The Xenoworld Saga Box Set

by Kyle West

  Several men murmured their agreement.

  “Let me tell you a truth, Governor Neth: rebellion is stewing in the Northern Provinces. They speak of Colonia like a dream — those too afraid to escape will fight as soon as they know we lend them support. The opportunity for victory arrives now! Let us strike while Augustus is distracted, while his legions are thousands of miles away. Let us send a band of men — a band I can lead — to rescue the slaves. I will muster an army such as you have never seen. Thousands, Governor Neth, will join you with just a word from me. My fame is well-known in the Northern Provinces. Tonight, my friends and I could leave this city, and in a matter of months, we will be the terror of the north. Colossus will fall; our food stores are such that we can last months until it does, and as soon as we take the port, they will last indefinitely. Let us put an end to our Imperial overlords. Let the one who desires peace, prepare for war!”

  Most of the senators, even some of the Loyalists, cheered at these words. The young, ex-slave was charismatic, Anna had to give him that, and he had left Samuel speechless.

  “I will hear no more of this,” Samuel said, at last. “Let anything we suggest here be within the order of reason. Augustus’s edict stands. Come July, no immigrant will be allowed harbor in Colonia unless they present proof of citizenship. In the meantime, we must register all undocumented migrants already in El Yermo. If they aren’t officially registered by the end of June, then they are in danger of being mistaken for immigrants who arrived at a later date.”

  “How will we enroll so many?” Senator Thomas asked. “It’s an impossible task!”

  “We have done the impossible before,” Samuel said. “What’s writing down a few names? We’ll put callers on every corner. We’ll send envoys to the far caravans to make sure they are reached. We should be able to get them all before the July deadline. And the walls will continue to rise unabated. Far be it from us to make the first move and suffer the Emperor’s wrath. Let our enemies come to us — if they dare. If they do, they will find Colonia no easy meat.”

  The Loyalists on Anna’s side of the stands applauded, but the Separatists were not impressed. Anna knew that they’d rather take the fight straight to the provinces instead of waiting to be attacked.

  As the rest of the session continued, Anna could only wonder if Samuel was really right.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “GOOD,” AELA SAID. “YOU’VE IMPROVING.”

  I lowered my practice sword and tried to catch my breath. Almost two more weeks of practice nearly every morning with Aela had done wonders. It was at some point last week that things began clicking. I probably had the best Treeform of any initiate in the Sanctum, at least as far as I knew. I could now last about half a minute against Aela before she found a way to get a killing blow.

  It was a free day, meaning there were no classes, and it was well that I had improved so much. The Spring Tournament was tomorrow, and if what Aela told me was true, I’d clean up among the initiates.

  “Let’s go another round,” I said.

  The constant practice for long hours ever since entering the Sanctum had done wonders for my physique. I remembered my first practice bouts with Samal, Ret, and Isaru, and because of their size and strength, I could never last long. I got fatigued very quickly. My strength had been of a different kind — more of the working all day under a hot sun kind. Years of that work had made me thin and wiry, and food was sometimes a limiting factor. Here, I had all the food I needed, and under the rigorous demands of my training, which included lifting heavy stones and weights, my body was filling out. Sometimes, I’d run along the ramparts to keep up my endurance, once I had noticed the Champions doing the same. At times, a Champion would see Aela and I training, and if he had the time, he’d show us a few tricks of his own. Usually, they were too complicated for me to grasp, but I appreciated the lesson nonetheless. Soon, it seemed as if everyone in the Sanctum knew where to find us, and we started drawing something of a crowd. At first, it was just one or two people, but today, a full dozen had shown up — among them were Isaru and Samal. When I asked Aela why they were watching, she just smiled knowingly, as if to say I should know that answer myself.

  Aela and I went back at it. As her blade met mine, my movements were fluid and I seemed to know exactly where the blade needed to be. I could see that what Aela had told me was right; using Treeform, I had to move less than she did, which gave me an advantage at defending. Even so, Aela’s experience meant I could never last for long. Not once in all of my training had I been able to score a hit on her.

  Aela swiped my blade aside, causing me to twist my body around. I dropped my blade purposefully; I didn’t know what caused me to do this. Aela’s eyes widened as the force of her swing suddenly met no resistance, throwing her off balance. I charged her, sneaking past her blade and tackling her to the ground.

  We fell on the grass like that and she just stared at me, as if not believing what had happened. She was completely pinned. I allowed myself a smile as our spectators cheered.

  Then, Aela threw me off of her with surprising strength. I landed on my back, and in a second she was onto me, her sword at my throat.

  “Cute,” she said. “But next time, finish the job.”

  She stood up, and I lay on the grass with my eyes closed. Several times like this, I had gotten close, but Aela always pulled out something at the end to win. You didn’t win by throwing your opponent to the ground. You won by killing them. I had thought I’d finally won, and I wanted to savor the moment. That had been my mistake. When you’re fighting for your life, there’s no room for gloating. There’s only one rule: kill or be killed. Killing had to be your only goal, because if it wasn’t, you’d slip up. Bragging about winning can’t be more important than winning itself.

  I pulled myself up, dusting off my robes. Aela was already picking up her blade. The sky had brightened, and the bell tolled once, signaling the start of breakfast.

  “If you want,” Aela said, “I can give you another hour or two. You’re getting good enough to where I’m starting to benefit as well. You’re what we call a scrapper.”

  “A scrapper?”

  “You always scrap something to keep things interesting, pulling off moves I’ve never seen before. I’d tell you not to do them, because they don’t adhere strictly to Treeform, but it’s entertaining to watch, so I just want to see what you come up with.”

  I frowned. I hadn’t been aware of making moves that weren’t textbook perfect, as I’d always tried to follow strict form. I was getting to the point where I didn’t have to think of every movement — it all seemed to flow like water; at least, until Aela found a way to break my flow. My goal was to get to that point of Silence, where everything but the fight stopped moving, until the fight was my only focus. Stillness shifted into Movement, Resistance into Acceptance. Battle was a constant give and take, and knowing when to resist and when to accept, when to move and went to remain still, was paramount. It was a balance I was still trying to strike, and the key was being aware of each of the Four Disciplines as they were happening, even as you were aware of what your opponent was doing.

  We went inside to eat, and within the hour Aela and I met up outside. The Grove was more crowded — it seemed as if everyone who was in the tournament was sparring. I was humbled that Aela wanted to help me out more instead of seeing to her own training. Or had I just gotten that good?

  “Let’s go somewhere quieter,” Aela said. “I think you’re ready to learn a new form.”

  I had been pestering Aela constantly to teach me a new form, but she had always insisted I excel at Tree if I wanted to win the initiates’ bracket.

  I followed her through the trees until we came to the South Spring. There was a small meadow near it, where Aela and I went to stand. The sky was bright blue with a few wispy clouds, and birds sang from the surrounding trees.

  “Now,” Aela said, “Treeform is what you should stick to in a tournament setting, no question. But
if you’re in a tough fight and you have the opportunity to do so, you should transition into another form, which is handy for throwing your opponent off balance. Switching forms in the midst of a duel isn’t easy. Even I have difficulty doing it. Knowing when to do it, and what form to switch to, takes years of training and experience. When you see two Champions doing it, it seems as easy as dancing. In fact, it is a dance. I wanted you to focus on Treeform because it is our base form. It can transition into most others effectively. This is why Treeform, along with a few others, are called transitional forms.”

  “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 was 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.