The Apprentice In The Master’s Shadow

by Ian Gregoire

  Remaining in the saddle, she reached back for one of her burlap sacks to pull out her map. Going to Azderan would take her away from where she wanted to go, but if it meant having a roof over her head for the night, a hot meal and something to drink, it would be worth the time lost; there was no way she was prepared to spend a night outdoors in unfamiliar surroundings if she didn’t have to. Unfurling the map, Kayden quickly pinpointed Nagornorak then began searching for Azderan. No such place was shown on the scroll, meaning Azderan was neither large enough or important enough to warrant being marked on the map she had swiped from the library back at Antaris. In all likelihood it was a small town, at best, or maybe a large village, at worst. Not that it mattered. Azderan was where she she would be spending the night, so she rolled up the map and tucked it away in her burlap sack before recovering the reins of her horse, urging him along the trail heading east.

  The rainfall had ceased completely by the time the muddy trail entered a woodland replete with ash trees. Kayden estimated she was less than a mile away from Azderan so it wouldn’t be long before she arrived. Her thoughts drifted back to Antaris campus as she kept a vigilant eye on her surroundings. Fay would discover, sooner or later, that her apprentice lied about where she was going—that was inevitable—but Kayden hoped it would be later rather than sooner. She couldn’t be absolutely sure how her master would react to the discovery, though Fay was certain to be displeased with the deception.

  Kayden’s ruminations came to an end and she tugged on the reins, bringing her black gelding to a stop. She spotted something laid out in the middle of the muddy trail, several yards ahead of her. Despite the gloom and poor visibility, Kayden knew with certainty it was a body.

  Like I’m going to fall for that! she thought to herself, frowning. Such an obvious and poorly laid ambush would never ensnare her. She wasn’t about to dash forward like a dim-witted goody-two-shoes, only to be jumped on by some grubby bandits lurking in a ditch at the side of the road. To confirm her suspicions, Kayden decided to use a newly-acquired ability that Fay had begun teaching her during the previous campus holiday: casting out her senses. Though she didn’t yet have full mastery of this application of Zarantar, her present know-how was more than sufficient to detect any would-be ambushers. She was presently able to pinpoint and distinguish between the presence of animal and human, and with more training she would eventually be able to discern between man and woman, adult and child and, possibly, between those who wielded Zarantar and those who did not.

  She quickly determined that in addition to the man feigning injury or death on the path ahead of her, there were seven further people hiding in the trees skirting the trail. Four of them were lying in wait on the right-hand side of the muddy path, while the other three were on the left.

  All right then! she thought. Let’s get this over and done with.

  Digging her heels gently into Onyx’s flanks, Kayden urged him forward at a trot towards the prone body. She halted a dozen strides from the unmoving obstacle, then waited. In spite of herself she smirked beneath the hood of her cloak; her anticipation was growing at the prospect of having some fun at the expense of the eight unfortunate bandits. Since crossing the border into Anzarmenia she hadn’t had any real fun, now it was time for a little excitement.

  As she sat stock-still in the saddle, Kayden was content to wait for her would-be assailants to make the first move. It wouldn’t take them too long to realise she had no intention of dismounting in order to help the person laid out on the muddy trail before her.

  Finally, the body began to stir.

  The grubby-looking weasel of a man was clearly not amused when he sat upright then clambered to his feet. It was impossible to know how long he had been lying there, but his clothing was muddied all down his right side.

  “Not very charitable of you,” he began brusquely, “to just sit there while a man is dying in the road on a miserable, wet day.”

  The caustic quip Kayden wanted to deliver at his expense stalled on the tip of her tongue. The seven accomplices, whose presence she had detected moments earlier, emerged from their hiding places on either side of the trail. The motley band were well armed, each brandishing a sword, yet they weren’t at all intimidating. A quick assessment of the seven newcomers told Kayden that only one could handle his weapon with any proficiency and, based on appearance, it was this tall, rugged man with dark brown hair down to his ears, and two weeks worth of stubble embellishing his square jaw, who was the ringleader. But she didn’t think much of him as a tactician: he and his accomplices were simply standing in a line a dozen yards ahead of her horse. They made no effort to cut off her retreat back the way she’d come—not that she had any intention of turning tail—and they had taken no precautions to prevent her from trampling them beneath the hooves of her mount if she decided to urge Onyx into a gallop.

