by Kyle West
“How many forms are there?”
“There are eight forms recognized by the Sanctum. Over the decades, forms come in and out of fashion, and are often updated as Champions discover something new. The Treeform of today is different from the Treeform of fifty years ago, though the principles are the same: a stalwart defense that allows a defender to hold their own against a stronger, and even more experienced, attacker. That’s what makes it especially powerful for women and novices, because it allows them to match those of superior physical strength. That being said, as you improve in skill, you can’t merely rely on defense. Your opponents will know how to break your form, and being limited to one form is crippling. As an initiate, this is okay, but if you ever apprentice with the Champions, you will soon see what I mean.
“The forms are: Tree, Flame, Wind, Water, Light, Earth, Sight, Dragon.”
I’d heard of them all, except the last four.
“Tree, Wind, and Sight are all transitional forms,” Aela said. “Already knowing Tree, we don’t need to learn Wind or Sight, though they do have their place. That leaves Flame, Water, Light, Earth, or Dragon. Dragon is the hardest form to master, so we’ll count it out. Water is also complicated, so we’ll ignore it. Light requires speed, and I don’t think you’re there yet. It’s either Flame or Earth. Earth is most easily mastered by those large of frame that can use their weight to advantage.”
“That leaves only Flame.”
“Flame is a highly aggressive stance,” Aela said. “In a way, it’s a great compliment to Tree as they are complete opposites. It’s easier to transition from Wind into Flame than Tree into Flame, but it can be done.” Aela assumed a stance where her sword was drawn back to her right side, as if ready to strike. I mirrored her motion. “Flame relies on relentless aggression to batter down an opponent. A very common match is seeing Tree versus Flame: defense versus offense. Flame requires a lot of energy to maintain, so I wouldn’t encourage you to stay in it for long. I’m teaching you so you’ll have another trick up your sleeve.” Aela nodded. “Assume Treeform. I’ll show you Flame in action.”
I raised my sword in front of me, and as soon as I did, Aela advanced. Her blade made fast and wide sweeping motions, and I found that I had to move my body quite a bit to block them, more so than when Aela had been using Treeform. The attacks seem to come from every angle: above, below, and either side. Aela was spinning, and when her back was exposed, she darted just out of reach before I could score a hit. I could see where the form had gotten its name. The movements of her blade, sometimes a blur, were reminiscent of a dancing flame.
In time, I couldn’t keep up. I felt Aela’s blade on my leg. I was almost glad for it; I was so winded that I didn’t know if I could have kept up for much longer.
“That’s far stronger than Treeform,” I said.
“Not stronger,” Aela said. “Merely different. You’re just not used to it, which is why it seems stronger.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“Besides, no initiate is going to deliver that level of an attack,” Aela said. “Stick with Tree and you’ll be fine.”
“Okay, so how does Flameform work?”
“Alright, bring your blade back, like this…”
Aela took me through the motions. I could see why she said Flameform took more energy to maintain; instead of keeping my blade relatively close, I was making wide, sweeping attacks that, over time, would wear me down. I saw that in order to use Flame effectively, I needed to develop more endurance. Any time my movements started to slow, Aela yelled at me to move faster. I came at her with all I had, but using Treeform, she was able to block effectively, seeming to predict my every move. Several times, she set herself up to parry before I had even made the move, forcing me to change my tactic.
At last, I could see why Aela had encouraged me to excel in just Treeform. I was making hardly any headway against her doing this. My movements felt choppy and unnatural.
After several minutes, I stopped, heaving to catch my breath. Aela waited patiently until I was ready.
“What did you learn?” she asked.
“That maybe you were right about me sticking to Tree.”
She smiled. “Of course I was right. Then again, I believe you’re ready to learn other forms. When you learn other forms, it builds upon what you already know. The strength you’ll develop from practicing Flame will only heighten your skill with Tree.”
I nodded to let her know that made sense.
“Alright, repeat these movements…”
Aela and I worked side by side until I got each motion down. We went slow, practicing the exercise and ironing out inconsistencies. The point of the exercise was to go through a sequence of each basic move of Flameform. The sequence was for beginners, and was basically a tour of all the moves available.
Aela and I practiced long past the prescribed hour. She began teaching me another, more advanced sequence. She watched and corrected my form whenever it went awry.
I finished the sequence one last time, and she nodded. “Good. You definitely have talent. You could make a skilled Champion someday.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“We’ll practice again tomorrow morning. Something light before heading down to Nava for the day.”
“Do you think I’m ready?”
“I’d bet on you if I could,” Aela said. “You’ve come far since our first practice. At this rate, in another six months you could start to challenge even the apprentices.”
That seemed incomprehensible to me. “Have I really gotten that good?”
“Don’t let it go to your head. When you’re in a duel, there’s only one thing you need to focus on: winning. Samal is looking good as well, and so is Isaru.”
“Wait, Isaru’s enrolled?”
Aela nodded. “He just signed up yesterday. He and Samal have been practicing in the afternoons, hidden away so that no one can see what they have planned.”
