"Aim higher." Parcid said, Lo was pointing the bow towards a straw dummy and her hands were shaking slightly from the weight. Lo let go of the string and the arrow missed the target entirely.
"I want to stop, this is too hard." Lo let out a huff and tried to throw the bow to the floor but Parcid caught it and put it back on the rack.
He grabbed a short bow and placed it in her hand. " Treat your weapon with respect, where I come from we couldn't just throw things away. Now try again, but higher this time."
Lo returned to a firing stance, her hands much steadier this time. " And where is it you come from?"
"You don't need to know that little girl."
"I am not a little girl!" Lo practically yelled.
"Are you smaller and younger than me?"
Lo was silent for a moment, staring into Parcid one eye. "Yes, but that's not the point."
"Fine then, little boy."
Lo let go of the string and turned fully towards him, her arms folded. " I'm a lady, when my father passes I will inherit his land and I will be able to have people that annoy me punished."
" Look at the target." Parcid turned her around to the dummy and she looked at the arrow in the dummy's stomach. "Anyway, you're the only thing keeping me alive. If it wasn't for you wanting to learn I'd be dead for poaching."
" If the lord finds you then it won't matter." Baristan was leaning against the wall. "Lo, you've finished training for the day, I need to talk to your tutor."
"But I want to know what you're talking about. You never tell me."
"That's because there are things little girls shouldn't hear.
Lo let out a huff, gave a slight curtsy and left. Baristan walked towards the younger man, while he was in his late forties, Parcid was twenty eight. " I'm glad you don't share your master's attitude towards inheritance."
"No, but my attitude towards poachers, bandits and traitors is worse."
" But not their sons."
" Your father was loyal, to the wrong side maybe, but loyal none the less."
" What is it you want to talk about?"
" You'll be leaving in three weeks." HE was about to speak before Baristan interrupted. " Don't worry, Lo's leaving to go to the college in Nordberg."
"Ah, so the little elf girl has magic."
"It's more than that, I won't be going with her so you'll be looking after her, and the people she wants to hurt"
"I can look after myself and she's a little girl, how much damage can she do."
"Little girls grow up. Over the years she will get stronger and she will get a greater control on her abilities. Did you ever see what the Overlord was able to do? She can do that without even thinking about it."
"I don't think she's capable of ruling the world yet."
"No, but when she's married she'll be given it on a plate. You know she's going to marry the king?"
"Ye, my men intercepted a few messages about that."
"Don't tell the girl about the banditry, she hates them with a passion. Tell me, why did you come here, Crasius exiled your family but you came here, why?"
"Because my of my evil plan," Parcid said sarcastically. " By stopping the men from repairing the road every carriage ride becomes mildly uncomfortable."
"You're not funny."
"All a matter of perspective."
Morg gave a slight nod to the hooded figure across the courtyard, Lo had left with her family to have some warm clothes made in the capital, so he was left alone , Parcid had gone with them but the serving staff were still there, but he couldn't let them know about him. He met the figure by the well.
"She's to leave in three weeks." Morg said, taking a seat.
"We need it to be faster than that, if she isn't ready in time we cannot be rid of Fay."
"Has Gnarl made his move yet.?"
"No, he'll do it when the time is right."
"What about the loyalists son?"
"He has a grudge against the girls father, it is understandable."
"How do we get her to leave ?"
"Her parents fear for her safety, as does the king and his lordship, place some sharp rocks on the bottom of the well, I want it lethal."
The knight and Parcid looked around the well, one of the maids was stood nearby, tears rolling down her face.
"You found the body two days. Was your sister acting strangely before, scared, paranoid?"
"She said she'd been seeing lights in the garden, but I told her that it was just one of the night watch. I'm sorry what's he doing?" She pointed to Parcid was was slowly lowering himself into the well.
"What are you doing?"
"Showing you something."
"That's at the bottom of a well?"
