Dawn brought the sun and new routines, every morning Master Garvin had them practice stretching and standing for periods of time, they would travel all day and at night Master Kurt would teach them to clear their minds and do a little more to heal MacKinley's old wounds. After fifteen days of traveling they crested a hill and stopped.
"Welcome to the Hushai training grounds, this compound is called: Raso." Kurt told them. Over the days that past Master Kurt had talked about some of the adventures the Hushai Elite had gone on: merchants that had been escorted into hostile territory, and kings who had Hushai bodyguards. Mac and the other kids had started to play together--except for Tarq and Rosh. Tarq continued to be mean while Rosh did not speak: Mac had decided that the other boy would talk when he was ready and had left him be.
The compound itself had walls that varied in size. She thought that was odd that one stretch of wall would have so many different heights and told Jarvin so, "It's so you can practice climbing different heights," Jarvin had whispered back, "Master Garvin told me yesterday that we have to climb and jump and run and fall from all kinds of heights--but it sure makes the walls look funny."
"Father would have fits," Katherine told Lindy matter-of-factly, "Father has the most secure fortress in the Realm. Our walls are forty feet tall. Even the palace walls are only thirty-five. There are oil chutes and tiny windows for archers to shoot arrows out of, and lots and lots of guards. Father said that if the palace was ever lost that we have to be ready to house the Royal family because we are the closest fortress, so we have to be prepared."
Lindy nodded, "Yes, that's what Uncle says."
"Uncle?" Mac asked.
"Yes," Lindy told her, "Katherine is my second cousin. My mother is the cousin of her father. It was grand sharing tutors and nursemaids," her eyes glittered excitedly, "The boys got to learn how to use weapons and we used to sneak out and practice with them. Neither of us are important like the heirs are: that's why they let us come."
"I am so important," Katherine scowled at Lindy, and Mac thought she might have stomped her foot if they'd been standing, "My father refused to let me come at first: just because you have seven brothers and four sisters and they didn't care if the littlest one went away doesn't mean you can say I am not important. I only have two brothers: I don't think my father will let me stay long." She flipped her blond braid over her shoulder, "He probably already regrets letting me leave and is on his way to get me."
Lindy fidgeted with her hair, the blond locks rolling in her fingers as she tried to control her upset. Lindy cried almost every night, Mac knew, but she didn't know why. The girl denied it when asked. Mac wondered if Lindy missed her mother or siblings. Mac was glad to be away from Mistress Sheleigh and Maybeth, but she'd never had a mother or sibling so maybe that's what the other girl was upset about. She looked back at the compound.
Fields tall with golden yellow grain stalks swayed in the gentle breeze. The steady thwack, thwack of sticks connecting was carried on the same breeze, giving away the activity of the participants. Brightly colored buildings mixed with plain colors: some tall and some small. Little people moved around, like ants in the distance: some on the walls, and some on the ground. Mac wondered if Katherine was right: the compound did not look very secure, from where she stood it looked like an easy place she could escape from: not like the orphanage with Mistress Sheleigh.
To the south and east of the compound were trees: the trees to the east looked different from the trees to the south Mac decided. The ones to the east were tall and pointy and green. The ones to the south were shorter, fatter and the leaves were almost yellow green. Jarvin told her they looked like the apple trees his father cared for.
To the west lay more water than Mac had ever seen, "Is that the ocean?" she asked.
"No," Tarq snapped, "You are so stupid! That is the Lake of the Sky. Don't you know anything?"
Mac kept her face blank, "I have never seen a body of water bigger than the puddles that used to come during the reasons: lake, ocean or river I would not know the difference."
Tarq sneered, "You will make a terrible Hushai" he stood in the wagon and jumped out the side of it, "Hushai must know geography and navigation."
"A Hushai must know patience and kindness," Master Kurt told the boy. "Everyone out, seems we need lessons before we arrive."
The carriage with Masters Evans and Garvin had continued toward the compound without them. Kurt handed out two scarves to each and explained, "You will each tie one arm to someone and one leg to someone until all 12 of you are tied together. Rosh will have one end of the line, Philip the other and Tarq you will be between Jarvin and Lindy near the center. The rest of you fall in along the way."
He walked along helping to tie knots and checking bonds. when he was satisfied he gave them instruction. "You will walk like this to the compound and when you arrive you are forbidden from using the gate, you must climb the shortest wall. If you untie the scarves for any reason you will be punished and sent to study to be a cook instead of a Hushai." Anger glittered in Tarq's eyes. "The riders will watch but are not permitted to speak to you, help you or interfere unless your lives are at risk. If you are not at the compound before dark you will sleep outside the compound." He was back in the wagon and with a nod to the riders drove away.
Mac stared at the ground, her left arm was tied to Rosh, her right foot to Dewayne. Master Kurt had tied the sash over Rosh's long, heavy cloak sleeve but not before Mac had seen the bandages that covered all but his fingers: the skin there was all most orange. She said nothing.
"Tarq," Philip's voice came over the others, "I've had enough of listening to you pick at the others. It is time to show your mettle."
Tarq scowled at the older boy, but his eyes were the first to look away, "Let's just go already."
