Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (28 page)

With a burst of movement, Briza bounded
forward, her speed almost quicker than Danny's Human eye. Opening
with a sidelong lunge, the point of her sword led the way.

Sir Syndil anticipated the attack, stepped to
the side and swiped the assault aside as if he was but swatting a
fly.

Unworried by the failure of her first
attempt, Briza spun to the right with the grace of a dancer and
looped her blade in a wicked arc.

Parrying the strike with ease, Sir Syndil
took a small step forward as if to attack, but he did not.

Confused by the offensive maneuver, Briza
answered with a series of quick cuts. Her slender blade hummed as
it sliced through the air and found only the impenetrable circle of
Sir Syndil's defense. Every time she assailed forward, her attempt
was met with the same result, Sir Syndil deflected it and advanced,
forcing Briza to retreat. The dance of blades progressed a minute
more before Sir Syndil forced his opponent beyond the boundaries of
the ring.

Looking rather winded, Briza slipped her
blade back into the sheath and admitted defeat.

"Quite impressive," said Sir Syndil, his own
breathing calm and collected. "You have had previous tutelage,
yes?"

"My father," said Briza, "Sir Romaya Ingst
Hollinger."

"Ah, yes, Sir Romaya is an excellent
swordmaster. I can see his resemblance through your skill as well
as his limitations."

"Limitations?" Briza asked, her tone becoming
thick with emotion. "You insult my father?"

"Not at all, Squire Hollinger, I am simply
stating a fact. If I may explain, your technique is near perfect.
However, like your father before you, you allow your emotions to
guide your hand. You are hot-tempered and easily goaded into
attacks. There is no room in a battle for feelings. Your mind must
be calm and focused. I am afraid this fact will be difficult for
you to learn. Technique can be taught and corrected, but one's
nature is a more personal journey."

Taking a deep breath, Briza nodded, exited
the circle and dropped her head as if contemplating the Elf's
words.

"Who will be next?" Sir Syndil asked, content
to leave Briza to her own devices.

A series of hands rose into the air. However,
Anthony beat them out.

"Please step forward, Squire, and take your
position in the opposite triangle," invited Sir Syndil with a
dramatic sweep of the arm.

Anthony hefted his greatsword upon his right
shoulder and did just that. Once within the circle, he pulled the
massive blade free and tossed the scabbard to the side.

With an agile gesture, Sir Syndil completed
his salute and said, "For the Light."

Anthony attempted to respond in kind.
However, lacking any sort of grace, the large blade proved much too
cumbersome for him to fully imitate the movement. Then again,
Anthony didn't look like the nimble type. Taking a side stance, he
held the blade in front of him, both hands clutched around the
heavy hilt.

With an ever-present smile upon his face, Sir
Syndil assumed his defensive stance and said, "Whenever you are
ready, Squire."

Anthony's forward foot scraped against the
stone as he pointed his toes and leveled the point of his sword
before him. Pushing off with his back foot, he surged ahead,
thrusting his sword like a spear.

Sir Syndil spun to the right, easily avoiding
the point as Anthony's blade found nothing but air.

Growling and grunting, Anthony's biceps
bulged as he forced the greatsword into a wild, sidelong slash. The
brand whistled as it cut through the air and found just that, as
Sir Syndil ducked beneath and spun to meet his attacker. Red-faced,
Anthony followed up with a series of powerful swings but found
nothing but open space again and again. After a series of failed
attacks, he stood, breathless, using the greatsword as nothing more
than a crutch.

"Are you finished, Squire?" Sir Syndil cocked
his head to the side.

"You are… too fast…" Anthony said in between
great gulps of air.

"Or, perhaps you are too slow?" After taking
a moment to allow the comment to sink in, Sir Syndil continued.
"You have great strength, Squire. However, you rely on that
strength much too readily. It is true that I have the advantage of
speed when our weapons are concerned, yet you have me beat in
reach. The greatsword is a powerful weapon when not wielded like a
club. You have the will of a warrior but the technique of a
child."

