Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 46: Dying Flame

Them! Pete cried.

Terran smirked and stretched his fingers. Afterward, he balled his fists again. He intended to throw another punch.

Light spluttered erratically from Pete.

Terran's attention was diverted from Them to the wisp.

The wisp floated up to the elf's eye level and expelled a blinding flash of light.

The elf screamed and clawed at his burning eyes.

"What is this?" Maruka's voice sounded loud and clear.

The mess hall went deadly silent for a moment.

All eyes turned to see Maruka surveying the scene just inches away. "You will all be punished for this!"

Maruka trudged closer to the group and grabbed the elf's face with his pale hands.

Slowly, the elf calmed down as Maruka soothed him with a sweet voice. "Shhh..."

Water trickled out from Maruka's fingers and dripped gently into the elf's eyes. "You're alright..."

Once the elf could open his eyes again, Maruka looked at everyone who was involved in the fight. "Who started this?"

Everyone looked at the floor but for Taylor, who was hiding a smile behind her hand.

Maruka waited, and when no one answered, he sighed. "After training, you four will go to bed without dinner and will use that time to wash the dishes instead."

"What? But that's unfair! You don't know who caused this trouble!" Taylor protested.

Maruka grimaced. "If there's trouble, I know you must be involved, Arrozan."

Taylor glowered and stomped her foot. "I don't want to go to bed without dinner on behalf of a fat dwarf!"

"Call her fat again—" The elf threatened but was cut off by Maruka.

"Shut up and eat your breakfast." The selkie commanded and then left.

Eliita took her seat again and patted the spot next to her with a solemn expression. "Come on Terran."

The elf shot one last glare at Taylor and Them, and then reluctantly took a seat next to the dwarf.

__

Them was listless throughout training. His mind seemed to be elsewhere—not only that, but his stomach still ached from the punch the elf, Terran, had thrown.

"Are you scared?" The Antler asked. "You should be."

He found himself consistently and relentlessly looking at Taylor with a throbbing head and a dour mood.

The desire to be the best at something—to be known for something was consuming him.

Maruka made Them practice fighting three other recruits one-on-one. The pale-faced man suggested he use his small height to his advantage and use a light-weight weapon like a dagger.

Maruka directed him extremely well as he had the last two training sessions. He had Them's opponent stand still so he could show the waif where to stab his enemies and how to maneuver around them effortlessly. Once he had shown Them more techniques, he commanded the pair fight for real with their wooden weapons.

"You're a natural." Maruka encouraged him with a smile after Them had put up a good fight against his much bigger opponent.

Them wiped his wrinkled forehead and smiled proudly at such a compliment.

"If you were only a human or a dwarf... You would truly be a force to be reckoned with." Maruka lamented.

Them looked down at his feet. I hate being a waif.

After Maruka spent much time with recruits who had been struggling—particularly Taylor who had missed an entire day—Maruka let them train amongst themselves for an hour while he stepped out.

After Maruka left, Taylor sat by herself in the corner of the room—not bothering to train at all. Them could understand why; nobody wanted to spar with her except for Pollyanna. He heard multiple recruits laughing at her and saying a good thrashing would whip her into shape.

Them, who had been practicing firing arrows with pinpoint accuracy, walked over to the miserable fairy and said to her, "I saw you struggling earlier."

Struggling was putting it lightly; in reality, she was shrieking and cursing and threatening to kill both Maruka and her opponent.

She jerked her chin away from Them haughtily and had no response.

A smile was dragged from Them's face after many hours of miserable ruminating. "I said I'd teach you how to shoot before and I meant it! The time has come!"

Them grabbed her wrist and tried to jerk her to her feet but was too small to accomplish such a feat. He ended up tugging on her wrist to no avail.

"Stop it!" Taylor finally yelled when Them wouldn't stop pestering her. "Fine!"

Taylor stood up angrily. "Show me how to shoot!"

Them gave her a wink. "You got it!"

He guided Taylor further away from the other recruits and into a corner of the room where they were secluded. He made sure the path ahead was clear for Taylor to launch arrows, and then dragged a straw man ten feet away from her.

"Let me show you the proper form," Them began. He grabbed a waif-sized bow and a fairy-sized bow from a weapons rack—weaving around dueling recruits as he did so—and returned to Taylor.

She snatched hers from him and waited for further instruction.

"Stand up straight—don't slouch! Show your chest proudly—" Them began.

Taylor lowered the bow with an indignant face. "Excuse me?"

Them chuckled. "Sorry, I usually show men how to shoot."

Taylor couldn't help a little smile, and Them continued to instruct her. "Square your feet like this..."

Them crouched down and physically grabbed her shoes—making them parallel to each other and spreading them apart. "Alright, now put your chin over the shoulder holding the bow—that's good, yes! You're a natural!"

Taylor couldn't help but smile at such praise—even if it weren't earnest—and Them couldn't help but stop to admire her smile.

"Well?" Taylor interrupted the silence. "Teach me to shoot!"

Them laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. Put your fingers on the string of the bow and then place the arrow on the bow and place your pointer finger above the arrow and two others below it."

Taylor fumbled with her fingers. She tried to accomplish what he suggested she do, but found that she didn't have the dexterity. The wooden arrow clattered to the floor. "It's not my fault! You said the word 'place' too much and I got confused!"

Them couldn't stop smiling as he suggested, "here, I'll demonstrate."

He was having fun teaching her, and she would never admit it, but she was having fun learning. It took his mind off the Antler for a long time, but when training was done for the day and he briefly parted ways with Taylor, it was all he could think about again.

"You will die, you know, at age thirty, and you will never know what it is to burn with passion." The Antler taunted him.

Them became moodier and moodier as he rested on that memory. Especially as he was forced to skip dinner and wash dishes with the elf, Terran, Taylor, and Pete before going to bed.