The Four Swords

Chapter 46: Imagination and Training

Sleep eluded me that evening. Images of scorched earth and trees ran through my mind. The Norad's injured Gavin and tried to start chaos at the parade, but somehow they felt more formidable with a murder on the record.

The enemy could be anywhere. They could just as easily disappear from anywhere. Those facts made my stomach turn and my head ache.

I got up out of my bed and went to the window, with the hope that the guards outside my home would reassure me that my family was safe.

I could not tell the hour, but I could see the broad shouldered outline of Finley. Next to him I saw something I could not quite make out. Something was on the ground.

The shadow was large and long. It sat almost on Finley's boots. Could my mother have ordered a large sack of something? I did not recall passing anything on my way home.

Suddenly the mystery object moved. The part closest to Finley seemed to stretch out like an inchworm. Panic gripped me. What kind of new threat was this? There must be something I could do from here to help save Finley.

The enemy could creep easily through the night. Maybe it was just this way that the man from the parade invaded the city. Who would be awake to notice a lump of shadow inch through the night? The figure was about the size of a man.

Finley registered the movement. The toe of his boot gently kicked toward the mystery threat. What kind of magic was this? Could it harm my guard?

In the faint light of the moon, it all started to make sense. The end of the mystery object furthest from Finley's boots slowly opened to reveal Alejo. With a stretch of his arms and a wide yawn, he climbed out of the bedroll that had until moments before been covering the entirety of his person.

How could I be that dumb? In my fear and want for adventure, I created danger out of something that was protecting me. The movement I saw was Alejo stretching out his legs. The mysterious object that I did not see on my way home, was not there before since my guards only set up the bedroll when they needed it.

I watched as Alejo and Finley changed places. Alejo now guarded the house while Finley bedded down for the night. I guess that answered one mystery. My guards did in fact sleep.

I need to make sure my imagination does not run away with unknowns. Reality is scary enough without me inventing more dangers. With some sense of security mixed with chagrin, I finally fell asleep.

A knock at my door startled me awake from a deep sleep. Once I let sleep claim me, it seemed to not want to let me go.

"Jack? Are you feeling alright? Your father and uncle are about to leave for the castle if you want to join them," my mother gently offered. I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed.

"Thank you. I'll be out in a minute." I replied through a closed door. Now that I knew for sure that my guards slept, I would have to next figure out if my mother did.

How could one woman be able to make meals, take care of little ones, clean out home and always be the one to make sure the rest of us made it to our days on time? Truly my mother and women like her were stronger than half the men on the training field and probably half as rested.

It's funny the things I take for granted as a child that only now, while I'm on the edge of moving out to make my own home, do I cherish.

I quickly prepared for the day and met my father, uncle and shadows at the front door. With sleep still lingering in my thoughts, we made our way to training for the day.

Today's training looked a little different than the past two days. The sheer number of men that graced the practice field dwindled by half. The men who made the cut for the northern assignment were called into one group. The rest, who I assume were made up of reserves in case someone from the chosen group refused his assignment, made up another group.

"I will take John and Sir Jacobson to train the men on assignment," Lord Bleddyn offered, clearly trying to group himself with the men that would get to be the front line.

"If Lord Garrison agrees, I see no problem with that," my father interjected. He left the final call in the hands of someone else, escaping Lord Bleddyn's anger if the decision were not favorable.

"Let's switch after warming the men up. If we rotate from group to group it is easier to find weaknesses." Lord Garrison replied. He was right, but Lord Bleddyn's scowl challenged the idea.

Lord Bleddyn pursed his lips as if he were preparing to speak. Against such logic, he had no argument and instead turned to being training his group. I followed behind, trying to stay out of his direct line of sight in fear of retaliation for a choice I had not made.

Lord Bleddyn led the warm up. He and my father were clearly in cahoots as to what physical activity could make me wish for more air to fit in my lungs. After multiple rounds of sweaty excruciating pain, Lord Bleddyn finally let us take a break.

As I often did after my father ran me into exhaustion, I fell on the ground looking up at the sky trying to catch my breath. Benate, the man from the clan of Bear that did not let me win our match a few days ago, blocked the Sun from my face with a jovial expression.

"Your father just told me that we get to have round two, if you're up for it, Sir Jacobson," Benate grinned as his large frame chuckled.

Wiping sweat from my eyes and attempting to stand, I could only hope that this would be as much of a learning experience as last time.

"I'm game