laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

Lisa sat outside with the younger group as they rested in the front yard eating dinner as the moonlight picked out sweaty hair and darkened clothing covered in dirt smeared from the day's calesthenics. They noticed that she wasn't eating with the group and she allowed them to process Gunnar and Lericanin's drills before she revealed her true nature. One thing at a time.

"You never mentioned where you were from," Alandria mentioned, sitting to her right. Lisa turned to her.

"I was found in the ruin of Laksay by the group and until I met my grandparents who live here in Carbost, I didn't know any other home. My mother lives in the Black Mountains with my family and my father is dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She avoided her personal feelings on that matter. "We've passed through Borge' several times, it's nice. What's it like growing up around dwarves?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Alandria wiped her forehead with her hand and wiped it off on the grass. "They make amazing weapons but, stay to themselves mostly. I didn't get to know any of them well, I spent most of my time in the woods with my parents. My mother, Bridget is a druid and my father a ranger who used to serve the Baroness of Carbost as a scout. He taught me the bow and tracking, she how to handle animals and train them."

"So, you know how to hunt then?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lisa nodded. "During our trips, I'll further your training and teach you how to hunt even in the dark."

"I'd love to learn. Thank you."

* * *

After several laps around the edge of the fifty acre farmland, the normal scheduled opening to a new day for the past month, Gunnar and William led the group into the forest for more laps in the pond where Lericanin and Sceva joined to begin weapons training to see how they fared. Lisa stood nearby as they sparred in the grass before the barn and out of the way of Darian's daily chores. As they squared off on one another with the wooden swords and their own shields, Justyn and Kevin proved their desire to please could erupt into real fighting that their drill instructors stood by and watched for a time, then stepped in and broke up. Both red faced, they finally relaxed as Gunnar faced them.

"Boys, that needs to be kept for a real enemy. Infighting will destroy a unit faster than anything, even your adversary. Once cohesion breaks down, the battle is already lost before the first arrow is loosed. Understand me?"

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison, hearts still beating out a rhythm that Lisa could almost feel herself.

As they graded the group as a whole, Darvin came out the most knowledgeable with bladed weapons. Alandria took the field with her bow as Arthur shined with polearms. Each had their areas of expertise and soon had it drilled into them to learn from the others and work as a team.
The afternoon of the last day, Gunnar walked out into the partly clouded yard as they ate a lunch and relaxed from the morning's run and workout.

"After you are done eating, I want you to each grab a shovel and head into the forest. Dig a six by three by six foot deep hole and I want it done by dinner, or you're not eating. Who's in charge for the week?"

"I am, sir," Justyn raised his hand.

"I want you to report to me when the whole group is done."

"Yes, sir."

After the core group rested and ate dinner in the dining and living room of the Stormfrost home, Lisa sensed Alandria arrive and knock on the front door, then step in. "We're done, sir," she informed.

"Alright," Gunnar stated as they all looked up from their plates. "Tell them to now fill them in."

Lisa noted the ranger's face droop, nod then disappear back through the door as she closed it. She admired the quiet resilience that the young girl had, a trait that she had noted in all of them driven by their will to please and shine above the rest.

"I thought Justyn was supposed to report back," William mentioned.

Gunnar eyed the knight of Ruse, "We'll address that later".

Markus chuckled as he ate and Lisa turned to notice the older sergeant of the Carbost army smile.

"What is it," Margaret grinned.

"It just brings back memories, that's all. I remember doing the same thing to new troops that I was given. Mucking out stables, digging latrines, cleaning up after meals. The same things that I went through as the new recruit."

Once dinner had finished, they all crept out to the dig site as Lisa slowly slid through the underbrush to see the younger group within torchlight as they filled in their holes. Gunnar lay behind the tree nearby as Selyria and the rest of the group also hid within the shadows of the forest around them.

Suddenly, the ground nearby rumbled as a form emerged and walked towards them as they stood and stared. Justyn, Kevin and Galena jumped into their holes as the rest went for weapons and Galena prepared a spell. As they attacked the earth elemental that Selyria had sent, they noticed that the weaker creation soon disintegrated back to the ground as Gunnar stepped out with the others in tow. He shook his head as the hidden trio peeked up from their hides.

"What were you three thinking. The others stood and fought to save your lives, you should've stood with them." They climbed out and stood nearby, eyes to the ground. "Now, what I want you to do is finish the job you started, get to it."

