Soul Bound

Chapter 11

This morning Annalyse took me to the sparring room to get an idea of how much training I needed, knowing that Jacob and I used to spar. I managed to impress her with what I knew, but it became evident very quickly that I still had a lot to learn. She went over a lesson plan with me that consisted of theory then practice and a lot of working out in the gym down the hall. We picked out a lightstone that worked for me, one the size of my palm and lightweight, then weapons I wanted to specialize in. I was naturally drawn to a bow, but because it was only suitable for long range uses, she recommended I have a backup weapon, so I grabbed a pair of daggers.

After sparring practice, Annalyse showed me to the library where I grabbed as many books as my sore muscles would allow and piled them up beside my bed. Annalyse laughed at my choices--all of them were educational in some manner, ranging from philosophy, the history of Aboria, and politics; I was determined to learn as much as my brain would absorb. Seeming to find that boring and masochistic, she added a few of her favourite fiction novels to the mix.

In the afternoon, we met up with Jacob and Grayson in one of the many meeting rooms on the upper floors to go over a few more details for our flight tomorrow.

It looked like we were going to spend most of the day flying before arriving in the capital, Lexxis. Apparently, they typically landed on the castle grounds, but since it was my first time to the capital, King Renkon had arranged for a tour through the captial. Arkon made a remark about him just wanting to show me off to the people, which I was inclined to agree with. We were to meet with members of the royal guard on the outskirts of town. There, they would escort us through the city, which should get us to the castle in time for dinner.

Annalyse, as usual, was gleaming with excitement over the whole thing, while I sat and nervously listened. It was a shame a trip to such a historical city would be ruined by a visit with the king. Instead of exploring the history of the place, I had to sit in a room with a bunch of rich snobs, talking about furniture--or whatever the wealthy talked about.

It's only for one night, I comforted myself. Which was true. I just had to survive a night of snobbery then we could do what we liked in the city without a big showy royal guard following us.

"Got it? Eva?"

"Wha...?" I hadn't realised I fell asleep. I lifted my head out of my arms to see Jacob glaring at me, while Grayson and Annalyse fought over which town was the best place to stop for lunch. "I'm exhausted, don't give me that look."

Training with Annalyse really put a number on my body. Everything ached. I thought my days of hunting would have prepared me for the torture she put me through, but it didn't come close. She demanded perfection and punished me for anything less than that.

Jacob rolled his eyes at me. "Until we reach the capital, you have to stay low. We don't want too many people knowing who you are."

"I mean, I'll be on Arkon. . . that's a big give away, isn't it?"

The look in his eyes told me I missed more to the plan than he thought and he was none too pleased about it. "No. You haven't had any flight training yet. You're riding with Grayson. Eran is the biggest of our dragons, he can hold two humans for the duration of the trip. Arkon will be flying separately, higher in the clouds so no one can see him."

I glanced at Grayson, an image of his arms wrapped around me flashing in my mind. I don't think I would ever forget my first flight--not the view, the feel of the wind in my hair, how warm and strong he felt behind me.

I yanked my gaze back to my brother before I let my mind wander too far. "Okay. Sounds good. Can I go to bed now?"

Jacob tossed his pencil on the table carelessly, almost hitting me. "Sure. Whatever. You're not paying attention, anyway."