Silver Dragon Page 6

  Her fingers cleared the top and gave her purchase enough to hang desperately. She struggled and tried to get her other hand over the lip but lost her tenuous grip before she could manage it. She fell and rolled away, knowing she had failed.

  Aleena climbed to her feet and stared at the wall, and then shook her head in disgust and went around it. The remaining obstacles flew past her as though she was in a dream. All she saw was the wall. It angered her and drove her to push herself so that when she stopped in front of Sir Amos, she was gasping for breath and barely able to hold herself upright.

  He showed her the hourglass. It had run out of sand. "You have failed."

  Aleena gathered her breath to say, "Thank you for the opportunity, Sir Amos."

  The priest started to turn away but he stopped and looked back at her. He regarded her silently for a moment, and then nodded and turned away. "Come, to the next stage of the testing."

  They followed him back inside to where the wind and snow couldn't reach them. Aleena marched stiffly behind the others and tried to tighten every muscle in her body to keep from shivering as the snow and slush melted against her skin. She followed them into the training room she'd spent hours each day in, save that this time there were other people present. Other priests and members of the Knights of Leander sat in chairs to watch the testing.

  "Celos, present yourself for testing," Sir Amos called out.

  Celos went to the racks of armor and weapons and spent the next few minutes preparing himself for battle. He selected a sword, a mace, and an axe before clomping to the center of the room. He dropped the mace and axe to the ground but held his sword at his side. Celos turned to the holy symbol of Leander along the wall and saluted it, and then turned and waited. Sir Amos rang the bell that hung near the door they'd come through.

  Double doors in the opposite wall that Aleena had always wondered about opened. A man wearing plate armor from head to toe emerged with sword and shield in hand. He stepped forward and saluted Celos, and then charged him. Aleena gasped when she saw how quickly the warrior moved in his heavy armor.

  Celos was just as agile. He sprung to the side and lashed out with his sword, striking against the knight's shield. The knight turned on him and fought back, striking sword against sword or landing ringing blows on the recruit's armor. Celos gave as good as he got until, after several minutes of the two exchanging blows with no clear winner, Sir Amos rang the bell.

  The two fighters separated. Celos discarded his sword and grabbed up the mace he'd chosen. He turned back to see his challenger was waiting for him. Celos saluted him, inviting the battle to be rejoined.

  They crashed together again and struck blow after blow. Aleena was amazed to see the difference between Celos's mace and his opponent's sword. The sword could dent and scratch Celos's armor but it lacked the brute power the spiked head of the mace had. Three times Celos staggered his foe with a strike to the helm. It was after the third strike that Sir Amos rang the bell again.

  The third match was with Celos's axe and his opponent's sword. As with the mace, the axe could land a much heavier blow if it struck true. Less than two minutes into the bout, Celos struck his foe in the side with his axe so fiercely that the man crumpled to the ground and held up his hand. Aleena gasped when she realized what had happened–Celos had forced him to yield!

  Celos dropped his axe and moved to help the defeated man rise. Blood ran down his side, proof of the power of his final blow. Priests rose from the side and helped the defeated warrior back through the doors so they could tend to his wounds.

  "Celos, well done," Sir Amos offered praise in the most minimal of ways. "William, prepare yourself."

  Aleena watched the same process repeat itself several more times. Her body grew numb waiting, but she stopped shivering after the third fight. William and Durak both failed to defeat their opponents, as did the other remaining recruits until it was Aleena's turn.

  "Recruit Aleena, as we have no fitting armor for testing, you are not required to participate," Sir Amos announced when it was her turn.

  Aleena let loose a soft sigh of relief. Then she felt her cheeks warming with shame. While it was true that many of the strikes she'd seen today would have crippled or killed her without a proper cuirass, at least she could have shown that she had courage. She deserved to be tested, even if it meant she would be beaten. Or worse. Would Alto or Celos have backed down from a challenge?