  It was obvious these clowns were amateurs hoping to find a soft target who would hand over a purse full of coin without putting up a fight. Banditry was no doubt their idea of making an honest living. Well, their luck had just run out. Kayden was now resolved to teaching the reprobates that crime doesn’t pay.

  “Well? Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, stranger?” From his tone of voice the muddied bandit was not at all amused at being the one to lie down in the mud, waiting for a traveller to wander into the ambush.

  Kayden didn’t reply; she was still contemplating how best to take care of the situation. Employing Zarantar would allow her to wipe the floor with the eight-strong group of bandits in a matter of seconds. But that would be too quick, too easy… too boring. She wanted to humiliate these men, and have some fun at their expense while she did it.

  “Take everything he’s got.” The order confirmed Kayden’s conjecture about the identity of the group’s leader. He spoke with the self-assured authority of someone accustomed to issuing orders and being obeyed. “Including the clothes off his back… for leaving Trevnik lying in the mud.”

  A couple of the bandits chuckled.

  “Hey, Drazanik, let me slit this mute dickhead’s throat,” pleaded the muddied bandit. “If I had really been dying on the ground he would have just left me there.” Without waiting for a response he advanced forward with two of his cohorts to accost Kayden.

  Pulling the hood of her cloak back, Kayden glared at Trevnik. She did not appreciate being mistaken for a man. Revealing her gender immediately caused the three approaching men to halt in their tracks, while a chorus of hissing like gasps emanated from the rest of the group.

  “Well, fuck me sideways!” exclaimed the young lanky bandit with the thin moustache standing beside the ringleader. “Drazanik, it’s a woman!”

  “Not just any woman, Kranit,” intoned Drazanik. “Look at those eyes. She’s from one of the lands of Vaidasovia.”

  The appraising gaze of the ringleader would have unnerved Kayden if she were defenceless. She knew right away what Drazanik was thinking, and she’d die before she allowed that to happen.

  “Well it seems like we lucked out, after all, gentleman,” interjected Trevnik. “I’ve never had a Vaidasovian woman before, but if even half the things people say about them are true, we’re in for a treat.”

  Kayden silently looked on, bemused, while the bandit group proceeded to natter away about all the vulgar things they planned to do to her—as if forgetting that she was sitting within earshot of them. Presumably they didn’t realise she could speak fluent Anzarmenian.

  “Don’t start whipping your dicks out just yet,” said Drazanik, finally tearing his lascivious gaze away from Kayden. “I won’t be sharing this one with any of you. In fact, I won’t be handing her over to Kazdaranian as tribute… at least, not until long after I’ve thoroughly worn her out.”

  “Hey! I’m sitting right here!” barked Kayden. “I can hear and understand every word you’re saying.”

  “Even better,” sneered the muddy Trevnik. “You’ll have no difficulty understanding when you’re told to get
down on your knees and open your mouth.”

  With a flourish, Kayden swiftly dismounted Onyx and nonchalantly took a couple of steps towards her would-be assailants. “Any man here who wants me to get down on my knees,” she intoned, “please step forward and make me.” The challenge was thrown down. Now it was time to have a little fun.

  “A feisty one,” mused Drazanik, looking rather pleased. “Tarnat, get her horse. The rest of you, tie her up, gag her then stash her away at my place. I’m going to go make an appearance with the others, let His Lordship know we haven’t had any luck all day on account of the bad weather.” He was about to depart, but halted as though remembering something important. “And don’t get any ideas about soiling the goods behind my back,” he all but growled, threateningly. “I’ll be paying her a visit tonight, and I will know if any of you worthless layabouts have been poking her.”

