The carriage rumbled along the road toward Thornvale, packed with students and equipment. Kai sat near the window, watching the landscape gradually shift from cultivated farmland to wilder forest territory.
Derek sat across from him, arms crossed, still radiating hostility. Roland dozed in the corner, somehow able to sleep despite the rough road. Thomas was reading a book about dungeon ecology, and Lin sat quietly beside the other window, occasionally glancing at Kai when she thought he wasn't looking.
"So," Derek said after about an hour of tense silence. "You're supposedly this amazing fighter, but I've never seen you in any advanced combat classes. Where exactly did you learn to fight?"
"Various places."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
