Daughter of Winter

Chapter 7

"What the hell did you do?"

I snapped awake. I felt no pain, in fact I felt very refreshed. I lay on one of many beds in a large room. A curtain was folded up at one edge of each bed. The weak light coming in through the tall windows was supplemented by faelight. Lysander and Erin stood beside a pale looking Vivianne, who lay on another bed. Her dress had folded to one side, revealing more of her prosthetic leg. The ivory at the bottom was attached to a complex set of gears and springs that appeared to be powered by magic.

"I did what I had to do. I cannot have some nobody peasant beating me in a fight, even if they did cheat," Vivianne replied evenly, her voice had a stronger accent to it now. She gave Lysander a glare. "A commander walks a much thinner line than a whore does." Her voice was flat. The statement was not intended to be hurtful, but that didn't make it less sharp.

I sat up in bed and looked at the others. There was a hole in Vivianne's dress. Blood soaked the fabric around it. I wasn't proud of the satisfaction it gave me.

"Hello Allyn, how do you feel?" Erin asked me with an assuring smile.

"Good."

"Any uncontrollable twitches or painful breathing?" I shook my head. "Good." She turned around and started writing notes down at a desk.

"I apologize if I went slightly overboard, but I did what I had to do." She paused. "Your swordsmanship was commendable, but you cannot rely on Lysander to cheat your way to victory." She sat completely still and showed no emotion. It was unnerving.

"I don't understand why you needed to knock her unconscious though," Lysander said.

"I believe I've already explained this to you. Where I come from we do not pamper our soldiers like you do here." Lysander scoffed.

"When Ken comes back and learns that you fried his new...partner...you'll see how well we pamper our soldiers. If you're lucky, you'll just end up with a restrictor charm like Hadrian." Vivianne's stoic outside cracked. Her eyebrows raised in worry as she raised her voice.

"If you are finished attacking me for how I choose to teach those I am training, I have a task for Allyn to complete." She began to address me. "I hid the sword Lord Kendryek gifted you in the forest, it is your job to find it." She slid her eye towards Lysander. "Without any extra help." Erin suddenly looked up from her desk and said,

"Absolutely not! Both of you need rest!" She strode out from behind the desk and stood rigidly, like she was ready to physically confine either of us in our beds. I was still fuming from the fight and desperate to prove myself to the rest of them. I wanted to show them I was not weak, that I didn't need Lysander to cheat me to a victory, that I was more than just a half-fae peasant.

"Erin, it's okay. I feel fine, better than usual thanks to your healing. I can do this," I said. There was a magical hum to my words. When I heard it I almost yelped. No one else noticed this, except maybe Lysander; whose face flickered when I began to speak. Erin relaxed, her glare dissipating and her shoulders dropping.

"Are you sure? There are dangerous creatures out there."

"Yes. I can handle whatever the forest throws at me," I replied. She dipped her head in my direction.

"Okay, I trust you. Just be careful." I looked to Lysander.

"My bow is in your cabin," I said. The hum was gone. He nodded and pulled both the bow and the quiver out of thin air. I thanked him. "Where is the sword?" I was determined to excel at whatever task Vivianne gave me. She pulled a small ring out of her pocket. It was a simple silver band with a rune etched into the inside. I took it and placed it on my right middle finger.