Bloodloss (eBook)

chapter 3
Raiden

Plates of juicy roast, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables had been placed before the group, along with some fresh, cool water to wash the meal down.

Raiden still had not gotten used to living in the castle. With Rayla and Macarius being in such bad condition when they had first arrived back at Maith, Lord Hightower had demanded that the two of them stay in the castle where his personal caretakers could attend to them. Raiden had been asked to stay at the castle as well, to help care for the two, and he had gladly done so. After their first night back, Raiden had retrieved his and Macarius’s things from their cabin, and Rayla’s from her house.

He had also gone to inform his parents about Sapphire, which wasn’t an experience that Raiden was eager to recall.

“You know,” Luca’s amused voice broke through Raiden’s thoughts. “You could practice your sword skills on a practice dummy rather than stabbing at your food like that.”

Raiden looked up to see four pairs of curious eyes staring back at him. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Raiden sat up straighter in his chair and opened his mouth, planning to lie about what he had been thinking about. Instead, his voice froze in his throat.

He couldn’t lie to them, he realized as he met Luca’s gaze. Defeated, he slumped back down in his chair and dropped his head into his hands.

A year ago, he would have never shown such weakness, especially in front of such prestigious members of the province. However, after all that they had been through together, he knew that showing weakness would not change their opinion of him. They had all experienced loss in the last several months, and with how much time they had spent together, they had learned to interpret when each of them needed support. It was like a little family. Each kept the others’ secrets and shared in their pain.

Raiden took several deep breaths, refusing to raise his eyes until he was certain that the tears were gone. Tears for Sapphire. When he felt ready, he looked up to see that everyone’s eyes were still on him. They looked at him not in concern or condemnation, but in understanding and comfort. We are here for you, their eyes told him.

He clenched his jaw, struggling to decide how to say what he was thinking. Finally, he shook his head, at a loss for words.

One by one, the others dropped their eyes, understanding his struggle. Finally, Rayla broke the silence.

“Is this the part where someone stands up and gives a motivational speech?” she asked sarcastically. “You know, ‘We just have to wait until the right time. Then we can get our revenge.’”

Raiden glanced at his friend. He was beyond impressed by how much the trip that Rayla had taken to see her horse had improved her mood. He’d been both surprised and thrilled when she had asked to join them for dinner for the first time since they’d returned home. The others had been equally thrilled to see her out of the room and talking.

Hightower gave an unenthusiastic chuckle in response to Rayla’s comment. “I’m not particularly in the mood for giving a speech at the moment,” the lord admitted.

“Neither am I,” Macarius seconded.

“Good,” Rayla huffed. “I’m not particularly in the mood for listening to one.”

Even Raiden laughed halfheartedly at the girl’s frank words.

“You know,” Hightower said in a teasing voice, “you are very brave to speak to your lord in such a manner, especially when he is gracious enough to give you a bed in his castle.”

“I’m not so sure if that is a gift or a punishment,” Rayla retorted good naturedly. “What, with all these stairs I have to climb just to get a decent meal.”

“You must have found favor in Lord Hightower’s eyes,” Raiden added, pointing his fork at Luca. “He let you stay at your own house.”

Briefly, Raiden considered how much his manner had eased toward Lord Hightower. Early on in their friendship, Raiden had regarded the man in complete awe and reverence. When Rayla had been even the least bit blunt when conversing with the lord, Raiden’s nerves had been on edge, afraid that Hightower would punish the girl for her rudeness. Now, Raiden had no problem joking with the man.

Hightower laughed at Raiden’s comment.

“I should kick you all out in the cold,” the man threatened, a warm smile on his face.

“Bah,” Macarius waved aside the threat. “If you did that, you’d have no one to take your place when you leave for the capitol!”

Aside from Hightower’s lingering smile, nobody acknowledged the statement. Instead, they dropped their gazes once more. The mention of the upcoming battle had defeated the light mood in the room.

Macaruis, suddenly aware of his mistake, lowered his gaze in shame.

“Sorry,” he said forlornly.

Luca waved his apology aside.

“Don’t be,” he said. “We have to face it at some point.”

The group fell silent, reflecting on that truth. Raiden, suddenly reminded of his previous troubles, returned to picking at his food. Realizing that he had no appetite at all, he sighed and pushed his plate away from him.

He felt Rayla’s curious eyes on him as he stood and began to pace behind his chair. He could almost hear his mind searching for some way to better prepare for the near future.

“I’ll ask,” he heard Macarius say after a moment of confused silence in the group. “Raiden, what are you doing?”

Raiden felt an idea forming in his head. It would by no means solve any of their problems, but it was something that could give him a sense of worth. A way he could help someone, even if it wasn’t himself or his friends.

“I have forty archers that I’ve been training,” he thought aloud, pausing to think through his words carefully.

There was an awkward stretch of silence.

“Um,” Rayla finally said in a confused voice. “Congratulations?”

Impatiently, Raiden shook his head.

“No, that’s not the point,” he said distractedly.

“Then . . . what is the point?” Luca wondered.

“Why can I not train others?” Raiden asked. “Who are just as new to archery, but not necessarily planning to become archers?”

“Who do you mean?” Hightower replied, after taking some time to consider the question.

“Well, when this war finally comes, no one will be safe. No home will be secure. Not in the villages inside or outside the castle walls. Most of the men will be away, fighting with us. That leaves no one to protect the homes. Wars don’t spare women and children.”

“No,” Luca said, frowning. “No, they don’t. But I don’t see how–”

“What if I trained the women?” Raiden interjected, now more than excited about his idea.

“The women?” Macarius asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Raiden replied, turning to his former master. “Train them to defend themselves. With bows.”

“Well, we’ve never taught women to shoot before,” Macarius argued feebly.

“Are you saying that women are incapable of such a task?” Rayla’s strong voice demanded from across the table. There was an old, familiar defiance in her tone that Raiden hadn’t heard in a long time. He welcomed it with a small smile.

“No, of course not!” Macarius corrected immediately, shaking his head vigorously to appease Rayla. “Just that it’s never been done before.”

“They need to be able to protect themselves too,” Raiden said, cutting off all other conversation.

“Raiden,” Luca said in a reasonable tone. “I’m sure it takes more than a month to learn how to shoot a bow, and a month is all we have, at best.”

Raiden nodded eagerly.

“With a recurve or longbow, yes,” he admitted. “But not with a crossbow.”

“Excellent,” Macarius muttered in shock, having caught on to Raiden’s plan. “Genius, Raiden.”

“Wait,” Luca asked, holding a hand up. “Why not with a crossbow?”

“The crossbow takes less skill,” Raiden explained.

“It’s true,” Macarius added. “Once you learn how to aim it, the weapon is fairly easy to use.”

Luca blinked, mouth agape. “Do we have that many crossbows?” He addressed the question to Lord Hightower.

The lord hesitated. “We have some,” he admitted. “Not many, as it is not our weapon of choice. But there are perhaps fifty or more.”

“That will be enough,” Raiden assured the man.

Luca cleared his throat.

“I think we’re forgetting something,” he told them. “These women aren’t just sitting at home waiting for something to do. They have children to care for while their husbands are gone during the...