  The tall, fat, bald bandit sheathed his sword into the scabbard at his left hip then ambled towards Kayden. It was safe to assume he was Tarnat, obeying the order to steal her horse. She couldn’t help but think how much more intimidating he would be if he didn’t look quite so dim-witted. Her late mother would have said about him, ‘The candles in the windows are lit, but nobody is home.’ Kayden pointed a finger at him. “Hold it right there, you big lump.” Her tone brooked no dissent. “If you attempt to take what’s mine, it will be the last thing you ever do.” Tarnat stopped in his tracks looking confused about which order to obey. “As for you,” said Kayden, addressing Drazanik, “I wouldn’t go wandering off right now; you’ll miss all the fun.”

  A half-smile slowly curled Drazanik’s lips as he folded his arms across his chest. “Gentlemen,” he said, his amusement evident in his tone. “I believe I asked you to transport my goods elsewhere for safekeeping.”

  The sound of a blade being returned to its scabbard drew Kayden’s eyes away from the leader of the motley group back to Trevnik. “Oh, everyone just stand back,” he said with an irritated sigh. “Let me slap this bitch around a little to make her nice and compliant—the way a woman should be.”

  Kayden smirked as Trevnik approached. She was going to enjoy making him eat his words. He stopped in front of her and immediately attempted to backhand her across the face. In an instant Kayden caught hold of his limb and had him in a painful armlock, forcing him down onto his knees with his arm twisted high above his head. The anguished yelps that escaped his mouth prompted her to say, mockingly, “You should learn to keep a respectful tongue in your mouth.”

  “You’re breaking my arm, you stupid whore,” squealed the hapless bandit.

  With a shake of the head Kayden sighed before leveraging her armlock to force Trevnik face down on the ground. For good measure, she decided to punish him further for calling her stupid, not to mention a whore, by stepping on the back of his head, forcing his face into the mud. She released his arm than glared at his fellow bandits, holding her arms out to the side in challenge. “Does anyone else here think he is man enough to slap this bitch around a little, to make her nice and compliant… the way a woman should be?”

  There was a brief chorus of laughter from some of the group, but it was noticeably half-hearted. Kayden had demonstrated in no uncertain terms that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. The bandits wouldn’t be taking her quite so lightly now.

  “What are you waiting for, gentlemen?” said Drazanik, his half-smile now a full one. “Are you going to let her get away with questioning your manhood?”

  The three youngest looking men of the group were pushed forward reluctantly by two of the more senior looking bandits. Each of the three sheathed their blades and began to amble uncertainly towards their black-clad quarry. They only halted when Trevnik rose from the muddy ground in front of Kayden, his face completely covered in a thick layer of mud.

  Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Trevnik drew one of the daggers strapped to his chest. “You fucking whore,” he snarled. “I’m going to cut off your tits and feed them to you.”

  In the blink of an eye Kayden kicked out with her right leg, knocking the blade from his grasp, followed instantly by a spinning roundhouse kick that sent her left foot hurtling high into his face. The impact made a loud smack and Trevnik keeled over backward like a tree felled by a woodcutter. He didn’t get back up; he was out cold.

  An enthusiastic round of applause drew Kayden’s attention back to the group’s ringleader, Drazanik. It was somewhat disturbing that he looked aroused by what he had just seen. “Well, well, well,” he drawled. “Look who just became a whole lot more alluring. I love it when a woman fights back. I’m going to enjoy breaking you in.”

  Kayden scowled at him. She was disgusted by the certain knowledge of the kind of man he was. It was clear his behaviour wasn’t just bravado; he had acted upon such threats in the past. Now she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face once she had finished wiping the floor with the rest of his companions first. She darted towards the three young bandits ahead of her, and within seconds a flurry of kicks and punches had the trio writhing on the ground in agony.

  Ignoring the hulking Tarnat, she stepped past the bald giant and advanced on the two remaining bandits standing near Drazanik.

  “What’s the matter with you, Tarnat?” yelled the portly, bearded one of the duo. “Grab her! Quickly!”

