Common (The Lora Fletcher Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  CHAPTER 3

  The journey to Glimmen was long. It took ten days in the carriage, and every waking moment was spent training Lora for life at the Academy. By the time they arrived, her fingers were raw from continually stabbing them with her needle, and she feared her eyes would cross permanently from reading on the bumpy roads. Her neck ached from trying vainly to keep that stupid book on her head. Tiana and she were both very cross by the time the city appeared.

  As a commoner, Lora never had occasion to travel outside of Haven Dale. Haven Dale was a sleepy village of about three thousand people. In a village of that size, the daughter of a shop owner could recognize most people by sight, if not by name. The most people she had ever seen in one place at one time was on feast days when they all crowded into the village square for food and dancing.

  Glimmen was a city more than one hundred times the size of Haven Dale. Lora’s face was pressed up against the carriage’s window from the moment the city became visible and nothing a scowling Tiana said could do anything about it. Lora was entranced by everything she saw. Players, which came to Haven Dale but once a year or so, performed on nearly every street corner. Street vendors, unheard of in her village, shouted their wares over the din. The market seemed larger than the whole of Haven Dale. And the noise! And the smells! She was overwhelmed in all of her senses.

  “Sit properly, Cousin Lorana,” Tiana scolded again. “Come away from the window. I don’t care how much of a country bumpkin you are. I will not have you embarrass me with such behavior. You’ve gotten your nose print and gods know what else all over that window.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lora said, prying herself away from the scenery around her. “I never imagined what the city would be like. It’s overwhelming.”

  Tiana raised an eyebrow. “It’s fortunate you will not be going out in it to explore until your third or fourth year at the Academy. You’d be taken advantage of in moments.” When Lora’s face betrayed her confusion, she continued, “Thieves. Murderers. Rapists. Mostly thieves, but you have to be on your guard. You’ll receive some pocket money, and I won’t feel sorry for you when you cry to me that it was stolen.”

  Lora blinked. There was some small thievery where she came from, but nothing like what Tiana described. “I will remember that.”

  The rest of the ride through the city passed in silence. Lora felt her palms start to sweat once the carriage stopped, and she was glad when Tiana didn’t correct her when she wiped them on her skirts. She took the footman’s offered hand rather than jumping down as she would have at home, and looked around her trying very hard not to gape at her surroundings.

  The Academy was a sprawling complex of buildings, most of which were three to four stories tall. Lora knew that the buildings surrounded a practice yard for the swordsplayers and swordwielders, as well as extensive stables and training grounds for various other purposes. She was not prepared for the immensity of it when she stepped out of the carriage. Her mouth fell open and she instinctively began to pick at her fingernails.

  Tiana drew Lora’s hands apart. “I’ll not have you destroying your nails on your first day here,” she said in a low voice. “And close your mouth. You look like some kind of village dullard.” When Lora complied, she motioned toward the imposing front entrance with her head. “This way, Cousin. They’re expecting us.”

  Lora swallowed and fell in step behind Tiana. Her fingers twitched with the desire to tear her nails to shreds and then stuff her mouth full of hair to ruin the cut the village tailor had given her. She entered the Academy with her hands in fists at her sides. She knew a lady would have them gently clasped in front of her, but she figured this was better than chewing her nails or hair.

  “Lady Tiana,” a middle aged man called to her as he descended the stairs. He took her hand and kissed it.

  Tiana smiled when she took back her hand and gave a small curtsy, such as one gives an equal. “Lord Everett,” she replied with a smile. “May I present my cousin, Lorana?” She turned and gestured to her charge whose mouth had fallen open again as she gaped at her surroundings. Tiana’s look darkened. “You’ll forgive her, Lord Everett. She is not accustomed to the city.”

  Lord Everett laughed at Lora’s blush. “Of course not,” he said. “I will take her to Lady Demetria. She will ensure that Miss Lorana is settled. I am sure that you are busy with preparations for your wedding, so I won’t detain you.”

