“No, just… interesting. You wield it with skill and speed. No wonder Koros spoke so highly of your skill. He’s right.” Koros gave a smug grin. He knew he was, and wasn’t afraid to act smug about it. Avery sighed and shook her head at him, thinking that he was far too confident in her abilities, since he was the one who taught her all of her fighting skills. But not all of them. Some of them, she learned from Morikai and Kusano while hanging out with them in the forest over the years. . . . Avery stared out at the changing landscape as she traveled to the city. Soon fields became villages, which then became a large city, surrounded by a siege wall to defend the capital city of Coraz, Na’vira. Her thoughts wound back to what had brought her to going into Na’vira to train to become a soldier. She sat back in the cart, waiting to arrive at the tent in castle grounds to meet her new commander. “We’re here,” called Koros, startling Avery as the cart stopped. Avery glanced over the top at him, nodding. She jumped out and grabbed her satchel. It held her papers saying where she was to go and who would be her commander. Avery grinned nervously as she walked to the tent with Koros leading the way. She was wearing a crisp white shirt, dark pants, and light brown leather boots, well-worn and still in good condition. Her black hair had been loosely tied back, hair still falling out of the cloth strip she had used to tie it. “Morning, Manai,” Koros said to the man in the tent as they entered. He was the only available man, the others working with other recruits to get them to where they needed to go. “Avery Starshade is this young man,” he added as the attendant opened his mouth to ask the question he was prepared to answer. Avery nodded politely, nervous about what she was going to be doing. “Ah, young Avery. I’ve heard great things about you. Let’s see your papers,” the man replied. Avery pulled them out of her satchel and handed them to the man. After looking through them for a couple of minutes, he gave a low whistle. “You’ve got a lot of good remarks, so you’re going with the group that’s fighting with our ally, Azzen. You’re going to be under the command of the crown prince there, as well. They’re leaving tomorrow for Azzen, so you need to get your supplies. Go with Koros to the Armory, and if you don’t have a good warhorse, go to the stables to get one. Especially if it’s one of the horses that pulled your cart here.” “I have a good horse. He doesn’t like anyone but me, so I’ve been letting him roam. Give me a second and he’ll be here.” Avery replied, not before giving a shrill whistle. Almost a minute after, a paint war horse came trotting into the courtyard and brushed against Avery’s open hand. “Hey, Arach-teine,” Avery said, smiling. His name was Dragon-fire in the language of magic, that of the Sky-Walkers. “A fine horse indeed,” replied Manai, smiling mischievously at Koros, who returned the smile. “You’d do well to know how to ride with a saddle, boy,” he added, noting that Dragon-fire didn’t have a saddle. Avery nodded. “I normally don’t ride him with a saddle, but I do have his tack in the cart.” “Take care, then,” Manai replied, returning to his station to take the next boy and guardian. “Well,” Koros sighed, mussing Avery’s hair. Avery gripped his hand and pushed it away from her head. “What?” “You’re making me feel like a little kid,” Avery muttered under her breath, turning her head away from Koros. “To me, you’ll always be a little kid. You’re so young right now, and I definitely don’t want to see you die in war. You have a world ahead of you, and I might never see you alive again, Aves.” Koros replied, looking up into the sky. Avery glanced to see his expression, which was saddened and serene. “Promise me you’ll return alive, if at all. And remember, it’s your duty to survive, and to help those around you survive this war as well. That’s the only way to survive a war. Keep those around you alive, and they’ll do the same for you.” “I promise you that,” Avery consoled, putting her hand on his shoulder. Her larger hand still looked small compared to Koros’, and even smaller when he gripped it and nodded at her. “Good. Now let’s go to the Armory before all of the good armor and shields for men your size are gone.” Koros ruffled Avery’s hair once more and they hurried to go get her armor and a good shield. After getting the armor for Avery, the two of them went to the tent for those heading out to Azzen in the morning. Avery quickly changed her clothes into the uniform for soldiers in the army, a white tunic with long sleeves, a tight-fitting leather jerkin, dark breeches, and a light leather belt. She pulled her hair out of the short ponytail and tied the ribbon around her wrist.
