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knifewithnoname"We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon." Priestess Elina finished, "You will be given a cover story and the journey to the mountains to perfect it. I will send over some suitable clothing for you to wear. Do you understand?"
The girl nodded, though the amount of information she had just been given was a lot. "Yes priestess Elina." Her voice was cracked from disuse and her throat sore and dry. It was a lot to take in, she was to leave Gauig tomorrow. She had never left the city before and she was to go to the temple where Elina and Kant lived. There she would learn to be a warrior. All that information was bouncing at her trying to get through the numb shock of what had happened.
She saw Elina give Kant a look, the kind of look that the girl knew had unspoken orders in it, though she couldn't say what they were. "Kant will be able to answer any questions about the temple."
"Yes priestess." Whereas most of her guardians accepted nods or silent obedience the priestess always required words, as did Kant and it had always been a hard thing for the girl to remember.
Elina left the room, silently. The girl was jealous of that, she could move silently herself but not in that many layers of dress with necklaces and hair ornaments. She was left alone with Kant who stared at her with an unreadable expression. The girl half expected him to leave but he surprised her. "Follow me, little one."
She did so, half wondering and half fearing where he was taking her. It was to the kitchens though and she frowned, wondering why. He lifted her up, taking her by surprise and swung her up to one of the big wooden tables next to the stove like she was a much smaller child and not nearly twelve. "You're hungry, you haven't eaten in days." He said it as a fact, not asking her opinion. Even though she wasn't hungry and her stomach recoiled at the thought of food.
She watched as he gathered milk and honey and put it on the fire. She had seen Kant do a lot of things over the years, from quiet knife work to loud fighting to looking after a sick horse but now stood stirring milk and honey for a heartsick assassin brat he looked ridiculous.
The girl studied him, she knew he would be aware of her scrutiny, he had been the one who taught her to see so much after all. He seemed engrossed in his task but his look was dark. He was angry and the girl didn't know if that anger was towards her. Surely if it was he wouldn't be making her milk and honey. He had a fading bruise on his cheekbone, the girl wondered who could of even hit him, he was the quickest, smartest fighter she knew. She also wondered why Elina hadn't healed it, had he made her mad?
Soon he was pressing a mug of steaming milk and honey into her hands. "Eat it all, little one."
She didn't want to but he was wearing his no arguments look and she took a sip. It tasted funny in her mouth and she forced herself to swallow it. He nodded, still stern and leaned against the counter. "All of it." He reminded her and his tone made her want to stick her tongue out at him. But that was a baby thing to do and whereas she might have gotten away with it as a baby she wouldn't now and she feared to even put her littlest toe out of line.
They sat and leaned in silence for a long while the only sound being when Kant gently reminded her to drink when she forgot for too long. The girl had felt like words were a really long way away from her the last few days and probably if Kant had asked her questions or tried to speak she would have stayed quiet but the silence drove on and eventually she spoke, her voice hoarse.
"Do they be having honey in the mountains?" It was a silly question, not one of the big scary questions she wanted to ask.
"Sometimes." Kant didn't act like her question was stupid. "They have to import it though, so it's quite expensive." He looked at her kindly, "It's not the sort of thing trainees are given to eat, it's a luxury."
It took a while for the girl to get her head around that, honey being a luxury. It was a staple of her diet.
"What do they be eating then?"
Kant explained about the food in the mountains, it sounded a mix of bland and boring or totally strange and bizarre. She wrinkled her nose and he chuckled.
"You'll be fine little one." He looked at her with serious eyes, "You're tough, you've proven that." She looked down, suddenly interested in the congealing honey at the bottom of her mug.
"Sometimes." He coughed, but it was not a real cough, "Sometimes even when you have a duty and a calling it can be hard to see clearly. Sometimes you do things and you cannot be sure they are the right things to do. You can only trust in the dark god, who knows all and those who give your orders, who see a bigger picture." He ruffled her hair and the girl looked at him sadly, knowing that he wasn't talking about going to the temple and living without honey.
