A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1)

by Nathan Grafton

  Skorri shrugged Warren’s hand off and said, “You don’t know anything.”

  The giant fell into a brooding silence and Warren watched as Alden and Elise danced. He had never seen it and the teen assumed it was a dance that the common people practiced. The movements seemed confusing as people switched partners and spun around and through each other but it always ended with Alden by Elise. Even after drinking three mugs of ale in quick succession the thinner teen possessed a rhythm that Warren knew he couldn’t match sober.

  Warren studied the movements and felt a brief wisp of anger as Alden said something and Elise laughed. The large boy shook it off and let his dark grey eyes wonder the room, studying the others’ movements. He felt out of place but Alden in his t shirt and denim jeans, while dressed finer and cleaner then everyone else in the room still seemed to blend in with the others. Elise always stood out with her long blonde hair that seemed rare amongst the brown and black haired women in the room.

  Warren finished his second mug by the end of the dance and after the third he determined that he would learn the country dances. Although when he tried he tripped over his own feet and caused a large amount of chaos. The young man reddened as the crowd laughed but then a pair of hands latched onto his shoulders and lifted him back up. The hands belonged to a man in a worn white shirt and worn black pants. A woman dusted his shirt off and then several others, Alden and Elise included, walked him through the movements at a slower pace.

  Eventually, the young man found the music and managed to keep up with the others, although he was clumsier and less sure footed then anyone else. Skorri found his place amongst the the dancers and laughed loudly at his own failed attempts at grace. It didn’t take long for the patrons to simply accept the two giants as friendly ones. The night began to blur together and from what Warren could remember of it, it was a happy night.

  Chapter 15 Change In Pace

  Alden woke up the next morning with his skull pounding. The young man groaned as he sat up and tossed Warren’s uniform onto his bed, “Get up. Gotta get up to the wall.”

  The sound of his own voice made Alden’s head throb painfully and Warren grunted, “Okay, just keep it down.”

  Alden sat up and changed into his uniform at half his usual speed as Warren struggled out of bed and did the same. The smaller of the pair rose to his feet and leaned against the wall as his head swam. Today was going to be hell.

  Warren’s face took on a nauseated look as he stood and Alden would’ve laughed if he hadn’t felt the same way. Alden managed to move towards the door and open it, letting the pair out. The duo staggered and stumbled their way to the top of the Wall and made it on time, barely.

  Skorri seemed to be in better shape then Alden or Warren while John seemed worse. Enzo scowled at them and just looked miserable while Elise seemed grumpier then normal but in better spirits then any of the others.

  Malcolm’s voice bellowed out over them, “Did you enjoy your day off?”

  Alden and his hungover friends winced at the loud voice and Malcolm laughed, “Maybe you’ll learn something from this, maybe you won’t. But today your training gets harder.”

  Malcolm noted Alden’s freshly bruised face and his voice dropped off. He let out a breath and shouted, “Flint! What the heck happened to you this time and don’t just shrug at me!?”

  Alden winced as he was singled out but managed to slur, “Got into a fight in town.”

  The Sergeant glared down at him until Alden explained, “I saw some thugs chase a woman down a dead end alley where Low Town and the Market come together. I followed them and they had her trapped and pinned against the wall. I took care of them and she went home. Warren was there.”

  Malcolm swung his gaze over to Alden’s partner and the large youth sighed and said, “I was with Elise and Enzo and we were at the edge of the Market. I saw Alden rush down an alley so I went to see what was happening. One of the thugs had Alden pinned down beating him so I removed the problem. The woman took off before we had a chance to talk to her.”

  The Sergeant studied the pair for a moment longer before turning to the twins, “That true?”

  The twins both replied crisply, “Yes.”

  Malcolm frowned and shook his head with a sigh, “Flint, quit picking fights you can’t win. That’s all I have to say. Now, onto your new training.”

  The Sergeant opened a cupboard that had been brought up sometime since the group had been there last. Inside was a pile of full body harnesses laden down with heavy weights.

  Their trainer turned back to face them and said, “Two things have changed. First, you won’t be running to the flag pole. You’ll be heading past it to the first tower beyond it. An extra quarter mile. Second, you will be wearing these harnesses as you do it. We don’t have armor for you yet and won’t until after your First Trial. But the weights on these harnesses have been designed to simulate what wearing a full suit of armor would be like. Get suited up and move to the starting point.”

  Alden pulled one of the harnesses on, every motion making his head thump. Still, the night before had been fun and he would repeat it again given the chance. The harness weighed on him and he could tell that this run wasn’t going to be easy. Warren and Skorri seemed to be the only ones not bothered by the weight strapped to them. It actually made sense given that the two of them were giants.

  The group moved to the start of their run and as soon as Malcolm gave the word they were off. Alden could feel the burn in his legs and chest and arms within the first few hundred feet but he kept moving. He was strong and he forced himself to stay ahead of Blackfeather, letting his anger fuel his movements.

  Warren and Skorri moved out ahead of the others, the weight didn’t bother them as much but as they hit the one mile mark Warren started to drop behind Skorri and Alden caught up to him as they reached a mile and a quarter. The husky boy was breathing hard and he was coated in sweat but Alden wasn’t in much better shape. The pair ran side by side the rest of the way back and they dropped the harnesses with relief.

