Brightblade guided Arran to the stronghold's main keep, a towering building with thick walls that loomed over the training grounds as a permanent reminder that war was coming.
"It seems a bit much," Arran offered as they approached it.
"Maybe," Brightblade replied. "But it's necessary. Most of the mages in the Valley have never seen a real battle. You saw the novices' reactions when you attacked them — even without any real danger, their instinct was to flee. They need a reminder that these are no games, or most of them will perish in their first battle."
"You speak as if war is a foregone conclusion," Arran said. At the banquet eight months earlier, the Matriarch had said she meant to rebuild the Valley's strength merely to deter enemies. Yet Brightblade's efforts were clearly aimed at more than just deterrence.
