Chapter Twenty-Five
All Paths Eventually Cross
It was a night of tossing and turning and awful dreams, spent much as I’d spent most of my evenings in Ann tar: being drowned by a bunch of nightmarish sea witches. By morning I was worn out. My limbs felt sore and stiff as wood, my head groggy. I might have felt better if I hadn’t slept at all.
Isabel woke me at the crack of dawn. “Rise and shine, Mr. Greene,” she chirped, pitching a log into the campfire. “The gang took Emma into the woods to gather some twigs. Would you like some breakfast? I made french toast, and there’s tea.”
“Sure,” I said, suddenly hungry.
She handed me a plate while a gremlin splashed some tea in my cup.
“Ahoy there, lad.” The captain rushed from behind a tree and threw a pile of sticks next to the fire. “Eat up, the dragons are waitin’.” “Aye, aye, Captain,” the crowd responded. He ruffled my hair, grinning. “Ah, wot a fine day for a battle.” “You heard the captain,” Emma said, squinting at the sunrise, which was turning the sky orange. “It’s time to whup some Forbidden Forest butt.” I packed my stuff, which took about two seconds. My sword slipped into a leather scabbard around my waist and the sleeping bag Tinlef had lent me fit in my backpack. “Hello, darling.” Isabel hiccupped a ball of fire and landed on Emma’s elbow. “I have made some treats for our trip and placed them in bags,” she said. “I need you both to carry one if you don’t mind, dears.” Emma pointed to the blanket she was clutching under her arm and a pile of stuff on the dusty ground. “I have a lot to lug around already.” “Oh.” Isabel chewed on her talon. “Well, someone has to carry them. It wouldn’t be wise to set out on a journey without food.” I shrugged and was about to grab a canvas sack when the captain winked at me. “Come, walk with me, lad.” I crept across the camp and we strolled through the scraggly trees. “I want you to lead us to the dragons.” “Who . . . me?” “I know you don’t know the way. Tinlef will show you.” Before I had time to think up an excuse or talk my way out of it, the captain said, “Fine, then it’s settled.” He did a quick about-face and marched back toward the fire. “It’s time to go,” Tinlef insisted. “Let’s move.” I felt a sudden tightness in my throat. Leading a bunch of warriors into a fight with some monsters who wanted to kill us was not my idea of a good time. Tinlef put his hand on my shoulder while the elves formed a line and the others fell in behind. “You want to know why you’ll do well in battle, Aiden?” I stared at him. “Were you reading my mind or something?” “Some call mind reading others call it intuition.” He shrugged, as he carefully traversed a swift-flowing stream. “So you were thinking about death, right?” I nodded, wondering what …show more content…
After lunch, everybody gathered around and watched Tinlef give me a sword-fighting lesson. He started by demonstrating some of the basic moves, like hacking, slicing, and dicing. Then he picked up a stick and used it to show me how to slash and gash while at the same time shouting orders, “Turn to the left a little. Not my left, your left. Okay, now keep your blade straight and your guard up,” he said and whacked me in the leg with his stick.
“Ouch, Tin,” I said.
“That’s what happens when you don’t keep your guard up. Only your opponent’s not going to be holding a stick,” he said and tried to lunge at me, but I stopped him. Clang. “There you go. That’s it. Now let’s try it again.”
My blade hit the base of Tinlef’s and I pivoted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust. Bang. Tinlef’s sword clattered against the ground. The tip of my blade was an inch from his unprotected throat.
The others were silent.
I lowered my sword. “Um, sorry.”
For a moment, Tinlef was too shocked to speak. “Sorry?” His face broke into a grin. “Aiden, why are you sorry? You’re ready for
All Paths Eventually Cross
It was a night of tossing and turning and awful dreams, spent much as I’d spent most of my evenings in Ann tar: being drowned by a bunch of nightmarish sea witches. By morning I was worn out. My limbs felt sore and stiff as wood, my head groggy. I might have felt better if I hadn’t slept at all.
Isabel woke me at the crack of dawn. “Rise and shine, Mr. Greene,” she chirped, pitching a log into the campfire. “The gang took Emma into the woods to gather some twigs. Would you like some breakfast? I made french toast, and there’s tea.”
“Sure,” I said, suddenly hungry.
She handed me a plate while a gremlin splashed some tea in my cup.
“Ahoy there, lad.” The captain rushed from behind a tree and threw a pile of sticks next to the fire. “Eat up, the dragons are waitin’.” “Aye, aye, Captain,” the crowd responded. He ruffled my hair, grinning. “Ah, wot a fine day for a battle.” “You heard the captain,” Emma said, squinting at the sunrise, which was turning the sky orange. “It’s time to whup some Forbidden Forest butt.” I packed my stuff, which took about two seconds. My sword slipped into a leather scabbard around my waist and the sleeping bag Tinlef had lent me fit in my backpack. “Hello, darling.” Isabel hiccupped a ball of fire and landed on Emma’s elbow. “I have made some treats for our trip and placed them in bags,” she said. “I need you both to carry one if you don’t mind, dears.” Emma pointed to the blanket she was clutching under her arm and a pile of stuff on the dusty ground. “I have a lot to lug around already.” “Oh.” Isabel chewed on her talon. “Well, someone has to carry them. It wouldn’t be wise to set out on a journey without food.” I shrugged and was about to grab a canvas sack when the captain winked at me. “Come, walk with me, lad.” I crept across the camp and we strolled through the scraggly trees. “I want you to lead us to the dragons.” “Who . . . me?” “I know you don’t know the way. Tinlef will show you.” Before I had time to think up an excuse or talk my way out of it, the captain said, “Fine, then it’s settled.” He did a quick about-face and marched back toward the fire. “It’s time to go,” Tinlef insisted. “Let’s move.” I felt a sudden tightness in my throat. Leading a bunch of warriors into a fight with some monsters who wanted to kill us was not my idea of a good time. Tinlef put his hand on my shoulder while the elves formed a line and the others fell in behind. “You want to know why you’ll do well in battle, Aiden?” I stared at him. “Were you reading my mind or something?” “Some call mind reading others call it intuition.” He shrugged, as he carefully traversed a swift-flowing stream. “So you were thinking about death, right?” I nodded, wondering what …show more content…
After lunch, everybody gathered around and watched Tinlef give me a sword-fighting lesson. He started by demonstrating some of the basic moves, like hacking, slicing, and dicing. Then he picked up a stick and used it to show me how to slash and gash while at the same time shouting orders, “Turn to the left a little. Not my left, your left. Okay, now keep your blade straight and your guard up,” he said and whacked me in the leg with his stick.
“Ouch, Tin,” I said.
“That’s what happens when you don’t keep your guard up. Only your opponent’s not going to be holding a stick,” he said and tried to lunge at me, but I stopped him. Clang. “There you go. That’s it. Now let’s try it again.”
My blade hit the base of Tinlef’s and I pivoted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust. Bang. Tinlef’s sword clattered against the ground. The tip of my blade was an inch from his unprotected throat.
The others were silent.
I lowered my sword. “Um, sorry.”
For a moment, Tinlef was too shocked to speak. “Sorry?” His face broke into a grin. “Aiden, why are you sorry? You’re ready for