Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (33 page)

"What's all that?" Danny asked.

"Your dueling armor," said Sir Syndil with a
widening grin. "Normally, you would have to wait until your second
year to receive a suit of dueling armor and be taught how to put it
on. However, due to the circumstances and Squire Rogen's kindness,
you are about to acquire it right away and learn how to don it
quickly."

Reaching down, Danny picked up the
breastplate, finding that it was lighter than he expected. "It's so
light," verbalizing his thoughts.

"It is made from enchanted material,"
explained Sir Syndil. "It is designed to weigh a little less than
your common clothing. Were it made of regular metal, it would weigh
nearly ten times its current heft."

"Amazing," said Danny, continuing to judge
the weight in his hand.

"Indeed," said Sir Syndil, his ever-present
smile fixed upon his face. "Now, hold still while Squire Rogen and
I fit you. You will need to relinquish your weapon."

Danny looked down at his longsword, and
un-strapped the buckle.

"I will hold it for you." Sabrina took a
quick step forward and offered her hands, palms up.

With the breastplate in one hand and his
sword in the other, Danny held the blade out to her. "Thanks," he
said as she took the sword in both hands.

Sabrina nodded and retreated, moving back to
her original position.

"Does it go on like this?" Danny asked,
fitting the breast plate over his chest.

"No," said Sir Syndil, reaching out and
procuring the breastplate. "The suit must be layered. Your robes
will serve as under-padding to protect your skin from the metal.
The first piece you must don is the chain mail." After placing the
breastplate back upon the pile, the Elf retrieved a shirt woven of
small metal rings that jingled as he held it up before him. "Put
this on," instructed Sir Syndil.

Danny followed the Elf's instruction. The
chain fabric was cool to the touch. He slipped it over his head
easily, as if it was a regular shirt made from common cloth.

"Now, the pants," said Sir Syndil, holding up
a pair of trousers made from the same stitch of steel.

Pulling the chain pants over his robes, up
his legs, Danny buckled the thick black belt around his waist. "I
can barely feel the weight," he said, twisting and hopping, causing
the armor to chink and chime.

"Hold still, Squire," commanded Sir Syndil.
With a quick nod to Squire Rogen, both squire and knight went to
work, buckling, strapping and attaching piece after piece of the
plate armor.

Beginning with the breastplate, they fitted
the forged metal to Danny's chest and added the gorget to protect
the neck. Then, working up the arms, they buckled the vembraces
around his wrists, slipped the gauntlets over his hands, and
attached the pauldrens over his shoulders and biceps. Tending to
the legs and groin area, they equipped greaves and girth,
protecting the shins, knee, upper thigh and pelvis. Lastly, they
slipped the full-faced helm over Danny's head. Padded within, the
helm weighed little more than a baseball cap.

"Done," Sir Syndil said, both taking a step
back to admire their work. "How does it feel?"

"Good," said Danny, testing his mobility by
rotating his arms at the shoulders, finding only a slight hindrance
to the movement.

"Even though the armor is not fitted to your
body, it is perhaps the best match possible, given the time
restraint," said Sir Syndil, stroking the point of his chin.

"It's so light," Danny said, hopping up and
down.

"Such are the wonders of enchanted steel,
Squire," replied Sir Syndil. "However, that is only one of its
properties. In addition to protection, dueling armor is designed to
simulate the wounds one might suffer in an actual battle."

"I don't understand."

"Allow me to demonstrate," said Sir Syndil,
turning toward Sabrina. "I require Squire Firoth's blade, please,"
extending his right hand. Sabrina passed the longsword over and
took a single step in retreat. "Thank you," said the Elf, turning
back to Danny, freeing the naked blade with a soft ring of steel.
Holding the tip level to Danny's chest, Sir Syndil continued, "You
see, Squire, the dueling armor will react to any enchanted metal
that touches the surface."

Before Danny could question the statement,
Sir Syndil tapped the tip of the blade on the base of the
breastplate, causing the entire suit, from helmet to greaves, to
stiffen like stone. Paralyzed within, Danny struggled to move,
finding his body completely restrained. His confined movements,
combined with his inability to control his balance, found him
falling backward, thudding onto his back.

"What did you do to me," grumbled Danny
through gritted teeth.

"As I said, Squire Firoth, the armor responds
to any enchanted steel that touches the surface."

"Why can't I move?"

"Because you were struck in the chest,
Squire," said the Elf with a smile. "In a real battle, a blow to
the chest would cripple or kill most. Thus, a strike to the chest
plate causes the armor to simulate death. Were we competing in a
duel right now, you would have lost."

"That's great and all, but could you please
get me out of this," said Danny, still struggling to move.

"But of course," said the Elf, retrieving a
small glowing stone from his pocket. About the size of a marble,
the pebble radiated a soft blue light. Leaning down, he touched it
to the brow of Danny's helm.

Danny breathed a long sigh of relief as the
armor returned to its normal state of mobility.

"Up you go," said Sir Syndil, slipping the
glowing stone back into his pocket, offering his hand.

Danny reached up and allowed the Elf to pull
him back to his feet. "What's that in your hand?"

"A release stone, it is given to professors,
as well as ranking officers in the eight armies, for training
purposes."

"Why didn't you tell me what would happen
instead of freezing me like that?" Danny asked as his voice relayed
annoyance.

"As we have already discussed, you cannot
truly understand something unless you experience it for yourself,
Squire Firoth," said Sir Syndil, ignoring Danny's aggravation. "The
chest is only one of the targets that represent a kill," continued
the Elf without skipping a beat. With a flick of the wrist, he
angled the sword upward, leveling it at Danny's head and said, "The
head." Then, lowering the point of the blade just below the
breastplate, he added, "And the groin. All three of these areas
represent a killing strike, contact with any one of them will cause
the armor to become immobile, as you have already experienced. So
if you hit your opponent in any one of these three locations, you
will have won the duel."

