A solid four weeks passed with Mariel recovering steadily under Casindire’s direct supervision. She spent her days visiting her friends, assisted at first, and soon on her own. She attempted to visit Tizare on several occasions, but his room had been fitted with double guards who refused to let her in. At one time, he emerged to tell her he was busy. Suspicious, she had placed Fravil as a lookout to see who visited. She reported that a lot of soldiers and officials had been inside.

Irked by this, Mariel had pressed Tizare for answers and he had revealed to her that he had been offered an advisory commission, but could not reveal anything else to her dismay. Before she left he promised to not go anywhere without her knowing.

“You’ve been strangely cheerful lately… Despite being turned down at the door… How come?” Siah appeared on the floor in front of her.

“I guess I’m just happy that… Everyone did come through in the end. It helps to eat well and I guess I missed a soft bed…”

Siah jumped up onto the bed and rolled around in the sheets making some strange purring noises.

“I totally get why… So, how come you haven’t asked about how to fix Siravin yet?”

“I figured that asking would be pointless, and you said yourself that you’d tell me.”

“Clever girl. I’ve made all the arrangements already… My master has sent for a… Specialist on those collars… He’ll be here sometime before winter, oh don’t make that face, your crush will be quite alr…”

“Don’t. Shush. It was just a thought…” Mariel waved her hand dismissively.

“But you do care about him.”

“As a friend, nothing else… My type is more like… Like…” Mariel stopped, and for a moment, she thought she could hear stifled laughter echoing in her mind.

“You… You’re trying to trick me!”

“Awh, you noticed.” Siah took to the air, and dodged Mariel’s feeble attempts at capture. After having made the point clear, Siah sat back down on the bed.

“We’ll get Siravin back on his feet soon, in the meantime, what will you do?”

“You already know, don’t you? You’ve been poking around again.”

“Yes.” Siah made the face that could be an equivalent to smiling. “But it’s still important to hear it from you. A vocal pledge is still more powerful than a mental one.”

“I need to find some way that I can protect everyone… But I have no idea how…”

“I suggest you earn some coins. You’re well enough to move, and maybe do some simple tasks.

Within minutes, Mariel had changed into her cloth tunic and the silk sash Fravil had donated to her. Siah tagged along to get some exercise, both knowing that a ceremony was being held in a different part of the temple.

From the overlook on the ridge, she could see the winding steps leading down to the city proper. The city of Bleirenvasten appeared more like a sleepy town than a bustling centre of trade in the region, but as she made her way down the many steps, the inhabitants began to reveal themselves in the busy streets below. From the steps, she emerged into the city, down a long, steep slope with houses placed tightly on both sides. Horse carts slowly made their way up and down the slope using tilted stones to provide grip for the horses, its cargo a myriad of items as the shopkeepers refilled stock in preparation for another hot day in the sun.

“Buy the latest news! Read all about the human ambassadors in the city!” A young child shouted from the top of a small footstool next to a big stack of newspapers. “Adriested under siege? Officials are still tight-lipped about the mysterious lack of communication coming out of our neighbouring city! The city prefect has arranged for the city guard to provide fighting lessons in Hazel park this afternoon!”

“Excuse me, which way do I have to go to find Hazel park?” Mariel decided to ask the boy, whom looked up at her with a wide smile lacking quite a few milky whites.

“Hello miss! That’s over that way, you cross two streets, take a left on Regent street onto Dalvir square and continue straight on.”

“Thank you… By the way, what did you say about Adriested?”

The boy blinked, and his smile began to fade. “The rumour has it that a group of farmers arrived here a few days ago… They were all wild-eyed, twitchy people and blabbered inconsistently about a big hole opening in the sky.”

“A hole in the sky? Mariel tried to retain a calm demeanour, but the implication already had her mind racing.

“Silly really, there’s no way a hole could open in the sky… The clouds maybe, I’ve seen one part into a big floating sausage just yesterday!”

“Hey Wiq! Stop chatting with the lady and advertise!” A male, the boy’s father called out.

“Sorry, dad says that I have to sell this whole stack before noon.”

“Mm… What some help?” Mariel asked.