The girl nodded, though the amount of information she had just been given was a lot. "Yes priestess Elina." Her voice was cracked from disuse and her throat sore and dry. It was a lot to take in, she was to leave Gauig tomorrow. She had never left the city before and she was to go to the temple where Elina and Kant lived. There she would learn to be a warrior. All that information was bouncing at her trying to get through the numb shock of what had happened.
She saw Elina give Kant a look, the kind of look that the girl knew had unspoken orders in it, though she couldn't say what they were. "Kant will be able to answer any questions about the temple."
"Yes priestess." Whereas most of her guardians accepted nods or silent obedience the priestess always required words, as did Kant and it had always been a hard thing for the girl to remember.
Elina left the room, silently. The girl was jealous of that, she could move silently herself but not in that many layers of dress with necklaces and hair ornaments. She was left alone with Kant who stared at her with an unreadable expression. The girl half expected him to leave but he surprised her. "Follow me, little one."
She did so, half wondering and half fearing where he was taking her. It was to the kitchens though and she frowned, wondering why. He lifted her up, taking her by surprise and swung her up to one of the big wooden tables next to the stove like she was a much smaller child and not nearly twelve. "You're hungry, you haven't eaten in days." He said it as a fact, not asking her opinion. Even though she wasn't hungry and her stomach recoiled at the thought of food.
She watched as he gathered milk and honey and put it on the fire. She had seen Kant do a lot of things over the years, from quiet knife work to loud fighting to looking after a sick horse but now stood stirring milk and honey for a heartsick assassin brat he looked ridiculous.
The girl studied him, she knew he would be aware of her scrutiny, he had been the one who taught her to see so much after all. He seemed engrossed in his task but his look was dark. He was angry and the girl didn't know if that anger was towards her. Surely if it was he wouldn't be making her milk and honey. He had a fading bruise on his cheekbone, the girl wondered who could of even hit him, he was the quickest, smartest fighter she knew. She also wondered why Elina hadn't healed it, had he made her mad?
Soon he was pressing a mug of steaming milk and honey into her hands. "Eat it all, little one."
She didn't want to but he was wearing his no arguments look and she took a sip. It tasted funny in her mouth and she forced herself to swallow it. He nodded, still stern and leaned against the counter. "All of it." He reminded her and his tone made her want to stick her tongue out at him. But that was a baby thing to do and whereas she might have gotten away with it as a baby she wouldn't now and she feared to even put her littlest toe out of line.
They sat and leaned in silence for a long while the only sound being when Kant gently reminded her to drink when she forgot for too long. The girl had felt like words were a really long way away from her the last few days and probably if Kant had asked her questions or tried to speak she would have stayed quiet but the silence drove on and eventually she spoke, her voice hoarse.
"Do they be having honey in the mountains?" It was a silly question, not one of the big scary questions she wanted to ask.
"Sometimes." Kant didn't act like her question was stupid. "They have to import it though, so it's quite expensive." He looked at her kindly, "It's not the sort of thing trainees are given to eat, it's a luxury."
It took a while for the girl to get her head around that, honey being a luxury. It was a staple of her diet.
"What do they be eating then?"
Kant explained about the food in the mountains, it sounded a mix of bland and boring or totally strange and bizarre. She wrinkled her nose and he chuckled.
"You'll be fine little one." He looked at her with serious eyes, "You're tough, you've proven that." She looked down, suddenly interested in the congealing honey at the bottom of her mug.
"Sometimes." He coughed, but it was not a real cough, "Sometimes even when you have a duty and a calling it can be hard to see clearly. Sometimes you do things and you cannot be sure they are the right things to do. You can only trust in the dark god, who knows all and those who give your orders, who see a bigger picture." He ruffled her hair and the girl looked at him sadly, knowing that he wasn't talking about going to the temple and living without honey.
