“Before you begin your classes,” Veremund says, “there are a few things I tell every Ward-in-training at the beginning of their training. There are also a few things I will ask of you both.”
I glance up at Astralux, sitting poised beside me in the Sunroom, though her tail continues to tap. Everyone else has been dismissed, leaving us with Veremund and Kalteratem.
“First, let me tell you what being a Ward is not.” Veremund folds his hands behind his back. “Being a Ward is not a position of authority. We act as authority out of necessity, but the only authority we have is the respect granted to us by the person with whom we are speaking. When possible, we do everything according to the law of wherever we go. If we are in Adytol, we follow Adytol’s rules. If we are in Amenyl, we follow Amenyl’s rules. As long as the rules do not contradict Ariadna’s laws, we follow them.
“Second, being a Ward is not secure, and it is not comfortable. Wards consistently stand in harm’s way. We may not always be fighting, but we are like soldiers called to the battlefield.”
I have a feeling the last sentence was added for my sake, but I nod, letting Veremund know I’m listening.
“Third, a Ward is not self-centered, conceited, greedy, cruel, lustful, or otherwise acts in any way like the followers of Anieros.”
I shudder, imagining the Vladykars.
Veremund tilts his head. “Now, what the Wards are:
“First, to be a Ward is to hold a position of honor. Though you may not be granted honor, you must always recognize the privilege it is to be a Ward. For as difficult as our role may be at times, we’ve been given a gift, and it’s not to be taken lightly.
“Second, Wards are to always look after our bonded first and foremost.” Veremund puts his hand on Kalteratem’s front left leg. “Though we are bonded to help others, we have a duty to each other above all else. It is this bond that strengthens us, and therefore the bond must always be protected.
“And third, a Ward is compassionate, wise, respectful, steadfast, and above all else, must show themselves to be a true follower of Ariadna, acting as her light to all of Zoi.”
Feeling the gravity of Veremund’s words, I nod solemnly.
“You’re in a different position because of already being bonded,” Veremund continues. “Because of that, I will also teach you the Ward’s oath, although you would have normally already said this on your bonding day:
“I, Veremund,” the Ward begins.
“I, Kalteratem,” the dragon beside him says, both of them speaking in unison, “promise by Ariadna to fly under her guiding star and to become her light to all of Zoi. With the aid of Veremund—”
“—with the aid of Kalteratem,” Veremund says, “I will live and die to defend the defenseless, rescue the lost, and fight evil with all of my being. Together, we will bring goodness to all, on earth and in sky. This, I swear, by the blood that flows in my veins. Ariadna be praised.”
A shiver of awe goes up my spine, feeling the weight of their vow. I bow my head.
“You do not have to say the vow now,” Veremund says. “But since you are already bonded, I wanted you to be aware of the Wards’ oath.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Veremund nods. “There is much more that we could speak of, again given this strange in-between world you find yourself in. Yet I think it would be best for you to join with the other trainees under Neil.”
I start in surprise. “Wait. You mean there are other people training to be Wards?”
Kalteratem chuckles. “And a dragon.”
“There are more dragons?!” I exclaim. And then I remember that Astralux had told me that there were thirteen dragons that lived in Adytol, and I’ve only met six plus herself.
The three Wards around me laugh. “I’m sorry Estelle, I forgot to introduce you to the others,” Astralux says. “You haven’t even met my mother, or my younger brother and hatchling.”
“Hatchling?” I ask.
“Astralux’s youngest sibling is still in an egg,” Kalteratem says, his tone even more gentle. “We expect the egg to hatch soon.”
“Aw! That’s incredible, congratulations!” I say.
“I’ll take you to meet the rest of our family soon,” Astralux says. “And the others.”
“There will be time for that later,” Kalteratem says. “Neil will only be offering training for a time this morning. I would recommend going to class first, especially since today is combat training.” When I flinch, Kalteratem leans down and nuzzles the top of my head. “I suspect that this will be your weakest area. Which means you need to train now.”
