All that Glitters (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 1) by Loren K. Jones Page A
Authors: Loren K. Jones
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Warmaster."
"Accepted. Get in the front rank and pay attention." The boys retreated as Charvil turned and smiled at his little girl. "Thank you for joining us, Shari. Would you care to stay?"
"It was my pleasure, Warmaster. Unfortunately, I have a lesson plan to finish for Master Kel'Zorgan." She smiled broadly. "He said he'll let me start teaching soon."
Charvil grinned as groans came from the boys. "Very well, Shari. Run along now." As Sharindis turned away, Charvil turned toward his students. "Now, since I have your attention, let's begin with the ten forms."
Sharindis smiled as she walked away. Her father had taught her how to use a Dragon's Tongue before she lost her sight, and had insisted on drilling her afterward. It kept her senses sharp to have to listen to the movement of her opponents instead of seeing them. Her main advantage with the boys was that their armor didn't fit well and made a lot of noise.
As she walked away, the training ground was once again filled with noise. Ten year-groups, from the five-year-olds who had begun training after the expedition left, learning the basic forms with sticks, to the fourteen-year-olds who were in their last year drilling with Dragon's Tongues and swords, were being drilled by men of varying experience. Some were senior Warleaders with one or two stars, and some were veterans who had just finished their fifth season in the fall.
She sighed as she reflected on how hard it was for the boys compared to the girls. From age five onward they were apprentice warriors. The lessons were hard, and occasionally painful. There were a lot of accidents between the little boys. That's why their Dragon's Tongues were just staffs, like her walking stick. That changed at age ten, when they finished their classroom time and devoted every day to perfecting their weapon's skills. The girls only got basic training with Dragon’s Tongues. Few wanted more.
The girls stayed in classes until they were fourteen except for the time they spent in the summertime fields. Even then, they usually spent at least four spans a day in the classroom. It was women's work, and she stifled a snort at that thought, to deal with the logistics of the valley's home life. Mothers taught their daughters to cook and clean, sew and mend, and how to turn a house into a home. Master Kel'Zorgan, and now Sharindis, taught them how to plan meals to remain within their family food allotment. No food was to be wasted, but allotments had to reflect not only the number of people in a family, but their ages and genders as well. Teenagers, especially boys, ate far more than their elders, and the amount of food prepared had to take that into consideration. It was the duty of the woman of the house to know how much to requisition, and how much to prepare for each person.
Sharindis sighed as she thought of that. It would be a long time before she would be able to use the lessons she was teaching. Mistress Shari or not, Sahrena was doing that job as expertly as anyone could, and Shari didn't have the nerve to try and take over. Not from Sahrena.
That worried her. She would one day have to take over. Stavin was the master of the household, but she was its mistress. I wonder what he’s doing now?
Chapter 16
T WIN B RIDGES, THE CAPITAL CITY OF Evandia, was a place of legend. It was an old Imperial Age city that had stood for more than a thousand years, though no one was sure just how much longer that had been. It had been founded either before or after the province called the Land of Evan, but those records were lost. The city was perched on the tip of a spit of land between two rivers. It was named for the two elegant bridges that linked the isthmus that the city occupied to the lands east and west of the mighty Zel'Horgan and Zel'Jevid Rivers. The city looked out over the confluence of those two great rivers, taking advantage of the river gorges as its primary east-west defense. Twin Bridges had also played a major part in
"Accepted. Get in the front rank and pay attention." The boys retreated as Charvil turned and smiled at his little girl. "Thank you for joining us, Shari. Would you care to stay?"
"It was my pleasure, Warmaster. Unfortunately, I have a lesson plan to finish for Master Kel'Zorgan." She smiled broadly. "He said he'll let me start teaching soon."
Charvil grinned as groans came from the boys. "Very well, Shari. Run along now." As Sharindis turned away, Charvil turned toward his students. "Now, since I have your attention, let's begin with the ten forms."
Sharindis smiled as she walked away. Her father had taught her how to use a Dragon's Tongue before she lost her sight, and had insisted on drilling her afterward. It kept her senses sharp to have to listen to the movement of her opponents instead of seeing them. Her main advantage with the boys was that their armor didn't fit well and made a lot of noise.
As she walked away, the training ground was once again filled with noise. Ten year-groups, from the five-year-olds who had begun training after the expedition left, learning the basic forms with sticks, to the fourteen-year-olds who were in their last year drilling with Dragon's Tongues and swords, were being drilled by men of varying experience. Some were senior Warleaders with one or two stars, and some were veterans who had just finished their fifth season in the fall.
She sighed as she reflected on how hard it was for the boys compared to the girls. From age five onward they were apprentice warriors. The lessons were hard, and occasionally painful. There were a lot of accidents between the little boys. That's why their Dragon's Tongues were just staffs, like her walking stick. That changed at age ten, when they finished their classroom time and devoted every day to perfecting their weapon's skills. The girls only got basic training with Dragon’s Tongues. Few wanted more.
The girls stayed in classes until they were fourteen except for the time they spent in the summertime fields. Even then, they usually spent at least four spans a day in the classroom. It was women's work, and she stifled a snort at that thought, to deal with the logistics of the valley's home life. Mothers taught their daughters to cook and clean, sew and mend, and how to turn a house into a home. Master Kel'Zorgan, and now Sharindis, taught them how to plan meals to remain within their family food allotment. No food was to be wasted, but allotments had to reflect not only the number of people in a family, but their ages and genders as well. Teenagers, especially boys, ate far more than their elders, and the amount of food prepared had to take that into consideration. It was the duty of the woman of the house to know how much to requisition, and how much to prepare for each person.
Sharindis sighed as she thought of that. It would be a long time before she would be able to use the lessons she was teaching. Mistress Shari or not, Sahrena was doing that job as expertly as anyone could, and Shari didn't have the nerve to try and take over. Not from Sahrena.
That worried her. She would one day have to take over. Stavin was the master of the household, but she was its mistress. I wonder what he’s doing now?
Chapter 16
T WIN B RIDGES, THE CAPITAL CITY OF Evandia, was a place of legend. It was an old Imperial Age city that had stood for more than a thousand years, though no one was sure just how much longer that had been. It had been founded either before or after the province called the Land of Evan, but those records were lost. The city was perched on the tip of a spit of land between two rivers. It was named for the two elegant bridges that linked the isthmus that the city occupied to the lands east and west of the mighty Zel'Horgan and Zel'Jevid Rivers. The city looked out over the confluence of those two great rivers, taking advantage of the river gorges as its primary east-west defense. Twin Bridges had also played a major part in
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