Sam tapped her foot against the stones while she waited for Matt to finish his letter. There was a renewed sense of motivation about the man. That was good. Everyone needed a goal, a purpose to drive them forward, and it seemed that Matt had found his. Or perhaps, merely relocated it.

  “Okay, I think I’m done.” He held up the letter for her to inspect, and she leaned forward to have a better look. The light of the candle flickered against its surface as curiosity tugged her eyes toward the penned paragraphs. She refrained from reading, though she caught a couple of endearing sentiments aimed at a woman named Saphira.

  Sam straightened her back and looked at Matt. “It looks great. Let’s get your envelope.” She pointed at the cream-colored paper, and Matt folded the letter, tucking it inside. He set it down and pulled the flap over the back. “Now, take the wax and melt it over the point.”

  She indicated the spot using her pointer finger, and Matt retrieved the ceramic bowl of wax resting over its warmer. He poured it slowly, and blue wax dribbled onto the paper.

  “Stop when it’s about the size of a Bell,” Sam said.

  “Got it,” Matt replied without taking his eyes off the task. A small puddle of wax pooled where the envelope’s point was. Matt replaced the bowl, then retrieved the seal that Sam had set aside. He pressed it into the wax, held it still for a few seconds, then carefully removed it and raised the letter closer to the light. “That’s…kind of cool, actually.”

  “Have you never written a letter?”

  “No, I have, but”—he shook his head as he set the seal down—“I haven’t written a letter since I was a kid. We also didn’t use wax seals, so this is my first time using one.”

  Sam smiled. “Sounds like you come from an interestin’ world.”

  Matt put the letter down and raised his brow. “I don’t know about that. Nyarlea’s a very different beast compared to what I’m used to, but as weird as it feels to say, I wouldn’t go back. I feel like I have a purpose here, and that feels good.”

  “What was your old world like?” Sam was familiar with the tales of men arriving from different worlds. Detailing the accounts of men and the various realms they came from had turned into a bit of a hobby of hers.

  He laughed. “Overrated. I had a lot more conveniences back then.” He glanced up at her over his shoulder. “We could cook food in minutes, talk over long distances instantly, and entertain ourselves without ever leaving our chairs.”

  Sam hummed. “That does sound pretty convenient.”

  “It was,” he said, nodding, “and maybe that was part of the problem. I didn’t have anything to really move me forward. I had a lot of people telling me what to do or what they expected of me, but I had a hard time seeing, well, anything of value in it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I don’t usually get like this. You wanted to hear about the world, not how I was feeling.”

  Sam chuckled. “It’s okay, Matt. I get it.” She retrieved the letter and slipped it into her [Cat Pack]. “Whenever I look up at the stars, I like to imagine other worlds. Other ways of livin’.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense to me that this is the only place with people like me, ya know? So, thanks for entertainin’ me.”

  Matt got up from his chair, and the legs scraped against the stones. “Don’t mention it. Anyways, how do we get this letter sent?”

  Sam’s cheeks burned. She’d gotten a bit too caught up with her own thoughts. “Right, then. Follow me.”

  She led him back into the main hall. She pointed down a corridor to their left, then brought him to the end and opened the door to their right. “Penmaster Marin?”

  A woman with blonde hair tied up into a bun looked up, adjusting the pince nez glasses on the bridge of her nose. She’d halted the scratching of her quill, cocking her head back and sneering.

  Goddess above, did Sam hate her. “I have a letter for you.”

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  “Oh?” The woman rose to her feet and leaned over her polished desk, hand extended, eyes glancing over Sam’s shoulder. Sam plucked the letter from her [Cat Pack] and placed it in Marin’s hand. Marin turned it over and hummed. “Very well. I will have this sent out tomorrow morning.”

  “Thank you.” Sam forced a smile, then shut the door quietly, jerking her head back down the corridor they’d come from.

  They were halfway down the hall when Matt asked, “Something up between you two?”

  Sam nodded. “She’s a bit too stuck up for my likin’. You didn’t hear that from me.”

  Matt lifted one thumb to the ceiling. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  When they reached the doors to the castle, Sam spun on her heel and barred him with her hand. “How are you holdin’ up?” The bags under Matt’s eyes were dark, and his eyes were red. She wasn’t sure how much excitement he’d gotten from writing a letter, but she assumed it was quickly leaving.

  “Tired, but I’m okay.” Matt cleared his throat. “Been anticipating training all morning.”

