The chapel filled with two disembodied voices arguing.
“No bloodshed. The council was very clear about that,” the first voice said.
“Are you kidding me? My son has been unconscious for a week, and you expect me to be lenient?” the other yelled.
“He’s my son too! I’m just as angry as you are! Unfortunately, I can’t go making reckless decisions based on my feelings!” the first voice shouted back.
“Fine. No bloodshed. The council is going to regret that decision. It would be easier on him,” the second voice finished.
Keldras recognized the voices immediately.
It was his parents.
It seemed his father had returned and learned what had happened.
He didn’t envy Bolg.
If the rumors were true, Valdax’s mental tortures were horrific, and orcs had little resistance against psychic magic.
Keldras turned to find Saphira looking up at him with a sardonic smile.
“That orc reaped what he sowed,” she said coldly.
It seemed Saphira was well aware of his father’s reputation.
“Valdax, the Bonebreakers are a powerful force within Blackspire. Don’t do anything too rash and poison them against us,” Ziri coaxed.
“Zola knows my temper, as does every orc of her generation. The moment that damned brother of hers and his family laid a hand on mine, she knew this was inevitable,” he shot back.
“So what’s it going to be, then?” Ziri asked.
“I’m thinking… The Fourteen Oni Trial,” Valdax replied, an evil smile spreading across his face.
“Fourteen days…” Ziri whispered.
“He’ll experience every one of them?”
Valdax nodded.
“There will be nothing left of him.”
“If his entire family agrees to share the punishment, I’ll accept that. Each of them will endure only three and a half days instead of Bolg suffering the full fourteen alone.”
Ziri nodded grimly.
“Very well. I’ll make your intentions known.”
Keldras awoke to the familiar sight of his room.
He groaned.
“He’s awake!” a familiar voice exclaimed excitedly.
Turning his head, he saw Lokara, Urzok, and Ghola sitting beside his bed.
Lokara immediately grabbed his hand.
Saphira bristled.
Keldras looked down at their joined hands.
Lokara flushed crimson before quickly letting go.
“S-sorry. I was just so happy to see you’re okay!” she said.
Knowing smiles spread across Urzok’s and Ghola’s faces.
“You’ve been out for a week. Bet you’re hungry,” Ghola said casually.
Urzok laughed.
“It’s always food with you.”
“You’re right, though,” Ghola replied.
“A week is a long time to go without eating.”
The door opened, and Valdax entered, followed by an unfamiliar mountain elf.
Keldras looked between the two.
“My apprentice,” Valdax answered, reading his questioning expression.
“Also your new master,” he added, his tone brooking no argument.
“Does my master have a name?” Keldras asked bluntly.
“Rianna Ken’rahel. She’s the noble daughter of the Ken’rahel family of Kumora.”
Keldras paused.
He knew that name.
The journal from which he had learned much of his halberd combat had been written by Rianna herself.
Rianna looked him over before breaking into a grin.
“Wow… it’s a little Valdax.”
Saphira snorted.
Keldras maintained a perfectly stoic expression.
“See? See? Same expression you had when you were young,” Rianna teased with a mischievous smile.
Valdax rolled his eyes.
Lokara, however, couldn’t stay quiet.
“New master? No! He’s supposed to train with us at the coliseum!” she protested.
Only then did Valdax seem to notice the young orcs gathered in the room.
After studying them for a moment, he shook his head.
“Keldras isn’t suited to orcish training methods. Strength isn’t the way of the elf.”
“He’s only half elf!” Lokara shot back, planting her hands firmly on her hips.
Valdax looked toward Rianna.
She shrugged.
“I suppose it doesn’t really matter where I train him.”
After a moment’s silence, Valdax nodded.
“I suppose you’re right. It doesn’t particularly matter. You can train him while the others learn from whoever replaces Gorbag.”
“Good for you,” Saphira said coldly.
“You get to stay with the orc girl.”
Keldras sighed inwardly.
For the time being, the group of young orc trainees continued learning under Garrok.
Following the incident, Zola had removed Bolg from the group.
Since Valdax’s return, no one had seen Bolg—or anyone from that branch of the Bonebreaker Clan.
Rianna wore a skintight purple bodysuit that ended at her shoulders, covered by a fitted black leather vest.
Matching leather bracers protected her forearms, and strapped across the small of her back rested a pair of single-edged shortswords, their design remarkably similar to the longsword Valdax carried.
“I’ll need to spar with you a bit to see how far along you are,” she said casually.
Keldras nodded and assumed his stance.
His lead hand rested high on the haft while the other gripped near the butt.
The weapon was held above his head, its spear point trained squarely on Rianna.
She stared at his stance with an exasperated look.
An instant later, the edge of one sword rested lightly against his ribs.
By the time he reacted, she was gone.
Instead, her left-hand blade traced gently across his throat.
She didn’t stop the exchange.
Keldras immediately swung the haft of his halberd to knock the blade aside.
“Slow.”
Rianna’s voice came from nearly ten feet behind him.
He spun just in time for the handle of a thrown dagger to strike him squarely in the forehead.
Rianna sighed.
“Your father really hasn’t trained you at all.”
“Back into position.”
During their second exchange, Rianna deliberately slowed herself.
This time Keldras could follow her movements.
He even managed to hold his own for several moments before she ultimately defeated him once again.
“Well,” she said, lowering her swords, “you have a decent grasp of your weapon. Your movements, however, are far too immature for your age. You should be well beyond this stage by now.”
She shook her head.
“You’re also relying far too much on strength when you should be taking advantage of your natural dexterity.”
Rianna let out another sigh.
“I’m going to have to be hard on you if I’m going to get you where you should be quickly—especially since you’ll be splitting your time between me and some old shaman.”
Rianna smiled.
“Good.”
“At least you don’t have any bad habits I’ll need to beat out of you.”