  Kayden stopped in her tracks and spun around to wave a finger at Tarnat. “My warning about touching my horse also applies to laying a hand on me.” He held his ground, unmoving, so Kayden resumed her approach towards Drazanik’s last two lackeys. They looked alarmed as they raised the swords in their grasps, but they charged wildly towards her nonetheless.

  “Hey! I want her alive!” shouted Drazanik.

  In one fluid motion Kayden drew her sword from behind her back and ducked low as she darted in between the pair, slashing the upper right thigh of the clean-shaven bandit on the right then spinning round swiftly to slash the back of the bearded bandit’s upper left thigh.

  She slowly stood upright once more as the pair fell to the ground clutching at their injuries. Glaring down at the whimpering duo, she pointed her bloodied blade at them, daring either one to stand up and resume hostilities.

  “Please don’t kill us!” pleaded the bearded bandit. “We didn’t mean you any harm. We weren’t really going to take turns fucking you.”

  “Fortunately for you, neither one of you represents a threat to me so I can’t justify killing you, though I don’t doubt for a moment you probably deserve it.”

  Returning her attention to Drazanik, who looked considerably less amused by the situation, Kayden scowled and ambled slowly towards the miscreant, gripping her two-handed sword tightly.

  “You should put that blade away, little lady.” The timbre of his voice was threatening. “You might cut yourself.” Slowly his right hand moved to the hilt of the sword sheathed in the scabbard at his left hip.

  Kayden continued to advance, hoping Drazanik would draw his weapon. Go on! Give me the excuse I need to spill your blood.

  “I should warn you,” he said as he drew his blade with a flourish, “I’m not like these useless layabouts rolling around in the mud like pigs. I served in the Royal Guard for thirteen years. I fought at the battle of Fazaravan. I have over a hundred kills to my name.”

  Lurching forward on the offensive, Kayden ignored the needless boasting, determined to defeat her opponent without resorting to the use of Zarantar.

  It was quickly apparent that Drazanik’s claims weren’t baseless. He wielded his one-handed, double-edged blade expertly, forcing Kayden on to the back-foot. With every stroke she parried, she regretted her intransigence just a little more. Drazanik was much stronger than she was, and the heavy strokes of his longer blade jarred her arms painfully. But she was able to hold her own, and as long as that remained the case she wouldn’t bring the duel to an end with her Zarantar.

  There was a brief lull in the encounter as the two combatants circled each other warily. “
Surrender now,” demanded Drazanik, sounding slightly out of breath. “It would be a terrible shame if you forced me to kill you. I have another weapon I’d rather sink into your tender flesh. And you’d enjoy it a lot more too… I promise.”

  Pursing her lips, glaring at her depraved adversary, Kayden decided to change tack. She would have to break up her rhythm to make it much harder for Drazanik to anticipate her attacks and move in step with her movements. If possible she would also take advantage of the fact he didn’t want to kill her if it could be avoided.

  Kayden began to dance on the tips of her toes, moving back and forth, taking extra care not to slip in the mud. She didn’t tear her eyes away from the eyes of her enemy who looked bemused by her movements. Without warning she feinted one way then moved the other slashing at Drazanik’s side. He just about parried the stroke then attempted to counter. Kayden danced out of the way before using the flat of her blade to slap him on the behind.

  “Someone has been a very naughty boy, and needs to be spanked,” she teased, pointing her blade at her opponent. It was time to rattle Drazanik’s cage. Time to get him flustered enough to lose his concentration. Once he made a mistake, she would disarm him and make him beg for his life in front of his lackeys.

  The irritation marring Drazanik’s face was quickly replaced by an insincere smile. “Aren’t you full of surprises,” he drawled. “Like to play kinky games do you? It must be my lucky day. You and I are going to have some fun times together. Just lay down your weapon and the sooner we can get to it.”

  Feigning to charge forward on the offensive once again, Kayden’s sudden movement caused Drazanik to flinch and take a step backward. She chuckled. “Oh my, aren’t you a jumpy one. I’m beginning to suspect you couldn’t handle being with a real woman like me. I think you’re all talk and no follow through.”