"I would love to hear how you impressed my husband." She sat down next to Raven with a bowl of her own.
"Your husband?" Raven asked, surprised.
Skyler smiled, "He failed to mention he married me huh? Sounds like him. Well, my husband is the gate keeper of the eastern gate. He should be getting off work soon and will most likely come to eat here. Some days he cheats and has something from another eatery, but knowing your group was coming here he most likely will appear soon."
Raven grinned and quickly explained about her demonstration of her knife throwing at the gate. Skyler was laughing right along with Raven.
"I can understand how he was impressed. I am only a level three, so for him to witness what you did was a treat. He recognized your skill right away. Also it is not everyday that his boss gets caught off guard. I bet you made his day." Skyler was smiling broadly.
"It did make my day, darling." Xavier commented as he leaned in and kiss Skyler on the cheek. He sat down and looked around. "Of course there were other reasons why I suggested you come here." He reached out and touched Stain's hand.
Stain startled slightly, "You reveal much about yourself sir. And in a climate that I understand is dangerous to do so."
Xavier smiled and nodded, "I see you have already talked to someone of knowledge. Good, I wanted to say something but being where we were I was bound to say nothing." He motioned to one of the serving people. "The boar please? And some more bread."
Stain looked at Xavier, "How do you recognize me sir?"
Xavier grinned and shook his head, "It is not hard for one such as me. A gift if you will. Do not worry, most would be at a loss to even guess. Your healing skill holds up well. I hope, for your sake, that you are as skilled as you seem."
Stain smiled, "But of course. I am a master healer and herbalist."
Xavier nodded. "Good. Then you have no worries." He turned to Raven, "Shall I get to see you perform once more today?"
Raven shrugged, "That would depend on my master. He would have to grant me permission."
Stain laughed, "I think it would be fun to watch. What kind of competition is there?"
Skyler smiled, "None over a fourth rank, not to the best of my knowledge. I can not enter, as I offered part of the prize."
Stain grinned, "Then let us see how well our Raven can do in this competition of skill."
Xavier nodded, "I will go enter her name while you all finish. My food will not be ready till after the competition They cook mine fresh for some reason." He stood and kissed Skyler on the cheek again. As he left Skyler stood also.
"I have a few things to do myself, but I will watch you win. I think it will be quite a treat." She walked off.
"I guess we have a little time before the contest. Shall we finish our meal and then see who all Raven will be beating?" Tulip grinned as she grabbed a fresh roll.
***
Xavier reappeared. "Well, I have entered you in the contest. While you have a little more time, I would hurry. That way you might evaluate your competition better." He sat down and Skyler brought food to the table for him to eat.
"He is most likely correct. It would be wise to see who all is entering and who is watching." Skyler sat down, holding a glass of juice. "We will be there shortly, as soon as my husband here finishes his food." She smiled as Xavier started eating a tad faster.
Raven smiled, "Very well. I am done eating so I guess I will go look." She stood up and looked around.
I grinned as the rest of us stood and piled our bowls together for the workers. Within a few moments we were ready to leave.
Stain smiled, "Shall we go watch Raven win a nice prize?"
Skyler grinned, "It is a nice prize, just do not beat them too handedly. Their egos might get hurt at a woman beating them." Xavier chuckled.
Raven nodded, "I will do my best." She put her arm through mine as we left the Wounded Gull.
"From the sound of it we need to head this direction." Stain turned up the path, headed towards what sounded like a large crowd.
Soon we entered a large space full of people. At one end a large cleared area was dotted with targets. Various people stood, evidently competitors, waiting for the competition to start.
"I guess I should join them?" Raven motioned towards the cleared area.
Stain agreed, "I believe you will need to sign in at that table." He was pointing at a table being manned by a older gentleman. "Good luck my dear." Stain hugged her.
Raven blushed and turned to me. "Be careful." She whispered in my ear as she hugged me.
I squeezed her tightly, "You too. Have fun!" I let her go and she grinned as she tucked an errant hair over her ear.
She moved away towards the table as we tried to find a good location to watch the event. Amelia pointed out a wall that we could sit upon. It seemed sturdy enough to allow us to perch safely. We arranged ourselves just in time.
