“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Shopping. If you’re going to survive the first Bonding Trial they put all the soldiers through, you need some better equipment.”
Shopping with Leeis nearly as torturous as telling him my news. I don’t like taking money from anyone, not when I can help it. He insisted he had coin to spare, though, and that he’d blame himself if something happened to me at the Bonding Trials because I didn’t have the right gear.
He takes me to a leather shop he likes, right off the main market square in Central. The shop is full of beautiful things, nicer than anywhere I’ve ever shopped before. Lee greets the shopkeeper as if he’s been in here a hundred times, and I study him, surprised. Then again, I suppose he’s on his fancy castle servant salary—and he doesn’t have a family to feed, like I do.
Together, the two of them select a whole host of items I’ll need, ignoring me every time I protest that something isn’t necessary.
A new rucksack, with pockets and dividers and straps to secure everything.
A new waterskin, lightweight yet large and durable.
A new pair of boots, specially soaked and stretched and oiled so that the leather is supple enough not to give me blisters from a hard day’s walk.
A new jacket, padded and lined with leather, longer and thicker than the one I’ve had for years now, with pockets lined in fur to keep my hands warm.
A sleek pair of gloves, tight yet flexible enough to allow me full range of motion while wearing them.
I watch helplessly as Lee piles coin after coin on the counter afterward, an impossible amount, more than I’ve ever spent in one month, never mind one day.
But it doesn’t end there. The Trial will be icy, Lee explains. I have to be ready for inclement weather. He takes me down a side street I never noticed before, and we duck into a basement-level shop that’s packed to the gills with hunting, trapping, and fishing gear.
Along one wall is mountain gear, like snowshoes and crampons. The shopkeeper carefully fits a pair of crampons to my new boots. We both look over the poles that some hunters use in the winter to keep themselves steady when walking an icy path, but ultimately decide I’ll want my hands free, ready to grab for a weapon… just in case.
When we leave, I’m in a daze, loaded up with more expensive things than I’ve ever owned. Lee offers to walk me home, even though I know it’ll make him late for his shift at the castle. I refuse, crack a dumb joke, and he pretends to laugh.
We try not to make a big deal out of our parting.
It’s only goodbye for now, he assures me. We’ll see each other soon, he insists.
I try to walk away like it’s any other day, like I’ll see him tomorrow. I wait until I’m sure he can’t see me before letting the tears fall.
On my way back into the Eastern Quarter, I duck into the laundry where I work to share my news. Mae doesn’t give me a hard time about leaving, but I can see that behind her eyes she’s calculating how many more hours per week she’ll need from the rest of the women to cover my work. Their soft questions and sympathy make me uncomfortable, so I escape quickly, heading toward Igor’s.
Might as well rip off the bandage all at once. Tomorrow will be here swiftly.
He’s in his yard, tinkering with a broken table, shaving down a new piece of wood to match the three legs that are still intact. The smell of oil lanterns and leather and wood shavings and dusty earth assaults my nose, and I grit my teeth, determined to hold back the rush of emotion that threatens to swamp me.
“Came by to see you and your mother said you’d headed off to join the army, like a total idiot,” he says, voice gruff.
“Hi to you too,” I say sarcastically, draping myself across an ugly chair he’s been working on back here for weeks. “Is this chair even uglier than it was a week ago?”
“Careful with that smart mouth once you’re in the army,” Igor warns. “Commanders don’t love it when their soldiers talk back.”
I laugh, glad that Igor and I are on the same page—better to joke and poke fun at each other than to admit to feeling anything more right now.
“The women at the laundry said they’d watch my mother, make sure she’s well, that she’s eating and taking her medicine…” I drift off, but Igor catches my meaning, anyway.
“I’ll keep an eye on things too,” he confirms. “You don’t need to worry about that. We’ll make sure she has what she needs.”
We both fall silent, and I watch the shadows grow as the sun sinks behind the surrounding buildings.
“You know,” Igor starts, “I’ve met a lot of strong people in my day, between the fighting circuits and the army. But I’ve never known a stronger-willed brat than you.”
“Thanks?” I grin at him. “I think?”
“Oh, it’s not entirely a good thing,” he retorts, leaning down to root around in his tool box until he finds the coarse piece of sandpaper that he’s looking for. He resumes his work on the table leg, but his eyes meet mine over the coarse piece of furniture. “But if anyone’s fool enough to take the fight to the Nabbers, and strong enough to stop them and bring home our kids, well, it’s you.”
