Door to the Mist

Chapter 3

    Tuesday was yet another day off, and Haeleroth assured them they would be chosen sometime the next day. They toured the forests on the slopes west of the castle to watch some elves shape branches into bows and arrows by using metal from the forge to make arrowheads and special leaves from the trees for fletching.

    Later, they took lunch in the market and went to examine the outer defenses. They helped dig trenches around the outside of the huge icy ramparts, pounding in sharpened stakes and spears to give any attacking goblins a nasty surprise. After that, they wandered around the crowded city for a while, taking in more of the buildings and shops (and food) until the ten o’ clock gong sounded.

    As they trudged up the winding road to the barracks, each had their own feelings of excitement, except for John, who was hungry . . . again. Wednesday began with the big announcement. The heralds began calling out names and the division they were assigned. As the list continued, Catrina began to get annoyed.

    “Nimrial to the swordsmen, Galhadra to the archers.”

    Catrina shifted impatiently.

    “Catrilia to the archers, Catrina to the swordsmen.”

    “At last!” she thought and hurried over to the group of swordsman recruits.

    “Jaxalvar to the spearmen, Jay to the archers.”

    Jay leaped up in excitement and rushed over to the archer group.

    “Zalhadian to the swordsmen, Zimchadrial to the spearmen. That is all.”

    Murmurs of excitement filled the room as senior officers led their groups out into the street and down to their respective barracks. Jay looked back just before the crowd of recruits forced him outside, to see Jihuivrkht and Frerin standing beside the bar looking proud. Jay thought he saw tears shining in Frerin’s eyes, but before he could be sure, he was jostled out the door and onto the avenue.

    They were led down to the first five barracks, which were noticeably larger than the others. Barracks One was for archers, Barracks Two was for swordsmen, and Barracks Three was for spearmen.

    Once inside, they were assigned new bunks and issued new armor based on their affiliation. The archers received a lightweight helm of blue metal, a new bow and a quiver.

    For armor, the swordsmen were given a thick breastplate and a heavier blue-steel helm with a T shaped eye slit.  For weapons, they were issued two swords, a medium length sword, and a massive two-handed double-edged sword with a pair of hooks a few feet above the handle to catch the enemy’s sword. They were also given a small fist dagger designed like a pair of brass knuckles, only with a sturdy knife blade on it. Their shield was designed like a kite shield with a square shield fastened above it and two hooked plates to provide maximum cover, while allowing spearmen behind to thrust outward.

    The spearmen were given a similar heavy helm and breastplate, a fist dagger, and two spears. One spear had a long curved blade on it with a serrated inner side leading down to a hook, and the other was a deadly axe with a forked blade on one side and a split axe head with four sides on the other and a spearhead on either end of the shaft.

    Now fully equipped, they were a formidable fighting force, providing they could learn how to use their new equipment. The next day began with a bout of vigorous training, a short break for lunch, and another long training session. The days after that were much the same.

    Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, until three and a half months after their arrival, John, Jay, and Catrina were finally done with their training.