I hadn’t realized that Isaru and Samal were practicing outside our time with Seeker Garin. The thought that I might have to face either of them wasn’t especially welcome. Both were bigger and stronger than me, and talented besides.
“Stick with what you learned and you should do well,” Aela said. “I think you have what it takes to win it. Besides Isaru and Samal, there’s Nabea and Alaric. Alaric might be your biggest competition. He’s been here the longest, and has lived and breathed the sword ever since arriving. Word is Elder Tellor wants to teach him himself.”
That was four people who could easily beat me. To my surprise, though, I wasn’t nervous. I was confident in my abilities and what Aela had taught me.
The true test would come tomorrow.
CHAPTER NINE
I SPENT THE REST OF the day relaxing and mentally preparing for the tournament. After taking a bath and eating lunch, I headed for the Champions’ Copse. As expected, there were several practice bouts going.
Compared to me and Aela, the Champions were competing on a totally different level. Their movements were precise, fluid, seeming to dance with the blade. They sometimes went so fast that my eyes couldn’t keep up. The Copse was filled with several bouts, and the majority of the Champions practiced with shirts off, their fit bodies slicked with sweat. The only exception was Amalia, who wore flexible pants and a light shirt, who was dueling with Seeker Garin.
It was on their fight that I focused. I tried watching Amalia’s form — like me, she was shorter than average, but despite that, she was still able to hold her own. I hardly recognized any of the forms she was using, but Garin seemed to be using Flameform; his stance was aggressive and his attacks broad and sweeping. Amalia didn’t directly parry or block most of Garin’s movements, knowing that she couldn’t match his power. Instead, she adroitly dodged what strikes she could while her own blade found openings due to Garin’s overly aggressive posture. Garin shifted forms, knowing Amalia would get the better of him in time. Even so, Amalia remained in whatever stance she w
as using, instead going on the attack. Her form was balanced for both offense and defense, and highly flexible. Garin parried each of her thrusts, sidling this way and that to avoid the devastating blows. Though he seemed to be keeping up with her, it was clear Amalia was gaining the advantage. Her movements simply seemed to flow more than his, and over time, his became more jarred. His face struggled to keep her blade from hitting his skin. Garin changed forms again, this time to Tree, and managed to hold his ground.
Amalia frowned, finding it hard to break his defenses. Again, the two were evenly matched, and at this point, the victor of the duel would simply be the one who wore out last. I noticed that the other fights had stopped, and everyone was watching.
Amalia backed away, seeing that Garin’s defenses weren’t going to be toppled. She assumed a very strange stance, one that left her completely open by raising her blade high above her head. She held it, as if inviting Garin to attack. Garin didn’t take the bait, though; he suspected a trick.
Amalia closed her eyes, her honey brown hair falling past her shoulders. She was a beautiful woman, and every eye seemed to be on her. I wondered what she was doing, just standing like that. As the seconds passed, she seemed to become calmer, more still, more focused. As her breaths slowed, I realized that somehow she was recovering her strength. Garin seemed to notice, too. He snarled, and the outburst surprised me, given how calm and serene he always was during lessons.
He charged forward, assuming Flameform once again, hoping his wanton aggression would completely break Amalia. He held nothing back, swinging wide and going straight for Amalia’s abdomen, still exposed.
But Amalia opened her eyes and stepped back at just the right moment, Garin’s blade missing her by inches. Even as it passed, she stepped forward, scraping her blade on Garin’s side while holding it behind her. Leveraging her entire body and digging her feet in the turf, she swung the blade, the force of which threw Garin to the ground. Had it been a real blade, I had no doubt the move would have rent him completely in half.
Garin blinked, as if not believing what had happened. Amalia’s expression seemed to say the opposite. To her, the outcome had been inevitable.
She reached a hand to help him up. Despite the bruise already welling up on his side, he smiled and congratulated her.
“And that’s why I think Amalia is the greatest Champion of the Order.”
Isaru had spoken, and I didn’t realize he was beside me because I was so focused on the fight.
“I hadn’t seen her fight until now,” I said. “I didn’t recognize any of the forms she was using.”
“She was only using one, until she switched to Tree,” Isaru said. “Waterform.”
“I don’t know that one, yet.”
“None of us do. It’s hard to master. I’m still trying not to be horrible at Tree.”
Hearing Isaru say that made me feel a lot better, although I suspected was trying to make me think he wasn’t as good as he actually was.
“What forms do you know?” I asked.
Isaru shrugged. “A little of this, a little of that…”
I smiled. “All right. Be that way.”
“You don’t think I’d give my secrets to the competition, do you?”
“Maybe I don’t think it will matter.”
Isaru raised an eyebrow. “Confident, are we?”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Well, you’ll need it.”
“Maybe we can see who’s the stronger right now.”
Isaru waved that notion away. “I don’t think that’s necessary. We’ll wait until tomorrow, when the eyes of hundreds are on us.”
That many people watching and judging me made me a little nervous, but I remembered why I was doing this in the first place. It wasn’t for glory, as with every other initiate. I needed to learn how to fight if I was to ever enact my plan of returning to Colonia to find my parents.
