Her Graceful War Song

But then again, I had to say-girls like me were quite popular with young gentlemen.

At Meadow Ridge, many a lad had taken a fancy to me. Those boys just growing their first bit of stubble would shyly pass me love letters, one after another. I never read a single one and tore them all up right in front of them.

At the time, I hadn't yet sorted through the logic behind my old vow. In my heart, those two words-never marry-still loomed large.

So, yes, I knew I was being cruel when I ripped up their letters in front of them. But I was sorry-not for the act, but for what it meant.

As a girl who had sworn never to fall in love, I had to be ruthless. I couldn't let them hold onto even a sliver of hope. Better they shed a few tears now than fall too deep and suffer heartbreak later.

Even when they pouted and claimed the letter was for Cari and not for me, I remained unmoved.

Ha! Not even men yet, and already they were learning the tricks of playing hard to get.

At Meadow Ridge, my best companions were naturally Cari, Bun, Thia, and Rod. Oh, and for a time, Thia's senior joined us in our games. But he later left the mountain to travel the land and help the weak. Thia said he was nursing a broken heart.

Those youthful days were simple, with no strange troubles, only joy in the wild hills and the aches from martial arts training.

At first, I didn't know Isaac, who was Cari's fifth senior in the guild, very well. After she and I made peace and became friends, I began to see more of him.

Looking back now, I had to say that he rather put on airs. While the rest of us spoke only of martial arts-swordplay, footwork, dagger forms, and the like-he alone would open a folding fan and begin reciting poetry, showing off his fine words.

At Meadow Ridge, there was only one person who could recite poetry with a fan in hand and look the part-Kyle. Gentle, learned, and polished, he seemed as though he had stepped straight out of a novel.

Isaac was merely imitating him, and not very well.

Still, he often went down the mountain and brought us back all sorts of oddities. He would also go to the theatre and return to tell us the stories. Tales of strange happenings, amusing events-we loved hearing them all.

There was a time when I was especially fond of stories about spirits and strange creatures. As luck would have it, that was just the sort of tale Isaac brought back from the towns below. But none of the others cared for such stories. I alone clung to him, begging for more.

He was a great storyteller who really knew how to set the mood. When he reached the frightening parts, he would lower his voice and glance about with wide eyes, as though checking to be sure no ghost was lurking nearby.

It was always at those moments that I grew terribly tense, clutching his arm out of fear, even though I still wanted to hear more. That mix of dread and delight was quite the thrill.

But my mentor, Sage Conrad,

disapproved of how often I spent time with Isaac. He said that though Isaac was an apprentice of the Pathfinders Guild, he was always wandering off to improper places. Also, with that shifty, sly look of his, he hardly seemed like an honorable man.

Honestly, Sage Conrad must have thought me terribly ignorant to judge him so. If Isaac's face was sly-looking, then there weren't many decent-looking people left in all of Meadow Ridge.

As for Sage Conrad saying Isaac visited improper places... Honestly, I didn't see what was so bad about them. Yes, they were pleasure houses. But Isaac was just listening to music, watching plays, and playing some card games there; it wasn't like he was spending a fortune.

Though, he probably should have visited those places less often. After all, given how stingy Sage Everett was, Isaac couldn't possibly have had that much money to spend.

Still, Sage Conrad insisted Isaac had been visiting those places to seek out women, and that many

apprentices from Meadow Ridgonet

had seen him coming and going from them. He even said Isaac had thrown money about like a lord, which could only mean he had stolen from his own mentor.

To convince me, Sage Conrad summoned several of my seniors to vouch for it. They all said the same thing that Isaac wasn't a decent man, and I ought to stay away from him.

Now, I loved stories most of all, and whether the storyteller was Isaac or someone else, I still wanted to hear them. So, I went to the others and asked just what sort of women Isaac had gone to see.

I heard many tales, and of course, I went straight to Cari and Thia, telling them everything. Everyone was terribly shocked. Cari wasn't sure it could be true. She asked whether I might have unjustly accused her senior.

But it turned out I hadn't. In less than a month, all of Meadow Ridge knew that Isaac's favourite pastime was visiting those very places.noveldrama

Cari told me that Sage Everett had tied him up and given him a proper beating; Isaac's howls could be heard throughout the Pathfinders Guild.

A man with such poor conduct? Best I kept my distance.