Anthony's face revealed his annoyance.
However, proven right before his very eyes, he couldn't deny the
facts. Defeated, he retrieved his sheath and exited the dueling
circle.

"Next."

A series of hands lifted into the air.
However, before Sir Syndil could call upon anyone, Chris took it
upon himself to enter the circle.

"I'll go, Sir Syndil," he said in a composed
manner.

"Very well," Sir Syndil said, indicating the
opposite triangle.

With the soft song of metal sliding against
metal, Chris freed the bastardsword from behind his back.

With a flow of movement, Sir Syndil finished
his salute and said, "For the Light."

Chris mimicked the gesture as best he could,
"For the Light."

"You may begin whenever you are ready,"
encouraged Sir Syndil.

Hefting the heavy sword before him, Chris
paused as if to probe his opponent for a weakness, while Sir Syndil
stared on with interest. Perhaps finding what he sought, Chris
leveled the blade at his waist, took a surging step forward and
arced an attack toward the base of Sir Syndil's legs. The biceps of
his arms bulged with power, showing the strength of his swing as he
attacked without restraint. Perhaps anticipating Sir Syndil's quick
retreat, Chris allowed the weight of the blade to carry him full
circle as he spun on his toes and unleashed another fierce attack.
The bastardsword hissed as it cut through the air, leveled right at
Sir Syndil's upper chest.

With a speed that awed everyone, Sir Syndil
countered the move by ducking and angling his own blade upward,
deflecting the larger sword skyward.

Knocked off-balance, Chris would've fallen if
not for Sir Syndil's steady hand beneath his arm. "Good," Sir
Syndil said with a widening smile. "I believe I have seen enough,
Squire. Your technique is rudimentary, and you are quite
headstrong. However, you have a natural talent that will serve you
well. I see a bright future ahead of you."

"Thank you, Sir Syndil," Chris said after
steadying himself.

"Please, rejoin the others."

Sheathing his sword, Chris did just that.

"Next."

Shoving his way past two other squires,
Alonso stepped into the circle with his blade at the ready, the
serrated edge of the longsword hovering threateningly in front of
him.

"So be it," said Sir Syndil with a gracious
quality, as he went through the motions of his salute. "For the
Light."

As soon as he finished, Alonso bolted
forward, his longsword leading the way in a sideways slash. Quick
as lightning, Sir Syndil whipped his own sword in an upward arc,
catching Alonso's blade just above the hilt with a clang. Alonso's
grip fumbled as the vibration forced the sword from his hand and
sent the blade tumbling end-over-end in the air. Alonso nearly
tripped but he caught himself just in time. On his knees, he was
about to stand back up when his own blade descended in front of
him, sticking point first into the stone.

Gulping down some courage, he stood up,
pulled his sword from the floor and said, "I thought you said you
would only react defensively."

"And so I did, my young squire," said Sir
Syndil. "However, you attacked me without waiting for my command to
begin."

"Fine," said Alonso, returning to the
opposite triangle. "Tell me when to begin."

"I am afraid I have already seen all that I
need to, Squire."

"What? You tricked me."

"I did no such thing, Squire. You are
hot-headed and your technique is close to non-existent. However,
your true weakness is in your inability to discern the world around
you from the reality you have conjured within your mind. You make
excuses for your faults instead of acknowledging them. If you wish
to master the blade, you must first master yourself."

"Whatever, I don't have to listen to this!"
Alonso said, giving Sir Syndil his back.

"And yet again, you have just proven my
point, Squire."

Alonso lingered mid-step, as if to ponder the
Elf's words. However, he resumed his trudging step back into the
circle of squires.

"I believe I have room for another within the
dueling circle," said Sir Syndil.

A multitude of hands ascended into the air,
including Danny, as he felt the need to try his luck.