  “Thought so.” She crossed her arms. An idea occurred to her. “Did you sleep at all?”

  Matt shook his head. “Ruyah kept me up all night.”

  Sam smirked. “Not quite what you were expectin’, huh?”

  He shook his head slowly. “Not even a little bit. Actually, do you mind if we take today off and resume this tomorrow? I can barely—”

  “I do mind!” This wasn’t how she’d intended to introduce one of the more difficult aspects of becoming a [Battleguard], but she didn’t think it likely she’d get a better chance. “If you want to be a proper [Battleguard], then it’s important that you get used to sleepless, foodless, and waterless nights. I wasn’t plannin’ on doin’ this to ya until later, but Ruyah kinda accelerated that plan, so we’re gonna make this up as we go.”

  Matt shut his eyes and rubbed them, sighing. “You can’t be serious. How many more nights do I have to go like this?”

  “With Ruyah?” She tipped her head to the side, pulling her best guess from the nursery nyannies stories. “Probably another month or so.”

  “No. With [Battleguard] training.”

  His question didn’t have a definitive answer. Many features of [Battleguard] were volatile and difficult to pinpoint. The training was different from person to person. There were some consistencies, such as surviving a fatal blow, defending your allies, tempering your fury, but there were other variables which didn’t have a determined endpoint. One such circumstance was the ability to concentrate under exceptional duress. What better way to practice than without food, water, and sleep?

  “Hard to say,” Sam answered. “I’ve seen some go as many as two nights. Some go as many as four.” She shrugged.

  “In a row?”

  “Yup. It depends on the person, what they’ve accomplished, how far they’ve come in tempering their fury. But we can take advantage of this now. You and me are goin’ camping.” He opened his eyes and started to speak, but Sam raised a hand. “If you’re worried about Ruyah, don’t be. I can arrange for the castle nyannies to take care of her in our absence.”

  Matt closed his mouth and slowly exhaled. “This is a lot tougher than I was expecting. Thanks for helping me out, Sam. Seriously.”

  She smiled wide. “I’m glad you’re takin’ my advice to heart, Matt. Lots of [Warrior]s give up and become [Myrmidon]s instead.”

  “Is that a bad thing? I’ve met a few of them at this point, and they seem like really powerful Classes.”

  “They are, don’t misunderstand me,” Sam said, shaking her head, “but [Myrmidon] follows a more traditional regimen. [Battleguard] can feel like one is doing bad things for a good reason.”

  Matt nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I guess I could see that. Feels kind of weird when you tell me I need to somehow remain angry and concentrate at the same time. I’ve punched a couple of walls in my time, and while it felt good, I felt like I’d done something wrong.”

  “Your anger was misplaced.” Sam closed the distance and put a hand on his shoulder. “Redirect that anger toward the ones who deserve it. I see a good man in ya, Matt. You got potential. A little refinement and you’ll make a fine [Battleguard]. Shizuku agrees as well.”

  Matt frowned. “She does?”

  Sam nodded, and removed her hand from his shoulder. “Shizuku’s a good judge of character. If you don’t wanna believe her or me, then believe Ceres. [Magic Knight]s aren’t good liars. The Sword of Virtues is a tough sword to win over. Ceres truly believes in you, Matt.”

  Matt smiled. To Sam, it felt more genuine than she’d seen so far. More like Matt. “Thank you. Then yeah, let’s do it.”

  “Now we’re talkin’.” She put her hands on her hips. “I got a few things I need to take care of before we leave. Give me a couple of hours to pack our things and get our affairs in order. Why not get more acquainted with the queen while I’m busy?”

  “Right. I should probably do that, seeing as I’m one of the guys.”

  Sam nodded enthusiastically. “Her daughters are the cutest things. Might give ya an idea of what your future looks like.”

  “Then yeah, I’ll do that.”

  “Great! I’ll come find you in the throne room when I’m done.” Sam brushed his shoulder as she passed him.

  “Wait. Is she going to be alright with me being there for two hours?”

  Sam stopped and turned. “Queen Nehalennia doesn’t have anyone seeing her for the next three days due to her pregnancy. She rests in her room for the most part. But her daughters like to explore the throne room and play with the guards. I’ll send word to the guard that you’re to be expected.”

  “Alright. I’ll wait there for you.”

  “See ya soon, Matt.”

  She continued her jaunt down the hall, biting the tip of her thumbnail excitedly. She couldn’t wait to camp out in the wild again.

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