"Sounds simple enough," said Danny, his mood
lightning. "But what if I get hit in the arms or the legs?"

"I am glad you asked," his smile widening
ever-so-slightly. Brushing the blade downward, he nicked the tip
against the middle part of the greaves that protected Danny's right
kneecap.

Danny's lower right leg, from the spot
struck, down to his toes, became instantly stiff, causing him to
stumble to the side as he fought for balance.

Then, with a quick twist of the wrist, Sir
Syndil angled the sword upward, striking Danny's left arm at the
elbow.

Again, the armor responded, Danny's left arm,
from elbow to hand, went rigid. Unable to use the frozen appendage
for balance, Danny thrashed wildly as he toppled over, landing on
the marble floor once again. Using his right arm and left leg, he
struggled to his feet.

"If struck in the arms or legs, the armor
will immobilize you from the location hit, down your
extremity."

"That's quite awkward," Danny relayed,
bobbing from side to side in an attempt to remain standing.

"One would surmise that, in a real battle,
losing an arm at the elbow and a leg at the knee would prove quite
awkward."

The point wasn't lost on Danny as he tried to
maintain his balance.

"As I said previously, the armor is designed
to mimic possible wounds in a real battle."

"And Squire Rigil's armor will work the
same?"

"Yes, strike him in the head, chest or groin
and you win. Strike him in the arms or the legs and you turn the
duel to your advantage. However, there is still the factor of
Squire Rigil's Bonded," said Sir Syndil, reaching into his pocket
and pulling out the release stone. Taking a single step forward, he
touched it to the pauldren protecting Danny's left shoulder.

Instantly, Danny regained the use of his
right leg and left arm.

"I'm aware that Squire Rigil has mastered the
first Awakening," he said, flexing his left hand.

"I assume that you have Squire Drake to thank
for that," sheathing Danny's sword and offering the blade, hilt
first.

Glad to have the sword back in his hands,
Danny strapped it around his waist. "What I don't know is what
power Squire Rigil's Bonded holds."

"The name of his Bonded is Whiril. It is a
most effective weapon, it can create and control the wind,"
explained Sir Syndil, stroking the point of his chin.

"The wind?" probed Danny, hoping for more
information. Even Rogen and Sabrina perked up when they heard that;
if they wished to progress within the ranks of Dragon Army, Rigil
was one of the four lieutenants they would have to best in a
duel.

"Yes, not only can the wielder of Whiril
create strong air currents, they can also control them. It is this
very power that has helped Squire Rigil assume the rank of
lieutenant. You see, wind is nearly invisible to the eye."

"How do you fight such a thing?" Rogen
asked.

Sir Syndil turned to address Rogen's
question. "Unless you can see the wind for yourself, one would be
at a significant disadvantage."

"Has a first-year squire ever defeated a
senior squire who could wield the powers of an awakened Bonded?"
Danny asked.

Turning back toward Danny, Sir Syndil
produced a grin. "No, should you defeat Squire Rigil, you will be
the first."

back to top

elmet in hand, Danny gasped as he entered the
side chamber of the Great Dome with Sabrina at his side, a large
crowd of multicolored robes awaited within.

"Word gets around fast," observed Rogen,
coming to stand behind him, placing a reassuring hand upon Danny's
back.

Danny welcomed the gesture as the gathered
squires, including a few Knights of the Light, began whispering
among themselves. However, he felt much better when he spotted
Chris, Alonso, Matt, Anthony, Briza and Doug emerge from the crowd,
making their way toward him.

"Are you crazy, man?" Chris asked, coming to
stand before Danny. "They say the one you're gonna duel is a
third-year squire and a lieutenant, at that."

"Fourth-year squire, if you count the current
year," corrected Matt, holding up four fingers for emphasis.

"It wasn't by choice," said Danny, glaring at
Matt. "He tricked me."

"What're you going to do?" Doug asked.

"Attempt to win," said Danny, with a
confidence he didn't feel.

"You will be fighting at a significant
disadvantage," said Briza. "The odds of you landing a single blow
are quite low. It is actually more likely that you will be
physically injured or possibly killed."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I merely speak the truth, Squire Firoth,"
said Briza frankly.

"Sorry, she's had very little interaction
with Humans," Doug explained. "Elves prefer to be straight-forward,
they don't account for feelings."

"I meant no offense," offered Briza.

"Your friend speaks the truth," said Sir
Syndil. "It takes a bit of practice to tiptoe around the truth with
Humans, they do not always want to hear it. Speaking of which, I
believe we should get to it," added the Elf, as the first of seven
chimes announced the beginning of the hour. Without another word,
he breezed past Danny and silenced the crowd with two outstretched
arms.

Danny felt two strong arms turn him in
Sabrina's direction. With quick and practiced hands, Sabrina
double-checked the straps of his armor. Once finished, she stood
straight up, met Danny's gaze and smiled.

"You will do fine," she said, but she lacked
confidence, her tone betrayed her.

"I would've thought descendants of the
Dragonic would more likely speak like an Elf," said Danny,
returning the smile.

"Quite the opposite," said Sabrina.
"Dragonics are more prone to talk in riddles, they often conceal
their true intentions, as well as their feelings."

"Good to know," said Danny, as the final
chime of seven lingered in the air.

"It is time!" yelled Sir Syndil from
somewhere within the crowd. "I would ask that both combatants
please make their way to me."