In The Beginning, Gail Daley [red white royal blue .TXT] 📗

too; he is engaged to Rebecca, it's only natural Lewys should depend on his expertise to prepare for battle."

"You keep thinking that," Serle retorted. He noticed the troubled expression on Amber's face as she listened. One of the qualities he appreciated about the other teacher was she never offered opinions contrary to his own. Despite her low birth, she behaved much more like a proper woman than Rebecca did. "I'm sorry you had to hear this nonsense, my dear."

In the hope of diverting his grandson from what he considered an unprofitable vein of thought, Mort picked up a letter from his desk. "Never mind about that. Drame Wilder just sent me this letter. We may have a war sooner than you think boy. Read this offer from the Jacites! With this offer, pressure can be put on the Shahen to consider reforming the Magi laws!"

Mort and Amber were not the only ones to whom Serle suggested Andre couldn't be trusted. He had developed the habit of coming out to watch the afternoon practices and he made it a point to try to drop his bits of wisdom into Logan's ears.

"She won't marry him, you know," he said, watching Andre with his arm around Rebecca when they took a break from their lessons with Nicos to watch Selene compete with the crossbow.

"Oh?" Logan made his voice sound interested. "Why do you say so?"

"No offense, but he isn't her class. She comes of noble Magi bloodlines. He's just a hired dog. She is using him."

A boy didn't survive and grow to manhood in the stews of a city like Khaso without developing skill at reading people. Logan recognized the jealousy and spite motivating Serle the instant he met him, so the man's nasty insinuations didn't do much to alter his opinion of Andre. However, the remark annoyed him because he and Andre could both be considered 'hired dogs'. "Offense taken," he retorted. "Even I can see there is real feeling between them; besides Draconi Rebecca doesn't strike me as class conscious."

"That's ridiculous Serle!" exclaimed Catrin, who had been standing near enough to Logan to overhear the conversation. "I know they are getting married, Serle, and the sooner you reconcile yourself to it the better."

She had brought Mikel out to enjoy the warm summer sunshine and now handed him up to Logan. "I think this little man needs to spend some time with his Dad," she said with a smile.

Logan took the baby, grinning as the boy patted his cheeks and crowed, "Da!"

He bounced him a little, turning Mikel so he could watch the men as they threw spears at the targets.

Rebecca had seen her sister handing the baby to Logan. "I think Catrin likes Logan," she remarked.

"You may be right," Andre said. "If it's true they will make a nice couple. He fell pretty hard for her when he met her."

She pulled back to look up at him. "How do you know that?"

He grinned down at her. "A man had better be able to tell which woman another man is interested in. Its self preservation."

Andre and Rebecca studied Ironlyn's defenses with Nicos in the mornings. The afternoons were devoted to household chores that still needed to be done. Rebecca had turned most of the winter preparations back to Sarsee Jinks, but she still liked to inspect for herself how much food was in the stillrooms and cupboards. Andre still assessed Selene and Tyrel's progress in self defense.

The classes had worked with crossbows and needle guns for a couple of weeks before Jors announced the next phase of the lessons would be unarmed combat. After their first hands-on lesson in hand to hand fighting, Andre took both children to the infirmary to get some salve for the sore muscles he told them to expect. They found Owen there getting a bite from one of the wild unicorns tended.

"Rub it in before you go to bed," Catrin's pretty Assistant, Lela, was telling him. It's mostly a bruise. And I suggest you don't get so close to that particular unicorn's teeth in the future." She turned to Andre and his two charges. "Who is hurt?" Her voice was suspicious.

"No one, but the kids aren't used to the kind of rough and tumble work done in hand to hand fighting," Andre explained. "We need some muscle salve, otherwise they will be too stiff to get out of bed in the morning."

"You aren't teaching the young Draya to fight the way the men do?" Lela asked in horror.

"There's nothing wrong with a girl knowing how to defend herself," Owen interjected. "It might save—"

Everyone froze when a scream of rage echoed down the hall from the stillroom.

"Rebecca!" Andre exclaimed. He turned and ran out of the infirmary, followed by Owen, Lela, and the kids. He came to a skidding halt in the stillroom doorway, and his posse did the same. Rebecca and Serle were facing off, glaring at each other. Well, Rebecca was glaring and yelling at Serle, who was trying to make excuses while he ducked the fireballs she slung at him.

The girl Amber stood back against the wall, sobbing, with her hands covering her face. When she saw Andre and company arrive, she ran from the room weeping. Since it was obvious Rebecca didn't need help, Andre leaned against the door jamb with his arms folded and prepared to enjoy the show.

"You stinking sack of unicorn piss!" Rebecca raged. "You seduced that poor girl and fathered a child on her and now you have the gall to say you won't marry her?"

Serle ducked again. "Why do you believe her instead of me? Anyway, what does it matter?" He protested. "She's a commoner. She surely didn't expect marriage."

Rebecca snarled, "You aren't fit to wipe a decent woman's feet! You ass-licking, cock sucking—"

"Rebecca!" Owen gasped, "not in front of the kids! Grandpa would—"

"Her aim could be better too," Andre remarked, chuckling.

"Get out before I burn you to the ground!" Rebecca snarled.

Serle would have liked to spell slap her