  Lora’s eyes widened even further. This parting was nearly as quick as her parting from her father. She looked at Tiana, who smiled indulgently.

  “You will be fine, Cousin Lorana. I will come to see you soon.” Tiana patted her on the cheek.

  “Goodbye, Cousin Tiana,” Lora whispered to Tiana’s retreating form. She swallowed once her guardian disappeared out the door and let her gaze fall on Lord Everett.

  Lord Everett smoothed back his greying hair and offered her his arm. When she took it, he smiled and began walking. “Miss Lorana, we have one stop before Lady Demetria meets us. It’s customary for all new wielder students and won’t take but a moment.”

  Lora was not sure what to say. It wasn’t as if she could object. “Of course,” she told him as he led her outside.

  “Our armory is quite extensive,” he said. “You’ll need a dagger while you are here. All students learn some measure of self-defense. You will not always be able to rely on your powers, and a quick thrust with a dagger from a skilled fighter will put most threats to rest in time for you to regain your wits and use your powers.”

  “Of course,” she repeated.

  They reached the armory after a few minutes and Lord Everett paused after they entered. His gaze fell upon her and he appeared to assess her for a moment before moving on. “Our head armorer is named Blaine. He will find you a suitable weapon.”

  “I prefer the bow,” Lora blurted out.

  “Your forest background betrays you, young Lorana,” Lord Everett told her. “The bow is a fine choice for you, but it will not help you in close quarters. Ah—here he is. Master Blaine, this is Miss Lorana. She’s just arrived from Haven Dale to begin her training as a wielder.”

  Blaine grunted and turned to a wall from which a multitude of daggers hung. Evidently this request was commonplace, for he returned with a small dagger and handed it to her without a word.

  When Lora took it, she did not notice the two men scrutinizing her. She looked the knife over, and it appeared sound. She knew next to nothing about such things and hoped he wasn’t testing her on something she’d neglected to learn in her crash course on being a noble.

  “Well, well, well,” Lord Everett said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Blaine grunted and turned back to his work, seemingly unaffected by whatever piqued Lord Everett’s interest. He held his hand out for the dagger. “If you would, Miss Lorana.” When she handed it to him, he took a deep breath. “This certainly changes things.” He paused and bent down to Lora’s level. “This little dagger in your hand,” he said as he gestured with it, “makes you a swordwielder.”

  Lord Everett paused for effect, and he raised his eyebrows when Lora’s look remained blank. “Please tell me you know what I am talking about.” When Lora continued to stare, he muttered something about country bumpkins under his breath and then cleared his throat. “Wielders do magic. They cannot bear the touch of steel. It dampens a wielder’s magic and causes physical pain for some. Some cannot even be in the same room with it, especially in the quantity that is stored in the armory. A swordwielder is a very rare thing. A swordwielder is someone who, in addition to wielding magic, cannot only bear the touch of steel, but uses it as part of their offensive and defensive arsenals. There is less than one swordwielder to every hundred wielders. We have three at the Academy, including you, out of three hundred fifty wielder students.”

  If Lora thought she had been overwhelmed before, that was nothing compared to how she felt now. “What does this mean for my training, Lord Everett? Am I to be sent away?” She could
not look him in the eye.

  “Of course not,” he said with a dismissive gesture. “Being able to do both makes you a much more important asset to the kingdom than if you can only do one. You will receive instruction in both. Your road will be harder than either alone, since you’ll be expected to learn twice as much—and more—in the same amount of time.”

  “And more?”

  He nodded and held his arm out to her. “Yes. For a swordwielder, neither of your disciplines exists by itself. You won’t be just wielding or just doing swordsplay. Once you master both, you’ll be integrating them.” He led her to a building next to the armory. “So I guess, you’ll even be on an accelerated course of study, since you’ll be expected to master each discipline prior to integrating them and do all of this in the same amount of time it takes a student to master one or the other.” He opened the door and led her into an office. “Lord Stephan?”

