“I know, but you aren’t supposed to be in here.” Selwyn’s voice came from the far corner where the darkness was thickest.
“Don’t you need help?”
He laughed softly. “Don’t tell Candra, but I am taking advantage of the cool shade in here to recover from last night’s birthing.”
“Another foal?” I asked. When he wasn’t hanging around helping Errol or spending time with Candra and me, Selwyn ran his own estate slightly farther south. Unlike the willow farm, his estate bordered on the coast. His staff raised horses and the crops to support their herd.
“Yes, it was a female. She promises to be just like her mother, feisty and beautiful. Perhaps I shall give her to you when you pass your final testing.”
“I was just asking Errol about that,” I commented, making myself comfortable on the floor below the window. “He wouldn’t tell me what is going to happen to me after I pass.”
With that strange new sense, I felt Selwyn stiffen even though he made no sound and I could still not see him in the dimness.
“He listed the opportunities that are available, right?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “However, he didn’t explain how I would choose.”
Selwyn relaxed. “Usually the Sept Son suggests one based on the trainee’s strengths.”
“But what about you? You aren’t fulfilling any of those positions, except when you help Errol teach me. You don’t have students like a Trainer would; you don’t travel as a Recruiter would; and you don’t serve on the Sept Son’s compound. What role do you play?”
“You didn’t mention defender,” he observed with a hint of amusement.
I stared into the darkness in his direction. “You mean you are a defender?” Somehow the role of Defender of the Sept Son didn’t seem to fit his laid back manner and easy going nature.
“Could be.”
As I ran through the list of positions in my head, I suddenly realized he could also be a User, a trained talent who was retired from service. “You are too young to only be a User,” I surmised.
Selwyn laughed. “The User qualifications do not include an age restriction. I am a retired defender, if you must know.”
I was instantly curious. “Why did you retire?”
“It is a long story,” he replied. My sense picked up a strong defensive wall rising around him. If there was any doubt as to his abilities or expertise, the tangible feel of the barricades around him erased all of them.
“Why hasn’t Errol had you help me with my defensive lessons?”
“I told him I wasn’t available.”
I frowned. “You aren’t available to help me with my lessons, but you are available to help Candra with her tree house and nap in the shade on a summer afternoon?” I magnified the slight hurt I felt at getting prioritized below Candra and sent it at his defenses. I felt his dim twinge of regret as it found its mark.
“There is much more to it than that, Zez.” His voice grew deep and serious. “I don’t want to scar you. I have seen and done things that I hope you will never even dream about. I have memories within my mind that would shake you so badly that you would never be able to concentrate ever again.”
“But you concentrate.”
“I have learned coping mechanisms that help me act normally. It was a long slow recovery, and I am limited in what I can do. Besides, the same techniques that help me also make my mind a terrifying minefield for any student to negotiate. In simply pressing beneath the surface, you could touch one of these memories and suddenly be inside one of my nightmares. Something I don’t want you to ever experience.”
“I keep getting the feeling that Errol has huge plans for me and I am afraid that he will not prepare me enough in this area. This isn’t exactly his expertise.”
“If I feel you need to know more than Errol is teaching you, I will make sure you get it, Zez. You are just going to have to trust me to know when and how to tell you.”
His tone confirmed my intuition that Errol and he had something grand planned for me to do once I finished my training. At the same time, I knew it would be wrong to push Selwyn for more information. The pain and concern that came from him were genuine. He cared and felt that he was doing what was best for me. For now, that was going to have to be enough. I pushed back the impatient curiosity that nagged at me to pursue the topic.
“So, what are you supposed to be doing instead of napping?” I asked.
He relaxed at the change in subject. “I am supposed to be sweeping the floor and measuring for the rope ladder that I promised to make her.”
“Have you even started on the ladder?”
He laughed. “It has been done for a week. I just haven’t told her.” He leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered, “I am going to install it tonight. It will be there to surprise her tomorrow morning. I am planning on playing innocent; so, don’t tell her that I did it.”
I nodded my agreement.
A loud thump on the roof above us made us both jump. “I am ready to come down now,” Candra announced. “The roof is done.”
Selwyn moved out into the light with a look of concentration on his face. With my energy-sight, I saw the grey specks of his energy spread out and then focus. Candra appeared in the doorway a few moments later, a proud smile on her face.
“Now the only things left are the door, shutters, and the ladder. Did you measure for the ladder?” she asked Selwyn.
“Of course,” he protested. “I even measured for the door and shutters. I will work on them tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” She grinned happily. “After they are up, this place will be as safe and secure as the house. By next week we will be sleeping out here, Zez. What do you think of that?”
“You have
