He ignored my joke and got to his feet, handing me one of the practice swords. This was going to be a long practice. “We’ll start at the beginning, then,” he said.
“I’m on the advanced fencing team back home. I have all the basics down.”
“Is that so? What be the basics?”
I did a quick leap forward with the dummy sword extended. “That’s a balestra and this—” I said at the same time I hopped and lunged forward “—is a balestra with a lunge.”
“Good. Show me more.”
He lunged, and I took a step back, twisting my body a quarter turn to avoid his attack.
“That is an in quartata,” I said.
“You do have good balance, I’ll give you that. We’ll skip the basics. I’d rather teach you the reality of swordplay. It’s not all balestra and in quartata. It won’t be polite like fencing. There be no protections from a sharp blade but your wit and your instincts. And wielding your sword gets a little bit trickier when you have a shield and a battle globe to cope with.”
“Okay. I’m ready. Teach me how to fight dirty.”
There was no response to my humor. He was killing me. Figuratively, and possibly literally. Something wasn’t right. He’d been nice at the coffee shop, and smiled, but not now. I’d told him to treat me like a student and not a daughter, but it seemed like there was more going on. It made me miss Pops even more.
“First off, has Professor Attwood found your battle globe?”
The odd scowl on his face surprised me. I debated asking for his blood and showing him my truth globe, but his weird reactions made me think it was better to lie—for now. “No. Why?”
“Once you have your globe, we’ll practice with it.” He got into an attack stance. “Your turn. Come at me.”
Chapter Fifteen
At my lessons later with Professor Attwood, I told him about my uneasiness with Carrig, that I had lied to him about finding my globes, and that he was too aggressive during practices. He phoned Merl to discuss my apprehensions.
“Tell him I have bruises to prove it.”
He placed his hand on the mouthpiece of the phone. “He says you shouldn’t worry. Carrig is one of our best Sentinels. He’s very trustworthy. And he’ll speak to him about taking it easier on you during practices. ” He returned his attention back to whatever Merl was saying.
I slumped in the chair. “I’m sure that will help.”
He ignored my comment and continued talking to Merl. “Right then, I’ll be by tomorrow.” He hung up the phone.
“I know, I know,” I said, seeing the frown on his face. “I should’ve stayed quiet, right?”
“Gia,” he said with a straight face. “We don’t interrupt a person when they’re on the phone with the High Wizard.”
“Sorry.”
“As far as Carrig is concerned, don’t provoke him during training.” Professor Attwood studied the cuckoo clock on the wall.
“Me provoke him? Yeah, right.” I crossed my arms. “You know, Faith said he’s never been this brutal to others he’s trained. Why is he so tough on me? I just don’t trust him.”
“We have a duty to protect those who dwell here,” he said. “It’s best to handle matters like this cautiously. We are dealing with magic, after all. Carrig is a powerful Sentinel. If he is behind the recent uprisings, which I highly doubt, and we approach him with this it could end badly. He could kill you and possibly many others before he’s stopped.”
“Well, okay, but I don’t want to be left alone with him.”
“I’ll post a Sentinel in the dining room on the off chance your concerns are warranted. The dark windows are perfect for viewing the training field without being seen from the outside.” He smiled. “Will that suffice?”
“I guess.”
“Splendid. In addition to your truth globe, you created a second one this morning that released a charm. I want you to work on mastering that globe today after our magic lessons. I have someone coming by to instruct you.” He jotted something down in his notebook. “You impress me. In no time at all, you’ll be chanting charms like a wizard.”
I rubbed the armrest on my chair. “Can I tell you something?”
He didn’t look up, his pen scratching across the notebook page. “Yes. What is it?”
“Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been having strange dreams.”
He placed his pen on the desk and scrutinized me. After I told him the details, he nodded, went to the window