He quickly bored of the activity. He liked to keep his skills fresh, but there was only so much he could get from practicing alone. He needed a partner, someone to spar with, someone to challenge him. He feared he was growing rusty in his solitude. Unfortunately, even if he were inclined to come out of hiding and allow someone close enough to him to be a sparring partner, there wasn’t anyone who could provide an adequate challenge.
Carrying the lantern with him, he walked into the next room. Wall-to-wall bookcases covered three sides of the room. All were full of books, some old and some new. Some were fictional, others were historical. The rest covered a variety of topics, from science to philosophy, to various world languages he’d mastered centuries earlier. The fourth wall held a large
