Echoes

Chapter 17

"Nisa, we just got here," Gavie whined, throwing himself onto one of the couches. Shae had been kind enough to set us up with our own home adjacent to the Winoan cathedral. The interior was similar to the back room of the cathedral, with two couches in the center and a few rooms branching off from the center living space, with a set of stairs leading to the second floor. It wasn't anywhere near as modern as Alvion, but it was certainly more comfortable than Gavie's house. Not that I was going to tell him that.

"Gavie, relax," Pix said. "Nisa's trying to find her past, cut the girl some slack."

I had to give Pix credit, she knew Gavie would listen to her.

"But three days? We just got here," Gavie complained.

I watched him writhe like a child throwing a tantrum from the couch across from him. Pix sat on the armrest next to me.

"Gavie, I know you want to speak to the council about your parents. And there's going to be plenty of time to do so in the next few days, and when we return," I explained gently.

His face was covered with his hands. He let out a long sigh.

"Whatever you say Nisa, you're in charge now that you're close with Shae," Gavie said, a hint of distaste in his voice.

I raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"I most definitely am not!" Gavie shouted, sitting up.

I snorted. "Sure, Gavie. Whatever you say."

"I am not jealous!" Gavie repeated. "Sure, Shae's pretty but she's definitely not my type."

"Oh really? Then what is your type?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's none of your business," Gavie answered, his face flushing.

I turned to Pix to see what she thought of Gavie's little crush, but she was no longer sitting next to me. Instead, she was across the room at the bottom of the stairs.

"Pix?" I asked, catching her before she could slip away.

"I'm heading to bed," she said, keeping her back to us. "You guys should too. We're going to need all the sleep we get before we leave Tomaleya."

And with that, she left Gavie and I alone on the couches. I shot Gavie a look of confusion, but clearly he was just as clueless as I was. Over the last few days, he'd started wearing his hair pulled back only halfway, instead of up in a ponytail. Thick stubble was beginning to cover the majority of his chin, covering the scar on his jaw. I had almost forgotten how attractive Gavie was after being through so much over the last few weeks.

"She is right, you know."

I snapped back to reality.

"Pix, I mean," Gavie continued. "We should try to rest as much as possible. Who knows what's waiting for us at Mount Wanea."

I nodded. "True. I guess I'll see you in the morning then." I stood up and left up the steps.

The next morning, I awoke to find the house empty. I skipped down the stairs into the main living space to find a note on the table on top of a small package.

"Dear Nisa," I read aloud under my breath. "Pix and I left early to attend to a few errands. Sanus stopped in to tell us to tell you Shae wants to meet you in the Cathedral. He also dropped off these."

I put the note down, and opened the package to find a new shirt and pants neatly folded. I glanced down at my body and realized I was still wearing the same outfit I left Alvion in. I hadn't even bathed, unless you counted my quick swim in the frozen river. Smacking my forehead in shame, I slipped through one of the doors leading to the washroom, clutching the pile of clothes under my arm. Inside, I found an old-fashioned toilet and a large tub. Turning on the water, I peeled off my nasty outfit and slid into the tub.

Once I finished cleaning off, I inspected the clothing Shae had Sanus drop off. Thankfully, it was nothing over the top, just a white blouse with a high neck and a pair of flowy burgundy pants. I dried off, somewhat thankful for my short hair drying quickly and dressed as fast as I could. I kept my boots, which luckily didn't look ridiculous with my outfit and half ran out the door.

In the morning light, the center piazza was already bustling with people, a few who shot me a quick look before continuing on their way. I weaved my way through the masses, eventually making it to the front doors of the Cathedral. The guards posted outside regarded me, then pulled the doors open. I stepped inside and made my way down the center aisle.

The back table was empty, which I assumed meant Shae was in the back room like the day before. So I took the liberty of letting myself in. I found Shae sitting on one of the couches, deeply invested in a book. She no longer wore the tight purple dress, and was now in a simple cream colored robe-like dress and a pair of plain brown sandals. She looked up after she heard me shut the door.

"Nisa!" She said, closing her book. "So good to see you again. Please, have a seat."

I sat down on the couch across from her once again.

"I see you wore the clothing I sent over. I hope I didn't pick anything that was going too far out of your comfort zone," she stated.

"Oh, no these are fine!" I replied. "Really, they're very comfortable too. Thank you." I couldn't help but to wonder if I smelled bad, or looked like I was living as a hermit in the mountains. Maybe Shae was just too polite to tell me I was gross.

"I'm glad you like them," Shae said, bringing my attention back. "But not to be a stick in the mud, there are many things we need to handle before we leave in a few days."

I nodded. "Like what?"

Shae bit her lip. I noticed she did that before she said something risky. "If you don't mind me asking, how much practice do you have with combat?"

"Um," I winced. "Sort of, none. My usual strategy is just standing in front of people and being a human shield."

Shae smiled, but I could see my answer didn't make her happy. I almost felt disappointed, I let the leader of the council down.

"Well, I mean, I did manage to kill a Beast in Krie, so I guess somewhere inside me I have the instincts for combat. But I'd be willing to learn," I explained.

"Well, that's a good thing, because today you'll be learning some swordplay with the Winoan Guardsmen," Shae said.

I nearly choked on air. "What?"

"You heard me correct. The Guardsmen operate below the Cathedral, they have their own space to train underground. Today you'll spend the day learning as much as you can from them. I already let Sanus know you'll be joining them. He's even agreed to be your sparring partner," Shae said.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

"Of course it is," Shae replied. "What's the worst that could happen? You can heal from anything he throws at you."

"I make a fool of myself," I mumbled.

Shae stared at me like a discontent mother, which was strange given she was only a few years older than me. I really didn't like disappointing her.

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Oh, good," Shae said, clapping her hands together. "The stairs are right through that door. Sanus will be waiting for you, but I should warn you, he's been sparring with your ash-born friend all morning."

"Pix?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, and apparently he's been having a difficult time beating her. See to it that they don't kill each other in the process. Good luck!"