“He’s right,” Veremund says. “You need to know combat training, even if it’s just how to defend yourself. Think of your encounters with the Vladykars.”
Now a real shudder runs through me. “You’re right.”
“Astralux, why don’t you go get suited up with a saddle?” Veremund says. “I’ll walk Estelle to class, and you can just meet us there.”
“Sounds good!” Astralux nuzzles my shoulder before padding toward the edge of the Sunroom.
I turn and walk with Veremund down from the Sunroom all the way to the lowest floor of the Wards’ Palace. Instead of heading down the main hall, however, Veremund leads me down a hall toward the back that opens to a large courtyard I hadn’t even seen yet. There are all sorts of odd contraptions set to one side, poles that are really high and really low, boxes, slanted walls, several ropes hung over a section, and more, the ground muddied underneath it. I have no idea what it’s supposed to be. I do recognize the painted haystacks set far away for archery practice, and the wooden dummies with straw-padded sacks of cloth over their chests and another over the top to indicate a head. Not far from the dummies is Neil, demonstrating an attack with a spear to two people, and a dragon. Just behind and to the side of Neil is Giftigbun, and the dragon grins at us. As if by some unknown means—perhaps his bond with Giftigbun?—Neil turns his head and then beams at us, setting the spear against his shoulder.
“Welcome!” Neil puts a hand on my shoulder and then faces forward again. “This is Estelle Brand, our newest Ward-on-accident member that you’ve been asking me about! She’s agreed to train to become a real Ward. Estelle, this is Lyssa Kemp, Blythe Wiater, and this here is Eclair, Giftigbun’s daughter, Tikokaftos’ younger sister.”
Lyssa is a tall, muscular woman with a severe expression that makes her small, light gray eyes seem to glare at me from her fair-skinned face. Or maybe the blonde-haired woman really is glaring at me as she crosses her arms, flicking her braid off her shoulder.
“Hey,” Lyssa says.
“I’ve been so excited to meet you!” Blythe exclaims. His voice is youthful, and while he isn’t that much taller than me, I have a feeling that’s going to change. The thin young man bounces on his heels a little, his large hazel eyes full of joy as he watches me. “I’ve heard about everything you’ve done, and now you’re training to be a Ward—that’s awesome!”
“I’m Eclair,” the burgundy-purple scaled dragon says, her voice also light and, between that and her small size, giving me the impression that she’s still a youth. Her scales turn to a rose gold at the tips, and her golden eyes light up as I peer up at her. “It’s so nice to meet you, Estelle!”
“It’s nice to meet you all as well,” I say.
“Neil, we’ll have to do an assessment, but I know we’re meeting later,” Veremund says. “Do you think you’ll have time after today’s lesson to do any testing?”
“We should,” Neil said. “Even if we just get started.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you later. Estelle, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask one of us.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Nodding once, Veremund climbs up the saddle on Kalteratem’s back. As I stare in awe, Kalteratem takes off running, so massive that his steps shake the ground, his wings flapping with a deep rush of wind, and the dragon leaps up into the air with a vertical that could have cleared the two-story buildings I’ve seen throughout Adytol. Dipping one wing, Kalteratem circles around once and then continues on.
“Estelle,” Neil says, “since we’re doing combat training, let’s see what you know.”
I stare up at Neil. I feel like it should be obvious that I know nothing.
“This isn’t about whether or not you’ve fought before.” Neil holds out the spear on his shoulder. “I just want to see what your instinct is.”
I slowly reach out and take the spear with trembling hands. It’s not too terribly heavy in my hands, but I don’t like the way it feels, or the sharp end on it.
“Normally we don’t permit the use of real weapons in sparring sessions,” Neil says, “but I’m pretty good at this, so go ahead and swing at me.”
I swallow. Telling myself that this is just training, I swing the spear around slowly.
Neil lashes out and blocks my spear with a hidden sword that jars the spear from my hands and startles me so bad I jump back.
