A/N sorry it took so long to get this chapter out I was stuck with writers block so I am sorry it is so short.
As the light of false dawn began to show, Kel slowly started to awaken to the yowls of Faithful in her ear. "Get up, get up, get up. You need to train and learn. Time is getting away from us. If you do not get up now you will never learn in time to help save Tortall. GET UP!"
Grumbling to herself about annoying cats, Kel started to get up and quickly got dressed in the light of morning's false dawn. Even though it was not even dawn yet, the day was already starting to get hot.
She thanked Mithros and the Goddess that she did not mind the heat or else she would be really annoyed for the rest of the day.
Looking around, Kel found a spot clear just a handful of steps away from the camp site and began her morning routine stating with stretching.
The Shang Griffin, already awake and finished her morning practice, watched as Kel started to stretch, looking for places where she could improve her stretches and warm up of her muscles.
Kel, having finally finished stretching, started to work on her arm strengthening exercises. As she started her normal morning twenty, Kel did not pay attention to what the Griffin was doing as she got into her own little bubble when she trained, blocking out the rest of the world in her stubborn concentration.
The griffin, watching her doing the arm strengthening exercises, knew that here was a place where she could change her routine and help her, depending on how many exercises she did every morning.
"Kel how many of those arm strengthening exercises do you do each morning?" the Griffin asked as Kel stood up from her exercises.
Jumping at the sound of her mentor and trainer's voice, Kel looked over to her "I normally do twenty each morning; Eda Bell taught me them and recommended doing twenty to help with my arm muscles. Why do you ask?" Kel responded moving to reach down to her toes then stretch up as high as she could to help to limber up her torso.
Cass looked at Kel and laughed. "Starting from now I want you to work up to doing one hundred of them three times a day, at least for now."
"After you have finished your morning exercise, we will have our morning meal. Then, we must be on the road to the training grounds. We're about four maybe five hours away. If we are lucky, we can make it before the midday meal," Cass remarked before she walked over to the fire to start on the morning meal while Kel finished her morning exercise.
Finished her morning workout, Kel went and packed up her tent while waiting for Cass to finish the morning meal.
Cass laughed at Kel as she tripped over a tree root getting her clothes and tent packed up. She wanted to be ready to move out from their camp as soon as possible.
Kel was eager to get to the Shang training grounds here in Tortall and back into full time training as she was starting to feel very lazy and uncertain of what the gods wanted her to complete. Training always made her feel better, with the rhythm of movement putting her into a state of mind like meditation.
They both were quiet as they ate the morning meal, and cleaned up.
Cass mounted up on Dark king. He was a seventeen hand high midnight black gelding with four white socks and a white star.
Peachblossom looked the gelding over with a twinkle in his eye. Kel saw the look in his eyes and quickly walked over to him to grab his halter. She spoke to him in quick and quiet words when she said, "Peachblossom, behave or I will send you back to the palace and let one of the new pages have you."
Peachblossom snorted and shook his head, making Kel drop the halter. He trotted a few steps away from them and looked back at them as if to say 'well if I am not allowed to see what he tastes like then I want to get moving.'
Kel and Cass could not help the laugh that burst out simultaneously.
Looking up at the sky and noticing that the sun was fully up, Cass decided that they really needed to get moving. Looking over to Kel, she yelled out to her to start running. For the next five hours, Kel spent an hour and half running, an hour walking then back to an hour and half running. By the time Kel started the second hour and a half of running, her leg muscles were starting to burn, kel thought to herself 'I will not stop, she told her screaming muscles. So you may as well get used to this.But no matter how hard she tried to block it out, they continue to scream and instead, she bit her lip to distract herself.'
Cass —seeing that she would not complain no matter what she asked of Kel and knowing that her legs would be feeling the burn left— Kel to walk for the last hour.
As it was Cass didn't have patience for anyone who complained; it was the way she was trained, the way she was brought up.
Kel was just starting to think she could not continue on when they came to a large circular clearing with a lot of tents set up around the outside.
Kel could not believe her eyes at the amount of people in the clearing.
As she looked around she could see people of all ages and skin color; there were even a few babies there!
Cass could not help but laugh at the look on Kel's face as she looked around. Many of the younger children with free time ran up to the horses, yelling a welcome to Cass. She was immediately flooded by high-pitched questions asked in their individual accents. "Why are ye not at the palace?" and "Didn't you like it when you was there?" along with —and almost everyone was wondering — "Where was Wolfe?"
Kel smiled as she watched her mentor and teacher be surrounded by young children before she could even dismount.
Noticing the quiet, Kel looked around and saw that just about all activities had stopped and everyone was staring at them.
I just want to say welcome back Nell and thanks for still being beta and thanks to tamari who was a wonderful beta while Nell was away.
And of course a big thanks to all those who have reviewed!
xyxyxy11-thank you I feel like I don't write the responses very well to the book.
Ileleana -Yes, Wyldon is an idiot lol.
ZelfinaI- have the books on .pdf on my laptop so I just copy and paste each chapter into a word doc lol. And thank you for the offer.
Sir Breanna- Thank you and hope you like this chapter too.
Natalucien- Thank you and here is the next chapter for you.