Chapter 12

The family sat down at dinner later that afternoon, before the kids went into town to stay with Gemma and Aaron for an overnight visit.

Their son Bryan had a mad crush on Rayne, but she wasn't doing anything to lead him on. It didn't hurt his chances that they had played together since they were children for seasons, but Rayne was like her mother and was clueless about her looks, regardless of what anyone told her. They just weren't that important to her.

Maybe Bryan's not the right boy to bring it in her, or she's not at the point in her life where it matters yet, thought Aric with a smile.

But regardless he was happy she wasn't trying to become sexually active yet like some other girls her age.

"Sweetie, you wanted to tell me something today when we had guest and you couldn't. What was it," asked Aric suddenly remembering Rayne's statement earlier that day.

"Oh yeah, Dad, guess what? We had a training inspector visit us in the clearing from the Sisters of the Sacred Blade!' said Rayne with excitement.

"Really?" asked Aric raising an eyebrow. "Why was a guild inspector just passing through here? It's not like we're on the beaten path."

As he asked, he looked over where Brianna sat. He noticed she was looking down, seemed nervous, and suddenly started picking at her plate.

Suddenly Aric wasn't sure he really wanted to know anymore.

"I'm not sure either, but she talked to Mom for a few minutes then Mom asked me to train with her. She wasn't bad, but I disarmed her with my training sword about four times left handed. Then she asked to look at my sword and seemed surprised it was weighted and how heavy it was," smiled Rayne

"Then she asked if I was normally left handed and I said no, but I thought it as unfair to use my right hand against her until I knew her. She nodded then went back to talk to Mom. She even sparred with the twins, but they couldn't disarm her. But they did spare left handed with her the whole time," said Rayne with excitement.

During this whole exchange Aric would from time to time look over at Brianna, but she wouldn't look up at him.

"Bri, is there something I need to know?" asked Aric once Rayne finished.

Brianna sighed, put her fork down, put both hands on the table, and then looked up at Aric. She wasn't scared to speak, but she did seem resigned to the discussion.

Seasons ago, they decided if there was something to discuss that involved the children, they would discuss it in front of them.

"You know while I'm not active, I am still a member of the Sisters. But, I forgot something over the seasons. As a weapons master and a sister in good standing, if I train a girl to use weapons she is seen immediately as my apprentice," said Brianna.

"As such I was supposed to present her to the guild every two seasons for testing and to get her ranking. I forgot and didn't do that with Rayne. But the guild entered Rayne as my apprentice on the day of her birth. They said that they knew I would train her. And now she needs to appear before the guild for ranking," Brianna said.

"She will need to stay with them for a few seasons and finish her training, and then she would be free to make her choice. It would have been longer, but since the inspector was Anne-Marie a Champion, the current First blade," at that statement Rayne seem to get really excited, "she would recommend that Rayne be fast tracked," finished Brianna.

She was looking expectantly at Aric, suddenly with nervousness.

"Well it is what it is I guess," he sighed putting his head down in his hand.

The legacy of the Battlemages suddenly came to his mind, and he wasn't happy.

"Do they know about her ability for magic?" he asked as he sat down his fork, with dinner now forgotten.

"Yes. I told them she, well all the kids really, were already seventh circle in all five forms and that Galen was going to test her for eighth circle later this month," replied Brianna.

The boys just made seventh a few months ago, but Rayne had been there for about two seasons now.

While Aric also trained all the kids in magic Galen was listed as their official master in the guild and they were all his apprentices. The first few circles were always easier to learn than the higher ones. And as young as they were to grasp the principles was unheard of.

Galen really seemed to enjoy having them around. He smiled more when he saw them than any other time. They had always treated him like he was their grandfather ever since they were small. As such Galen would also train them, and tested them in magic as well. They were all quick studies and had two masters as teachers.

Aric and Aaron also taught them tactics, along with reading, math, writing, science, and history. Even Brianna used to sit in on all those lessons.

"What about her crazy strength, unarmed combat abilities, and skill with other weapons?" Aric asked.

When she was about ten seasons old, he learned the hard way that she was far stronger than she looked as they were training and she unexpectedly threw him over her shoulder and he landed a good four to five feet away. From that point on he had to train her with the kid's gloves off.

And by twelve she was a difficult opponent for him to consistently beat. Her brothers recently reached that point, and Aric was starting get concerned that one day soon the two of them might actually hurt him.