Wayfarers (Champions of the Crystal Book 1)

Chapter 7: Carsida

The next four days, while the Wayships followed their Ways, were crammed with as much learning as Tirqwin could manage. Maratobia accepted the situation grudgingly, making no secret of the fact that she would rather have travelled with Malvarak, but her insecurity seemed to have lessened. Sabrina and Scotty began to find the work interesting after Haaron took pity on them and began acting as their study coach, providing simpler explanations than they could get out of Tirqwin. They all worked in the same room, except for the two hours every day that Tirqwin and Maratobia spent alone working on her control of her power, during which Haaron, Scotty, and Sabrina worked on their defensive skills.

For Sabrina, that was the most frustrating part of the day; weapons practice was out of the question aboard Khediva, so they practiced hand-to-hand, and her only options were getting bruised and angry working out with Scotty, who didn't know his own strength, or getting frustrated by having Haaron as her partner. He all too obviously avoided rough contact with her, therefore turning the training exercise into something of a farce.

It was during one of these sessions that they made orbit around Carsida. Sabrina had just lost her temper once and for all with Haaron's deferential attitude and had taken advantage of it to slam him against a wall, hard, when Khediva announced, "We are now in orbit around Carsida, holding standard orbital distance from Sribarak."

"Saved by the bell, buddy," Scotty grinned, helping a dazed Haaron to his feet. Sabrina watched him gingerly feel his ribs and felt suddenly guilty.

"I'm sorry, Haaron. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yes, you did," he wheezed, then smiled at her. "It is good that you take this seriously. You must treat me as an opponent for these exercises to have any value."

"And you have to treat me like one too," she replied. "No more pulling your punches, okay, Haaron? If I can take if from Scotty, I can take it from you."

"Agreed. You are far tougher than you look," Haaron said.

"Was that a compliment?" Sabrina wondered aloud as they left to change clothes and wash up.

"Oh, assuredly," Haaron said, shrugging off Scotty's supporting arm and walking to the door on his own.

They met Tirqwin in the corridor. He looked at Haaron, then raised an eyebrow at Scotty. "Should you be beating up your fellow officer, Lieutenant Devon?"

"I didn't do it. Rina did," Scotty grinned.

Tirqwin turned his raised eyebrow in Sabrina's direction. "I thought you were opposed to violence, Miss Devon."

"And I am. But this was a training exercise. They tell me I'm Mara's last line of defense against anything that could get past the rest of you. And," Sabrina added, "I may get violent with you if you don't quit calling me 'Miss Devon' in that odious way!"

Tirqwin laughed. "Behold me in terror! Please excuse me from a demonstration of your newfound ferocity, Sabrina. I believe the princess is waiting for you to help her get ready for our trip down to Carsida."

"Tirqwin," Khediva said, a note of concern in her voice. "Something is wrong."

"What?" Tirqwin demanded, frowning.

"There is no electromagnetic field. At least, no stronger than average. And yet this is Carsida. I have double-checked it. Sribarak confirms my findings."

Tirqwin's frown deepened. He turned to Sabrina again. "You had best be off to change, all of you. Khediva has provided native costumes for you all. I will notify you when and if we are going down."