  Aleena nearly laughed at the thought. Celos had fought and won. Alto, she was certain, would have killed his opponent. He fought with force, aggression, and a skill that couldn't be taught. Even though she'd only seen him sparring with the other Blades of Leander, she knew he was better than any of the men she'd seen today. Alto had just been a farm boy who became a warrior. What did that mean an innkeeper's daughter could do?

  She shook her head. "Sir Amos, I would take my turn and be tested."

  "Recruit, you have seen this test and you understand its consequences. Three times this day, wearing full armor, we have seen men grievously wounded," he warned her.

  "I have seen it and I accept the risks," Aleena confirmed. She glanced at Leander's symbol and said, "I place my faith in Saint Leander that he will value my courage and resolve to spread his word."

  She dipped her head in prayer to the icon and heard some of the priests talking in hushed voices amongst themselves. She lifted her head and looked at the trace of a smile on Sir Amos's face. "Very well, recruit. Prepare yourself."

  Aleena made her way to the racks and slipped a loose-fitting chain shirt on and then added greaves, pauldrons, and vambraces, which were all too large for her. She slipped the smallest helm on she could find and then grabbed up a shield. She adjusted the slippery helm so she could see through the slits and then selected her weapons before moving to the center of the chamber.

  "Good luck, recruit," Sir Amos said before he rang the bell to announce the start of combat.

  A fresh warrior walked out and then stopped. He stared at Aleena and then turned to look at everyone else assembled. He resumed walking out and then offered Aleena a salute before advancing to square off against her.

  Aleena used her sword defensively, deflecting his strikes and moving out of the way of heavier strikes. It took only a few moments for her to realize she was moving faster and more easily than he was. Aleena used it to her advantage and began to circle around him, forcing her opponent to move to keep her in front of him.

  After guiding him for several minutes, he landed a strike against her shoulder that sent a jolt of agony into her back from how her armor dug into her flesh. Seeing her stunned, he tried again but she dodged away from the strike. He advanced on her, confident in his steps and forcing her back away from the open center of the room.

  Aleena smacked her sword into the side of his armored leg and caught the return swipe he launched on her shield. She tried again, jabbing into the steel plate protecting his belly and finding her sword sliding away. He trapped her blade between his shield and his side, forcing her to grunt as she yanked it free and fell back a step.

  She pushed forward, feigning a lunge and drawing his shield in to protect himself. She twisted the blade away and rotated it up and around to drive his sword high above her head. She kept pushing, keeping their swords out of the fight. That left her shield, which she'd pulled back. She punched out with it and jammed it into his face. Both the force and the clang of her shield against his helm staggered him back a step.

  Aleena tried to push the fight and kept her shield jammed into his head. She drew her sword back to jam it against him again but failed to realize that freed up his weapon as well. His sword smashed into the side of her helmet and upended the world for her.

  Aleena crashed to the floor and tasted blood from where she'd bitten her lip. She looked up in time to see him smash the pommel of his sword into her helmet, stunning her further and loosening her helmet on her head. She was blinded and confused when she felt his metal-shod foot crash into her side
.

  Aleena stared up after a moment of blinking the colors and lights out of her eyes. She coughed and tried to move her arms and legs to right herself. She heard a ringing in her ears that added to the confusion.

  "This stage is over," she heard Sir Amos state.

  "No!" Aleena coughed the word out and rolled onto her knees before she put one shaky foot under her and rose to stand. "Please, Sir Amos, I'm not done yet."

  He stared at her for a long moment. Aleena looked down at herself and saw that blood had fallen from her helmet down her chain shirt and spattered on the floor. "Recruit, are you injured?"

  Aleena reached up with her right hand and pulled her helmet off. She tucked it under her arm and felt her lips and nose. She sniffed and then pinched her nose, wincing at how it burned. She let go and closed her eyes, and then donned her helmet. "No, Father, I'm fine."

