8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I t was a good thing that I was due for a training session that afternoon, because I had a lot of built-up anger to work out and standing at the entrance to the royal wing wasn't going to cut it.

"Verner?" Captain Soren said, doing a double take. Probably because my shadows were exploding out everywhere.

"Captain."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I'm looking forward to training today."

"Apparently so," he murmured. "But only Astrid is free."

I hesitated at that. I didn't want to interact with Astrid, despite repeatedly reminding myself that she was Meera's friend. Or at the very least, she was the reason Meera was here. But I couldn't let go of my own bitterness where Astrid was concerned, not entirely.

And even if I could, I had no desire to spar with anyone who wasn't a Shade. For all I disliked about Astrid, she was physically much smaller and weaker than I was, and she had been even before one of her hands had been rendered all but useless.

"Scared, big guy?" Astrid asked sarcastically, twirling the baton the captain must have formed for her between her fingers. "I'll go easy on you."

"Don't antagonize him," Captain Soren grumbled. "Batons only—no contact. Deal?"

"Sure, Cap."

I waited for the captain to reprimand her, but he merely huffed in annoyance and took a step back, giving us space to get into position.

It seemed a little absurd to even consider, but was he… interested in her? Why would he let her speak to him that way?

I mostly stayed on the defensive, uncomfortable with the idea of even trying to land a hit on Astrid. I'd been all fired up when I came to the training ground, but interacting with her had thrown me off-balance enough that my ire had cooled.

"It's no fun when you don't fight back," Astrid said flatly, moving with impressive speed and grace for a human.

"I don't want to fight you."

"You sure about that? Everyone wants to fight me."

She was like a wounded animal, I realized. Lashing out to protect herself. It didn't erase what she'd done or how I felt about it, but I immediately understood her better.

"Did you train like this with the Hunters?"

Astrid stopped, her hands dropping to her sides and she took a step back, staring at me with that unsettlingly probing stare. The captain was distracted with another sparring set, though she didn't look to him for backup.

"Why do you ask?"

"Shades can't join the Guard until they reach their age of majority. As I understand it, Hunters are inducted as children. I wondered how rigorous the training regime was—surely, they can't expect that much of you when you're young?"

The question had come out unbidden, and I was surprised that Astrid appeared to be giving it consideration. Meera's childhood was hardly the only thing I was reflecting on after that conversation, but it was one of them. What kind of organization were the Hunters, really? How did they form her core support network as a child, yet seemingly provide her with no support at all?

"We don't start knife throwing until around age twelve," Astrid said with a small shrug. "Prior to that, it's a lot of running drills. Obstacle courses. Being left outside in the dark a lot to get us used to it."

"That's… horrifying."

She shrugged again, a little less confidently. "I mean, yeah. It's shit. On the plus side—sort of—there's a hierarchy even among the youth. Less based on who your family is, like it is for the adults, and more based on skill. The more promise you show, the more training you do."

"How is that a plus side?"

"It means that the less promise you show, the less training you do. I spent far more time in training than Ophelia did when we were kids because even then, it was clear she wasn't cut out for it."

That was unexpectedly nurturing of her, considering the kinds of things she had done. Then again, the whole reason Astrid had left the Hunters in the first place and thoroughly torched her future with them was for her sister, so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised.

If only I hadn't lost my sister at the hands of a Hunter just as deadly as Astrid. It made it difficult to reconcile the different sides of the person in front of me. Bitterness wasn't a feeling I was accustomed to experiencing, I liked to think I was above it. Clearly not.

"Are you wondering what kind of regime Meera would have been subjected to?"

I startled, staring blankly at Astrid.

"Meera hasn't said anything, I've just noticed you hanging around her a lot," Astrid added.

"I've never noticed you in the gardens."

"I'm told that I can move quietly for a Hunter."

Yes, that much was certainly true. "I suppose I am wondering about Meera's childhood, yes. But it would be intrusive of me to ask you about her."

"I can't tell you much anyway. We didn't know each other as kids. But I can tell you that of all of us, Meera is second only to me on the daggers, so she was probably a busy kid too."

I'd suspected as much, in all honesty. That was probably how that man had gotten access to her in the first place.

"Does it bother you to know she's good with knives?" Astrid asked, shooting the captain an irritated look as the baton vanished into smoke in her hand. Apparently, he'd decided that our training session was over.

"No. I'm glad to hear it."

Astrid looked at me strangely. "I guess I see why she enjoys spending time with you then."

And with those confusing parting words, she was gone.

I'd forgotten how oppressive the heat at Sunlis was. It descended over me like a heavy blanket, immediately sapping my energy. Had I really spent my whole childhood here? It felt like a different life.

The market was loud and busy, and the smell of various meats prepared in a multitude of ways permeated the entire square. From almost the moment I arrived, I felt the attention of all the Shades present on me. This was a local market, and my family was well-known here—equal only to Levana's family, though her father was a recluse and mine made a point of being involved in the community.

I hoped Meera really enjoyed the ojurac, because the number of stares I was receiving in order to get it was stifling.

"Cousin," Osric said, walking directly through the middle of a small group of Shades, a skewer of meat in his hand. "How unusual to see you in the region."

I hummed in agreement, staring Osric down until he inclined his head in respect.

"You are well, I see. Spending a relaxing day at the market. How lovely." I gestured vaguely at him, and his shadows rippled in annoyance. It was hardly my fault that he was lazy and unambitious.

"What can our small, humble market have to offer you? Surely, you're used to the luxuries of court life by now," he said loudly, drawing attention to our conversation.

"The finest ojurac in the realm, of course," I replied, projecting my voice so that our audience would hear it. "One of the ex-Hunters pronounced it to be her favorite food in the shadow realm."

"They eat ojurac?" someone whispered. "Did you know that?"

"I though they would only eat their own foods."

"It's probably some kind of trick," another said. "But what can we do? They're the only reason the stores aren't completely empty."

Interesting. I didn't know what reactions I'd expected the general population to have, but I supposed it made sense that they were suspicious since they never spent any time with the ex-Hunters. No one could be suspicious of Meera if they had an opportunity to speak to her—she was quiet and reserved, but also kind and honest. Anyone would be able to see that.

"I have plenty of ojurac here, Master Verner!" one of the stall owners called out. "Freshly made this morning."

"Perfect—I will take the lot."

"Ever the beloved son," Osric said coolly, his shadows flickering. "At least out here, among the community."

But not at home.

I smiled at him. "Indeed. Thus far, their affections have proven to be much less fickle than the ones you're courting. I wish you all the very best with that."

With a slightly harder than necessary clap on the shoulder, I left him standing there with his meat skewer while I went and got as much cake as I could carry for Meera. Let Osric play his games here. I wanted no part of them.