The Apprentice (24 page)

“I see
that you have found a way to occupy yourself. That is good, but now is the time
for training. Come.”

Rowan
followed Darius out onto the fields, where boys were beginning to gather in
groups.

“Each
day you will spend your hours here, training with the other boys. In groups,
you will work on various skills under the guidance of experienced trainers.
They will teach you and you will learn.”

“Will I
have no free time?”

“You
will have free time to train or exercise as you see fit. You may even choose to
rest or work with others. But your free time is limited and you are not to
leave the barracks or the training grounds.”

“So I
cannot visit my master?”

“If Sir
Baird comes for you then you may see him, but you cannot seek him out. You are
not to leave the training grounds without the approval of a trainer.”

Rowan
fumed to himself. He would not enjoy the life of a trainee in which every hour
of the day was planned.

Darius
approached a trainer who was speaking to a group of younger boys. Looking
around, it seemed that most of the groups were separated by age. Off to his
left, a group comprised of boys closer to his own age had formed a ring,
watching as several pairs wrestled with each other. Their cries sounded out
across the fields.

“Today
you will learn your routine and meet the trainers and your fellow trainees. We
will begin here. Trainer Caius is going to work with this group on their
archery skills. You will train with them while I observe. Afterwards we will
move on.”

“What
are you observing?”

“You. I
need to know what your skill set is and how proficient you are in all of the
areas in which our trainees train. Today you will practice every skill so that
I can see what I have to work with.”

Darius
turned away from Rowan to speak with the Trainer Caius.

“You are
new.”

Rowan
looked to the boy who had spoken to him. All eyes but those of the two trainers
were on him. The boy who had spoken stood closest to Rowan.

“My name
is Rowan. I am new to the capitol.”

“You’re
older,” the boy stated. “Why are you here?”

“I am
here to train with you. Darius—”

“I know
you are here to train.” The boy cut Rowan off. “I meant why are you training
with us? You should be with them.”

“I—”

“Quiet,
the lot of you!”

Heads
turned towards the two trainers.

“For
those of you who are curious, this boy is Rowan. He is going to show us all his
skill with a bow today.”

The
younger boys stared at Rowan, wondering if perhaps he was more than just a boy
in training like them.

Rowan
looked to Darius, who had stepped back and stood with hands clasped behind him.
He nodded once, but no further acknowledgement came. He just stood and watched
Rowan.

“Take
this.” Trainer Caius handed Rowan a bow. “And these too,” he said, handing
Rowan a quiver of arrows. “You’ll need arrows if you want to hit your target.”

Rowan
took the quiver and slung it over his shoulder.

“It’ll
be much easier if you belt it about your waist.”

Rowan
took the trainer’s advice and belted the quiver at his waist. Indeed, the
arrows would be much easier to pull, but the weight felt odd to Rowan. He had
spent his years hunting with a quiver at his back and he knew that he would not
be able to run or hunt with arrows at his side.

“You
look like you have used a bow before.”

“I am
from the Vale. Hunting was something that I learned from my brother.”

“Well,
we will see just how skilled you are. Your target is there, about forty paces
out.” The trainer pointed to one of several targets out in the field. It was
far, but Rowan felt confident. He knew how to use a bow and his target was
standing still on an open field. There were no trees obstructing him and little
wind blowing.

“You
have fifteen arrows. Take them all and we will see if you can hit the target.”

Rowan
felt a number of eyes on him as the trainer stepped back. Darius was judging
him, the younger trainees were observing him, wondering how the newer, older
boy would do, and Trainer Caius watched with an impassive gaze.

Rowan
fingered the bow in his hand. It was longer than his own bow, and slightly
thinner. Yet it felt heavier. He held the bow up and pulled at the string,
testing the tension. The string resisted him.

Nocking
an arrow, Rowan raised his arm and sighted his target. He released a breath and
held himself steady just as Petar had taught him. He pulled back on the arrow,
forcing the bow to bend. He eyed his target again, doing his best to judge the
distance and the angle, and then he released the arrow.

The
bowstring went taught with a twang and the arrow shot into the air. Rowan
watched as it arced and flew towards the target, striking the ground directly
to the left of the target. Rowan sighed with disappointment. He could hear the
muffled laughter from behind him.

Rowan
pulled another arrow, quickly nocking it and aiming at the target, adjusting
his aim slightly to the right. This time his arrow flew true and struck the
target on the right side. Emboldened, Rowan quickly pulled a third arrow and
shot, followed by a fourth and a fifth. When he was done, only three arrows had
missed their target. Rowan knew that if he had taken his time while shooting,
he probably would only have missed his first shot, but he had done well enough
to satisfy the trainers.

“Well
done. Well done,” Caius said once Rowan had retrieved his arrows. The trainer
had set the other boys to shooting at similar targets and now stood with Rowan
and Darius. The head trainer had said little in the way of praise, but he
seemed satisfied with Rowan’s display.

“There
is still much that I can teach him, but he knows how to handle a bow. And he
can shoot better than some of the others that are his age,” Caius said to
Darius. “His skill is rough and unrefined, but he will do well enough.”

“That is
good. Thank you for your time, Caius.” Darius bowed slightly and the other
trainer nodded courteously.

“Come,”
Darius said to Rowan. “Your day is only just begun.”