  The biggest man Lora had ever seen stood from his desk. He was even larger than Gregory, the village blacksmith in Haven Dale. She felt his eyes scan her slight frame and blushed at his scowl.

  “Everett,” he grumbled. “I do not recall being informed I was getting a new student today, if that’s what this is.”

  Lord Everett smiled. “This is Lorana of Haven Dale, distant cousin of Lord Allistair. She came here for wielder training, but was able to handle a dagger on our little trip through the armory. So she’ll be staying in your barracks with the girls and training with Dain and Louis.”

  Lord Stephan’s eyes narrowed. “Another swordwielder then? I’ve never heard of three being at the Academy at the same time.” He stroked his goatee thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose Master Dain will be gone in a year or two and Master Louis’ small skill with magic doesn’t require much teaching beyond rudimentary, but still. Unusual.” He turned toward Lord Everett and sneered. “I’ll have the house mistress show her to the girl’s dormitory. I suppose we will meet with Lady Demetria later to put together her schedule?”

  “Sounds like a fine idea,” Lord Everett replied. It was obvious he was trying to keep his exasperation out of his tone. “I’ll have one of the servants bring her things here from the wielder’s dormitory and show her around the grounds. I’ll see you later, Miss Lorana.”

  She tried to curtsy as he left, but nearly fell over. Lorana’s cheeks reddened and she stared at the floor. She was exhausted and overwhelmed and unprepared. All she wanted was to run and hide and fall asleep somewhere.

  “You will be fine, young lady,” Lord Stephan told her as he held out his arm. They walked through three hallways before they stopped before a door. “These are Mistress Tabitha’s rooms. If you need anything, she will help you.” He knocked on the door and went inside after a voice called from within. Lora waited for him in the hallway.

  CHAPTER 4

  Once Lora was left alone, the tears began to fall. She was alone and far from anything familiar that she’d ever known. She felt like some kind of freak of nature once she’d found out about her unusual status. She knew that the other young people she would be studying with would find out she was a fraud and that terrified her. She wiped her nose with her hand and sniffled.

  At that moment, Lord Stephan and Mistress Tabitha emerged. They exchanged glances, and Lord Stephan bowed gracefully and left. Mistress Tabitha wrapped her arm around Lora’s shoulders and ushered her into her rooms. “There, there, Miss Lorana,” she said softly. “’Twill be alright. You’ll make friends with the others and get into the swing of things in no time.” She smiled.

  Lora sniffled. “I miss my family. I don’t belong here,” she choked out.

  “Nonsense,” she said as she patted Lora’s arm. “Everyone has to start somewhere. You’ll see where you measure up to the others soon enough. As for your family, I assume you’re not speaking about your cousin. You’ll see her often enough.” When Lora took in a shuttering breath and began to hiccup, Mistress Tabitha laughed. “Your family, do they call you Lorana?”

  She shook her head. “My father calls me Lora,” she whispered, terrified that she was disobeying Lord Allistair and Lady Tiana. “My cousins told me that name is too common and to go by Lorana here. I don’t like it,” she confessed.

  “Then you shall be known as Lora,” she declared. “There are plenty of students who have nicknames. Oh, there you are Bobby. This is Miss Lorana. She prefers Lora. You’ll be getting her acquainted with the Academy.” She looked at her charge. “I’d have a student do it, but they’re all at their afternoon lessons.” She patted Lora on the cheek and shooed her out of her rooms.

  Bobby, it turned out, was quite the talker. He led her into the girl’s dormitory, something that made Lora feel quite uncomfortable even though he assured her multiple times that as long as it wasn’t after hours, male visitors were allowed in the girls’ common areas and vice versa. The sleeping areas were off limits except for circumstances such as this. The dorms were large, open rooms with little privacy anyway, so even though Bobby was inside, there was no place to hide and make mischief. It wasn’t until the fourth year that rooms were made private and mischief could more easily take place.

