Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (29 page)

Not waiting for the Elf to change his mind,
most of the squires moved toward the exit, exhausted from their
first day of training, yet it was only halfway over.

"I'll meet up with you guys later," Danny
said as Chris, Alonso, Matt, Doug and Anthony lingered at the
doorway.

"You sure?" Matt asked, holding his right
arm, an injury he'd received due to his inexperience with the
blade.

Both Doug and Matt had entered the dueling
circle as two of the last squires to volunteer. Matt had bruised
his arm by overextending and losing his balance. It was no fault of
Sir Syndil's. Both tested poorly. However, Sir Syndil had said that
they showed promise, a common critique for most of the squires
present.

"We'll save you a seat, man," said Chris.

Danny nodded and saw them off. Once the room
was cleared, he turned to find Sir Syndil eyeing him.

"I am impressed, Squire Firoth." Danny was
about to speak when Sir Syndil held up his hand, commanding
silence. After a moment, he said, "The ability you told me about
when we first met, you were able to use it in the dueling circle,
were you not?"

"Yes."

"Then you have mastered it?"

"No."

"I see," said Sir Syndil, massaging the point
of his chin. "And have you told anyone else about it?" he asked,
after another few seconds of consideration.

"No, Sir Syndil. I felt that I should listen
to what you said. I haven't told anyone."

"Yesterday, after the banquet with the king,
defending against Squire Rigil, you used the ability then as well,
yes?"

"Yes."

"Has it manifested during any other
instance?"

"No."

"Have you attempted to call upon this power
and not be able to use it?"

"Yes, I've tried before but it only seems to
happen when I get into a fight."

"I see. So, currently, you are unable to use
it outside of combative environments, yes?"

"I suppose so, or, rather, yes. I can only
use it whenever I have to protect myself."

"However, this day, you used it while on the
offensive. How did you manage that?"

"I'm not really sure yet," said Danny,
dropping his gaze.

"Do not be ashamed, Danny," said Sir Syndil,
placing a steadying hand on Danny's shoulder. "I believe I can help
you."

"Really?" Danny asked, his voice jumping up
an octave.

"Yes," said Sir Syndil, keeping his own voice
calm and even.

"…How?"

"Before you can control this power of yours,
you must first be able to control yourself. Tell me, what is the
only part of your body that you have complete control of?"

After pondering the question for a short
time, Danny said, "My mind?"

"A good answer, but no," said Sir Syndil with
a sweeping smile. "The mind is a mysterious machine, partly within
one's control, but also working independently of one's own
consciousness. There is no way of freely controlling it completely.
Try again."

Danny took a deep breath, unsure of the
correct answer. After a second breath, it suddenly hit him, as he
forced the air from his mouth. "My breathing," he said
triumphantly.

"Indeed," said Sir Syndil, his smile
widening. "With every breath you take, you sustain your life. With
breathing comes the choice between life and death, as well as the
key to control. Breathing comes naturally to us and is an automated
response. However, if we wish, we are able to assume control at any
time."

"What must I do?"

"Simple," said Sir Syndil, readjusting his
body, removing his hand from Danny's shoulder. "First and foremost,
you must close your eyes and relax. Allow your body to find comfort
in any position. Let the tension drain from your limbs like the
trickling of a waterfall."

Danny did as the tall Elf instructed and
repositioned his feet beneath him. Sagging his shoulders, he
realized how tense his body had been as the tightness in his
muscles melted away.

"Good, now, breathe," instructed Sir Syndil,
taking in a deep breath to model the behavior he wished Danny to
mimic. "…Long deep breaths."

Danny allowed his chest to rise and fall in
an elongated rhythm, forcing larger breaths in and out.

"No, Danny," said Sir Syndil. "Breathe in
through your diaphragm, like this," he said, holding his right hand
at the base of his abdomen for emphasis. "If you do it just right,
you can feel it rise and fall."

Again, Danny mimicked his teacher, taking
deeper breaths. He held his right hand at the base of his belly and
felt the rhythmic pulse of life.

"Good," said Sir Syndil, "in and out.
Concentrate on your breathing and take the time to feel the
difference between this relaxed state and the tense feelings that
beguile you. Excellent, just like that… breathe in and out."

Danny felt calm and focused. His mind felt
free and the air tasted crisper and cleaner.

"How do you feel now, Danny?"

"This is amazing."

"Good, now open your eyes."

Danny began to slowly open his eyes, but
quickly went wide-eyed as
the ghostly image of a longsword
passed harmlessly through his head.
Anticipating the attack,
Danny dodged to the right and drew his own blade with a ring of
steel just as Sir Syndil's sword swished through the spot in which
he'd just been standing.

Sir Syndil's phantom image took two steps
to the rear and then vanished
as the Elf followed in the
predicted path.

"Are you insane!?" Danny yelled, holding his
sword defensively in front of him.

"Insanity is a relative term, Squire Firoth;
there are varying degrees of sanity."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked,
his sword still leveled at Sir Syndil.

"Simply put, Squire Firoth, it means that
since receiving the gift of sight, you have entered into a world
that you do not fully understand." Dropping his arms, Sir Syndil
allowed the tip of his blade to rest on the floor in a display of
harmless intention. "If you had not received the gift of sight,
what would you have done this summer?"

Danny shrugged, reluctant to let his guard
down. "I don't know, sleep in and play video games, I guess."