*           *           *

Rowan was taken around the training
fields, performing various exercises for strength, agility, and endurance. He
was made to lift weights and run. Darius had him climb a rope. After Rowan had
gone through a number of physical exercises and Darius was satisfied, he was
passed from one trainer to another so that he could show his skills and work
alongside others in a group. While the trainers mostly treated Rowan with an
attitude of indifference, he received much attention from the other trainees.
His skills were tested and with every new group that Rowan joined, he found
himself growing more and more weary. Darius gave him no respite and each new
trainer worked him as though he was fresh from rest, trying to push him to his
limits. Some would single him out, testing him while the others watched, as
Caius had done. Others would pit him against other boys and win or lose, Rowan
would find himself either humiliated or hated.

While
Rowan was extremely proficient with a blade and he had previous experience
using a bow, he was no more than average in most other areas. It was not
unexpected, as Rowan had lived his life on a farm while many of the other
trainees had been working for years. Still, Rowan found himself frustrated
every time his skills were found lacking. He was as strong and quick as most
other boys, but when asked to throw a knife or wield an axe or a spear, he made
a fool of himself and only his quick reflexes kept him from appearing
completely useless.

Rowan’s
redemption came when he was given to a trainer named Torrhen to test his skill
with a blade. Torrhen’s group was comprised mainly of boys who were of an age
with Rowan, including both Erik and Byron, the boy who had tripped him earlier.

“He is
Baird’s apprentice. Is it not safe to assume that he knows how to wield a
blade?” Torrhen asked Darius respectfully. It was clear that Torrhen would test
Rowan as Darius saw fit, but the trainer seemed annoyed at the intrusion and
was hesitant to match Rowan against another boy.

Rowan
listened to their exchange with disinterest, having learned that his opinion
was worth little. Darius was determined to test him thoroughly. Glancing
towards Torrhen’s group of boys, it was clear that he was not the only one who
was listening in on the trainers’ conversation. Though no one approached him or
spoke to him, Rowan was the center of much attention. He was a new presence and
a disruption to the normal routine.

“Perhaps
it would be better if he were to use a practice dummy? He could show you his
forms and work without causing disruption.”

“Enough,
Torrhen. The boy has been learning blade work from Baird and I want to see just
how much he learned. He may be skilled with a blade but does he know his forms?
Does he use his forms when fighting? Does he know the proper etiquette for
sparring against an opponent? I wish to see him spar with one of the other
boys, then I will take him and leave you to continue your work.”

Torrhen
nodded wordlessly and turned towards the rack of practice weapons at his back.
He retrieved two wooden practice swords and thrust one at Rowan.

“Finn!”

A boy
near to Rowan’s size and age stepped forward. He had long blonde hair and wore
a confident smirk.

“You
will spar with Rowan so that Trainer Darius and I can gauge his skill.”

“Yes,
Trainer.” Finn glanced at Rowan. “Shall I fight to win or should I let Rowan
take the lead?”

This
earned Finn some laughter from the other boys, causing his smirk to widen.

“Spar as
you please. Rowan is Baird’s apprentice; he knows how to wield a blade.”

Trainer
Torrhen handed Finn his practice blade and turned to Rowan.

“You
know how to duel?”

“Yes.”

“Good.
Don’t make a fool of yourself.” Trainer Torrhen stepped aside, leaving Rowan
and Finn facing each other. “Let’s be done with this quickly so that we may
move on.”

Rowan
regarded Finn warily, keeping a defensive stance. Rowan knew nothing about Finn
and how the boy fought. Judging that his opponent would have a reach that was
similar to his own, Rowan took a step forward, placing him just outside of
lunging distance.

As Rowan
moved, Finn stepped forward and lunged hastily. The attack fell short, forcing
Finn to take an extra step to make up the distance. Rowan reacted instantly. He
took a half step backwards, knocked aside Finn’s outthrust blade, and moved
inside the boy’s guard. With speed and precision, Rowan cut at the legs and
stomach and stepped forward, placing himself behind Finn. He pivoted on his
right foot, struck his opponent across the back, and retreated into a defensive
stance.

Finn
stumbled and fell to one knee. There was sudden silence. Rowan could feel the
eyes of every stunned boy watching him. Even the trainers had nothing to say.
Rowan took some small sense of satisfaction in the look of annoyance on Trainer
Torrhen’s face. Darius, however, watched impassively. If he was surprised or
pleased, he gave no sign.

Finn
pushed himself to his feet and turned to face Rowan. His smirk was gone.
“Rrah!” The boy bellowed with rage and attacked. Finn was strong and quick, but
Rowan was able to parry the blows as they came. As quick as Finn was, Rowan was
quicker. After sparring exclusively with Baird, Rowan was used to fighting
someone much faster and more powerful than himself, someone who had a much
longer reach.

His
experience with Baird had also accustomed him to a certain style. Rowan was used
to anticipating his master’s attacks to react more quickly. Several times he
found himself moving to block an attack that was not coming. He was quick
enough to recover most of the time, but Finn was able to strike him more than
once. Yet for each blow Rowan received, he gave several back. The fight was
very much one-sided and within several minutes, Trainer Torrhen called for a
halt. It was clear that Rowan was the better fighter.

“You
fought well,” Rowan said. And he meant it; Finn had fought well. But Rowan had
surprised even himself. He knew that he was good with a sword. Baird had
trained him well, and was still training him to become even better. Yet he had
not thought himself better than the other boys. Rather, he had expected to be
only as good as they were. His own skill surprised him.

Rowan
saluted Finn, a gesture to honor one’s opponent. Finn scowled and threw his
weapon to the ground, ignoring Rowan’s salute and offering no such gesture in
return. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

“Will
that satisfy you, Darius?” Torrhen spoke angrily as Finn retreated. He looked
at Rowan as though this was somehow his fault.

Darius
nodded and, without a word, indicated that Rowan was to follow him.