Did he mean for battle? Or something else? Her gut told her that he meant power over him, and this was one of those confusing moments. And so why couldn’t she just ask him what he meant? Why? Because she wasn’t sure she was ready for the answer. Her feelings for him were so potent that she was not sure she was ready to hear they might not be returned. Nay, she would stay focused on her training with him and let the questions be for another day.
When she was finished with her meal, they repeated the cleaning up ritual including securing the food from vermin, though Elspeth was surprised she’d not seen any evidence of a field mouse, rat, or even pigeon. That was unheard of for every kitchen had some sort of issue to deal with. Perhaps the years of inactivity had meant the critters had moved on. She would keep an eye out over the next few days in case the aroma emanating from the tower attracted them again. She threw the cutting knives in the boiled water, something her cook always did without fail, though he never explained why. She would fish them out later to dry before using them again.
Elspeth followed Magnus outside and toward a clearing to the side of the tower. She took in the tree-line that encircled the area and marvelled that the tower appeared to sit directly in the middle. She’d never seen grounds that were so perfectly kept before. Wildflowers dotted the base of the tower in a beautiful blend of blues and purples despite the lateness of the year. And further to that, the air was warm as if a summer’s day.
“The first thing you need to think about in defending yourself is how to find an advantage. As you said, you may not be strong, but your size should make you agile. So let’s test that.”
Elspeth made to take out her dagger, but then Magnus reached for it. “You will not need an actual blade for these lessons,” he said. “You may turn out to be quite skilled, and I do not wish to be sliced apart,” he finished with a grin.
She turned the dagger’s handle toward him and offered it. He placed it aside and after a few moments of searching, produced a stick around the same size.
“Here,” he said. “Hold this as you would a knife and point it at me.”
Elspeth did so and had to admit to herself, she felt a little foolish standing there pointing a stick at this big hulk of a man.
“I see what you’re thinking,” he said. “How could you possibly combat me with a stick? The truth is without an advantage, you can’t.”
“So that’s it then?” she asked, a little annoyed at his approach.
“Not even close to being it,” he said, “but the truth is if you do not know how to use the knife, it is as useless as the stick.”
Magnus advanced slowly. “Stay still and watch my movements.”
He came toward her and when her gaze moved to his body, he motioned with his fingers to stay focused on his eyes. Once she locked gazes with him, she realized that she could still see his movements clearly. His right hand moved to grasp her right wrist and she instinctively pulled the stick back to protect it. What she hadn’t seen while focused on his right hand was the foot that had reached out to slip between her legs and hook her right leg forward causing her to fall to the ground.
He grasped her right arm and lifted her up again with ease then stepped back and approached again, still painstakingly slow.
Elspeth did this dance with him several times, each time she tried moving the stick to a different point on her body and each time failing and landing on her backside then being lifted back into position. She tried everything she could think of to avoid being tripped, but each time he succeeded.
“What is the point of this?” she asked after about the tenth time.
“This is your lesson. Tell me what you have learned.”
That she was terrible at battle training? She wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say. She took a step back and thought about the set up. He came at her the same way every time and she did not possess the size or strength to stop him. A small flash went off in her mind.
She got into position again and watched as he approached. This time when he reached for her arm, she jumped out of the way and jumped behind him. Because he was so big, he couldn’t turn fast enough before she placed the stick into his side. Surely a dagger in his ribs would cause some serious damage.
Magnus dropped his arms to his sides and turned toward her and chuckled. “That was a good move,” he said. “The only problem is that you didn’t run away. Your wound will not kill me, I can still harm you.”
“I understand,” she said, “but next time you will expect me to stab you where I just did.”
“I will anticipate that possibility, but you must always keep your mind working to find those places within your reach that can do more harm. Battle is as much mind play as it is sword play. You must quickly assess your advantages and disadvantages. I can help you build some strength, but your biggest advantage when defending yourself is your size, agility, and how quickly you can remove yourself from the situation.”
“You mean hide somewhere?”
“I do. The moment someone of my size is able to contain you, your chances of finding an escape reduce. You must go for the eyes, or neck if you can get your weapon close. Your greatest chance of survival is to not get caught.”
She thought about it and while she had to admit, she’d sort of thought she could be capable of defending herself in time, she could never match his sister. The truth was the woman was nearly a foot taller and possessed five times the strength. Magnus was right and she needed to be clever in how she approached her lessons. She needed to be as stealthy as a wildcat. The only other thing that remained to explore was how she could use her gift to her advantage. Maybe she would look into a person’s mind in the future after all.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Magnus drank deeply. He’d donned his trews earlier as they would provide protection while training but had long since removed his tunic in the heat. Elspeth had proved more than capable of responding to his instructions and was showing progress even in understanding the places on a body that were more likely to cause the greatest damage.
She took the cup from him and poured some ale. She turned away when he dunked his head into a barrel of rainwater. He flicked his hair back over his head then flicked off the excess. She now sat on a bench near where they’d trained and sipped from her cup. Her cheeks were flushed and she’d removed as much of her gown as she could leaving only her shift and the gown that had been pinned to it.
“We have had a very good first day,” he said.
“We have. I am learning much from you, Magnus, and I thank you for it.” She opened her mouth and closed it again.
