For the next couple days, every day was the same. Cyrus would show up in a leather jerkin and learn with the youngest from Isobel. When she finished their lessons, Frang worked with her to improve her skills beyond what she was teaching for another hour. The sweat was pouring down her face before they were finished.

McTeague had more difficulty with the footwork than the youngsters. He was used to standing a certain way for swinging a sword and this new fangled blade was so different. He could see what Frang meant by breaking old habits. He knew the youngsters sniggered behind their hands when he was particularly clumsy,...