Page 14 of The Lost Art of Finding Where You Belong (Lost Arts #2)

Chapter Six

H e headed for the Warriors’ training yard in the quadrangle, hoping he could at least learn a few useful skills, whether or not he was also learning how to be an adult for the second time.

It seemed like something from the lessons was sticking today, because Perian actually improved enough that Onadal didn’t just give him a knife, he let him go through actual exercises of striking and blocking with one of the novices.

It was carefully choreographed for practice, but Perian began to feel he really might be able to learn this.

He wasn’t afterwards sure whether he’d seemed too proud of himself or if the Warrior was just looking for an excuse, but when Onadal was on the other side of the quadrangle working with another novice, one of Perian’s hecklers came right over to him.

Perian still didn’t know all their names.

This was the one with dark blond hair and green eyes.

Not as nice a green as Cormal, but Perian wondered if he was supposed to be wary of green-eyed people or something. The sneer on the man’s face was ugly.

“You think you’re good at that? Let’s see what you’re like up against someone who actually knows what they’re doing! ”

Perian wasn’t given the opportunity to explain he already knew he had no chance against a trained Warrior, he just tried frantically to defend himself.

It didn’t take more than a few savage moves before he was disarmed.

Some distant part of Perian’s brain wryly pointed out that he could see now what Onadal meant about no opportunity for kneeing someone in the groin—it was all happening way too fast, and he didn’t see any openings.

The man just kept coming, and Perian threw up his arm.

At least he had learned to block with his left arm instead of his right.

Someone screamed.

A gust of wind ripped across the quadrangle, and the Warrior was suddenly flattened. Perian had his left arm clamped to his chest with his other hand. He didn’t even remember moving.

Onadal was suddenly there.

“What happened?”

There was a ringing in Perian’s ears, and he realized belatedly that his chest was heaving. He blinked, trying to focus.

“Fomadin attacked Perian,” one of the other newbies said, and two of the others nodded, looking, if not quite as stunned at Perian, at least pretty shocked.

“We were sparring,” the man spat from the ground.

One of the Mage Warriors Perian didn’t know very well still had him pinned down with what was clearly a lot of talent with air.

Onadal raised an eyebrow at Perian.

“He didn’t ask if I wanted to spar,” he managed to say. He felt like he was talking through numb lips. It was a very weird sensation.

“If he wasn’t wasting everyone’s time here, he would have been fine!” the man spat. “He’s no Warrior—he doesn’t belong here!”

“You don’t get to decide who belongs here,” Onadal said sternly. “I do. Lucky you, you won’t need to see him ever again.”

Fomadin shot a nasty, victorious look at Perian. Perian really wanted to know what he’d ever done to the other man.

Onadal peeled Perian’s hand off his arm, peered at the wound, or maybe all the blood, and then said urgently, “I want you to go to the doctor right now.”

“Oh, I’m sure—”

Onadal looked at the closest Warrior, a beautiful, well-muscled man with brown hair and a distracting cleft in his chin. “Perian needs an escort to the doctor.”

“Of course, Captain.”

Onadal dismissed everyone else and directed two other Warriors plus the Mage Warrior who was using air to bring Fomadin with him.

“Here,” the Warrior said.

Perian looked at the towel, but he kind of didn’t have any hands free at the moment.

Gently, the Warrior said, “We’re going to put this against the wound to help stop the bleeding.”

“Oh,” Perian said blankly. “That’s a good idea.”

The Warrior lifted Perian’s hand, inserted the towel, and then pressed his hand back down before guiding him into motion.

“Let’s go see the doctor.”

It was easier to fall into step with him than to protest, so Perian did so.

“I’m not totally sure why I’m reacting like this,” he said conversationally.

“You’re in shock,” the Warrior offered kindly.

He was a big man—so many of them were so delightfully big—with warm hazel eyes. The round beads in his dark hair were almost the same color as his eyes. The fact that he was twice as broad as Perian didn’t seem to make him feel like it was his place to crush Perian.

“Last time this happened—I mean, I’ve never been attacked with a knife before, I was burned—I was really angry. Oh, but when I was attacked in the street, I guess I kind of reacted like this. It was definitely a shock when that happened. I wasn’t very useful then, either.”

“You deflected the blade very well,” the man said. “You could have been seriously injured.”

Perian blew out a breath. “It happened so fast. Maybe attacks always do. Maybe he’s right, and I shouldn’t be here.”