"Just trust me." A few minutes later three stones flew out of the bottom of the well followed by Parcid. "What do you see?"
"Stones."
Parcid let out a sigh and rolled his eye. "And what's different about the stones?"
"The colour. So what?"
"You're not very bright are you."
"Insult your captor, that always helps."
Parcid threw the sharpest looking stone towards Baristan. "The sharp stones are a different colour from the ones that are down there. They can't have been down there long otherwise they'd be the same colour."
"So someone murdered her?"
Parcid gave a slight nod. "She was pushed as well, if you look at the dirt."
"I get it, you're smarter than you look. Now tell me why you did it." Baristan's sword was suddenly pressed against Parcid's throat.
Baristan had expect him to flinch, to start sweating slightly, but got a laugh instead. "I was with you and the girl in the capital."
"We didn't see you for a few days, you could have returned then."
" Firstly, why would I kill a serving girl? Secondly there are many whores who can tell you where I was."
"I don't know, you tell me why."
"If I was going to kill anyone, it would be the bastard lord that cut my eye, not his servant."
Baristan lowered his sword "We should send the girl away, if this happens again we don't want her around."
Morg watched from the rooftop and gave a long, low chuckle, everything was going to plan. He heard Lo shouting so he climbed down back in through the window. She was stood over a large trunk, neatly folding up the fur-lined clothes.
" Do you have anything you want to take?" She asked before closing it and sitting on the lid.
Morg shook his head. 'Someone's coming." He quickly ran back in the bathroom as Parcid came in. "We'll be leaving sooner than expected, you have two days."
"Is it because of what happened to that girl?" Lo asked curiously.
Parcid gave a slight nod. "Baristan and your father think it will be safest for you to leave while there investigating, there still trying to work out whether it was poison or magic, neither's good news. One way it could be anyone, the other means you have powerful enemies."
" I did know I had any regular ones."
" Give it enough time, everyone makes them."
"Do you have many enemies?"
"Just the one." He saw Lo mouth open to ask a question. "It doesn't matter."
"Why don't people tell me anything?"
"You have to earn the truth, you can't force it out of people."
"Then why does torture work."
"It doesn't always." And with that he left, slamming the door behind him.
"What's wrong with him?"
Lo had found something she hated more than bumpy carriage rides, the boat swayed slightly as she vomited for the second time that morning. She rearranged her fur coat and watched as the first flakes of snow began to fall. She felt a strange calm fall over her and watched as one fell on her nose, she gave a slight chuckle and opened her mouth, letting one fall on her tongue. Before she could close her mouth, she moved her head over the side as she threw up again. Morg pulled himself up, wiping a small piece of carrot that Lo had eaten from his gill.
"Still sea sick?" Morg had been enjoying a swim in the icy water before a mixture of breakfast and last nights dinner was being rained down upon him.
"It's not funny."
"Who are you talking to little girl?" Parcid had just came from below deck, Morg stripped down into the water.
"No one. Just clearing my head. And I'm not a little girl."
"Time for practice."
"I want to go below deck, I don't throw up as much."
"Yes but the captain moans when you don't make it to a bucket or port hole in time, now grab a bow and start practicing."
Parcid picked up a small box on wheels and shoved a stick with a dummy attached to it and let it go, the gentle swaying of the boat causing it to roll around. Lo tried to concentrate but the swaying was making her feel nauseous. She let go of an arrow and ran to the side of the boat, releasing another stream of vomit. Parcid stumbled forward, the arrow stuck out just below the shoulder and his hand holding the other end.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, just I had to..."
HE couldn't hold his laughter back any longer, he ,moved his arm up and the held the arrow in his hand. "The arrow hit the dummy, pay attention, on the field you should be more concerned about your enemy falling then your ally."
"What's wrong with caring about friends?"
"There's nothing wrong, you have to make sure its safe before you help them. And since when did we become friends?" Lo gave a shrug. " Now try again, without the vomiting".