among them, where Kevik was they didn’t know. He sure wasn’t with them marching off to jail.
“Wonder what’s going to happen to us now?” asked Chad. He had an eye practically swollen shut and a lower lip that was almost half again its normal size.
Riyan shrugged and turned eyes full of worry to him. “I don’t know.” Then he saw how Chad’s face looked and added, “You don’t look too good.” Chad grinned but then grimaced when his swollen lip flared with pain. “You don’t either.”
Riyan had an eye beginning to swell as well. Also, the side of his jaw felt like it was going to fall off. He was afraid to look in a mirror.
Down at the jail, the sergeant of the watch took one look at the white cloths tied to the hilts of their swords and immediately sent one of his men down to the Guild for someone to come take them. When they realized that someone at the Guild was going to be woken up in the middle of the night to come drag their sorry butts out of jail because they had taken part in a brawl, they groaned.
Chapter Three
_______________________
“What in the world is going on?”
Riyan and Chad sat on a table in the infirmary as the Guild’s healer worked to heal their wounds. Tad, one of the swordsmen that helped with the instructions had been the one to pick them up from the jail. When Riyan and Chad had seen that it was him, they were relieved. Of all their instructors, he was the one they got along with the best.
He didn’t harangue them about their stupidity or anything like that. All he did was take charge of them and walk them back to the Guild. At first Chad and Riyan thought they had managed to avoid serious punishment. But, once Tad dropped them off at the infirmary and the healer began working on them, he told them he was on his way to inform the Drillmaster.
“Now?” asked Chad.
“Couldn’t it wait until morning?” Riyan said hopefully.
“Sorry boys,” Tad said. “But those are the rules.”
Fifteen minutes later, the Drillmaster had showed up and he was in a foul mood.
“What is the meaning of this Recruits?” he asked as he stalked toward them.
“It wasn’t our fault,” Chad blurted out.
“It really wasn’t,” added Riyan.
“I was hoping to have one batch of Recruits where I wouldn’t have to be dragged from my bed in the middle of the night because of some stupid, pigheadedness!” He glared at the two of them. “Brawling! Two of my Recruits were arrested for brawling like a couple of common street thugs.”
“Actually, most of the others…”
“Quiet!” their drillmaster shouted, cutting Riyan off in the middle of his sentence.
“There is no excuse for this. You were told to avoid getting into trouble were you not?” They both had to nod that they had, for that was one of the first things they were told after joining the Guild.
“But there was no way for us to avoid it,” asserted Riyan. Chad nodded.
“Hold your head still,” the healer said. He was applying some kind of ointment to Chad’s swollen eyelid and needed him to keep still.
“Don’t use any magic to heal these two,” the Drillmaster told the healer. “I want them to feel it for awhile as a reminder.”
The healer turned to glance at the Drillmaster and grinned. “Not to worry,” he said.
“Tad already so instructed me.”
“Good,” he said. Then he glared at the two of them. “Extra drill for the both of you until your next ten-day,” he said. “And if I should discover that you had some part in starting this brawl, you two may find yourselves out of this Guild for good. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir,” they both said.
Turning around, the Drillmaster left the infirmary.
“You two got off lucky,” the healer informed them while he continued to work on Chad’s eye.
“What do you mean?” they asked.
“The normal punishment Recruits face if they’re caught brawling is five lashes,” the healer explained. “It would seem he believed you when
“Wonder what’s going to happen to us now?” asked Chad. He had an eye practically swollen shut and a lower lip that was almost half again its normal size.
Riyan shrugged and turned eyes full of worry to him. “I don’t know.” Then he saw how Chad’s face looked and added, “You don’t look too good.” Chad grinned but then grimaced when his swollen lip flared with pain. “You don’t either.”
Riyan had an eye beginning to swell as well. Also, the side of his jaw felt like it was going to fall off. He was afraid to look in a mirror.
Down at the jail, the sergeant of the watch took one look at the white cloths tied to the hilts of their swords and immediately sent one of his men down to the Guild for someone to come take them. When they realized that someone at the Guild was going to be woken up in the middle of the night to come drag their sorry butts out of jail because they had taken part in a brawl, they groaned.
Chapter Three
_______________________
“What in the world is going on?”
Riyan and Chad sat on a table in the infirmary as the Guild’s healer worked to heal their wounds. Tad, one of the swordsmen that helped with the instructions had been the one to pick them up from the jail. When Riyan and Chad had seen that it was him, they were relieved. Of all their instructors, he was the one they got along with the best.
He didn’t harangue them about their stupidity or anything like that. All he did was take charge of them and walk them back to the Guild. At first Chad and Riyan thought they had managed to avoid serious punishment. But, once Tad dropped them off at the infirmary and the healer began working on them, he told them he was on his way to inform the Drillmaster.
“Now?” asked Chad.
“Couldn’t it wait until morning?” Riyan said hopefully.
“Sorry boys,” Tad said. “But those are the rules.”
Fifteen minutes later, the Drillmaster had showed up and he was in a foul mood.
“What is the meaning of this Recruits?” he asked as he stalked toward them.
“It wasn’t our fault,” Chad blurted out.
“It really wasn’t,” added Riyan.
“I was hoping to have one batch of Recruits where I wouldn’t have to be dragged from my bed in the middle of the night because of some stupid, pigheadedness!” He glared at the two of them. “Brawling! Two of my Recruits were arrested for brawling like a couple of common street thugs.”
“Actually, most of the others…”
“Quiet!” their drillmaster shouted, cutting Riyan off in the middle of his sentence.
“There is no excuse for this. You were told to avoid getting into trouble were you not?” They both had to nod that they had, for that was one of the first things they were told after joining the Guild.
“But there was no way for us to avoid it,” asserted Riyan. Chad nodded.
“Hold your head still,” the healer said. He was applying some kind of ointment to Chad’s swollen eyelid and needed him to keep still.
“Don’t use any magic to heal these two,” the Drillmaster told the healer. “I want them to feel it for awhile as a reminder.”
The healer turned to glance at the Drillmaster and grinned. “Not to worry,” he said.
“Tad already so instructed me.”
“Good,” he said. Then he glared at the two of them. “Extra drill for the both of you until your next ten-day,” he said. “And if I should discover that you had some part in starting this brawl, you two may find yourselves out of this Guild for good. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir,” they both said.
Turning around, the Drillmaster left the infirmary.
“You two got off lucky,” the healer informed them while he continued to work on Chad’s eye.
“What do you mean?” they asked.
“The normal punishment Recruits face if they’re caught brawling is five lashes,” the healer explained. “It would seem he believed you when
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