smiled ruefully as he remembered the first day of his blessing. “I hope for your sake that neither of you gets the blessing I have. Don’t get me wrong, it would be great to have someone who can keep up, but man, training gets a little out of control when not even you can see what you are doing, you move so fast.” He added with a chuckle.
“You certainly kept us all on our toes for a while,” Sirus told Philip and both of them grinned knowingly. “Well, we should let these guys go and get some rest and tomorrow you can help us with weapons training, Philip.”
Sirus and Philip watched as the two newest members of the Knights of Valdadore disappeared down the hall with the giant wolf trailing behind them. Garret and Zorbin went straight to their rooms, undressed, and fell into their beds exhausted. Before any thoughts of what the following day might bring even entered their heads, they were deeply asleep. Neither of them stirred during the night, yet their minds were busy creating dreams of fantastical abilities that could one day be bestowed upon them. It was no surprise when the dreams turned from possible blessings to dreams of the god Gorandor himself. But it was no coincidence that they each shared an identical dream of the god in which they were asked to swear their souls to him once again. Upon repeating their oaths, both Garret and Zorbin dreamed of the god holding them within the palm of his hand as if weighting their worth literally. Seemingly satisfied the god disappeared and the fantasies of special powers returned.
*****
Xanth squirmed at the end of Zorbin’s bed. He too dreamed of the god, only the beast recognized the presence much more acutely than had the men. Images flashed through the wolf’s intuitive mind and Xanth’s feelings for each image were noted by the presence there. When shown an image of Zorbin bleeding upon his back and an ogre standing before the lifeless body of the dwarf, Xanth growled loudly in his sleep. That seemed to be the answer the presence wanted, and it quickly departed the wolf’s mind. As the presence passed though the mind of the beast it changed something. The change was subtle yet noticeable, and though Xanth slept, he knew that something was unlike it had been before the visit.
*****
The three of them slept peacefully through the entire night until late morning. Sirus had awoken early but deciding that his new charges needed a good night’s rest to revive their bodies, he allowed them to sleep in. When they did finally awake, breakfast was waiting for them in the dining hall, as were Sirus and Philip. Garret was the first to arrive, but Zorbin and Xanth were only a few minutes behind him. They each greeted one another and made quick work of their food.
“Weapons training is going to go a bit different than it usually would, but as we are short on time, I think it best to make these changes,” Sirus stated, and continued after a slight pause. “Generally we would teach you to wield each and every weapon in the armory. Due to our lack of time, however, I should ask each of you to choose a single weapon that is of your liking and we shall concentrate on whatever weapon you might choose.” Sirus concluded.
Finished with their breakfast, Philip headed out to the knight’s sparring ground and Sirus led Garret and Zorbin to the armory. Swinging the large wooden door open, Sirus stepped aside to allow his charges entrance before him. Zorbin was first to enter and muttered something about the high quality of the weapons in his deep guttural voice. Garret on the other hand said nothing, instead looking around the room in astonishment. The room’s walls were each entirely covered in large wooden racks, and each rack was filled to capacity with the largest assortment of weapons Garret had ever seen amassed in one place. Maces and mauls, as well as swords, daggers and bows lined one wall. Spears and staves shared another with scythes and lances.
“You certainly kept us all on our toes for a while,” Sirus told Philip and both of them grinned knowingly. “Well, we should let these guys go and get some rest and tomorrow you can help us with weapons training, Philip.”
Sirus and Philip watched as the two newest members of the Knights of Valdadore disappeared down the hall with the giant wolf trailing behind them. Garret and Zorbin went straight to their rooms, undressed, and fell into their beds exhausted. Before any thoughts of what the following day might bring even entered their heads, they were deeply asleep. Neither of them stirred during the night, yet their minds were busy creating dreams of fantastical abilities that could one day be bestowed upon them. It was no surprise when the dreams turned from possible blessings to dreams of the god Gorandor himself. But it was no coincidence that they each shared an identical dream of the god in which they were asked to swear their souls to him once again. Upon repeating their oaths, both Garret and Zorbin dreamed of the god holding them within the palm of his hand as if weighting their worth literally. Seemingly satisfied the god disappeared and the fantasies of special powers returned.
*****
Xanth squirmed at the end of Zorbin’s bed. He too dreamed of the god, only the beast recognized the presence much more acutely than had the men. Images flashed through the wolf’s intuitive mind and Xanth’s feelings for each image were noted by the presence there. When shown an image of Zorbin bleeding upon his back and an ogre standing before the lifeless body of the dwarf, Xanth growled loudly in his sleep. That seemed to be the answer the presence wanted, and it quickly departed the wolf’s mind. As the presence passed though the mind of the beast it changed something. The change was subtle yet noticeable, and though Xanth slept, he knew that something was unlike it had been before the visit.
*****
The three of them slept peacefully through the entire night until late morning. Sirus had awoken early but deciding that his new charges needed a good night’s rest to revive their bodies, he allowed them to sleep in. When they did finally awake, breakfast was waiting for them in the dining hall, as were Sirus and Philip. Garret was the first to arrive, but Zorbin and Xanth were only a few minutes behind him. They each greeted one another and made quick work of their food.
“Weapons training is going to go a bit different than it usually would, but as we are short on time, I think it best to make these changes,” Sirus stated, and continued after a slight pause. “Generally we would teach you to wield each and every weapon in the armory. Due to our lack of time, however, I should ask each of you to choose a single weapon that is of your liking and we shall concentrate on whatever weapon you might choose.” Sirus concluded.
Finished with their breakfast, Philip headed out to the knight’s sparring ground and Sirus led Garret and Zorbin to the armory. Swinging the large wooden door open, Sirus stepped aside to allow his charges entrance before him. Zorbin was first to enter and muttered something about the high quality of the weapons in his deep guttural voice. Garret on the other hand said nothing, instead looking around the room in astonishment. The room’s walls were each entirely covered in large wooden racks, and each rack was filled to capacity with the largest assortment of weapons Garret had ever seen amassed in one place. Maces and mauls, as well as swords, daggers and bows lined one wall. Spears and staves shared another with scythes and lances.
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