Part 8

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The next day I woke up and got dressed for training. My arm felt better but it still hurt to move it to much. When Arthur came to get me, I followed him out to the empty training camp. But it wasn't empty. In the middle of the camp was my mom in her cloak. She sent Arthur away, leaving us alone. My mom tossed me a sword and I caught it by the hilt. I looked at her questionably.

"Why are you giving me this?" I asked.

"You need to learn how to fight with a sword," my mom explained.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because everyone fights with a sword," my mom answered. "Yes, some do have guns but you have a bow and arrows. And sometimes those are better than guns."

I frowned in confusion. "What do you mean bows are better than guns?"

"They can deal more damage and are easier to explain when carrying them," Ember explained.

I nodded. "Makes sense."

My mother pulled out her sword. My eyes widened. "Mom, are you sure? I don't think your wounds are healed enough."

"I'll be fine, Alex. Hold your sword ready. Like this," she instructed, holding her sword ready to fight.

I copied her form and my mom walked over to inspect me. She adjusted me a little but not much. She finally stepped back. "There. That's the right position."

We practiced getting into that position for a couple of times before we practiced fighting. Even through her injuries, my mom was a good fighter and graceful too. We fought until noon came then we went into the castle for lunch. We had grilled cheese and fruit before going back outside. We trained until the sun started to set behind the castle, making the castle seem to have a halo around it. We then went inside, my mom letting me keep the sword. I put it in its holder my mom gave to me and put it in my room. After I put my sword away, there was a knock on my door. I told them to come in and turned towards the door to see who would walk in. It was my mother, still dressed in her cloak.

"Do you want to go into the village?" She asked.

I nodded, smiling wide. "Yes, yes I do."

My mom smiled back. "Okay. Then let's go."

I followed my mom out of the castle and into the town. The lanterns lining the streets were lit up and casting a glow on the ground. Even though it was night, there was still people walking around. Some shops were closed while others were still open. We looked at the shops before stopping at a restaurant on the corner of one of the streets on the nicer market for dinner. We were seated at a table near the back and given a menu. I ordered a water to drink and we waited for the waiter to come back so we could order. When he did, we ordered a pizza and waited for him to come back. While we waited, we talked.

"How was life on the island?" My mother asked.

"It was good," I answered. "Marcus didn't let me go into town much but it was good."

"He didn't?" My mom asked.

I shook my head. "No. But I had fun. And he took me to the beach a couple times."

Ember nodded. "That's good."

Our food came and we thanked the winter before starting to eat. I continued the conversation through the meal. "How was life here?" I asked.

"Difficult," my mother admitted. "We are constantly on the lookout for Goliath's troops and defending ourselves. But when I'm not patrolling or working life is enjoyable."

"Had you heard from my father recently?" I asked.

My mom shook her head. "No, not recently. When he left, we exchanged letters briefly but then they stopped. Before they stopped, Caleb told me the war was heating up. I offered to help but he refused, insisting that I was needed here. So I stayed and waited for any sign of his return.

"And when I heard that Shifters from the Island were being taken for Goliath's purposes, I knew that I had to try to rescue the Shifters from him. I then saw your necklace and knew that you were my daughter and that Goliath couldn't take you. That night, I tried sending a letter to Caleb but we didn't know where he is. I have the letter in my desk, unopened. I am still waiting for any sign of his location so I could send it to him."

I listened to my mother, taking bites of my pizza. The pizza was good but I didn't focus on that. I focused on my mother's words. When she finished, I was silent for a second, taking it all in. I eventually nodded.

"And there is still no sign of him?" I asked.

My mother shook her head. "No, not yet."

"Maybe he's busy fighting," I suggested.

"Maybe," my mom agreed. "We will just have to wait."

We finished dinner and my mom payed. We then walked out and walked around town again. Later on that night, we went to one shop where my mom bought me ice cream. I thanked her and ate my treat as we walked back to the castle. When we got back, I went to my room and got ready for bed. My mom came in and we hung out together for a little bit and played some board games. Marcus came back and all three of us played games together. When it got later, Marcus and my mom left and I went to bed. I fell asleep wondering what my father looked like and about what type of person he was.

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