“Huh? Sure, but don’t you have something better to do? Selling newspapers is boring.”

“I haven’t done it before…

“Dad! Can the lady help me sell newspapers?” The boy shouted to his father.

“If the newspapers are sold, I don’t care who you pull in to do it… I’ll even give them some payment for the job!”

“Okay, take a stack and go across the street… Take a moment to leaf through one of the newspapers before you begin… You can read, right?”

“Sure, so then I look at the news and try to highlight the important bits?”

“Yes! Good luck!”

Mariel split the stack neatly in two equal halves and carried her share across the street as instructed. Inside the newspaper were all sorts of advertisements from soap to the latest in tempered steel products. She soon found the articles the boy had talked about, and skimmed them quickly. From what she learned, it did appear that the sky had thrown down a whole bunch of humans. She leafed through more pages and came across an article detailing mysteriously lost ships.

“Excuse me kiddo, are you just going to read that paper, or can I buy one?” She looked up to find an older male, in the clothes of a smith looking down at her.

“O-oh sorry! Yes, please have one!” She quickly pulled a fresh paper from the stack, glanced at its price and exchanged it for the payment in coins.

“Thank you.” The smith mumbled and left.

“Today’s paper is here… Um, come have a look for yourselves at the current details surrounding the silence from Adriested! Ships disappeared! Sunk or captured? No survivors reported, read all about it here!”

Mariel remained on the corner, selling newspapers until the bells tolled at noon. In the end, she made a good account of herself, getting rid of roughly 70% of her stack. She picked up the rest and crossed the street.

“Have you done this before?” The young boy asked before taking a sip from his cup.

“Not newspaper, but... I was selling… Apples from my garden back home once… I didn’t get any customers though, but my mother made them into a delicious pie in the evening.” She smiled, thinking back on the warm apple pie.

“Awh, I wish the newspapers could be used for something tasty… They’re just paper though.”

“Hey little missus, I gotta thank you for helping out my lad.” The father appeared in the doorway. Mariel stood up and poured the coins into his hand. He looked at the pile, shook it, and pulled six silver coins which he handed back to her. “For your efforts… And for keeping my little boy company…”

“He’s a good child, shouldn’t he be studying?” She looked at the boy over her shoulder. “He’s clever, that’s for sure.”

The father nodded and sighed deeply. “Times are hard for us… All his friends are at the academy… I buried my wife last year, he insisted we spend our savings on a good funeral, so who was I to argue?”

Mariel nodded and immediately offered him three coins in return.

“No, keep them… He’d tell me to give you the whole pile for spending time with him… Thanks again. He shook her hand once before telling Wiq to head back inside to print the afternoon edition.

Mariel nodded and bid the two goodbye, but not before asking the directions one more time.

It took her a while of reading road signs and backtracking before she finally reached the park. Behind a tall metal fence, a big group of people were gathered. Around them stood a myriad of dummies secured firmly in the grassy ground. A selection of weapons gleamed in the sun next to a table filled with pieces of metal armour.

“… And that’s why you should not be worried about the current rumours, instead you should focus on knowing how to defend yourselves. If you can follow the lesson, you should be able to defend yourself against wild animals and common bandits.” A young squire, under close supervision by older and more combat worn knights walked over to the weapon rack and took a sword from it. He made a sequence of impressive swings and very smoothly split the straw head of one of the dummies from its body.

“To be a guard, we train for about a year, but that’s to actual soldiers. You people, will only defend yourselves, not conquer foreign lands… Well then, split into groups of two, and each group gets a supervisor to demonstrate and help you out.”

The crowd began to divide into its components. The couples went together, and those who worked specific professions joined up. An odd gathering of strangers argued for a while before dividing themselves into ill-fitting groups.

The only one left was Mariel, standing alone.

“Hey… You’re the latecomer, I saw you arrive… But are you sure you should be here? Fine lass like you should be… I don’t know… At home?”

“Yes, I’m here to learn…”

“Are you?” She felt his eyes examine her closely from head to toe. “You seem more fit to be in a temple… But no matter, have you handled a sword before? No? Didn’t think so, not even a fleshy one by the looks of you…” He snorted and threw her one of the swords. “Well, come at me then.”

