The Reckoning - Book Two

Chapter Twenty Six - Daella

"It's been four weeks training with the wooden sword, it's time to move onto an iron one." Demwyn announces as he stalks towards the weapons rack.

Two days had passed since my release from that prison cell. The only one who knew the truth was Quirin and I intended to keep it that way.

Demwyn would remain oblivious to what happens under his own roof and I would keep my life.

It was like she was with me every moment, even standing in the training yard I could feel her shrewd sharp eyes watching me, judging me, waiting for me to make a mistake, to lash out, to give her a reason to keep her promise.

I couldn't let that happen.

I watch as Demwyn selects two iron swords and walks back towards me.

I didn't know if I should take the new change to mean I have made progress or if he was just tired of playing with toys.

"The blade is dull so you shouldn't be able to cut yourself with it, but you can get used to the weight of it." He says holding the handle towards me.

I take it and notice the weight immediately. I hold the sword upright like I usually would with my wooden sword but struggle to get it to stand as it should.

"You need to eat more." Demwyn says after watching me struggle, clearly displeased with my attempts.

"Excuse me?" I say, staring back at him in confusion.

"You need more muscle, exercise will do some of the work but you need to eat more to gain muscle so you can hold a sword properly." He explains.

"I eat fine." A lie and I know it.

"I may not have my brother's magic but I know you are lying." He says pointing at me in accusation.

"I eat! I'm not starving myself!" I snap, tired of this discussion, while also reminding myself to not let him bait me.

"I didn't say you were!" He smiles, pulling back from me, clearly happy to have pinched a nerve no doubt. "But," He stops, studying me. "You're not eating enough, or you're not eating the right foods. What do they feed the chosen any ways? Wirrin food?" He asks with another smile. Did he think he was being funny? I didn't know what he was talking about, or what a Wirrin was, but I could understand the gist of it.

"Well they wouldn't want us to lose our figures, now would they?" I return and he hesitates, perhaps trying to figure out if I was being serious or not.

I mean they did limit how much we ate, we could never have a second helping, we could never put too much on our plate, we had to chew slowly with small bites. The list of rules went on and on.

"Very well, I'll make it simple then. From now on, you will eat with me." He says with a note of finality and I stare up at him blankly.

"What?"

"Well if you're not going to be fed properly then you will never gain the muscle you need and you won't progress in your training, you can't keep using a wooden sword, it's designed for children. So, you will eat your meals with me and I can make sure you are eating enough of the right foods." He explains but still his words don't make sense.

"You cannot be serious." I want to laugh. Maybe that's what it was, just a terrible joke.

"I am completely serious. If you're going to take this training seriously and progress, than this is the next step in your training." He nods again, hand twirling his sword around like he couldn't be more comfortable if he tried.

I didn't know what to say. I could scream, shout, demand he change his mind. None of it would work. I knew him enough by now to know that once he had made up his mind there was nothing that could change it.

This is happening. I would be forced to spend even more time with him. He would be in control of yet another part of my life, of what food I ate and how much. Would he be there holding my hair back as I threw it all back up as well?

I do my best to reign in my anger as I accept his decision.

He was once again proving the reality of my position here. I was just a prisoner in a beautiful cage.

Of course he wouldn't see it that way. He obviously thought he was doing me a favour, a grand gesture on his part to ensure my well-being.

When in truth it couldn't be further from.

I wasn't a person to them, I was just an object. I was a responsibility, and an unwanted one at that.

I could see it on every one of their faces.

Even Lyari and Saena had changed, their looks of concern, their pity and empathy. They were servants and I was their responsibility.

Even Quirin held the same look, he had said so many times that he was bound to serve the people, that he would do all he could to help me. Even going so far as to perform a banned ritual just to save my life and bring me out of the nightmare curse Arden had left me in.

But every day there is no change, every day he has no cure, every time he has to tell me that all we can do is wait is another time where I can feel the regret.

He was a healer, his life's work was healing those with illness and ailments and I was cursed to be someone he couldn't heal.

He had bought me back and saved me only to have to see me every day deny him the one thing he was born to do.

I didn't want to be a responsibility. I didn't want to be a burden to all those around me. I didn't want to be trapped behind these dammed walls each and every day waiting for them to come back not knowing whether things would ever be the same as they were.

It has only been a month but it feels like a lifetime, like a giant chasm has opened up between me and them and the war stands between us.

All I can do is grip my sword a little tighter and hope that this war and everything that has changed because of it doesn't swallow us all hole.