Terramancer

Chapter Nine

A loud banging at my door woke me up. I frowned and got up to open it. Ece stood in the doorway. He wore clothes similar to our training uniform except made of the same shiny material that my dress had been made of. He had a longsword strapped to his back. He handed me a folded set of clothes that looked like a dress. It was a muted green, and had the same fabric as my other dress. It was in a similar style, except the shoulders were higher and the sleeves blossomed out like a rose. I scowled at it.

"Why must I wear an impractical dress when you are wearing practical fighting clothes?" I asked.

"Because the Ancient Lands are somewhat conservative. They do not like women in trousers," Ece replied. "Take the dress and don't complain." He thrust the dress out at me and begrudgingly, I took it. I took a step back and slammed the door in his face.

I quickly changed into the dress. It was just as, if not more, uncomfortable as the other red dress I owned. The sleeves scratched my arms and I could barely move. The bodice was tight and itchy. I writhed. I could not imagine ever fighting in this.

With a miserable expression, I opened the door. Ece was still standing there. His eyes scanned my body up and down.

"You look good," he said, smirking. I blushed so hotly that I was sure he could see it.

"What shoes am I to wear?" I tugged at the bodice of the dress, trying to see if I could make it less itchy, to no avail.

"Here." Ece handed me a pair of boots. They were made of brown leather and would surely go up halfway to my shins. Laces lined the boots all the way up to the top. I grabbed them off him. They were surprisingly light. I leaned against the wall next to me, put them on, and laced them up. The leather was soft and seemed to fit my feet perfectly. I stomped a little bit to see how they would feel, and I could lift my feet up without any struggle for the shoes were the perfect weight.

"These are amazing," I said.

Ece nodded. "I had them custom made," he replied, a tinge of smugness in his voice. "I figured if you were going to fight in a dress, I may as well make sure your feet are comfortable."

I smiled. "Nice to know you still have a shred of care for others."

Ece simply nodded. "We must be off now," he said. "Before the first light."

He walked off down the hallway, and I followed after him, my boots making a satisfying clunking sound on the wooden floorboards.

We met up with Iza in the dining room. He grinned at me and I gave him a tentative smile back. Ece looked between us.

"I see you two have made up," he observed. Iza nodded.

"We have," he replied.

"That's good," Ece said. Then, he checked the timepiece on the wall. "Where in Eyabe is Imryll?"

"Probably late, as usual." Iza crossed his arms, frowning. Once again I could sense the tension in the room. Not for the first time today, I wondered about the history Iza and Imryll had.

Suddenly, the door banged open and Imryll burst in. "Sorry I'm late!" she exclaimed. "I was doing some reading about the Ancient Lands."

Iza scowled. "You're going to make us late," he said, his voice tinged with barely controlled anger.

Imryll didn't reply as she adjusted her hair and walked towards the door. "Are we leaving or what?"

A look of poorly concealed annoyance crossed over Iza's face as he followed her out. Ece and I did, too.

Ece took the lead from there, showing us to the stables.

"We'll be travelling in a horse-drawn carriage," he said.