Valakolondoum

Chapter 7

One month back from my voyage into The Beyond I have found a strength in myself that I did not know was there. Due to Vemir forcing bowl after bowl of gruel down my throat, and the never ending torment of StableMaster my strength has returned tenfold. My battle instincts have been heightened. I understand why Sister Rayla was chosen to be the StableMaster. She is an excellent teacher. I can tell it is taking her a little more effort to block our attacks. She actually has to think about what she will do against us. None of us remaining have beaten her yet, but I'm hoping that we provide some entertainment. Still she moves like water. I have never seen anyone move so fluently. Uncle doesn't move like this. He is light on his feet, but there are moves that StableMaster does that I see no one doing. Julius and I were watching her instruct Pip how to use his spear to parry efficiently and Julius and I saw something. Julius mentioned while Rayla was drilling Pip that she never went for a disarming blows. I noticed after my first duel with her that this was true. She went for my neck, heart, and liver. She also made a swipe at my upper thigh. The only kind of folk that fight like that are ones that know how to kill. Julius and I came to the conclusion that she might have been an assassin before joining the Order.

We all know that she is one of the older members of the order. Second Crassus is the oldest member and Sister Rayla is her junior. None of the recruits are sure by how many years. What we do know is Rayla is at least 500 years old. Julius picked up on how impressed she was that we all knew this song. The song had to do with sailing on the seas. That is something we used to do when we would go to war with those other lands. She told us that she was in the final war we had with the Kiliwnii folk to the North. That was 445 years ago and she has been with the Order for 120 years. She could be a assassin and that makes sense thinking about her saga. Most of the companions including Uncle are prestigious knights. According to Rayla's saga she with the help of The Divines and Entageni destroyed the Coven of Woden, a group of vicious assassins that prayed solely to that vile god of murder. She knew where all the remaining borrows were, and that was never explained. It was just explained that the Divine Mimir, Woden's husband lead her to the coven so she could destroy them. I believe that there is more to that, but I will ask her another day.

 It is finally our off day so I will spend it keeping my word to the Goddess of Knowledge. With the snow starting to fall and the final test around the corner I need to dedicate myself to writing what I saw. After writing all the letters that Hilda needed me to I went to my favorite spot in the library to continue  my work. From this spot I can hear Vemir cursing at Pip while teaching him how to read and write. Pip wants to write a letter back to his family telling them that he is well. Vemir volunteered to help his partner. The Summer Elf also said that he will not be reading to Pip forever because it is an annoyance. We all saw through this. We all know that Vemir cares for his partner. They have gotten very close and it is good to see. All of us have gotten very close over the past year. I am very proud of us. As I write one of my sagas down I feel a presence behind me. It wasn't threating, but it was cold. I turn to see StableMaster studying me. I jump out my seat immediately. She has eased off of me some, but not too much. She still insists on drilling me into the dust most days. Because of the partner system Dezzi gets the same punishment as I.

"Why do you look like I'm going to kill you heiress?" I let out a shaky breath as she walks closer, footsteps still silent as a shadow. 

"Somedays it feels like you will StableMaster." Her facial expression doesn't change as she looks over my manuscript. She reads some lines then looks back up at me.

"Don't worry. I don't kill rich girls anymore." I freeze.

"Anymore?" Rayla sits in the chair opposite to me and I take my seat again. She leans back in the chair and stares at me.