their children when they bond with a Lind.”
Tana thought of
her own father who, if he hadn’t exactly disowned her, had not been
best pleased. “I hope he settles down and is happy,” she
vouchsafed.
“I’m sure he
will and Hannah and Kolyei can take him home first leave time. Now,
we’ve been talking for ages and I really must get to bed. You may
have a riding class first thing but me and Trnslei have mounted
arms practice with Weaponsmaster Rhian and that class is the most
backbreaking of them all.”
“It’s not that
late,” protested Hannah.
Jen grinned.
“You’ll learn you can’t go burning the candle at both ends and keep
up with all you have to do. The instructors will know if you are,
believe me, and they will take steps.” She spoke as one who had
learned through bitter experience.
Jan grinned and
left. The four juniors looked at each other.
“That’s it
then,” said Tana, “from tomorrow we begin the first day proper of
the rest of our lives.”
“I’m scared,”
mouthed Beth.
“We’ll get
through it together,” Jess promised.
Jess placed her
hand, palm downwards in front of the other three. Tana followed
suit, placing her tiny hand on top of Jess’s long-fingered one,
then Beth’s soft white one and last, Hannah’s larger one.
“Together,”
they promised.
* * * * *
When the rising
bell sounded out shortly after dawn Tana tumbled out of bed. She
grabbed her bathing robe and was on her way to the ablutions block
before Tavei had the chance to bid his life-mate a good morning. He
sighed and his telepathic greeting followed her as she ran towards
the block. He was getting used to the fact that Tana was always on
the go.
She met the
other three on her way back to her cubicle. They were progressing
in a far more decorous manner, not that there was time for a
leisurely stroll but, as Jess said to Beth and Hannah as Tana
passed in a blur of blue, what was the point of exhausting oneself
right at the beginning of what was likely to be a very busy
day?
Consequently,
Tana was ready and waiting at the barracks’ door long before the
other three had donned their uniform tunics of maroon with white
piping and laced up their boots. She skipped from one foot to the
other with impatience as one cadet after another emerged and began
to make their way to the cookhouse for breakfast and still her
three friends did not appear.
Jess, Beth and
Hannah were amongst the last to emerge and the four had to run to
reach the cookhouse in time. As had been pointed out to them on
numerous occasions since their arrival at Vada, breakfast was a
Parade with a capital P. If they were late, or horror upon horrors,
missed it completely, they might well be put on a charge and
marched in front of one of the Cadet Ryzckas and awarded an
unpleasant punishment.
Once the
barracks was empty of its human inhabitants, the Lind emerged to
make their way to the water sluices for a drink. The Lind did not
eat as the humans did. One large protein-rich meal every three days
or so was the norm for an adult Lind, supplemented by smaller
snacks, the Lind called them rdhas, in between.
Breakfast over,
the cadets ran back to the barracks to groom their partners and to
fit the riding harness. It was made of supple zarova leather,
buckled into place and the saddle attached. The saddle used by the
Vada was a masterpiece in design. It had to be flexible enough so
as not to restrict movement in battle yet still be able to give
enough support for the rider when he or she was fighting. In a
battle situation the rider was strapped and harnessed to the saddle
for security but the junior cadets had not yet been issued with
these straps. Tana watched enviously as the senior cadets fitted
the fighting harness as she scrambled up on to Tavei. Jess mounted
Mlei with ease, an ease born of much practice mounting her father’s
farm horse (and his riding horse when he wasn’t looking). Hannah
managed quite creditably for someone
Tana thought of
her own father who, if he hadn’t exactly disowned her, had not been
best pleased. “I hope he settles down and is happy,” she
vouchsafed.
“I’m sure he
will and Hannah and Kolyei can take him home first leave time. Now,
we’ve been talking for ages and I really must get to bed. You may
have a riding class first thing but me and Trnslei have mounted
arms practice with Weaponsmaster Rhian and that class is the most
backbreaking of them all.”
“It’s not that
late,” protested Hannah.
Jen grinned.
“You’ll learn you can’t go burning the candle at both ends and keep
up with all you have to do. The instructors will know if you are,
believe me, and they will take steps.” She spoke as one who had
learned through bitter experience.
Jan grinned and
left. The four juniors looked at each other.
“That’s it
then,” said Tana, “from tomorrow we begin the first day proper of
the rest of our lives.”
“I’m scared,”
mouthed Beth.
“We’ll get
through it together,” Jess promised.
Jess placed her
hand, palm downwards in front of the other three. Tana followed
suit, placing her tiny hand on top of Jess’s long-fingered one,
then Beth’s soft white one and last, Hannah’s larger one.
“Together,”
they promised.
* * * * *
When the rising
bell sounded out shortly after dawn Tana tumbled out of bed. She
grabbed her bathing robe and was on her way to the ablutions block
before Tavei had the chance to bid his life-mate a good morning. He
sighed and his telepathic greeting followed her as she ran towards
the block. He was getting used to the fact that Tana was always on
the go.
She met the
other three on her way back to her cubicle. They were progressing
in a far more decorous manner, not that there was time for a
leisurely stroll but, as Jess said to Beth and Hannah as Tana
passed in a blur of blue, what was the point of exhausting oneself
right at the beginning of what was likely to be a very busy
day?
Consequently,
Tana was ready and waiting at the barracks’ door long before the
other three had donned their uniform tunics of maroon with white
piping and laced up their boots. She skipped from one foot to the
other with impatience as one cadet after another emerged and began
to make their way to the cookhouse for breakfast and still her
three friends did not appear.
Jess, Beth and
Hannah were amongst the last to emerge and the four had to run to
reach the cookhouse in time. As had been pointed out to them on
numerous occasions since their arrival at Vada, breakfast was a
Parade with a capital P. If they were late, or horror upon horrors,
missed it completely, they might well be put on a charge and
marched in front of one of the Cadet Ryzckas and awarded an
unpleasant punishment.
Once the
barracks was empty of its human inhabitants, the Lind emerged to
make their way to the water sluices for a drink. The Lind did not
eat as the humans did. One large protein-rich meal every three days
or so was the norm for an adult Lind, supplemented by smaller
snacks, the Lind called them rdhas, in between.
Breakfast over,
the cadets ran back to the barracks to groom their partners and to
fit the riding harness. It was made of supple zarova leather,
buckled into place and the saddle attached. The saddle used by the
Vada was a masterpiece in design. It had to be flexible enough so
as not to restrict movement in battle yet still be able to give
enough support for the rider when he or she was fighting. In a
battle situation the rider was strapped and harnessed to the saddle
for security but the junior cadets had not yet been issued with
these straps. Tana watched enviously as the senior cadets fitted
the fighting harness as she scrambled up on to Tavei. Jess mounted
Mlei with ease, an ease born of much practice mounting her father’s
farm horse (and his riding horse when he wasn’t looking). Hannah
managed quite creditably for someone
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