At some point, Isaru and Fiona would need to be let in on that plan, but for now, I wasn’t confident in my abilities. If I could win the Initiates’ Crown, though, it might be enough to convince them both.
* * *
That night, my restlessness caused me to get up and head for the walls. I had made it halfway around the ramparts when I saw a shape swoop overhead.
I hid within the shadow of a tower, realizing that it had to be a dragon. I didn’t think it saw me — either that, or it hadn’t been interested in me.
I watched as the dragon circled around and glided down toward the northern wall, where it perched on two crenellations. I squinted my eyes, seeing that there was a shadowed figure facing the Radaska.
The person, I realized, had to be Isaru, and the dragon had to be Jorla. Being there, I felt as if I was infringing, but for some reason, I couldn’t make myself walk away. Instead, I watched. After a minute, Isaru climbed on Jorla’s back. I ducked low in case they came back my way, but thankfully, they headed north toward the river.
I stood, watching Jorla’s form get smaller against the star-filled sky. If Isaru was ever caught doing this, he would be in serious trouble. I continued walking until I reached the northern wall, until both were lost to the night. Where could they be going?
It was a question I would have to save for later.
CHAPTER TEN
WHEN ISA AND I WENT down to breakfast together, the anticipation of the day’s events was palpable. The Great Hall was filled with an excited buzz, and was much louder than usual. The Festival would start this afternoon, and would even go on into the night.
It didn’t start until the afternoon, so I still had to go through my morning lessons. I was glad to get instruction from Seeker Garin, and I practiced my dueling with Isaru, Samal, and Ret. I got the feeling all of them were not showing their true strength — Isaru most of all. Samal, while he dueled, wore a superior smirk that said that he fully expected to beat me because I was a girl. Ret seemed to take me seriously, but like the others, he seemed to be holding back, only sticking to basic Treeform sequences.
Seeker Haris had us practice our writing by transposing some new texts. He had us working at such a pace that I was worried he’d ruin my wrist. My penmanship was decent, but it was nowhere near Isaru’s in quality. With the anticipation of the festival, I found slaving for Haris wasn’t as bad as usual. He seemed to be particularly spiteful, as if it were his mission to make a great day as bad as possible, but even that didn’t sully our spirits.
When the bell rang, he instructed us to continue working well into lunch. When he finally allowed us to leave, he smiled in victory.
It was only when we reached the Great Hall that anyone said anything.
“Gods, I hate him,” Samal said.
“Have you heard that he’s in the Seekers’ Tournament?” Isaru chuckled. “I hope he gets clobbered.”
“Me, too,” Samal said. “There’s no way he wins. Someone has to hand him his…”
Both Elders Draeus and Aurelius walked by, cutting Samal short.
We sat at the table, eating a hearty meal of roast chicken, potatoes, and vegetables before busing our plates. All initiates were required to stay after and clean, that way everyone could leave the Sanctum in a timely manner. All that was done in a half hour, and before we knew it, there were just a couple of hours left until the festival was slated to start.
With the extra time, Isa and I decided to go out and practice in the Grove while the boys went off to do their own practice. She’d agreed to be my training partner that day since Aela was busy with her own preparations.
We didn’t do anything too grueling. I practiced Flameform sequences, finding that they came much more naturally today.
Isa watched me, seeming impressed. “And you said you just learned Flameform yesterday? Gods, you’re better than me!”
“Aela has practiced with me a lot.”
“Even so…” Isa shook her head. “I’m impressed.”
For some reason, I felt as if my quick learning of Flameform wasn’t just due t
o talent. As Isandru had predicted, was this Anna coming back?
I pushed the thought out of mind. “Let’s go again.”
We dueled, purposefully going slow to conserve my strength as well as perfect my form. Like anyone who has been in the Sanctum for long, Isa was strong and fit, a requirement of every initiate and apprentice, no matter what Sect they aspired to. Even if Isa wanted to be a Scholar, she was still very capable of holding her own.
And then, everything just started to flow for me. Before I knew what I was doing, I wasn’t even thinking about the movements. It seemed as if I were gliding, that no matter what I did, it was the right move. Isa broke into a sweat, starting to fight back harder. Even so, I could see how I’d best her in just a few more moves.
Suddenly, she broke away, lowering her sword. “What are you doing? I thought we were going easy!”
I blinked, and like that, the spell was snapped and reality returned. Everything returned to normal speed — I became aware of the bright sunshine, the warm air, the wind through the trees.
“Sorry,” I said. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Your Flameform was perfect,” Isa said, looking at me as if she were seeing another person. “It’s like you’ve been training for years.”
My cheeks flushed from embarrassment. “I don’t know what to say. Aela is a good teacher.”
Isa, thankfully, seemed ready to drop the subject. “Whatever the case, you should do well in the tournament. Are you sure you don’t want to enroll with the apprentices?”
She’s said it as a joke, but something in her tone told me she was serious.
“You really think I could take them?”
“Some, definitely. You couldn’t beat Aela, or maybe some of the others. It would at least give you a challenge.”