"Wait!" Lindy called out, "this is like a game I have seen. We have to move the feet tied together at the same time or we will fall."
"Yes," Katherine agreed, remembering the game, "Mother did something like this with my sister's to teach them grace. If we don't move together someone will fall."
"Oh gosh," Lindy bit her lip, "Katherine you should call out what we do, since you've done it before."
Tarq started to argue but Philip cut him off, "The tied legs we'll call the inside leg and the loose leg we'll call the outside leg, Katherine, call it loud."
After a few moments Katherine called, "outside...inside," the line wobbled but moved forward. "excellent!" she got excited, "outside... inside...outside... inside."
It was slow going but the line progressed. Tarq grumbled, but Katherine called a halt every few steps to rebalance and everyone ignored Tarq. "This seems easy when someone knows how to beat the task," Dewayne whispered to her as they rested. Mac agreed but she had noticed Rosh flinched every time her leg or arm came into more contact with hers. She didn't want to upset the boy but it made her think he hated her more than Tarq did. She didn't say anything, not wanting to encourage more derision.
Their first real test came about an hour into their walk. A low wall sat in the middle of the trail with trees on either side. They'd been so focused on staying upright they hadn't seen which direction Kurt had taken the wagon. there was not room for the line to stay strung out.
"Now we're stuck," Tarq sat without telling anyone, which pulled the line down awkwardly. He cursed when Lindy and Jarvin fell on him. "get off me," he snapped.
"We wouldn't be on you if you hadn't sat down" Jarvis snapped at the other boy. Those on the other sides of Lindy and Jarvis had been pulled off balance but they managed to stay upright with help from others.
"Get up," Philip glared at Tarq, "We have to reason this through."
"Rosh knows." the voice that whispered was gravely and strained, Mac nearly jumped before realizing it was the young boy next to her, "Tell you, you tell Phil?" he pleaded. Mac nodded and the boy explained.
"You're sure?" she asked, Rosh nodded, "Philip," she called out, "I have a message from Rosh."
Jarvis, Tarq and Lindy were helped to their feet, Tarq sneered but Philip's glare silenced him. "what is it?"
She looked again at Rosh, who nodded, "he said that it's common for traps and things to be illusions: his people can see illusions for what they are, a gift or a curse he doesn't know. He says that if we try to go around the wall there is traps, but the wall itself does not actually exist, we need to simply walk through it." She paused, "He seems very certain."
"The Hushai are testing us," Jarvin agreed, "using magic to trick us would make sense."
"Alright," Philip didn't sound convinced, "Katherine call it out."
They moved slower this time, their eyes not agreeing with their friend's assessment. In front of the wall Philip balanced and reached his one foot toward the wall. As it went through the illusion broke and they could see the path clearly: the trees disappeared too.
"Well done Rosh," Philip called, "you saved us all." Mac noted that even Tarq nodded approval in Rosh's direction as they continued down the path.
When they arrived at what should have been the entrance to the compound they found themselves facing a wall. Mac looked to Rosh, who shook his head, "not an illusion," she called out.
"We will have to go over it," Philip said finally.
"How?" Lindy asked.
"I have an idea," Tarq said a after some time, "but I don't know if it will work." Philip nodded at him to continue. "It's not a high wall, most of us could climb it if we were not fettered. if the outside people come first: Philip and Rosh, use our knees and hands in the center to support you, as you go up the next person steps up on our knees with their lose foot but you both have to help pull while we push. That's where it gets tricky. I would need help because my arm needs to go with Jarvis and my leg with Lindy but there's no supports for me here except my one leg."
No one could think of anything else to try so with a nod, Philip and Rosh stepped up. getting Philip up was easy, but his tied arm pulled the next person upwards. Rosh hesitated entirely, not wanting to be touched. he relented and joined Philip pulling Mac because their arms were tied.
Philip and Rosh stayed on the wall and each person helped lift the next until all twelve stood on top of the wall. Tarq fell backwards once his arm and leg started to be pulled. Philip had called to everyone to brace their feet and hook arms together to make their line stronger. Mostly Tarq was dragged up the wall, his loose leg scrambling for purchase. Once they had ensured he was steady Tarq spoke, "now we sit: brace our tied legs against the wall to push out and once everyone is ready we count to three and jump. It's a short jump so if we stumbled we won't die." They all laughed as they settled on the wall.
"Someone told me there were midgets on the wall," Garvin stood with Evans and Kurt and several other men. "Now I see it's just some Hushai in training." He crossed his arms waiting for them to jump. They did stumbled as their heights pulled in different ways but there quickly rose and helped each other up. "whatever were you doing on the wall?"
"Master Kurt gave us an assignment," Philip responded, "We were forbidden to use the gate."
"We didn't expect you until tomorrow," Evans face was blank, "no other team has ever completed that exercise in as short of time. every team in my history has slept outside the wall frustrated and tired, yet here you are: stronger, and faster than any others."
"You have to work together to be better and stronger," Tarq said, his gaze meeting Kurt's. "lift people up, listen to others and draw on the strength and knowledge of those around you."
Master Kurt nodded, "a good lesson to learn." He searched their faces, "you may untie yourselves."