Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (18 page)

"So, the Eye of Darkness is the reason the
Bermuda Triangle is known for causing ships and airplanes to come
up missing," mused Matt, more a claim than a question.

"Indeed it is, Squire," confirmed the Navi.
"Those without the proper protections, which I will provide, can
become quite lost within the raging storm of the Eye. The Eye is
both a curse and a blessing for those of us of the Light. It
protects the location of White Rock Island, our home. However, it
is a stain on this world, a blight that threatens to wipe out
everything that is good."

"Why not destroy it?" Doug asked.

"Many have tried, my young squire, all have
failed," shuffling in Doug's direction. "Wizards of all talents
have studied it to no avail, and knights have wielded Bondeds of
great power against it, only to fail in their attempt."

"So why keep fighting?" Alonso asked.

With an expression of shock, the Navi turned
on Alonso. "What a strange question for an aspiring Knight of the
Light. We fight, because we must, my young squire, for that is the
price of the Light. If we do not fight, who will?"

Alonso shrugged in response.

"Be wary of those musing, Squire, for it is
thoughts like those that have caused stronger knights than you to
turn away from the Light." Dropping his intense gaze, the Navi
sighed and said, "You are still young, Squire and experience is not
on your side. You are a first-year, correct?"

Alonso nodded affirmatively.

"Then, you have much to learn, my first-year
squire. I look forward to seeing whether or not your opinion has
swayed after your training. However, right now, I have duties
elsewhere that I must tend to. If you will excuse me."

"Wait, sir, what's your name?" Danny asked to
the Navi's back.

"You may call me Nicholi Ormstead, Navi to
the
Radiance
and Wizard of the Light. My young squires, your
names are?"

"My name is Danny Firoth."

"Matt Mickler," fiddling with his
glasses.

"Alonso Martinez," in a rough voice, annoyed
that the wizard called him out.

"Doug Garrett," the wizard eyed him with a
single raised eyebrow.

"Chris Greene," inserted Chris when he felt
it was his cue.

"And I am Sabrina Drake."

"I see, Sir Tyramear's daughter, your father
is a powerful knight, my dear."

"I know," maintaining pride in her voice.

"I would expect great things from the
daughter of such strong Dragonic blood," said Nicholi with a smile.
"I look forward to learning of your progress, Squire Drake. Good
day, squires. Nicholi bowed, gathered his hood back over his head,
and headed aft.

"What was that all about, man?" Chris asked,
shoulder-checking Alonso in the side.

"What?" Alonso inquired, rubbing his bruised
arm.

"Why would you say something like that?"

"What did I say?"

"Why keep fighting? Are you serious?"

Danny noticed that the conversation was
beginning to draw a crowd, consisting of first- and second-year
squires, a few third-years seemed to be in the mix, sporting
Bondeds upon their backs or strapped to their hips.

"It is a long swim back to shore if you are
not here to fight," said a deep British voice from somewhere within
the crowd.

Danny watched the gathered squires part as a
single figure stepped forward. His eyes were piercing and electric
blue. He wore a set of long flowing robes, dark-red in color,
similar to that of the Navi, but slightly different. A white band
with the symbol of Light on it encircled his right arm at the
bicep, sewed into the fabric of the robe and a single piece of
plate mail hung over his left shoulder with the intricate design of
a dragon inscribed upon it. Poking out from his back was the hilt
of a sword. Forged into the form of a claw with four talons, the
pommel of the blade looked like it had been cut from a solid piece
of ruby. It glowed and sparkled in the shimmering light of the
noonday sun.

"And who're you?" commanded Alonso, he had
never been singled out so blatantly.

"I am Squire Vyce Ven Lasko, Captain of
Dragon Army." keeping his cool, stepping within an arm's length of
Alonso. "We are at war, first-year," he continued, not giving
Alonso a chance to answer. "The last thing the Order of Light needs
is a coward in the ranks."

Alonso's hands curled inward as he snarled in
response to the insult. Angling his right fist behind him, he
readied to strike.

The red-headed, icy blue-eyed squire stood
still, his expression stern. Alonso's threatening posture was of
little concern to him.

Before Alonso could lash out, Sabrina rushed
between the two, shoving Alonso backward. "That would be a
mistake."

"You would be wise to listen to your friend,"
instructed Vyce calmly.

Alonso bucked forward, only to be stopped by
Sabrina's strong grip. When brawn failed, Alonso turned to his
mouth. However, before he could get himself into further trouble,
Sabrina stopped him there as well, covering his mouth with her
hand.

"Enough," she commanded.

By no choice of his own, Alonso was forced
into compliance.

Vyce never smiled and if he found Alonso's
situation funny, he didn't show it. "I see. Your courage is limited
to situations in which you know you will not have to fight.
However, I assure you that the legions of the Dark and the
creatures of the Shadow will not show you any mercy."

Alonso struggled against his restraint and
attempted to say something through his muffle, those attempts were
thwarted by the confining embrace of Sabrina as well.

"Should you complete the first year of your
training and return for your second, you can find me in the Great
Dome." The fiery-haired boy turned, walked across the deck and
descended into the bowels of the ship.

Sabrina released him and asked, "Are you
mad?"

"Who the hell was that?" Alonso's fists
remained balled up in rage.

"He told you who he was." However, Alonso's
features failed to recognize her meaning, she added, "He is the
Captain of Dragon Army and a third-year squire. The shoulder plate
inscribed with the dragon marks him as such. Vyce Venn Lasko was
the first second-year squire to become the captain of an army and
he is the last person you want as an enemy."

"Why'd he talk so funny?"

"Squires come from all over the world to
attend the White Rock Academy of Illumination. His accent comes
from his country of origin."

"I could take him," said Alonso. A whisper of
amusement answered him, as those who'd taken an interest in the
recent confrontation and the current conversation snickered at the
comment.

