Chapter 10
Copyright J.B. Norman
“So,” Kat asks as she and Amara sit together in the living room of Darkstone Manor. “How’s the Lyte Brigade?”
“Quite well,” Amara answers. “We haven’t done much of anything yet, I’m afraid. Though Nolan assures us he’ll have an assignment for us before our next meeting. I must confess, I’m rather nervous.”
She frowns, her previous doubts still gnawing at her.
“What if I’m no good at this?”
“You’ll never know if you don’t at least try,” Kat assures her. “How many famous adventurers do you think got everything right on their first mission? That’s just how practice and experience work: you’re bad at something, until you’re not.”
“You’re not usually this optimistic, Katherine,” Amara notes. “Or philosophical.”
For as long as Amara has known Kat, her best friend has never met a moral quandary or intellectual conundrum she could not solve by hitting it.
Kat shrugs. “I guess I’m just remembering everything people told me when I was starting out,” she says.
“Well, thank you for that, Katherine,” Amara says.
“Is, uh, is everything alright, Amara?” Kat asks as she notices Amara staring intently at her.
The memories of her guildmates swooning over Falcata’s admittedly impressive musculature has Amara looking thoughtfully at Kat’s own arms.
Surely, even a mighty Amazon couldn’t possibly compare to the dauntless valkyrie that is her best friend. She soon realises that she cannot make a proper assessment with just her eyes.
“Give me your arm, Kathrine,” Amara says, expectantly holding out her hand.
“Why?”
“Just do it, Katherine.”
Kat reluctantly extends her arm, whereupon Amara begins to poke and prod at the muscles on her arm like a woman shopping for a good piece of fruit.
“Um, Amara? What are you doing?” Kat asks.
“Don’t worry yourself about it, Katherine,” Amara says. “It’s a Lyte Brigade matter.”
“Why does your guild care about my arms?” Kat asks, trying to pry herself away from Amara’s scrutiny.
Amara smiles proudly up at her. “Your muscles are much more impressive, I’m happy to say,” she informs Kat.
“Uh huh,” Kat says, staring quizzically down at her arm before looking back up at Amara. “Are, uh, are you feeling alright, Amara? Did you eat something weird at your guild meeting? Maybe get hit by a confusion spell?”
“Oh, hush, Katherine. I’m perfectly well, thank you,” Amara says absently, her attention still devoted to appraising her friend’s mighty arms.
“So, uh, can I have my arm back?” Kat asks.
Until January 30, when I delist the current editions of my published Realmgard stories, Forward, the Lyte Brigade is available on Amazon and Smashwords and affiliated retailers.
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