The boy trained in silence.
The sun hadn't fully crested the hills yet, and mist still clung to the grass like it didn't want to let go of the night.
Aris stood several paces away, arms crossed, looking into the distance while pretending not to watch him at all.
She didn't need to hear me to know this mattered. I had to make this boy capable of fighting before our next encounter.
"Again," I told the boy, firmness in my voice.
He adjusted his grip, fingers tightening around my hilt. Too tight. Always too tight.
"Relax," I said. "I'm not going to bite you."
He huffed under his breath and rolled his shoulders, then stepped forward and swung.
The motion was cleaner than yesterday. Less wasted movement. Still sloppy at the end, but that would come with time.
"Your feet," I snapped. "You're planting like a seed into the ground. You fight like that and someone faster will kill you in a heartbeat.
He shifted, tried again. This time his stance flowed. It was imperfect, but closer.
My blade cut through the air with a faint hum, responding to him more readily now.
Our bond was deepening. I could feel it in the way his pulse steadied when he focused, the way his Aether no longer spiked wildly but moved in controlled waves.
Good.
"Again," I commanded.
Sweat beaded on his brow. His breathing was heavier now, but he didn't complain. Didn't ask to stop. That mattered more than raw strength.
Aris turned around and watched for a moment. Then, she finally spoke. "You're improving."
The boy startled, nearly dropping me.
"Focus," I said sharply. "Compliments are dangerous. They make you stupid."
"I know," the boy responded.
Aris raised an eyebrow but turned away again, her eyes settling on the horizon.
The boy resumed, this time weaving between imaginary opponents.
Left, right, duck, strike.
His timing was off, but his instincts were sharpening. He was learning when not to swing, which was rarer than knowing when to do it.
"Channel," I said quietly. "Don't force it."
He did.
For a brief moment, Aether flowed cleanly through him and into me. My blade hummed with satisfaction.
We both froze.
"Did you feel that?" he whispered.
"Yes," I said softly. "That's what it's supposed to feel like."
Aris turned fully toward us now. She couldn't hear the words, but she could see the change. The way the air seemed to tighten around my blade.
The way the boy stood taller without realizing it.
I wasn't ready to call him a great wielder yet.
But he was getting closer.
And if today ended the way I suspected it might, he was going to need every bit of training possible.
After another hour, Aris whistled to get our attention.
The boy stopped midair and looked at her. "What is it?"
She squinted. "Movement on the road. South. Coming toward us. I spot two horses and a carriage."
I thought for a moment, weighing our options. We wanted safety for the moment, but this could present an opportunity.
"We approach," I said after a moment.
The boy nodded and turned to Aris. "We will approach it."
*******
It took us a minute to navigate the thick fields and bushes before we reached the road.
The boy's steps slowed once we made it, his breath still slow and steady despite the jog.
Aris stopped a second after, scanning the road that cut through the fields like a scar. "I see it. One cart and two horses. Approaching quickly.
"Step out into the road," I murmured to the boy. "Let's get their attention.
A distant rumble of hooves against the cement reached us. Then the sound of rattling wheels and a voice followed. "Come on you lazy beasts! Faster!"
A wagon crested the hill, pulled by two massive horses. In the carriage, sacks of grain were piled high and tied down with rope.
The driver called them to a halt when he saw us.
The man squinted. "You lot look like hell. What're you doin' out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Aris stiffened immediately, hand drifting toward her blade.
The boy stayed still.
"Easy," the man said, lifting one hand from the reins. He was older, sunburnt, broad through the shoulders. A merchant, not a soldier. His eyes flicked to me at the boy's side, then quickly away.
"Didn't mean offense. Just…the roads have been busy today. Didn't expect to see anyone walking."
"Busy?" Aris asked carefully.
The man laughed, short and incredulous. "You haven't heard?"
I felt the boy's grip tighten on my hilt. He was ready for an attack.
I felt differently. This man could be trusted. He was just doing a job.
The man shook his head. "Pralis is packed. Guards everywhere. Wagons lined up half a mile out. I've already made one run this morning. Turned right back around to load more."
"Why?" the boy asked.
The man looked at him like the answer was obvious. "Why? I wanna get done before the rally. Everyone is going to see it."
Silence settled around us.
"The what?" Aris pressed, curious.
The man clicked his tongue. "Thorne's address. Big one. Public show of support after…well." His eyes drifted, briefly, toward the distant smoke. "After what happened in the Lower Ward."
My edge hummed faintly.
"Oh," I said aloud, although only the boy could hear me. "That's bold of him. A rally? Against his own attacks on his city?"
The boy swallowed. "When?"
"Tonight. Just after sunset," the man said. "That's why I'm rushing. I gotta get as much grain into the city before the event. Then I'll have the night off." He paused, then grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "You don't want to miss it! Whole city's talking about it."
Aris said nothing.
The man studied us again, more carefully this time. "You headed toward Pralis?"
Aris hesitated.
NO! I urged. We can't go back yet. It's a trap!
But the boy surprised me.
"Yes," he said. "We are."
The man nodded, satisfied. "Figures. Everyone is. Look, if you want a ride, I can take you as far as the outer gate. Can't promise more. Guards are checking everyone."
Aris finally spoke. "Why help us?"
The man shrugged. "Because you look like you need it. And because I've got room." He smirked. "It's Thorne we're talking about. You wouldn't wanna miss it."
The boy glanced down at me.
Aris exhaled through her nose, sharp and controlled. She didn't like this idea, I could tell. I didn't like it either.
But this meeting couldn't be just a coincidence. There was an opportunity with this rally. To lay eyes on Thorne for the first time.
"As long as you're offering," the boy said. "We'll take the ride."
The man smiled wide. "Climb up, then. Pralis is waiting. Let's get moving, or we're gonna miss what might be the greatest speech in history!"