“Hey,” the Warrior protested, stopping for a moment so he could look Perian in the eyes. “I mean it. A man with a knife came at you, and you stopped him from severely injuring you. Do you want to be a Warrior? ”

After a moment, Perian shook his head, his mind beginning to feel a little sharper. “No, no, I don’t want to be a Warrior. I mean, you’re all very hot, but I don’t think it’s for me.”

The man smirked and carefully tugged Perian back into motion.

“There we go,” he said. “I was a little concerned about the lack of ogling.”

Perian let out a groan and asked with what was only partly exaggerated horror, “Oh, no, am I known as the ogler ?”

The man winked at him. “Only in the most flattering of ways.”

Perian snorted. “How is that flattering?”

“Are you saying you aren’t looking at us with appreciation?”

“So much appreciation,” Perian breathed.

“So it’s definitely flattering,” the man returned.

Perian… could not immediately refute that logic. “You all have lots of muscles, and you’re very pretty to watch.”

“And you have fewer visible muscles but you’re also pretty to watch.”

“To watch be incompetent?” Perian questioned doubtfully.

The man shrugged. “Well, to be honest, I think you’re pretty to watch no matter what you’re doing, even if you’re doing it incompetently.”

This made him laugh. “Thanks for that. That’s… really super reassuring.”

Flashing him a wide grin, the Warrior said, “I aim to please.”

Perian’s arm was really starting to hurt now, a deep, hot throb . He was pretty sure this meant the shock was wearing off. And while the lack of pain had been nice, the numbness had actually been pretty weird.

“I’m Perian by the way,” he said. “If we got introduced at some point, I don’t remember your name.”

“Too busy staring at my muscles,” the man said cheerfully.

Perian rolled his eyes, but then shrugged and admitted, “Probably.”

“I’m Bennan.”

“Nice to meet you. Or you know, know your actual name after we’ve been spending days in proximity to one another. But, you know, in separate areas because you’re in the actually competent section.”

“I’m a full Warrior,” Bennan pointed out.

Perian made a face. “I didn’t mean that as an insult. Actually competent is, like, top of the line for me.”

Bennan laughed. “No, I just mean I was there because not only do Warriors have to keep up their skills, Onadal always has Warriors watching over the novices. Things can always go wrong.” His expression hardened.

“Admittedly, more often because of accident than spite, but if you have that many people with that many weapons all together, it makes sense to keep an eye on everything.”

Perian nodded. Now that he thought about it, it actually explained the Mage Warrior who’d been present. There hadn’t been any joint training this morning, but they’d still been there, and they’d flattened Fomadin pretty quickly.

“I’m glad,” Perian said.

He’d still been hurt, but who was to say what might have happened if no one had been present to ensure it stopped there.

Bennan pointed out, “There are… obvious exceptions, occasionally, but most people in the castle want the health and safety of everyone else who’s here.

Or, you know, they’re going about in their own little world and not actually thinking much about everyone else, but certainly not wishing them ill. ”

“So… the fact that I wound up here because I was attacked and have been attacked twice since I’ve been here…?” Perian asked.

“… Really bad luck?” Bennan suggested with a commiserating glance.

Perian couldn’t help but laugh even as he conceded, “To be fair, the burn was during a planned activity, and they were supposed to be trying to capture me. It got a little out of hand, but this felt… different.”

“It’s a privilege to be chosen to train with the Warriors here at the castle, to become a Warrior.

If someone is too small-minded to see that training other members of the castle in defense is an extension of our duty and in fact only makes us stronger, then I don’t think they belong here.

” Bennan shrugged. “It takes all sorts to make up the world, and I don’t love every single person I work with, but there should be a certain level of base decent behavior, and I don’t think he was adhering to it. ”

Perian swallowed and said with a little difficulty, “Thanks.”

Bennan smiled at him.

They arrived at the doctor’s. Perian had kind of been hoping Nisal wouldn’t be there, but they very much were .

“What happened?” they demanded, looking instantly alarmed.

“Accident in the training yard,” Perian said.

“Fomadin attacked him,” Bennan corrected.

“Hey,” he protested.

Bennan shot him a look. “Trying to say that’s not what happened? Who are you trying to protect?”

Perian frowned. “No one, I guess. I just… don’t want this to cause any more trouble than it already has.”

Bennan squeezed his good arm gently. “The trouble was not caused by you. And sometimes it’s essential that people face the consequences of their actions, or they never learn.”