  “You’ll be here between Miss Catty, er, Miss Catherine and Miss Jane,” Bobby explained. “Princess Sylvane is across from you. Did y’know that both Prince Regan and her take swordsplay? They live here because it’s too far from the castle for them to get here when lessons start.”

  “Do you study swordsplay?” Lora asked, her shyness slowly melting away.

  Bobby laughed. “They don’t take commoners here,” he explained. “Commoners might learn if they join the castle guard or the army, I suppose. I work in the stables.” He smiled and led her out of the dorms.

  Their next stop was the armory. They didn’t speak with Master Blaine, as he was too busy to be bothered with a stable boy and a student. An apprentice measured Lora for her chainmail and leathers, as well as her weapons. She was dismayed to learn that she was expected to be passable with everything by the time she was finished with her studies. The axes and maces were the most daunting until the apprentice informed her that hand-to-hand combat and wrestling were usually the most challenging. The thought of no weapons being harder than weapons made Lora want to run for the hills. It seemed there would be no respite for her.

  Once they left the armory, Bobby took her by the practice yards. There were many groups practicing at various stations. Older students were practicing on horseback with the lance and other weapons. Others practiced with swords, axes, maces, and even flails. Still others were using longbows, cross bows, throwing knives, spears, and funny things she had no name for. A group of students around her own age appeared to be practicing throwing each other. Lora swallowed and asked Bobby if they could look at something else. He chuckled and they moved on.

  Various buildings were named on Bobby’s tour. All students were expected to learn theory of war, history, higher level mathematics, and literature, among other things. The wielders learned theory of magic, and once their aptitudes were tested, they further divided based on their skills. Bobby pointed at a building off on its own that was surrounded by scaffolding. It was also the only building made of stone.

  “Firewielders,” he explained. “Otherwise instead of just repairing the odd wall from an explosion, we’d be constantly rebuilding the whole building if it was wood. Did I hear you could call fire?” When she nodded, he whistled. “Useful skill.”

  “Is there an outdoor area where the wielders practice?” Lora asked, her fingers in her mouth. When she realized she’d been chewing her nails, she sighed. She hadn’t even made it through the first day.

  Bobby laughed and pointed at her hand. “How old are you?”

  “Twelve.”

  “I figured you had to be young,” he explained. “The older ones don’t bite their nails.” Lora blushed and he continued. “There isn’t a designated spot. The wielders kind of practice all around. Inside, outside. Here, on ships, in other towns. Wherever they are needed and th
ere’s someone who can teach them, I guess. Well, that’s mostly it. It’s dinnertime for you guys now, so I’ll leave you at the dining hall. You have to leave your steel stuff outside. It offends the wielders, but otherwise there are no rules other than what you’d expect. No throwing food. Wait until the headmaster speaks before serving yourself.”

  Lora nodded. “Thank you for showing me around. How do you know all of this?”

  “I was born here. Mistress Tabitha’s my mum,” he told her proudly. “I’ve worked in nearly every area of the Academy, too. I like the horses best, so that’s where I’ve been for the last two years. I’m almost sixteen, and I’m hoping to be taken on permanently when my birthday comes.” He sighed and pointed to a low building that groups of young men and women were entering. “There. Just follow them in and sit with some girls your age. There are plenty of you, so it shouldn’t be hard.” He grinned and left her alone.

  She swallowed and stared at the entrance. Lora couldn’t muster up the courage to walk over. She wasn’t the outgoing type amongst people she’d known her whole life, and she was positively petrified of interacting with strangers. Especially strange nobles.

  “Are you new here?”

  Lora turned and found herself looking up into a young man’s smiling face. He looked a few years older than her and hand blond hair that flopped into his eyes. She nodded.

  He pushed his hair out of his face only to have it flop down again. “Come on, I’ll take you in. We’re nearly late, and Lord Everett hates tardiness. You can sit with my sister. I’m Regan. You are?” he offered her his arm.

  “Lorana,” she squeaked. “Of Haven Dale. But everyone calls me Lora.” She stared at his arm like it was a viper.