The Breton Boys

Chapter Eight: The Academy | 3

Reid got his wish to start physical training after break when the trainees split in half once again. The squires made their way to the back of the grounds to the archery range and the pages headed for the armory, which sat just to the right of the pavilion.

"Armor and Formations first," Oliver explained to Reid as they followed the other pages into a high-ceilinged, windowless room.

The walls were covered from top to bottom in shiny armor and assorted weaponry. There were breast-plates, helmets, spears, swords, axes and shields bearing Waterleaf's green and blue crest hung in neat rows across the wooden paneling.

"We're probably just cleaning again today," Oliver grumbled as Sir Crick entered the room through the opposite door.

"Let's not just stand there, pages," Sir Crick said. "The sooner you finish polishing, the sooner we can move onto something a bit more engaging, yes? Hop to it."

Cavalry was next. Reid followed Oliver and the others into the stables where Alresse Hemlocke, the Cavalry instructor, was tending to a midnight black horse. She was an older woman with a brown knot of hair streaked with gray. Her face was tan and beginning to wrinkle, but her eyes were bright and youthful.

"Oliver," Reid asked as the thought occurred to him, "why didn't you and Duncan ride horses to the Threshold?"

"Should we have?"

"Well, wouldn't it have been much quicker? Less work?"

"I suppose." Oliver shrugged. "But it would've been too suspicious. The centaurs only let us ride horses for really important trades, like soldiery. Sometimes physics have them too, just in case they need to get to someone who's been hurt very quickly, but other than that we walk. Why? Do people usually ride horses in the Old World?"

"They used to," Reid said. "Now they use cars."

"Cars?"

"They're sort of like -"

"Resolute!" Hemlocke shouted, cutting Reid off.

While the other pages saddled their horses and rode out to pasture, Alresse Hemlocke took Reid to a smaller paddock for a one-on-one lesson. It took Reid four tries to mount, and he was not very stable once he was atop the horse, either. Reid bounced in the saddle, landing harshly with every stride. He was grateful when Hemlocke called the other pages back into the barn at the end of the lesson.

"How'd it go?" Oliver asked as the group made their way across the open courtyard towards the strange wooden edifices on the other side.

"Not so bad," Reid said, although he was walking slowly and awkwardly with his legs spread apart.

"I hope you're not too sore," said Oliver. "We've got Strength and Endurance now."

At least it's Sir Innskeep leading and not Captain Pitchblende, Reid thought, trying to comfort himself as they lined up in front of their instructor. Reid knew he was not nearly as able-bodied as the other pages and he was nervous, but still determined to do his best to keep up.

"Start running and I'll call you off one at a time to run the course," Sir Innskeep said, nodding to the obstacles behind him with a smirk.

The line took off at his command, running in a large circle around the courtyard. After a few laps, Innskeep began pointing individuals toward the wooden obstacles. Ivy went first and as soon as she rejoined the line Nolan was called. Reid's heart was racing more from fear than exertion, and the cheese and bread he'd eaten at break sloshed unpleasantly in his stomach as he ran.

All too soon, Innskeep pointed to Reid as he came around the turn and said, "Give it a try, Breton."

Reid took a deep breath and began climbing the wooden wall that was his first obstruction. He made it to the top easily enough, but when he tried to ease his way back down on the other side he slid and scraped his stomach against the rough wood. But he persevered, swinging on a rope over a deep hole in the ground, running across a long wooden beam, and then crawling on all fours under a low arch of thorny branches.

Finally he made it to the other side, although it had taken him significantly longer to get through than the other pages. His head was pounding when he rejoined the circle of runners. Sweat stung his eyes as he gasped for air. He tried hard to regain his breath, but the more he panted, the dizzier he felt. He inhaled deeply and pushed forward, resisting the urge to throw up. But before he knew what was happening, his vision blurred and faded to black.

A/N: What do you think of Reid's lessons so far? Any areas that you'd like to try your hand at? Please let me know your thoughts with a comment or a vote! Thanks!