawn and you must protect me from any and all attacks. You have two minutes to discuss how you will operate.” He then moves and stands five meters away.

“Well, at least we can talk,” Alex mutters.

“How have you been?” Candy asks quietly.

“Better since that psycho left. How are you?”

“I’m doing good. As I was in training with Mistress Lyrei the psycho couldn’t get to me. There were a few close calls, but I managed to keep out of sight. When I saw what happened to you I was worried.”

“You were there?”

“I was present when they lead you away after the whipping. You looked in a bad way. I’m glad that Mistress Lyrei managed to get you some treatment.”

“Have you managed to find out how we can et out of here?”

“You saw my message yesterday?” Alex nods. “There is no way out. They have all been jumpy recently with everyone is being watched. “

“You have a minute left.” The guard shouts.

Candy glances over to the guard and asks. “How do you want to do this?”

“This is a no-win situation. They intend to see how long we last. Can you use two shield sleeves?” Alex mutters.

“Not really, If I use them both it will just drain my prana quicker. It makes more sense to have one each.”

“I’m not very good with sleeves. It tends to be all or nothing with my lack of prana control.” Alex replies with a frown.

“Your control has improved. Can you release your prana in short bursts?”

“Yeah. I can do that.”

“Those pistols they’re all wearing shoot either small steel balls or different types of prana bolt. They’ll use the bolts on low power so they’ll feel like getting punched. They might step it up and use stunners which has an electrical charge.”

“Can these shields block them?”

“Yeah, they can but every time you do it’ll drain your prana. I can block three, maybe four low power bolts.”

“You stay just behind the guard and watch our back. I’ll move in front and block as many as I can.”

“Sounds good.” Candy says with a tense smile.

“Then let’s raise a little hell,” Alex affirms and squeezes her shoulder.

They both help each other strap on the sleeves and then stand moving into position. Alex watches as all of the guards draw their pistols and ready them. The guard they are to protect begins to slowly walk the perimeter.

The first guard in front fires his pistol and Alex can sense the prana bolt discharge as he brings up the sleeve and pushes prana into his arm. He feels the shield form just as the bolt hits his stomach and he doubles over in pain. He senses a second bolt and lifts the shield up to protect his head as the bolt impacts and it flares blue. He manages to cancel the shield and straighten looking back over his shoulder to witness Candy’s shield also flare blue.

The second volley of bolts are fired and he manages to push prana into his arm in bursts to deflect the two bolts. Then he deflects two bolts from the third volley simultaneously by pushing as much prana as he can into his arm resulting in a large shield forming. He hears a grunt from behind him and he turns to see Candy twist from the impact of a bolt.

“Watch the front. I’m okay.” She calls.

After a few more minutes he has manages to stop the eighth bolt when he feels that he no longer has any prana left and he’s hit rapidly by two bolts in the chest that knocks him to the ground.

“I’ve seen enough.” Master Ardreth hollers. “Give them a few minutes and then take them for a run.”