Chapter Eight
Lina made it a priority every morning to get up at dawn and practice weaponry. She had trained as a knight in Isthaena, a neighboring kingdom. Lina refused to forget what she had learned; she had had to dress as a boy for eight Faerie years, and it had cost her much.
She did her best not to think about the past too long, but sometimes memories would creep through the barriers of her mind. One such memory came to her just then.
She was having a mock fight with Jesse Tuck. Their wooden swords smacked and slapped at each other for a few moments, then, Lina's sword came up quickly and crashed down on Jesse's, then both swords splintered and broke. They stood there a moment, then Lina said, "I'll be able to beat you when I come back from training next holiday." "Yeah right, Lina. As if!"
The memory faded as quickly as it had come. Lina shook herself and finished running through the glaive movements. She magicked away the weapons and made the interior of her four-poster smaller with the flick of one hand. She climbed out of bed, the drapes swishing behind her.
Lina went over to the window and flung it open. The birds on their perch on the nearby tree sang prettily as she leaned toward them. Sing with us, they said, so after a quick check of the dormitory, making sure everyone was asleep, she did. She sang sweetly in a low voice, in the language of birds, so none but they would understand.
"Those birds aren't afraid of you." Lina stopped and spun around. Hermione Granger stood there, watching her intently.
"Well, I have a way with animals." Lina lied. "But that song. I've never heard them sing like that before. Wait, was that you?"
"No! I mean, see I'm a bit touchy about music, because everyone in my family can sing except me. It's a sore spot." This was a half-lie, because although everyone on Robin's side of the family could sing, no one on the queen's side could.
"Hey, would they get scared if I came near them?" Hermione queried. "No, I don't think so. Come slowly." At the same time, she thought hurriedly to the birds, My friend's coming to uh, meet you. Don't fly away.
Hermione cautiously tip- toed over to the window, and when she reached it, put her hand out to the nearest bird. He hopped onto her index finger, and began to tweet. "So, you wake up early? I thought I was the only one," remarked Lina. "Well, I wake up around seven o'clock. I like to be up with the birds." Hermione replied. Checking her watch, Lina said, "It's seven thirty now! If we don't hurry, we'll be late for breakfast." By now, the other girls were all dressing, so a few minutes later they all went down to the Great Hall together.