  He hesitated a moment longer and then nodded for her to continue. Aleena picked up her mace and waited for her opponent to signal her. When he did, she rushed at him, using her lighter weight and greater speed to surprise him. She pushed his sword down with her shield and slammed her mace into his shield, forcing it down. She continued to hammer at him, striking his shoulder, chest, and helm, and managed to force him back a step. She kept pushing, relying on her momentum, and even managed to tuck a foot behind his. He took a next step and tripped, crashing onto his back and grunting as the wind was knocked from his lungs.

  Sir Amos rang the bell again, signaling Aleena to stop. She stood over the fallen warrior, gasping for breath. Fresh blood dripped onto him from her nose but she paid it no mind. Unseen beneath her helm, she was grinning.

  Aleena retreated and grabbed her axe. She had never trained with the axe but it felt similar to the mace. She twisted it in her hand and noticed how different the balance was, depending on which direction the blade pointed. She looked up when the bell rang and saw her opponent bearing down on her.

  She tried to repeat her attack with the mace but he stepped to the side and caught her axe under the curve of the blade with his sword. He forced it away and rocked his head into hers. Stars exploded in her eyes and she blew fresh blood from her nose. She felt a sting in her cheek, but she couldn't guess what from.

  Aleena coughed when his sword crashed into her belly. The chain links saved her from being disemboweled but it forced the air out of her and doubled her over. She felt to her knees and barely managed to use her right hand to keep herself from falling on her face. Before she could begin to think of striking back, she felt the steel of his blade pressing heavily against the back of her neck.

  Her eyes watering from pain and shame, she lifted her trembling shield arm up to signal her defeat. Sir Amos rang the bell. "This phase of testing is complete. The recruits will be tended to then they shall joust."

  The sword was removed from Aleena's neck. She sat back on her calves and reached up to remove her helmet. She saw her opponent standing above her, offering his hand. She sniffed and then offered a grateful smile as she took it.

  "You fought like a wildcat," he whispered to her before he turned and walked back through the doors whence he'd come.

  Aleena smiled and nodded, and then gathered up her equipment and returned it to the racks. She planned to clean up the blood later but acolytes rushed through the double doors with buckets and rags. She grunted and turned away so she could follow her fellow recruits out of the chamber so that they could have a moment to recover.

  Aleena caught a distorted reflection of herself in a polished shield hanging on the wall on her way out. Her nose was a mess but it didn't feel broken to her. Her lip was split and there was a gash under her eye, making it puffy. In spite of it all, she was smiling and she couldn't remember a time when she'd ever felt this proud of herself.

  Acolytes tended to them while they waited, washing away blood and offering them a drink. Their respite was short-lived. Sir Amos summoned them back outside to a closed field where they were given horses to ride. Aleena was given the chance to back out of the joust again for lack of armor, and again she demanded inclusion. She watched Celos and Durak both score strikes on the target, as well as two other recruits.

  Aleena stared at the massive stallion brought for her to ride. She still wore the same armor she'd fought in. Her armor felt loose on her, looser even than it had when she'd first donned it.

  She stared at the box placed beside the horse and the acolyte who stood near it, ready to assist her. Aleena took a deep breath and blew it out. She'd never ridden a horse before and now she was expected to get on one that looked to her like it was as big as her father's tavern!

  Aleena nodded to bolster her nerves. She'd survived so far. Leander wouldn't let her go after all the work she'd already done, would he? Aleena put a foot on the box and stepped up, and then grabbed the saddle and put her foot in the stirrup. She stepped up and balanced precariously in the air for a terrifying moment until the acolyte sprang into action and guided her onto the horse's back.

  "My lady, snap the reins and kick his flanks. He'll know what to do," the acolyte whispered to her after he handed her the lightweight jousting lance.

  Aleena groaned at the weight of the lance. Her arm was tired and her body sore; how could she possibly hold the lance out to strike on a galloping horse! She thought back to Celos's ride and remembered how he had started with the lance up, and then he lowered it across the horse as he rode. She could do that, couldn't she?