Mariel tried the sword in her hands. It felt pommel-heavy, and the metal was of inferior quality. She made a few ill-willed attempts at swinging it.

She came towards him slowly. At first she tried a heavy blow from above, but was parried, she followed with a sideswipe but found herself unable to connect with him.

“Hey, these swords are dull, but are you sure about this? I’ll break your ribs with one swing.” The knight scoffed and went on the offensive with some slow, manageable swings which she managed to block or avoid.

She went straight at him, keeping her sword raised above her head. He made ready to parry her strike, a few seconds later metal met metal, and they were locked. At the last moment, she had veered a little to the left.

“You strike like a girl…”

“I do.”

He had no chance to react. She quickly dealt a rough kick to the backside of his knee. Immediately, he began to stumble and soon impacted the ground with a loud thud. His sword landed nearby. Mariel lowered her sword at his face. Every group stopped what they were doing and merely stared at her.

One of the older warriors came over while applauding. “Well done kid… Would you please release my apprentice?”

Mariel put the sword away, and stepped back to allow the knight back on his feet.

“Thank you… I’m Watch-Commander Rantrink, and this is my apprentice Winqas… I can tell weapons interest you, and you have a budding proficiency…” The commander whistled loudly. “Hey, Charne get over here!”

“Sir?” A male came over, barely a little taller than Mariel. He came to attention and saluted the commander.

“I think I just found your new apprentice… This is Mariel, and despite her appearance, she’s deceptively clever…”

The male named Charne studied Mariel closely, and took in her scent. A hint of surprise flashed across his face before her returned to his stony appearance. “Yes sir… I’ll make her into a warrior…”

“You have two months… You will train her, while I train Winqas, if you can train your apprentice to beat mine, I will recommend you for training, with your kin.”

“Sir!” Charne saluted.

“Uhm… Hello? Do I get a say in this?” Mariel asked, to which the Commander grit his teeth, closed his eyes and asked in a gentle, slightly worried tone.

“I forgot to ask little lady, what do you think about this arrangement? Pray tell you are not some noble’s daughter… Ah, do you even want any of this?”

“No, sir… Just a simple commoner of no particularly dignified birth... But! I’d really like to receive training!”

“Good… Well do proceed with your preliminary lessons Charne.”

“Yes sir.”

Mariel kept up with the practice in the park well into the early evening. Despite her best attempts, keeping track of all her sword swings had failed somewhere after a hundred, with not all of them accepted as counting. The blowback effects of swinging a heavy metal object had lessened. At the end of the practice, her arms felt like jelly, and her body was screaming for sustenance.

“Well done everyone! I am rather impressed by your performance today! The next lesson will be at the same time tomorrow. For those of you chosen for personal training, please see your trainer for the specifics!”

“So Mariel, was it? I can tell someone has been teaching you to wield a sword in a fight.” Charne sheathed his own sword.

“I’ve been taught a little…” Mariel put the sword back on the rack and swung her worn-out arms to get some of the stiffness out.

“I think you’ll do just fine if we just train hard and focus on the important things, but right now, we should go get something to eat.”

“Are you sure? Aren’t you on duty?”

“I am, and that also includes informing you about what you are agreeing to. So, I was thinking we could get some food and drinks, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know? I got a favourite tavern close by.”

“Okay, lead the way.”

Charne carried out the required salutes and soon the two were heading down a long street, lined on both sides with benches and small round tables. Everywhere, people were eating, drinking and talking loudly with each other. Servers moved smoothly between the packed tables carrying big trays loaded down with food and various wines or ale. The festive mood permeated the setting.

“The spot I like is right over there!” He pointed to a big tavern with a wooden platform extending to the very limit of the street. Big banners draped the walls and a precision carved sign announced the name of the tavern: Dawnroost.

They walked up the few steps onto the wooden platform and towards the door, zigzagging between the occupied tables. Charne was just about to grab the door handle, when the doors flew open, and a female server appeared with her hands full.

“Make way!” She shouted and narrowly avoided dropping the eight tankards of ale.

