Page 157 of Forcing Fate

I shook myself and sat down to take out my things. Every occupied cot had a pack of some kind, and a weapon or two against them. I felt barren, as if I should have grabbed more. I didn’t know what I would have packed, though. My dresses? I snickered to myself at that thought.

“Find something amusing?”

I turned to see one of the twins enter through one of the interior doors. I tilted my head and flashed him a wary smile. He didn’t need to know my thoughts.

“Hail,” I said simply.

“Hail. I’m Blain.” He quirked up an eyebrow. “Avyanna, correct?”

“Aye.” I squinted at him. How was I to tell the difference between him and his twin? Was there a way?

“It’s a pleasure.” He crouched down and eyed me as if sharing a secret. “If I were you, I’d choose another bunk.”

I frowned, looking at the spaces beside me. There was the one with books, and to my other side was the interior door.

“Zephath has taken residence there,” he said, indicating the cot with books. “Have you met him?”

At the shake of my head, he proceeded, “Probably a blessing for you, though that will soon be remedied. He never sleeps. He lights a candle and reads all night until the General orders him to put it out. Quite a prickly character, too.”

“Thank you for the warning,” I said.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to befriend this twin. Besides, anyone who read would at least have something in common with me.

Noting my lack of initiative to gather my things and follow his advice, he chuckled to himself. “It’s been a pleasure, dear. Also, Dane extends his greetings,” he said with an easy smile, then walked away.

Did he speak for his brother? What exactly did sharing a soul mean? Was that magic? I sighed and stood, following Blain as he exited the fortress and headed into the clearing.

I righted a log and sat on it, watching the men interact. Blain was off speaking with Collins. Xzanth disappeared. Jamlin still split logs, with Korzak stacking them. He looked at me as if I was a puppy he wanted to hold. From my seat, I could see the path through the woods that we had come in on, though the fortress blocked my view of the King’s Lake.

“Did you eat last meal?” Jamlin called.

I shook my head.

“Pity. You’ll have to deal with Xzanth’s cooking. He leaves much to be desired.”

“Does he cook for the Tennan?” I asked, standing to hand him a log.

“He does. Dane does the hunting, but he would rather eat meat raw than cook. Xzanth took up the cause. None of us know more about cooking than he does, so the job goes to him.” He shrugged and sank the ax into the log with a dull thud.

Korzak grabbed it and gave me a giddy smile before trotting away.

“Don’t mind him. He’s harmless,” Jamlin said.

I didn’t feel a sense of malice from the giant. His childlikeness simply unnerved me. I eyed him, but nodded with understanding. Some girls were like that in the dorm. There had been a handful that never quite matured mentally. They were still humans, and still valuable to society, just different.

I worked with the men, finding tasks to do, since no one gave me specific orders. As time went on, I wondered if Niehm was looking for me. Was I allowed to go back to the main barracks? When would I see her or Willhelm again?

General Rafe appeared on the path in the woods, headed for us. I hesitated and lifted my chin, watching him come. When the men noticed him, they nodded their heads, but didn’t salute. He motioned to me and walked to the pile of logs to have a seat. I perched on a log next to him and he regarded me with a narrow eye.

“We’re doing weapons training tomorrow.”

I mentally cringed, but kept my face straight and nodded.

“Any weapon you’re more comfortable with?”

“No, though I have the most practice with sword and shield,” I replied.

Jamlin scoffed, and I glared in his direction as he brought the ax down to split a log.

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