Chapter 48

Kabal, Kabal, that's he's name. Now, I can't see through his mind. I don't know exactly why but I feel like I should watch him at least throughout today's training.

***

Kabal sat at the wooden table working away with the bow and arrow laid in pieces. Beside him, Dalaine, his new patner alongside with other new recruits of the legion sat. They were all hunched over their weapons, hard at working on carving the bows and tightening the strings. According to their trainer, "a warrior who knows how to strng his bow is sure of a good fight. Your sting determines whether your arrow wouldh hit its target or not. Weapons break in battle, break on jouney, you must know how to repair them within a inch of a second. The greatest warrior is the greatest blacksmith, cobbler, carpenter, mender of all broken things"

The trainer, a young knight, walked through the rows of boys, leaning over, examining each one's work. " If you can't repair your weapon, you are as foolish as a man who commits his death into his own hands." He stopped behind Kabal, leaned over and yanked his bow out of his grasp, the string hurting his palm as he did." You peewee warrior, i knew you could never do anything right." he said." the string is not taut enough, dumb punk. Use a weapon like this in a battle and youll surely die, no matter your powers, you will die and your patner beside you." He smacked him hard on his back with the bow and moved on, several other boys snickered. Kabal reddened as his grabbed his bow again , pulled the taut as he could and wrapped it around the notch. He'd been on it for hours and in a moment the young knight crashed all his hardwork. Its been a day of labour and menail task for Kabal. Most of the other boys were already training, sparring patners sword-fighting and he had been brought here due to his size to repair weapons. he felt cheated but still content. So far he's here, he will surely make things work out for himself.

***

A horn sounded and all legion members gathered at a huge stone wall at the far end of the field, where i stood, ropes were draped across the walls spaced every ten feet. There was an excited buzz in the air as all the legion members stood together though some looked more anxious and scared. i can explain their attitude anyway. They were estatic to finally be called for training with the big boss but also scared of the big boss powers— Wierd big boss with a wolf. Talking about Luna, she has become too obsessed with Julian, always at his feet following his every move. Sometimes i feel she's helping me watch him but i get jealous also. Luna is mine! Only mine!

They all bowed as i took the couch to speak.

"It's so great to be here with you warriors." I began." I know i'm not known by anyone here so I'll have to introduce myself. I'm commander Claudia..." Claudia? My inner demon teased me. "And i'm the head of the army. I'll be training you, the new recruits once in a while and today. There are important things you need to know as a warroir..." 

" first,I can see how scared most of you are and I must say that it's natural to feel fear. All great warriors are afraid. Only the stupid and the delusional are not… But in time of war, we have to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can cause we are survivors. We are warrior, born to fight not fear, not born to heal but survive. Fear doesn't go away. A warrior live by the same code of necessity of life, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day." 

I took a deep breath and continued. The scorching sun isn't helping 

"You will find in battle that most towns are fortified," I said, looking over the faces of the boys. "Breaching fortifications is the work of a soldier. They are different type of shields here in the underworld, most times supernatural. But In a typical siege, ropes and grappling hooks are used, much like the ones we have thrown over this wall, and climbing a wall is one of the most dangerous things you will encounter in battle. In few cases will you be more exposed, more vulnerable. The enemy will pour molten lead on you, pour all sort of dangerous fluids, even fire. They will shoot down arrows. Drop rocks. You don't climb a wall until the moment is perfect. And when you do, you must climb for your life—or else risk death."

"You all should climb those walls now!"

I watched as the boy rushed to pick their ropes and began to climb.

Kabal scrambled to his hands and knees, catching his breath, and looked about. All around him, boys were dropping like flies from the ropes, landing in the hay, kicked or shoved by each other—or if not, then kicked off by members of the Silver up top. Those who weren't had their ropes cut, so they went came crashing down, too. Not a single member reached the top.

"On your feet!" I yelled. Just as I expected none of them reached the top.

"SWORDS!"

The boys ran as one to a huge rack of wooden swords. Kabal joined them and grabbed one, shocked at how heavy it was. It weighed twice as much as any weapon he had lifted. He could barely hold it.

"Heavy swords, begin!" I yelled.

I watched as the boys picked their partners and fought, each wanting to impress...

 "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Just ... Fight!"

About Kabal, he's doing well, more skilled than I imagined.