turned back to Sir Amos and stared up at him. He watched her for a long moment and then grunted. "Rise, child. I sense a hidden strength in you. Let's see if your body has surprises in wait for us as well."
Aleena tripped on the smooth floor but caught herself. She stepped out of the door and followed closely behind the priest. Did he know after all? She had surprises all right, but they weren't surprises she wanted the priest to find out about!
Sir Amos led her farther down the hallway outside his office to a staircase that went up and down. He led her down two levels and then through a door. She paused to take in the tabards and paintings hanging on the stone walls, each depicting a battle between the forces of Leander and an enemy. She didn't recognize the men or creatures in the paintings, save for one that showed a warrior wearing armor decorated with the blazing sun of Leander standing against a dragon that towered over him.
"That was Sir Gareth," Sir Amos said to her. "More than three hundred years ago, he fought a dragon that was ravaging the northern reaches. Back before this land had been properly tamed and civilized, dark and savage creatures roamed these lands and what few people eked out their existence were tribal barbarians without education or proper religion."
"What happened?" Aleena asked, her eyes riveted to the picture. She picked out details in the painting that she'd missed at first. Sir Gareth wasn't alone, but he stood ahead of his force of armored knights. One of them who caught Aleena's attention sat on a horse in the foremost ranks. The knight's armor was different from the others, more shapely and conforming to her body. She wore a helm with the guard down, but Aleena saw golden hair spilling out from beneath the helm around her neck.
"Sir Gareth struck the dragon a mortal blow, but he gave his life in doing so. The dragon fled to the mountains and died there."
"Did anyone go looking for it?"
Sir Amos turned his attention from the painting to Aleena. "Why would someone seek such a thing?"
"To make sure it was dead."
"There have been no attacks by a dragon in all these years. Do you doubt the reports of the faithful?"
Aleena shook her head. "Of course not, Sir Amos. My father taught me to make sure I saw a thing with my own eyes before I believed what someone told me, that is all."
Sir Amos smiled. "A wise man, your father. But in this case, the history and teachings of the Church of Saint Leander are above reproach. Honesty is one of Saint Leander's core tenets."
Aleena blushed at his gentle rebuke. It struck her doubly because she was attempting to pass herself off as a boy instead of a girl. Staring at the painting , she wondered if she was making a mistake. A woman wore the armor and livery of a knight; didn't that mean she could be accepted? She turned and studied the other paintings but found no other signs of a woman bearing arms.
"Come my son, let us see if you have any skill with a blade," Sir Amos bade her.
Aleena followed him through a door and into a room filled with weapons and armor. She picked her head up when she heard the echo of steel agains t steel, followed by a grunt. The noise came from an opening that led to a training room.
Sir Amos cleared his throat, pulling her attention back to him. He looked at her before selecting a slender blade. Aleena took the weapon when he offered it to her and was surprised by its weight. She studied the sword closely. She could see the edges were rounded and the point was dull. The training blade had nicks and scratches along its length.
"Come, there's a straw dummy in here. Show me how you would attack a man."
Aleena walked ahead of him into the training room and saw two men sparring while three others looked on and waited their turn. One of the men fighting glanced at her and faltered. He lost his focus and allowed his opponent to knock him off balance with his shield and then smash him square in the chest of his battered