Sir Syndil scanned the group with a smile.
However, when he saw Danny's hand in the air, his expression seemed
to widen as he singled Danny out. "Squire Firoth, if you would be
so kind as to join me within the dueling circle."

Danny felt a sudden pang within his chest at
the mention of his name. His breathing quickened, he felt his
stomach drop. He was nervous.

"There is no need to be shy, Squire,"
encouraged Sir Syndil, indicating the opposite triangle in the
circle. "Please."

Danny left the safety of the other squires
and stepped into the dueling circle.

As soon as Danny stood within the opposing
triangle, Sir Syndil whipped his sword to his chest and then
twisted it downward in the familiar salute, "For the Light."

Danny pulled his longsword from the scabbard
with a smooth movement, causing a soft ring as the blade slid free.
Twisting the blade upward, he returned the salute in a rudimentary
fashion and said, "For the Light."

"You may begin whenever you are ready,
Squire."

Nodding, Danny leveled his body into an
offensive stance, angling the sword behind him just as Sir Syndil
had shown him. Pausing, he examined his opponent's stance, unsure
of how to begin. Sir Syndil was a master of the blade as well as a
Knight of the Light and if Danny were to stand any chance at all,
he would need that strange power located somewhere within himself,
it had only shown itself twice. Concentrating, he tried to will the
ability into being, however, the ghostly form that would predict
Sir Syndil's movements failed to appear.

"Is everything alright, Squire?"

"Yes," Danny lied, as he realized that, up
until this point, the power had only come to him while he was
defending himself. However, in this case, he was the attacker.

Could my power be used in reverse?
Danny thought, unsure of the answer. Deciding that the best way to
find out was to try it, he pointed his forward foot and pushed off
with his back foot. Dropping his blade low so that it scraped
against the dark stone of the floor, he angled the attack upward
and carved a direct line through the air, centered at Sir Syndil's
chest. Just before the impact,
the familiar flicker of an image
broke away from Sir Syndil's body and dodged to the right.
A
split-second later, Sir Syndil followed.

There
, thought Danny, pivoting on his
left foot, spinning. Changing the momentum of his sword, he pulled
it around his body and slashed at the phantom image, knowing that
it indicated where Sir Syndil would end his movement.
I have
him.

Danny witnessed a clear expression of
surprise on Sir Syndil's face. However, faster than Danny ever
considered possible, the Elf broke through the image of himself and
brought his own blade up to block. The two swords rang out as they
collided, causing a jarring sensation to travel up Danny's sword
arm and weaken his grip. Slipping from his fingers, the longsword
twirled longways through the air before embedding itself into the
stone of the circle. Danny stumbled backward and fell flat on his
back.

"Intriguing," said Sir Syndil, taking two
steps forward, offering Danny his left hand.

Taking advantage of the gesture, Danny stood
up with Sir Syndil's help. "Thank you, Sir Syndil," said Danny,
testing his right hand for injuries by opening and closing it.
"You're incredibly fast."

"And you are incredibly unpredictable," said
Sir Syndil with a sweeping smile.

"So, how did I do?"

"…Quite well, Squire Firoth. However, I feel
that my critique of your ability is best suited for a more private
setting. If you would, please, exit the circle and stay after class
so that we may discuss it at length, yes?"

"Yes, Sir Syndil," said Danny, his tone
relaying the uncertainty of the request.

However, whether Sir Syndil understood
Danny's confusion or simply ignored it, he didn't acknowledge
either one as he said, "Next."

"What was that all about, man?" Chris
questioned in a whisper as Danny took a seated position beside
him.

"I'm not exactly sure."

"You almost had him. I saw it. How'd you do
that?"

"Maybe that's what he wants to talk to me
about."

back to top

ismissing the final squire from the dueling
circle, Sir Syndil nodded with approval. "All of you have done well
this first day. Many of you have shown great promise, others will
have to work twice as hard. Do not be discouraged. With the proper
guidance and dedication, any gap can be closed. Now, I must bid you
all good day. Please, return to the barracks for lunch."