216 Training Days

"I'm sorry," Arran said. "I got caught up in training. But I thought you said the afternoons and evenings were our own?"

"With our first day in the House of Swords, I thought…" She sighed. "No matter. There's food if you're hungry."

She gestured at the tables beside her, where Arran could see the remains of a small feast. Over half the food was still untouched, and he understood that she had intended to celebrate their arrival with him and Snowcloud.

He felt some guilt at ruining the celebration, but not enough to keep him from quickly piling a heap of food on one of the large plates — he hadn't eaten since morning, and the day of training had left him famished.

As he began to eat, Brightblade asked, "So what did you learn today? If you couldn't return before midnight, I imagine it must've been quite something."