As they finished filling in their narrow trenches, Lericanin and the group cooked them dinner and joined them within the campfire light. Lisa sat beside Alandria after they had cleaned up and joined the veterans, then accepted bowls of stew and bread from Lericanin and Sceva. They were tired, but still in the fight to graduate their training that would only pale in comparison to the life that awaited them beyond the gates and walls of Carbost.

"I want you all to know that you've done a good job," Gunnar began. "The mental toughness and physical strength needs to be a habit for you to survive out there. Those things will save your life and keep us from having to worry ourselves about your safety and whether or not you can keep up with us. You have the benefits of things that some of us never did, someone preparing us for what's to come. Not everything can ready you for every situation, but at least you've got a veteran group who's here to learn from. I had to learn war during war amidst the dying friends, severed limbs and gore all around me for years as well as inside the walls of Fort William. I've been involved in distant battles and seen things over the past twenty-four years that I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"We've all experienced things that we wished we could forget," Sceva leaned in. "You'll get used to death but, seeing the manner of it will be overwhelming and that's also why all of us are here for one another. Those memories can keep you from being able to function when you're needed the most. Myself, Lericanin and Alister are all now knights of Elminoir and Arhus, counseling is part of our job and we're here for any and all of you whenever you need us."

They nodded as they ate, enjoying their late meal as Lisa looked to each in turn and sighed.

"Since we've been together, I've become comfortable enough with most of you and I think it's time that you knew a bit more about me. You've wondered about the scarf and hood, those I can't explain fully other than to say that I've been gifted with many things after entering a cave for my sire. It wasn't until two and a half years ago, when the group found me that I had been informed that I'm half vampire."

Eyes shot up as Darvin nearly choked. Guy looked to William as Lericanin and Alister eyed the younger group for reactions.

Alandria turned to her, "But you can walk in daylight".

Lisa's green eyes glanced to her charge. "I'm only half. I do have the hunger and can do many of the things they can, but there are many things that I can't do."

"Like what?" Galena asked.

"They still live the lives they did before being turned with the exception of when they sleep and where. I still feel the same things you do, to a greater degree even. My senses can reach out beyond normal but I can't love like you do. I will live for a long time alone."

"This...this isn't possible," Darvin set his bowl on the ground in front of him. "Evil can't abide with the good, it says so in the Book."

"Lisa isn't evil," Lericanin corrected sternly. "You've been around her this past month, what has changed about her? She's done nothing that would label her as one of them. I've prayed to Arhus on this matter many times and he's directed us to protect her as one of us. If he says so, then she's not evil, is she?"

Darvin shook his head as he mused, green eyes to the ground and Lisa could hear him recycling verses in his mind. Most that made her nervous.

"Is this going to be a problem, Darvin," Alister queried.

Sighing, the orphan looked up to the farmer and shook his head. "No, sir. It's just that, the paladins and templar that I've known in Soderham said that vampires use all manner of spells to trick and deceive and then feed on the mesmerized victim. They're animals that were once human."

"Normal vampires are," Lisa stated. "I however know several that don't fit that mold. I agree with you that the majority of my kind should be destroyed but, you need to allow your heart to judge for you instead of narrow minded dogma."

His brow furrowed as it sank to narrowing eyes.

"Let me see your Book," Lericanin held out his hand.

"Sure," Darvin produced it from his backpack and handed it to the large captain across the campfire. Lericanin quickly stuffed into his own small pack and eyed the young boy.

"You've learned under the priests and knights of Arhus, now let Arhus himself teach you through life itself."

Darvin stared dumbly for a moment, then accepted his fate.

After a good night's rest, the group began making preparations to head to Ruse and help William discover the truth behind some recent dreams as Lisa noted a lone rider approach the front of the house. She walked up with Alandria, Selyria and Galena and sensed the half-elf as he smiled.

"Good afternoon, I'm Craban. Do you ride with Sceva of Sonvico?"

"Yes, how do you know him," Selyria asked.

"I was informed by my father's friend some time ago shortly after you had ridden through Fort William and I seek to join you."

Lisa noted the unique aura about him that shimmered white, blue and red also. They could use another mage with perhaps a wider range of spells that they didn't have between them.

Selyria chuckled. "Why not, the rest of the barony is along for the ride."