“Oh hey Welidia! Do you have a table for two?”

“Huh? Charne?! Why are you…” She stopped for a moment and cast her eye on Mariel. “I see how it is, just let me drop off this one and I’ll get you sorted!” She then hurriedly entered the maze and smoothly slithered her way over to a table occupied by three couples, apparently, traders from their clothes. After dropping off the order, she promptly returned.

“So? Table for two?” She smiled and turned her head to look at Mariel once more. “I don’t know the details, but you should consider yourself lucky, he’s a wonderful guy.”

“Ah, no it’s nothing like that at all.” Charne interceded while gesturing for a free table. “She’s my apprentice.”

“Oh? Well good on you! You seem to have found a fine lass, what’s your name lovely?”

“Mariel… And, we’re not seeing each other or anything…”

Welidia nodded knowingly and promptly led them both to the empty table.

“Well then, what can I get you two? The stew is lovely this evening, but if you’re looking for a treat I can recommend freshly baked bread, salad and boar meat.”

“That latter option sounds fantastic, and give me an ale! Would you like one Mariel?”

“I’ll take the same… Except the ale, I don’t even like it, water please.”

“Alright! Sit tight then!” Welidia nodded and left them alone.

“So, uh sorry about all the sudden changes… I guess you have a million questions, and I’ll try to answer them… To clear it up, that female back there was my old ex-girlfriend; Welidia.”

“Oh, I see. She seems nice though, what happened?”

“Don’t get me wrong, she’s a perfect girlfriend; kind, a great listener, knows what she wants, but lives to please. But unlike her, I loved the danger, the weapons, drill and serving in the guard. She wants steady and repetitive days, nothing wrong with that though.”

“But if you think she’s perfect, how’d you mess up?” She asked him, and for a moment he appeared slightly hurt by her question.

“We didn’t screw up; we just have diverging interests and plans. So, we decided that breaking up would be most beneficial for us both. We still hang out together and she’s an excellent friend… But enough about me.”

“Ah sure, I was wondering why me? And what’s this whole duel thing?”

“You showed great potential, and I’ve been begging for a way to join a specific guard corps… So, your interest in learning to defend yourself converged with my way forward… I’ll train you as best as I can, but I believe you’ll learn more if you’re interested in learning.”

“I need to know how to handle weapons. I’m on a journey back home on the human continent.”

“The human continent? Why would you want to go there? I hear your kin is persecuted and enslaved there…”

“Yes, but there are good humans too, like my family that raised me.”

Charne nodded his head deep in thought. One of the other servers came by and left their cups on the table. They made a small toast and drank together.

“By the way, You do realize I’m different, right?” He looked at her expectantly.

“Yes? And? I’m not going to think any less of you, I’ve been looked down upon for my own ancestry.” She shrugged.

Charne took a big gulp of his ale and wiped the foam away with the back of his leather glove. “Are you sure? I haven’t even told you what I am.”

“I’m guessing you’re one of the beastkin.”

“Almost right. I have dragon blood in my veins, from a pact made a long time ago by one of my ancestors. That was back when dragons were intelligent creatures.”

“Are you sure they’re not intelligent anymore?” She asked while supressing Siah’s unsuitable swearing.

“Yes, apart from small, intelligent dragons that live-in people’s minds, mindlings if you like. But they’ve been pretty much extinct since one of their kind decided to destroy a kingdom by infiltrating the mind of the leaders.”

“Wait, they tried to take over a whole kingdom?”

“Manipulated my great-great grandfather no less.” Siah made a sigh-like sound.

“They did, but back on topic: What I want to do here, is to become a dragon tamer. If you’ll help me, I’ll teach you all the tricks I know that you can learn. Then I’ll be a dragon tamer and you can be a proficient fighter.”

“That’s what the training thing is about?”

“Yes. In the end, you’ll fight a mock fight, and if you win, we’ll both benefit.”

“And if we lose?”

“We’ll get through it if we take a slow, meticulous approach… Rantrink is a great teacher, and Winqas is a good soldier, despite his rather, lazy display today… He’ll be expecting nothing but tricks from you. I’ll train you in defence, and to beat his expectations.”

