CHAPTER 8
Jahi's body hurt in places he didn't know could hurt from all the running. He had never been one to play physical games with boys his age. They never worked out well, him being the son of a king. One of two things would happen-the boys he'd play with wouldn't try very hard, and therefore let him win, or worse, they'd look for ways to beat and humiliate him. He had learned that it was best to just focus on his studies.
He enjoyed those more anyway.
He was not so lazy to forsake all physical activity though. His father made sure he participated in combat drills led by the captain of the guard. He never expected Jahi to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with men in battle. However, Horus made the point many times over that a ruler who appeared too soft or frail would not be respected in the same way as one who at least maintained the illusion he could fight.
Seeing the wisdom in his father's words, Jahi had trained religiously each day. Often he felt good, almost refreshed, when the sessions ended, a welcome break to the hours at his books.
Just a day ago, Jahi would have considered his conditioning to be good, definitely above adequate. However, after running beside Rondel and Andrasta through Girga and then outside the city, he realized his conditioning paled in comparison to theirs.
Are my father's guards inept? Or have they been going easy on me all this time? Jahi knew the answer and it stung. They didn't think I could handle the training. How many jokes have been told at my expense?
After hours of travel Andrasta finally called for a rest. The woman's breathing appeared labored but not as ragged as Jahi expected, especially since she wore armor and carried most of their supplies. Even Rondel appeared to be in better shape than Jahi would have expected. He bent over for a few moments to catch his breath, but stood quickly and walked around the clearing, performing a series of odd stretches.
It took Jahi much longer to stand, having collapsed once his legs stopped moving. They began to seize on him. Cramps had him groaning between heaving up the contents of his stomach.
Too much rich food last night. Gods, I'm going to die.
He felt an arm slide under his, hoisting him to his feet. Despite his muttered protests, Andrasta forced him to walk in circles.
"Be quiet. Focus on your breathing," she said. "Stopping, no matter how tired you are, will only make things worse."
Jahi winced with each step as lances of pain ran up his legs.
"Give him some of this," Jahi heard Rondel say.
A skin of water touched his lips. He turned away as his stomach rolled. "No. I'll just throw it up."
Andrasta grabbed his head and jerked it backward. "You need to drink. Do it slowly."
Jahi opened his mouth. A splash of cool water brushed across his lips and rolled down his throat. His stomach convulsed, but he managed to keep it down. He took a few more steps and was rewarded with another sip of water. The process repeated several more times until he felt better.
Andrasta sat him next to a tree, then went to speak with Rondel in private. Eventually, she walked away into the woods. Rondel sat beside him.
"Is something wrong?" asked Jahi.
"We had a disagreement, but it's been taken care of." Rondel kneeled next to him. "I'm going to rub your legs to help with the soreness. You're probably going to feel awful for several days, even at your age, but this will help."
