Ashtar restored the wards on the hall, strengthening them with additional layers of protection. He promised – with his back turned to the doorway �... that he would restore Arilee's protective spell as soon as the two women were dressed."How did you learn to fight so well?" Ari asked as she lounged in the warm water."I had older brothers. I learned to fight them with my fists and my feet when they were younger, and then when they grew out of being brats, they helped my dad train me to use a sword.. She keeps wondering: what has happened to her in the last few days? She doesn’t really get it yet. She feels a longing for something. For something she obviously was not aware of until she read that story she had discovered on the internet. It was a short story by an unknown author. Actually, he is no longer unknown to her. He may not be more than a few lines on her screen, but his presence seems very real to her, even if it’s only virtual. She told him about herself, trivial and also intimate. How come you don't have a pool?" What?" Look," she pointed, "lots of people have pools and they look so refreshing. I bet they're a lot warmer than the sea."I moved over to the balustrade next to her where she leaned over, rather precariously, I thought. Placing a hand on her back I answered, "I do." Do what?" I have a pool."She turned her head, steel-gray eyes studying me. "No you don't."Grinning I pointed to the right, one level down, our neighbour. "There. That's my pool." No it isn't." She. All I ever wanted to be was a vet, my vet education started very early going out with my dad when I was young and working in his clinic, educating me in medical school terms and not as a vet assistant.Dad was planning to retire when I graduated and hand the clinic over to me at no charge – a practice that was worth a couple million dollars if he had sold it along with his client base. However Dad has a knack for information technology and for writing computer software code as a side hobby. He.