Just then the tavern maid Welidia swung over with a tray loaded down with their order. She swiftly placed the wooden boards in front of them. She then pulled up a chair for herself and sat down.

“I thought you were working?” Charne noted while beginning to put together a multi-layered sandwich from the ingredients on the board. Mariel followed suit, adding her own favourite toppings.

“Well I asked for a break… Besides, how could I pass up getting to know my best friend’s lovely girlfriend?” She grinned and looked at Mariel expectantly.

“We’re not in a relationship… He’s going to teach me how to fight.” She tried to defend her position, but Welidia merely nodded nonchalantly and leaned closer.

“Lovely face, smooth skin, very articulate and interested in killing stuff, you are basically his perfect match.”

“Please Welidia, don’t embarrass us like that… So, what’s new around the city?” He tried to deflect the topic, and seeing the intent, Welidia played along. She closed her eyes and remained completely still for a short while, before making a summary.

“Adriested is under siege, the price of metal is on the rise and the forges are being run red-hot all day and night. Marketplace is in chaos, and there are rumours of war… Harvest is looking good, and the stocks are full.”

“You found out all that just by listening?” Mariel nodded approvingly.

“Sure, it’s pretty easy. Just try to concentrate on one voice… See that merchant over there? That guy with the goose feathered hat? Try listen to his voice.”

Mariel nodded and closed her eyes. At first, all the voices around her were blended together. She searched, trying to separate the merchant’s voice from the sea of voices. Gradually, she managed to sort out his hoarse, dry voice that was frequently moistened by ale.

“Terrible business lately… Did you know? Awful. That damned sky above, opening and tossing out all sorts of miseries… This is the fifth time already…”

Mariel lost her focus and opened her eyes to find Welidia well into her comfort zone.

“What did you discover?”

“As you said, problems in the markets… And the sky parting five times?”

“Oh, right! People are worried. There’s been five incidents revolving around it. Three of them happened close to here, the two others occurred closer to the east coast. Somehow, people were tossed through them from all around the world.”

“I’m sure we’ll be alright.” Charne noted, his mouth stuffed. “You should eat Mariel.”

The night had just rolled in when they finished their food and a long chat with Welidia. Mariel had learned a fair amount and had come to appreciate the sincerity and reliance shared between Charne and Welidia. Despite their breakup, they still relied on each other for support and sharing interesting bits of information. She and Charne had determined a time and frequency for their training drills: Five times a week, for six hours a day. His plan focused on teaching parry and dodging, to read enemy movement and hybrid combat involving Brandt wielders.

Mariel quietly entered the temple. Despite the late hour, several sisters were still up scrubbing the floors and maintaining the oil lamps. She headed for her own room, and as soon as she had closed the door, she heard a rustle behind her.

“Where have you been? Are you even sure you should be out so late? And what have you been doing? You’re covered in dirt!” Casindire had stood up from her chair and hurried over to her.

“I’ve been outside… I found a person who agreed to teach me how to fight.”

“Fight? In your state? Hmm, well start easy okay?” Casindire were unable to hide her worry, but gestured for her to eat the soup in the bowl by her bedside.

“It’s cold by now, but it’ll do you well.”

“Anything happened while I was gone?”

Casindre nodded and produced a letter. “From Tizare, he’s gone with a relief force to aid Adriested as an advisor. He said he had to go or be kept here in chains. He’ll be back within the month, or at least before winter.”

“What? He left without us?” Mariel looked at the letter with disbelief. She opened it and quickly read the words inside it. The shock soon covering her face.

“He did, but he said he’ll be back. In the meantime, you got your plans cut out for you. I was thinking of spending more time with the sisters here, and learn how they venerate Yulie.”

“Great idea! But we should find something for Saya to do too.”

“She’s helping me with cooking… She measured up the kitchen in steps for me and helped me out with picking the best ingredients… But I wish we could help her somehow…”

“I’ll think about it and check in on her tomorrow.”

Casindire nodded and bid her a good night before leaving her alone in her room. Immediately, her weariness overtook her, and she was slowly drawn towards her bed.