  Alden fell to a sitting position with his back to the wall as Warren tossed both harnesses back into the cupboard. The giant fell into his spot beside his partner and the pair sat there as the rest of the group caught up. Alden felt like it was the first day all over again, although Warren was in much better shape then he had been before.

  The young man looked over at his partner and smirked. Warren hadn’t noticed but his uniforms had been modified to fit his frame. Whoever had done it was an excellent tailor and Alden had barely noticed the seam marked in the side of the large teen’s uniform.

  The smaller teen snapped back to reality as Malcolm cleared his throat, “You’ll get used to the weight in time. Now go get breakfast and then report back here. There are some other changes to your training routine. Flint, stick around, I have a few questions.”

  Alden grunted in acknowledgment as the others struggled back to their feet and made their way down the stairs. The young man climbed to his feet and walked over to the Sergeant who sighed and said, “Flint, the first time you got attacked. I need to know who it was.”

  Alden furrowed his brow, “Sir, I thought this issue was resolved.”

  Malcolm closed his eyes and said, “I thought so to. But it might be connected to something else. So who attacked you?’

  The young man studied the Sergeant for a minute before he replied, “Blackfeather. But I don’t see what it could be connected to.”

  The Sergeant waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, “I doubt it is. But thank you. I understand you want to handle the situation on your own so I will let you unless things get….extreme. Unless there’s anything else, you are dismissed.”

  Alden bowed his head, “Thank you. And I won’t let things go too far.”

  Malcolm waved his hand in acknowledgment as Alden turned to leave. The Sergean
t seemed worried about something but the young man had no idea what it was.

  Chapter 16 A Knight's Way

  Warren stood on the first landing of the stairs as he waited for Alden to come through. His head throbbed with pain from the cheap ale. He wasn’t going to be doing that again anytime soon. The young man looked up as he heard steps coming down and Alden came into view.

  Warren failed to hide a grimace as he asked, “What was that about?”

  Alden answered absently, “Just some advice about usin’ my face as a weapon. Let’s grab breakfast. I’m starvin’ and it might help this pounding in my skull.”

  Warren grunted in response and the pair made their way down to breakfast which was a silent affair that morning. Skorri was the only one in a decent mood but he just sat there and smirked at his friends suffering. Warren was happy to return the look with a heated glare.

  Alden was right though and breakfast, especially some coffee, helped to douse the hangover Warren was dealing with. His head still throbbed but it wasn’t as painful as it had been when he first woke up. After breakfast the duo made their way back up to the wall where Malcolm and four other Knights were waiting for them.

  The Sergeant smiled, “Good of you to join us. Now, given the number of times that young Alden here has decided to have his face rearranged I think it’s time for all of you to learn how to defend yourselves. You will each be trained under different instructors. This makes sure that each pair has as much one on one time with an instructor and that you each receive the best training possible.”

  The Sergeant picked up a few pages and handed them to his fellow Knights and kept one for himself. Each Knight began to call out names. The twins went to the Knight farthest from Warren on his left. Skorri and John were immediately to his left but the large teen couldn’t hear what the Knight said to them. Alden and Warren were assigned to Malcolm while Reginald and Hawkes were called over by the Knight to Warren’s right.

  The large boy heard the Knight Reginald had gone to state his name as Solace but then Malcolm started to speak, “I chose to train you two personally. The reason is, partially, because Alden can’t keep his head out of the way of people’s fists. The real reason is because you two have a lot of potential and I want to make sure that it is brought out to its fullest. Now before you two have your heads inflate too much from that we’ll head downstairs and I’ll knock you back down to size.”

  The Sergeant led them off the Wall and down into the sub-levels again where the mess hall and cafeteria were and then down another level to a collection of arena-like rooms. Malcolm spoke once they entered one of the rooms, “Most of the others will be focused on combat skills and we will be as well for the first few weeks. You will attend regular classes after lunch and then return here for the few hours before dinner. For now I will teach you how to duck or block. You should find those very useful, Flint. Once I think you’re getting the hang of things I will start teaching you some other skills the other Knights don’t teach. Tracking, herb lore, you’ll work with bestiaries some and a few other things. You are now directly my trainees and I want the two of you to act like it. Anything you do from now on reflects back on me. Understood?”

  Alden and Warren both bowed their head in acknowledgment and Malcolm smiled, “Good, now we can get started. Before you learn how to use a weapon you need to learn how to use your body as a weapon. Square up and come at me. I want to see what you can do.”

  Warren’s eyebrows went up and he stuttered out, “W-what?”

  Alden lunged forward though, his right fist coming around in a wide hook. Malcolm caught the blow with one hand and swung his arm up, palm open, into Alden’s chest tossing him backwards.

  The Sergeant shook his head, “I expected as much. Flint, you need to think more. Faulkner, you need to think less. Now, I want you to attack me.”