Lyssa busts out laughing, while I hear a heavy sigh from Blythe and Eclair. I stare up at Neil, feeling anxious.
Neil shares a look with Giftigbun before giving me a small smile. “No worries, Estelle. How about we continue this later?”
Embarrassed, I walk over to stand beside Blythe. He gives me a rather warm smile despite how bad I messed up. “Don’t worry,” he says. “Ward Neil’s a great teacher.”
Neil, sweeping up the spear, holds it out. “For a quick recap, a spear can be wielded as a thrown weapon or in your hand. One of the nice versatile aspects of a spear, especially a metal one like this one, is that you can block with the edge.” Neil set his feet slightly apart, holding the spear angled with the point up toward his right shoulder. “Let me continue by demonstrating a few maneuvers.”
My mouth drops open as Neil swings the spear around, first with one hand in a wide arc, and then he grabs it with both hands and turns in the opposite direction, keeping the spear firmly in his grasp, before twisting the spear and holding it angled in front of his chest, as if blocking an attack.
Neil sets the blunt end of the spear on the ground. “This combination of a wide-sweep and then a short spin followed by a block is perfect for when you’re facing multiple enemies, but then provides an immediate close-range attack in case one opponent is fast enough to duck under your attack and step close. And then of course, if the enemy gets too close, closer than a spear can hit, always be ready to block, hence the last step. Anyone want to try?”
“I will,” Lyssa says.
“Go Lyssa!” Blythe says excitedly.
I watch as Lyssa steps up and takes the spear from Neil and then turns, glaring at an imaginary opponent. With ease, she recounts Neil’s exact steps, swinging the spear wide with both speed and power, the metal tip whistling through the air, grabs it with both hands to spin with a close attack, and then brings the spear back up with a slight push, as if she planned to not just block an attack but to shove the attacker back.
His arms crossed, Neil nods, smirking. “Good.”
Blythe claps, while Eclair bounds in place. “Well done, Lyssa!” Eclair says.
“Lyssa, would you work with Blythe on this maneuver?” Neil says. “Giftigbun, you’ll spar with Eclair of course. Estelle, I’m going to grab some items before we continue. We need to do an actual assessment before I’ll know where to start with your training.”
“Okay,” I say. As Neil walks off, I glance over to find Lyssa and Blythe watching me. “You did really well,” I say to Lyssa. “You seem like a talented warrior.”
“Lyssa’s awesome,” Blythe said. “I overheard Ward Volkan say she might be one of the best fighters the Wards have had in a while, besides for Ward Veremund and Ward Neil!”
Lyssa smirks but she’s still glaring at me coldly.
“I’ll get the practice sticks.” Blythe jogs off to where a number of wooden and even padded weapons are set.
Lyssa glances at Blythe and then looks at me again, her smile gone.
I swallow, unsure of what has this trainee so angry at me. “So,” I say, trying to break through the awkwardness between us, “have you grown up in—”
“—Just because everyone is so thrilled to have another bonded dragon and rider doesn’t mean you’re a Ward,” Lyssa says. “I’ve heard and seen enough to know you’re a pacifist. You refuse to fight. You have an amazing gift and you waste it.”
Stunned, I flinch as Lyssa takes a threatening step toward me.
“I know you’re just pretending to train to be a Ward to get people off your back and think you’re even more special. I feel sorry for the Wards, and the people of Adytol. But most of all I feel sorry for Astralux, who is stuck with you, a pathetic, weak, and timid coward.” Spinning on one leather boot sole, her braid smacking me in the face, Lyssa stomps over to where Blythe is holding out a pole.
My bottom lip trembles as my eyes fill with tears. Uncertain of what to do with myself and afraid I might cry, I walk into the Wards’ palace to one of the first floor shared restrooms, anxious that I’ve made a mistake and I’m about to disappoint everyone—Astralux most of all.
Tamara Rivers 
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