Karl sighed. Though I knew I should feel afraid—afraid that my life would soon be snuffed out—I knew I had learned something very valuable. While Adis marked me a traitor and called for my death, he also hadn’t done it himself. Something that was strange considering the sword that banged against his hip as he walked away.
Something had prevented him from beheading me directly.
Karl watched his retreat, waiting until we heard the exterior door slam before he turned to me. “Your name?”
“Milo Potson.” I considered asking him to alert Otho that I was here, but I was still unsure how far the General was willing to go to protect my secret.
“All right, Potson, I’ll show you to your cot.” His lips settled into a frown as he motioned me down the hall and around the corner into what could only be called one massive sleeping room. It was dark. The moonlight shining through the uncovered window, the only reason I could see anything at all. There were bunkbeds against the wall and in a line in the middle of the room, the cacophony of gentle snoring reaching my ears, letting me know that I wasn’t the only who was assigned tosleep here.
Karl crossed the room and pointed to a bottom bunk against one of the walls. There was a folded blanket on top of the bare mattress and a small chest peeking out from underneath. “Get some sleep. Your stuff goes in the trunk when it arrives tomorrow.”
His voice was low, but not low enough to go unnoticed as a few of the snores went quiet, dark eyes of weary men peeking over the edge of the top bunk before landing on me. “Bathing room is there.”
I nodded, hoping the cloth I wore now for my menses would be enough until daylight when my things arrived.
“If you have questions, ask your lead officer, Askel. He will answer them.” He pointed to a top bunk across the way before walking away, his footsteps quiet despite the fact he wore the same standard-issue boots I did.
I waited until his shadow disappeared from the hall before I leaned back on the mattress and pulled the blanket over me. It wasn’t very comfortable at all, but it did beat sleeping on the floor of the room Collum and I shared.
I grimaced as I thought of my cousin. Despite the fact we hadn’t gotten along the past few days, I hoped she escaped unscathed—even if this had been her idea to read to the servants in the first place.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
My journey was coming to an end.
“Wake up!” A deep voice roused me, and several of the other soldiers from sleep. I shifted to a sitting position on the bed, the dim light of dawn was just starting to filter through the window. I hadn’t been asleep long and my body protested.
“Prepare for combat training!” the same soldier, who I didn’t recognize, yelled. I glanced to the foot of my bed, noticing that there was no sign of my pack yet.
It wasn’t until he was across the room and standing in front of me that he spoke again. “I’m Askel, your commanding officer.” He didn’t hold out his hand for the customary Ralheim greeting. In fact, he didn’t seem welcoming at all, not even waiting for me to say my name before he was on his way away from the side of my bed. “Karl says your items will arrive later today.”
I swallowed my groan. I would need to figure out something to do about the bleeding situation before then. Not sure what the process was for breakfast, I watched as numerous men disappeared into the bathing area before returning to dress. Many came back in the nude, and I felt I should avert my eyes, but knew that would draw attention to me, and the fact that I didn’t go to the bathing room with the rest, so instead, I busied myself with folding my blanket. Unfolding it, only to refold it again, until the soldiers began to move from the room, then I fell in step behind them, trying to copy the way they walked so I would fit in.
It was easier said than done, though, as most of them seemed to be at ease and knew others in the group. They were talking and laughing, as if they weren’t training to fight in a war. Something pulled in my chest, remembering Milo, and how much better he would have fit in here.
“Watch it!” a man on my left yelled when my shoulder barely brushed his. I dipped my chin in embarrassment, and he scowled.
Though I had been raised to be a man, I was horribly out of place with these ones.
Breakfast was just as uncomfortable, though the rations provided to the soldiers were much higher than I had received as a reader. After shoving a few bites into my mouth, I slipped away to the bathroom, relieved when I found my cloth sufficient to last another few hours. On the way back to the area where the food had been served, I stopped by my assigned bed, but there was no sign of my pack yet. A soldier at a nearby bunk raised hiseyebrows at my reactions but said nothing as he pulled on his boots and uniform jacket.
After breakfast, we were told to head to the yard for training, and I thought about checking my bed again, but it was likely still too soon. Using the same tactic that had gotten me through breakfast, I followed the other soldiers to the yard, none of them paying me any mind. I don’t know what I expected when I first realized I would be joining the army, but it wasn’t this.
Once out in what must have been the training yard, the men were paired off by Askel and told to find space in the yard to spar. I stood by the side and chewed on my lip, fearful of who I might be paired with.
“Potson!” Askel called out at last. “You’re with me.”
That didn’t make me feel any better. But I knew this would just be temporary anyway. I moved to stand by his side while he addressed the rest of the men.
“While it is always preferable to use your sword or staff while in battle, there may come a time when you are without, thus your hand-to-hand combat needs to be just as good as your fighting with a sword.” Askel turned to me. “Knock me off my feet.”
“What?” The word was barely a breath as it left my lips.
“You heard me.” He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, as if being asked to knock someone off their feet was an everyday occurrence. “Knock me off my feet.”
I glanced around, swallowing hard as I realized all eyes were on me. I turned back to Askel, flexing my wrist as I thought of something to do.
“If this was battle, you’d already be dead.” Askel sighed. “Hurry the fuck up already.”