  Sir Amos rang his bell, signaling that she could joust when ready. She took a breath and was about to leave when the acolyte cleared his throat loudly. Aleena looked down and saw him holding up a shield for her. Unlike the shield she'd used when fighting, this one was a kite shield, designed to protect a mounted knight while jousting. She took it from him and rested it on her hip, and then realized she wasn't holding the horse's reins tightly enough to guide it.

  She looked down when she heard someone else cough. They expected her to ride. It was cold out, the snow was blowing, and the sun was starting to set in the west. Aleena bit her lip and nodded again, though the movement was unnoticed inside her loose-fitting helm. She kicked the horse in the sides and let out a yelp when it surged forward.

  Aleena's stomach was either in her throat or on the ground behind her. She wasn't sure but she was afraid to turn and look. She squeezed her knees against the warhorse and found herself constantly being tossed up with each uneven step the horse took. There was no way she could ride on it, not with holding {the lance in} her hands.

  The straw dummy holding the club-tipped lance drew closer to her as the horse ran along the rail. She just had to keep her balance a few more seconds, and then she could toss the lance away and grab on for her life. Maybe even slow the horse down, except she wasn't sure how. What if she kicked it again; would it know to stop?

  Aleena lowered the lance and tried to control it as the weight of the weapon pulled it towards the ground. It fell quickly, bouncing off the saddle and slipping out of her grasp just as she reached her target. The dummy's lance struck her shield and slid up to her shoulder, jarring her so painfully that she fell away from the horse. She threw her arms out and opened her mouth to scream but the ground slammed into her and knocked her breath and her consciousness from her before she could utter even a squeak.

  Chapter 6

  Patrina found Caitlyn sitting and watching the flames consuming the logs in the large hearth. She walked up beside her, making sure she scuffed her feet on the wooden floor to alert Alto's sister to her presence. When Caitlyn didn't look up, Patrina frowned. "May I sit with you?"

  Caitlyn jerked out of her thoughts and glanced up at Patrina. Her cheeks flushed to match the fire and she nodded while scooting over on the bench she sat on. "If it pleases you, my lady," Caitlyn stammered.

  Patrina smoothed her dress and sat down beside the troubled woman. She found her eyes captured by the dancing flames and felt their warmth drive away the chill from the visit to her mother's garden. "This is nice," Patr
ina offered, trying to break the ice between the two.

  Caitlyn let out a breath that she'd been holding. "I keep seeing my house burning around me."

  Patrina winced. "That's horrible," she said. "I'm so sorry that happened. If I'd stayed just a little bit longer I could have helped."

  Caitlyn offered her a weak smile. "Thank you, but it's best you left. They'd have killed you or worse, done to you what they did to me."

  Patrina opened her mouth to insist otherwise but she remembered how Beck had fought in the mines. How he'd turned all their attacks away and made them feel like children learning to swing a stick for their first time. "You might be right," she admitted. "We fought him under the mountain before we were separated. He was a very skilled warrior."

  "Alto killed him," Caitlyn said.

  Patrina's mouth felt dry all of a sudden. She cleared her throat and glanced around. "Did something happen to your brother?" she asked. "When there were three of us fighting against the man who hurt you, we couldn't touch him, but Alto by himself was able to kill him? What changed?"

  "I don't know," Caitlyn admitted. "When they fought, I was bound inside the house. I couldn't see anything. I saw Alto but thought it was a dream, or that I was already dead. The house was on fire and the smoke was so thick."

  "I'm sorry, it must be hard," Patrina said. "You don't have to talk about it. I want you to know that you're welcome here. Stay as long as you like. Live here, if you want. I talked to my father before I came to you. He said that he'd promised Alto he'd treat you as one of his own. My father's a hard man but he's fair and generous to those who he admires. Your brother has earned his admiration and more."

  Caitlyn nodded. "Alto has a way of doing that. Everybody likes him, even the people he used to get in fights with."

  "He used to fight?"