"However, you did indeed receive the gift of
sight and now you are training to be a Knight of the Light. Instead
of choosing to battle digitized monsters on a screen, you have
chosen to battle real ones with a blade. I assure you, there are no
reset buttons or additional lives in real-life, Squire Firoth. The
Shadows are immensely powerful creatures and if you want to
survive, your training must match their brutality and
hostility."

The sword grew heavy in Danny's hands as the
tip sank downward. He wondered if he'd ignored the seriousness of
his choice to become a Knight of the Light.

Sir Syndil took a slow step forward. "I tell
you this not to discourage you, Danny, but to strengthen your
resolve. You made your choice, now you must train to live up to it.
At the end of this year, you will be given another choice, to
continue your training or return to a life of normalcy. However,
this choice is a lie, the gift of sight cannot be reversed. The
Shadows will seek you out regardless."

Danny looked up, matching Sir Syndil's
intense gaze. "How did you know I'd see your attack and dodge
it?"

A wide smile replaced Sir Syndil's neutral
expression, "I did not know."

"Then you could've killed me!"

"Abilities that are destined for battle must
be forged in battle, Danny. If you are unable to master this part
of yourself, death is certain in any case, by my hand or the
Shadows, it matters not."

"You assume too much."

"Perhaps, but I base my assumptions on a
combined experience that ranges in the hundreds of years." Sir
Syndil's expression softened. "I would not ask you to do anything I
thought you incapable of. Besides, if I truly wished your life, I
could just as easily take it as stop myself," he said, just before
bounding forward in a lunge. Quicker than Danny's Human eyes could
follow, Sir Syndil's blade flickered through the air without even
the faintest of sounds.

Unprepared for the attack, Danny watched
helplessly as the tip of the Elf's sword stopped within inches of
his nose. Shocked, Danny stood still as a statue.

Sir Syndil's smile widened slightly. "You
see, Squire Firoth, if you had failed to dodge the attack, I could
have stopped it at any time." Lowering his sword and taking a
retreating step, he added, "Over a hundred years' worth of
swordplay gives me a good deal of control."

"You could've just said that in the first
place."

"True experience is the only way to learn.
When you told your friends about your encounter with the Shadow at
school, do you really believe they truly understood the desperation
you felt or the gravity of the situation?"

"No," said Danny. Since discovering that he
wasn't the only one with the gift of sight, Danny felt that almost
everyone, except for Chris, treated the knowledge as well as the
current training more like a vacation than anything else.

"And if they were to face a Shadow right now,
do you think they would be as prepared as you would be, having
already faced one?"

"No." Danny shook his head.

"Then do you understand why I could not
simply tell you what to do? I had to allow you to learn it on your
own."

"Yes, I understand, Sir Syndil." However, he
felt the slightest hint of distrust for the Elf. Although his words
made sense and seemed logical, there was something about Sir Syndil
that bothered Danny.

"Tell me, Squire Firoth, what kind of man was
your father?"

Danny hesitated, wondering why Sir Syndil
would be asking about his father. "…My father?"

"A swordsman's potential can often be
measured by the lineage he comes from."

"As I told you when we first met, my father
was a soldier in the military. He died during combat, fighting for
his country."

"Yes, Squire Firoth, I remember and I must
once again apologize for opening old wounds. However, it is not his
past that I am interested in, it is his spirit. Do you consider
yourself much like him?"

Danny dropped his gaze and shrugged. He was
only five when he had learned of his father's death, but he could
still feel the pain of the loss. "I didn't really know him. I was
very young when he passed. My mother always told me that Father
intended to leave his ring to me. It was a silver band, engraved
with an eagle and it’s the only thing I remember about him. But… it
was lost during his death."

"Do you remember any more details about the
ring?"

Confused, Danny peered up and met Sir
Syndil's steady gaze. "Why does that matter?"

"Never mind, Squire Firoth, I did not intend
to upset you. I believe that is enough for this day," said Sir
Syndil, as if sensing Danny's uneasiness. "I encourage you to
practice what you have learned on your own." Sheathing his
longsword, placing it back on the wall, he turned and added, "For
the Light."

"For the Light, Sir Syndil," said Danny as he
slipped his sword into the sheath.

He began the long walk back to the barracks,
unsure about what had just happened between them.

back to top

fter lunch, Calador led the squires to a
large structure overlooking the cresting waves of the northern part
of the island. A short man was waiting just inside the building. He
had thinning, brown hair, cut short; everyone could see that he
brushed it over a small bald spot in the back of his head.

"Greetings, Sir James," said Calador as he
entered.

With a slight twitch of the neck, Sir James
adjusted his glasses, "Greetings, Calador. You have brought me the
new batch of squires, I take it?"

"Indeed I have," said Calador, propping the
door open, ushering the squires within.

"Ah, yes, please do come in and find a seat,"
as he pointed at a large number of short tables that made up the
bulk of the large room.

Danny found a seat near the middle of the
room. Chris followed and sat down in a chair at the same table,
opposite Danny. With only two chairs per table, Matt claimed a seat
opposite Doug and Alonso sat across from Anthony at another.

"Good, good," Sir James said with a series of
quick nods.

"I will leave them in your hands, Sir
James."

"Yes, of course, of course," Sir James said
as Calador closed the door behind him.

Danny took the time to look at the table
before him.

Made from sturdy wood, the table stood a
little over a foot off the stone floor and measured four feet
square, on both sides of the table stood a series of crafted
miniatures. Molded in the likeness of knights, there was twenty to
a set. Examining the small figurines, Danny marveled at the
exquisite detail, they almost looked lifelike.