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Cal rolled his eyes and ignored the last remark. ‘Well, if I’m struggling with training, you’ve got no hope.’

‘Absolutely none,’ Kipp agreed wholeheartedly, uncorking the bottle with his teeth and giving it an enthusiastic sniff. ‘But I don’t need help getting a girl. Or have you forgotten the black-haired beauty at the Fox? Goes by the name of Milla? Is hopelessly in love with me? Can’t keep her lovely hands off me? Besides, I have no interest in being a Warsword. Never have.’

Thea found herself laughing, a quiet chuckle at first and then a deep burst from her belly. As she laughed, the fear and fury that had coiled so tightly within her unravelled, lightened, dissipated.

Kipp smiled back at her. ‘Glad you find us so amusing, wraith slayer.’

‘Not sure how I feel about the new name,Kristopher.’

‘If you do this apprentice thing right, you’ll have many more names by the end,’ Cal offered.

‘Oh? Have you got one picked out for yourself already?’ she asked him. ‘A Warsword name?’

Cal shrugged. ‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe?’ Kipp’s face lit up with glee. ‘Youhaveto tell us.’

‘No fucking way.’

Kipp surged forward and elbowed him in the ribs repeatedly. ‘Thea shared her deep dark secret, now it’s your turn.’

Cal winced. ‘Alright, alright.’

‘You’d hold up terribly under torture,’ Thea said drily.

‘The name!’ Kipp demanded.

Cal fixed them with a serious stare and took a breath. ‘Callahan the Flaming Arrow.’

A moment passed, then another.

Finally, Thea dared to look at Kipp, who, upon eye contact, roared with laughter.

Thea soon followed, her eyes streaming. ‘How long have you been thinking upthatone?’

Cal clicked his tongue and frowned. ‘Forget it.’

Thea and Kipp only laughed harder.

When they were done wiping the tears from their eyes, Kipp proudly adjusted the totem strapped to his arm and turned to Thea. ‘We’re heading out on our first solo Guardian mission tomorrow if you’d care to join?’

‘Really?’

Kipp grinned. ‘Don’t look so surprised. They were bound to let us out sometime.’

‘Where are you headed? Harenth?’

‘I wish,’ Kipp replied. ‘No, we’re set to ride up the coast, to see to a disturbance that was reported there.’

‘What kind of disturbance?’

‘Not sure yet. That’s the job – to gather more information and report back to the Guild Master. Fancy an adventure, Althea Zoltaire?’

Thea wrung her hands. ‘I’ll have to check with Hawthorne…’

‘You should,’ Cal chimed in. ‘Torj says it’s about time we made ourselves useful as Guardians, and got some real-world experience, you know?’

‘I’ve gotplentyof real-world experience,’ Kipp said with a wink. ‘But someone’s gotta guide Callahan.’