“Which brings me to a conundrum of mine,” Euan said, his gaze on Kenneth. “I canna do the job Iain gave me to do. Someone must take over training the younger lads.” He shifted to study Calum. “Someone like ye.”
“Me?” Calum’s gaze shifted to Kenneth. Why not him or one of the other warriors? “I’m only just approved to begin training with blades myself. How can I do that for anyone else?”
“Aye, ye,” Kenneth said, ignoring his question. “Euan, ’tis a good idea.” He turned to Calum. “While ye train the lads, ye’ll also be training yerself, aye?”
“Will I? Or will I end up battered by lads barely out of swaddling because I still canna see as well as I should on my left side.”
“And what will ye do to compensate for that, I wonder?” Euan grinned. “Aye, a brilliant idea.”
Calum frowned as he thought about Euan’s idea. Despite how his friend looked after coming downstairs, Calum could see that he was regaining a good deal of his strength and energy. Muireall had already complained that it made him restless and quarrelsome. But Calum took it as a good sign that he was thinking about his responsibilities to the clan and how to meet them. And still thinking about how to help Calum progress. “I’ll do it,” he said, “so long as ye stay nearby to observe and help train. And to keep the wee monsters from doing too much damage to me, not to mention to each other.”
Kenneth nodded. “Then we have a plan with several good outcomes. Iain will be pleased to hear about this.
Calum pursed his lips. All he needed was Iain observing the training in time for him to mess something up. “Why no’ give this idea a few days to see how it goes before getting the laird involved, aye?”
“Verra well, I willna say anything to him,” Kenneth promised. “But ye ken he’s likely to be where he can see what’s happening. Or someone else will tell him. Ye dinna have more than a day or so to decide how ye want to do this.”
It took less time than that for Calum to realize he enjoyed both the training and the zest the young lads gave to everything they were asked to do. He demonstrated techniques for the lads to repeat, much as he’d been taught at that same age. Euan sat nearby, watching and offering suggestions. Kenneth dropped byfor a few minutes, but apparently liked what he saw and went on his way.
Calum was in no real danger from the wooden swords the younger lads used—he gained a few bruises at worst. But he also found that trying to pay attention to what all the lads were doing all the time made him use his eyes more fully and within days, his reflexes were stronger and faster, his peripheral vision sharper, and he noticed improvements in himself all around.
Now if he could only say the same for his relationship with Ella.
