“Will you help us?” I ask again.
She sighs. “Of course. What can I do?”
I stand in front of Auri’s chair and glance over at Elowen. “Do you think you could lift the chair and carry it down the stairs?” Her eyes widen. “I mean just wheel it down the stairs; you don’t have to actually pick it up.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“What about me?” Auri asks, her voice a little cross.
“You are going with me.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “You’re going to lift me?”
“I am going to carry you down the stairs.” She arches a brow and gives me a look that is so disdainful, she must have learned it from her brother. “Don’t look at me like that. Let’s go.” I lean over her and pause and meet her direct gaze. “Will it hurt if I move you?”
She drops her gaze. “No. I can’t feel anything in my legs.”
My heart tugs in my chest, but I don’t let it show. “Okay then.Let’s do this.” I lean forward and send out a prayer that I actually can lift her. I’m really not sure. It takes me a moment to get my arms around her in a good place, and it takes a moment for her to trust me and wrap her arms around my neck. I tug her forward and into my arms. There’s a moment where I sort of lose my balance, but I quickly correct. Her arms wrap around my neck, and I readjust her in my arms. I keep my eyes focused on the steps in front of us even as it registers how incredibly easy it is to carry her. Alarm spreads through me because she doesn’t feel as heavy as I think she should feel. I’m no child expert, but I think maybe she’s underweight. That worries me.
“Here.” Elowen meets us at the bottom of the few steps with the chair, and together we get her situated back in her chair.
“All right. Here we go. Thanks, Elowen.”
“Of course. Just let me know when you’re finished, and I’ll help with the chair again.”
“You don’t want to stay outside with us?” I ask.
“No, no, no. I don’t want to watch.” She disappears back inside.
I look down at Auri. “Ready?”
“For what?” she asks warily.
I grin down at her. “Throwing knives.” She gives me an unimpressed look. “Oh, come on; don’t look at me like that. Throwing knives is fun and therapeutic.”
“You know my brother probably won’t be very pleased with you if he finds out about this,” she says, casting a sly glance at my face.
“Oh, I am very aware of that; but don’t you worry abouthim. I can handle him. Now, let’s talk basics.” I talk her through how to hold it and how to throw it. We maneuver her chair until she’s in a good position, just a few feet from a huge tree. “All right. Now, it’s very important to remember that each weapon is different. You may be really good with one but terrible with another. That’s okay; that’s how everybody is. We all have our weapon of choice. Right now, we’re going to train you on all the weapons, so you can decide which one you are the best with. So don’t get discouraged if one or more weapons don’t work for you. We will keep at it until we get the right one.”
“You do realize I’m ten, right?”
“Yep, and I learned how to wield a knife by the age of five.”
She looks up at me. “That’s terrible.”
I shrug. “That’s how I grew up.”
“Why would you need a knife at five?”
"It's just how it was.” I don’t want to bring the day down, so I continue on. “Now let me see you hold the knife properly.” She shows me, and I make the tiniest adjustment. “Now, mimic throwing but don’t actually release it.” I watch her do as I told her. “Good. Try that a few more times while I go mark a few trees. Do not throw that dagger while I’m walking over here.” When I get close to the tree I want to use, I brush off the snow and reveal white bark. I look around for a stick or something to mark a spot, but everything is buried in white. I look back at the tree and try to mark it somehow. Surprisingly, when I pull on its exterior, it comes right off in thin sheets. I dig a little more into the tree, shocked at how soft it is. When I have a spot clearly marked, I walk back over to her. “Okay, to start with, move alittle closer.” When she’s where I want her, I hand her the knife. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Her first throw is weak, and the knife lands in front of us. “I’m terrible at this.”
I pick up the knife, but when she puts out her hand, I keep it just out of her reach. “Are you going to whine about it?” She scowls at me, and I wait. “Or are you going to try it again? You do realize you won’t become a master at throwing blades with just one throw, right?” She continues to scowl at me but finally nods. I hand her the knife. “Okay. Let’s try it again.”
Her second throw isn’t much better; neither is her third, fourth, fifth, and several after that. Finally, though, she hits the tree. “There you go.” I almost get a real smile out of her. “Do it again.” She throws knives for a long time, and only two more stick; but they stick. That's what counts. After a little while, I notice she’s shivering; and I decide it’s time to head inside. She’s not used to being out in the cold. “Let me grab Elowen to help with the chair, and we can head inside and get warm. She doesn’t argue, and I have a feeling I may have pushed her too hard today. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’re going to leave me out here by myself?”
