The three Blue Squires saw very little of Garrin Daggerblood during that span-only briefly on some days when he woke them in the early morning or when he ate dinner with them. Once Vorden asked him when their special training would occur, and Garrin simply told him to be patient.
Lannon got to know most of the other Squires by name, yet seldom did time or circumstance allow him to interact much with them (but he didn't try very hard, either). Vorden always seemed to find time to converse with his friends, sometimes bending the rules a bit in the process. When they weren't training, the Squires were usually in the library or resting in their quarters after the brutal training sessions.
They saw one girl quite often-Aldreya Silverhawk, the Birlote Squire who had done well in the trials. She seemed extremely snobbish, and never bothered to talk to the Blue Squires even if one of them greeted her. She seemed to regard herself as very important-and not without some justification, as she quickly became one of Taris Warhawk's favored Squires. He took her under his wing and trained her himself, and she had more freedom than the other Squires. She wandered the halls at her leisure, and was often found studying sorcery books in the Library. Lannon, Vorden, and Timlin admired her beauty, but they were turned off by her coldness and attitude of superiority. Vorden labeled her Aldreya Snootyhawk, and he seemed convinced that all Birlotes thought they were better than Noracks, secretly or otherwise.
Yet the three boys got to know each other quite well, and one night they held an unexpected conversation about their lives. They were sitting on two of the beds, with Vorden and Timlin facing Lannon. It was a warm night, a pleasant breeze blowing in through the open window, and they were in the mood for talking.
"What was it like living in Knights Welcome?" Vorden asked Lannon.
"Actually," said Lannon, "I lived just outside of town."
"But you went there a lot, didn't you?"
Lannon thought hard about what he should say. Finally he decided there was no harm in admitting the truth. "I lived in a little valley," he said. "In the woods. I rarely went into town, and I don't know much about cities."
"Were you a loner?" Vorden asked.
Lannon shrugged. "I guess you could say that."
"I was," Timlin said quietly. "I never had many friends. There were a lot of cruel people where I lived, in Kalamede."
"Did they bully you?" said Vorden.
"Sometimes," said Timlin. "But sometimes I got back at them."
Lannon and Vorden exchanged questioning glances.
"What do you mean?" Vorden said.
A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Timlin's mouth. "Well, you know…I just did little things. Sneaky things. Once I put a poisonous snake in a kid's pack." Timlin snorted laughter. "It bit his hand and wouldn't let go! He was sick for a few days and nearly died."
An uncomfortable silence followed.
"I guess that was some serious payback," Vorden said at last, glancing at Lannon and raising his eyebrows. "Anyways, I had it pretty good in Gravendar. I used to get in trouble a lot for exploring the Tombs, going into places I didn't belong. I had three friends with me who'd do anything I wanted them to."
Vorden sighed. "It didn't matter what I did. I could do anything I pleased back then, because my parents weren't around to do anything about it. So what about your folks, Lannon? Are they still living?"
"What?" said Lannon, his mind still focused on what Timlin had said. "Yeah, they're fine." He thought of his parents, and wondered how they actually were doing, if his father had been healed. He wondered if they had found peace or were still at each other's throats all the time. He made a mental note to ask Taris.
"My parents hated me," Timlin said, his face expressionless. "So I lived with my aunt. They used to beat me for most any reason. I've got lash scars to prove it." Timlin pulled up his shirt and turned, revealing thin, faint lines on his bony back. The lad was so skinny he looked half-starved.
"They're worthless," Timlin whispered. "I hope they die."
Vorden frowned. "You shouldn't say that, Timlin. My folks are dead. They caught an illness, and I got sick from it too. My little sister died also."
Lannon stared in shock at Vorden, trying to imagine such a horrific thing. "What did you do, Vorden? How did you survive?"
Vorden shrugged. "I lived in the streets of Gravendar. I'm not proud to say this, but I stole sometimes to survive. I got good at it-picking pockets and such. But I always felt bad about it too, like something was wrong or missing in my life. Then, when Admittance Day came to Gravendar this last time, I decided to try my luck with the Knights. They picked me right away-before anyone else! From then on, I decided I would live an honorable life, like Kuran Darkender did."
"How did you get picked, Timlin?" said Lannon.
Timlin giggled. "It was kind of an accident. My aunt and me were visiting the market on Admittance Day, when I bumped into Taris Warhawk in the street. Before I could even apologize, he put his hand on my forehead. It felt really weird. Then he told me he would make me a Squire of Dremlock, if I desired it."
"What about you, Lannon?" said Vorden.
Lannon began telling his story, and once he got started, he couldn't seem to stop. He told everything (save for what Cordus had specifically asked him not to tell). He wanted badly to mention the Goblin incident in the North Road, but forced himself to keep silent concerning it.
"Is there more?" said Vorden, as if peering into Lannon's thoughts.
"Nothing more," said Lannon, looking away.
Vorden watched him for a moment, and Lannon could feel the lad's eyes boring into him. Then Vorden smiled. "Okay, then. If you say so."
***
At last, with two months gone by, the special training began. Their physical routine finished for the day, they were suddenly taken aside by Garrin Daggerblood. "Now is the time, Squires, for you to earn those Blue sashes you wear," he said sternly. "This training will be much different than what you're used to. As these lessons are not greatly physical in nature compared to the standard Knightly training, very little healing time will be required, and you should have no problem doing this after your usual routine. Your study lessons are now done with."
"Forever?" said Lannon, disappointed.
Garrin nodded. "However, we have a well-stocked library here in the East Tower. You're free to read any of the books within."
"Those study lessons were boring anyways," said Vorden.
"You shall learn the ways of stealth," Garrin told them. "You shall learn to pick locks, conceal yourself from an enemy, and climb up places you would never have dreamed of climbing before. And you shall speak of it to no one."
The special training took place mostly in the evening, and so the Blue Squires were allowed to sleep a bit later than the others. Garrin provided them with blue cloaks and soft boots, and taught them how to walk with silent footsteps on most any surface. He gave them lock picks and showed them how to open even the most complex locks. And he taught them how to climb ropes and rough surfaces.
The Squires came to love this phase of their training, and spent each day looking forward to it-for they were allowed at times to sneak around the kingdom (in carefully selected areas) and even to climb certain walls of Taris' keep.
Around the same time they began these extra lessons, Lannon was called upon by Garrin to unlock the Eye of Divinity.
"You need to learn to use your gift," Garrin told him. "I've waited this long to mention it because I felt you needed time to get used to your Knightly training routine. Summoning the Eye of Divinity will be difficult, and it will be easy for you to become discouraged. But if you work at it the same way you've done with your other lessons, you should be fine. Your friends can help you by giving encouragement and by keeping you focused.