Before Alonso could respond, Danny asked,
"What do you mean, Dragon Army?"

Sabrina's expression relaxed, glad to be
finished with the recent subject. "At the beginning of second year,
squires are distributed into eight armies: Dragon, Lion, Phoenix,
Rat, Python, Griffon, Horse, and Dog."

"So, as first-year squires, we won't be
placed in an army?" Chris asked for clarification.

"Correct, as a first-year squire you will
learn the techniques of the blade, tactics, history of the Light,
Shadow lore, defense against magic and receive conditioning
training. That training regimen will prepare you for your second
year, wherein you will receive your Bonded and join one of the
eight armies to compete for the Chalice of Light."

"What do you mean by compete?" Danny
asked.

Sabrina turned toward him, "Each of the eight
armies wage battles against the other in a bracketed competition.
The winner earns the coveted prize, the Chalice of Light, which
currently resides in the possession of Dragon Army." Turning toward
Alonso, Sabrina added, "Vyce led Dragon Army to victory last
year."

Alonso scoffed at the comment and shrugged
his shoulders, as if he couldn't care less.

Danny nodded. "So, as a second-year squire,
you'll be—"

"…Placed into an army to compete for the
Chalice." excitement evident in her voice.

"Sounds kind of dangerous," said Doug.

"Injuries have been known to occur,"
confirmed Sabrina, "however, every squire who fights in the Great
Dome is protected by an enchanted suit of armor. Few have perished
in the mock battles."

"That's comforting," said Doug.

"You will feel differently after your first
year," assured Sabrina. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked, before
anyone else could think of another question.

Danny's stomach grumbled in answer. "I guess
I am," he said, smiling as everyone turned to regard him.

"I could always eat," said Chris.

"Yeah," Doug and Matt agreed at the same
time.

"Whatever," said Alonso, still nursing what
was left of his ego.

"Follow me," said Sabrina with a smile,
turning and crossing the deck of the ship. Danny, Chris, Matt, Doug
and Alonso walked evenly behind her. She led them through a door,
down a steep set of stairs to the deck below, which happened to be
a long dining hall. One long table ran the length of the middle of
the hall, piled high with a banquet of food. Smaller tables with
intricately carved wooden chairs rested on port and starboard—left
and right—sides of the room. The majority of the tables were filled
with hungry squires eating their fill, debating which army would
win the Chalice of Light this year.

Danny listened with active concentration and
found that most favored Dragon.

"Help yourselves," said Sabrina, charging
headlong toward the assortment of food after obtaining a plate at
the end of the table.

Danny did just that, he helped himself to a
fillet of spiced salmon, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes drizzled
with butter and a few slices of freshly baked-bread. Acquiring a
tall glass of chilled milk, he noticed that Sabrina had found a
table near the bow of the hull and joined her. Moments later, Chris
joined them, plopping down two plates, both piled high with an
assortment of foods.

"Think you got enough there, man?" Danny
asked.

"You can never have enough. Besides, I have
muscles to feed," said Chris with a wide smile, flexing for effect.
He picked up a chicken leg and dug in.

Alonso, Doug and Matt followed behind,
sitting next to them and eating their fill.

Chris was the first one done; Danny nearly
fell out of his chair when the larger boy went back for
seconds.

His stomach full after the meal, Danny felt
tired. "How long until we reach White Rock?"

"It will take most of the day," explained
Sabrina. "It will be almost nighttime by the time we arrive. We
should all get some sleep."

Danny agreed. He'd gotten less than a few
hours of sleep the night before, going to bed late after the flight
on Tyramear's back and getting up early to catch the
Radiance
. It was all beginning to catch up with him.

"Come on," ordered Sabrina, there are
personal quarters for squires on the lower decks. We can rest
there."

"Lead the way," said Chris with a grin of
satisfaction as he rubbed his stomach.

Sabrina led the group to a side passage and
down another steep set of stairs. Passing through a long narrow
hall full of closed doors, they found an empty cabin toward the aft
of the ship. Cramped and small, the cabin held six hammocks, strung
up on both sides of the wall, with a porthole in the back.

"I call top!" shouted Alonso, throwing his
pack into the corner of the room, leaping up to the topmost
hammock. He landed with most of his weight centered on the right
side of the hammock, causing the fabric to lurch to the left. He
spun upside down as the force threw him into the wall, then he fell
to the floor face-first, landing with a hollow thud.

A shocked silence ensued. However, once
Alonso proved unharmed, the loud sound of laughter followed.

"Epic fail," said Matt.

"It's not funny," argued Alonso, getting to
his feet, nursing his nose.

Oh, but it was. Danny refused to tone down
the humor, his laughter almost doubled.

Alonso grimaced and climbed back into the
hammock, slower this time. He turned his head toward the wall and
kept quiet, believing that his silence would curtail their
merriment at his expense.

Eventually, it did. Everyone followed
Alonso's example and tossed their baggage into the far corner.
Danny claimed a hammock on the bottom left side of the room and
eased his weight onto the edge slowly, certain not to follow
Alonso's tragic example with his own hammock. Danny distributed his
weight and relaxed into the taut fabric.

Sabrina picked the hammock just above Danny
and smiled down at him as she climbed up into it.

Danny sighed, thinking of Chris's recent
words to him, his suggestion that Danny should tell her how he felt
about her. However, this wasn't the place nor the time. Danny
wondered where that place would be and when that time would come.
Before he could think about it further, the events of the past two
days, combined with the relaxing sway of the ship, lulled him into
a peaceful slumber.

back to top

anny woke up to the rough lurch of the
Radiance
as the ship keeled from side to side in a violent
sway. "What's happening!" he asked, but he wasn't sure if anyone
was awake to answer him.