  Alden climbed back onto his feet and circled off to the Sergeant’s right. Warren decided they should work together since they were outclassed and circled to his left. The Sergeant backed up as the duo moved away from each other so he could keep them in view and he smiled, “Good, always use the fact that there are two of you.”

  Warren started marching forward as Alden did the same, making Malcolm back up further and further. The Sergeant lunged towards Warren and the big boy tried to jump backwards but wasn’t fast enough as Malcolm’s palm smacked into the big man’s stomach and knocked the air out of him. A second blow sent Warren to the ground. The large teen heard a muffled thump as Alden hit the sand nearby and he heard a growl of frustration from the smaller man.

  The Sergeant stepped back again, “While you have the advantage of numbers it’ll only work if you can get to your partner fast enough to help them if they need it. Try again. There’s this thing called talking that might help with strategy.”

  Warren rolled back to a sitting position, the throbbing in his head renewed but he ignored it. The large teen managed to groan, “You have any ideas?”

  Alden cracked his knuckles as his green eyes glared at the Sergeant, “I reckon if we both rush him one of us might get an openin’.”

  Warren grunted “I doubt that works but we can try it. I don’t have a better idea.”

  The two climbed back onto their feet and charged forward. Warren threw a fist at the Sergeant’s skull as Alden kicked at his knee. Warren watched in awe as the Sergeant twisted out of the way of both attacks and continued his spin, sweeping Warren’s legs out from under him with a kick and then stepping forward to grab Alden’s arm and toss him onto the sand again. The Sergeant moved back out of the way and shook his head, “A frontal assault will work sometimes. If you’re not light years behind your opponent in terms of skill. Try again.”

  Once again Warren levered himself upright as Alden spit sand out of his mouth. The big boy grumbled, “He’s faster then us and stronger. We can’t beat him head on and if we wait he’ll come after us.”

  Alden scowled, “He’s playin’ with us. Wants to know how clever we can be. Let’s force him to attack first, and counter. He’s not makin’ a mistake defendin’, maybe he’ll make one attackin’.”

  Warren nodded his head, “That’s sort of what I was thinking.”

  The pair rose to their feet and moved to stand within a foot of each other and the Sergeant. The Sergeant stepped and they stepped in. He smirked as they moved and nodded, “Decided to force my hand. I won’t make you wait.”

  Malcolm stepped towards Warren only to pivot and hit Alden with a backhand as he moved to help his partner. Warren rushed in and managed to duck Malcolm’s first punch but felt his feet lift off the ground as Sergeant Hunter grabbed him and tossed the large boy backwards.

  The Sergeant stepped back and the pair struggled back to their feet again. Warren grunted, “Well, that could have gone worse.”

  Alden snorted, “Fight dirty. We’re gonna hit this guy one way or another.”

  Warren shook his head, “No, we need more then that. Remember what he said. You need to think more.”

  “You need to think less. Let’s go,” Alden snapped in response.

  Warren sighed as Alden stepped towards the Sergeant and kicked the ground sending sand flying through the air towards the Sergeant. Malcolm lunged in and knocked Alden down before the young man knew what was happening. Warren didn’t have a chance to respond because he had already been knocked down by Alden’s falling form.

  Malcolm chuckled, “I was waiting for dirty fighting. I think it’s time you two start being taught how to fight. First off, open up with a sudden fast attack. Not a big swing. The first punch in a fight often decides the winner.”

  The rest of the morning passed with Malcolm running the pair through different punches, kicks and throws that were quick enough to catch an opponent off guard. He explained how to use them and had them practice on each other. The pair sparred back and forth across the sandy a
rena until lunch arrived and they went back up to the cafeteria sporting fresh bruises and pounding headaches. But they had learned.

  Chapter 17 Edge Of A Cliff

  Alden woke up the following Sunday and almost groaned from all of his bruises but at this point he was used to it. Malcolm wasn’t gentle with them but he knew what he was doing and the pair were learning a lot from the Knight Sergeant. Sundays had been given to them as a day to relax and rest since their training had taken on a new intensity. The young man rolled out of bed and onto his feet. He dressed quickly in his jeans and shirt instead of the pale gray uniform he wore day in and day out. The duster was pulled off of his bed post and he pulled it on around his shoulders before jotting a quick note for Warren: Warren, I didn’t want to wake you so meet me at The Oak for lunch. -Alden.

  The Market was bustling with people as Alden weaved his way through the town, a breeze pulled at his coat and sent a chill across the young man’s neck. Summer was coming to a close and the final round of harvest would be coming in during the next month and a half. Alden didn’t look forward to winter, he hated the cold and the snow and the wind. Especially the wind. The green eyed teen let himself wonder about his family for a moment before he let himself smile. His father would simply accept the fact that he wasn’t there and move on. Jess and his mother would be worried about him but the extra money he was sending them would solve the problem a short harvest could present.

  Alden drifted with no real goal in mind until he saw a crowd gathering nearby. The young man weaved his way over to it and slipped through the people. In the center of the crowded ring was a man pinned to the ground, his arm twisted behind his back and Elise holding him down. Enzo stood nearby with his arms crossed and the blonde man sighed, “You really should apologize to her. It’ll make your life easier.”