"Welcome to our contest tonight!" The older gentleman was calling out loudly. "We, the merchants here, have decided to host a series of games and competitions for our fellow residents of this fine town!" This was met with a cheer from the crowd. "Tonight we are hosting a friendly competition that will pit young and old, trained and wild, professional and novice. A knife handling competition!" More cheers from the crowd. The gentleman waved for quiet. "First some rules for you, the audience No cheering, yelling, throwing objects, or other things that might distract the competitors. They are handling deadly weapons. Second, if you get unruly the local guards will arrest you. So, enjoy the show responsibly. Now as to what our fine competitors will be facing. First, a basic throwing challenge. Who can hit the target with the most accurate strike from a dozen paces. In the event of a tie, the distance will double. The second challenge will be a knife juggling test. How many knives might a person juggle before losing one? The most knives wins. Finally, our competitors will demonstrate their prowess in hitting a series of moving targets, twenty of them in fact. Whoever hits all twenty wins. If there is a tie then the most accurate one wins." He turned and picked up a paper. "Now, what is a competition without prizes. We have a few things. The first thing listed here is a free knife of the winners choice from Charle's Weapons. Second, we have a week of free meals at the Wounded Gull. The third prize is a grab bag of healing herbs from The Dirty Hand. Fourth on the list is a pair of custom books from Peek's Tannery. And finally we have a purse of gold. This is a winner take all event. Shall we begin?" The audience cheered as the gentleman turned to the group of competitors. "Let's have our first throw!"
One after another, each person stepped to a line and threw three knives at a target. The knife that landed closest to the center of the target was scored. Some people threw quite close, while others barely hit the target. Finally, Raven stepped forward. She was the last and youngest looking competitor. The audience cheered and comments rose from the crowd, some encouraging while others remarked on her being a woman. After a moment the gentleman in charge called for silence and Raven took aim. She whipped her hand forward and her first knife drove deep into the target, near the edge of the target. The crowd jeered her throw. Again the gentleman waved for silence. I could see the smirk on Raven's face, she was playing with the audience. Again a knife flew, again it struck close to the edge but opposite of the first knife. The crowd jeered even louder. It took a bit more time for the noise to die down. Raven threw the third knife. It slammed deep into the target with a deafening thud, dead center in the target. The three knives lined up in a straight line across the target. The crowd was silent for a moment as they realized that Raven had teased them. Then the roar leapt from their throats. They loved her in that moment. The other contestants shook their heads, some seeming to be realizing Raven's skill.
"We have a winner in our first event!" The older gentleman called out. He had scored Raven's throw, it was a perfect throw. "Raven D'Cloud Lightfoot has won our first event!" Cheers rang out. I could hear some of the people near us asking if anyone knew Raven. "Now onto our next eve
nt. Juggling. For this event we are providing unsharpened practice knives to the competitors. This is to keep as many people safe as possible." He turned to his assistants, who carried out a chest of knives. "This will be an endurance test. Each person will start with three knives, as time goes on more knives will be used until only one juggler is left. Please, everyone step forward and take three knives."
Each competitor took three knives and stood on a line drawn along the cleared area. Twelve people lined up, prepared to juggle.
"When I say go you will begin to juggle these knives. The rules are simple. Drop one and you lose. Last one juggling wins." The gentleman stepped back, allowing the competitors to have the cleared area to themselves. "Start juggling!" He cried out.
The twelve competitors started gently tossing the knives into the air, each taking care not to drop a knife. They juggled the knives for a few moments before the assistants started handing each person another blade. Now they juggled four knives. A few people dropped the new blade, leaving ten competitors. A few more moments went by and another knife was added. Nobody dropped a knife. Another knife was added to their rotation. Again none dropped a knife. This continued until they juggled nine knives. This was just too many for a few more competitors, they dropped knives to the groans of their supporters. This left four jugglers, including Raven. Everyone was starting to sweat from the strain of keeping nine knives in the air. Another knife was added to the group and another competitor dropped out. Three were all that were left. Raven, a large, bearded giant of a man, and a short man wearing exotic robes. Another knife was added and the three kept going. This continued until fourteen knives rose from each competitors hands. The blades flashed and spun in the air. The audience waited with baited breath for a blade to fall, to hear that clatter of metal striking stone, yet they kept going. Another knife added and the giant man struggled until a blade suddenly struck another, sending it flying out into the crowd. The anger on his face was clear for all to see as he stepped back and simply allowed the rest of the blades to fall to the stone making a deafening clatter. Luckily the errant blade missed hurting anyone, simply bouncing across the stones. The short man and Raven both continued as the assistants picked up the loose blades.
"Well, we seem to have a stalemate." The gentleman called out as the blades continued to flash through the air. His assistants handed both competitors another blade, both continued. "I do believe that we have two amazing jugglers here, they might just keep going all night." Another blade added, none dropped. The gentleman was getting nervous, most likely worried about something happening. Another blade was added, once more they all flew through the air safely. I could see that Raven was struggling, she could keep going but she was growing tired. I smiled broadly as she looked at me, a question in her eyes. I nodded and grinned even more broadly. She smiled gently and then started tossing her knives higher, until they all were far above her head. She stepped backwards and let them plummet to the ground. They slammed, one at a time into the table until they stood shivering in a row. The audience was shocked. The short gentleman took one last blade, tossed it with the rest for a moment and followed Raven's example. Allowing his blades to land safely beside Raven's in the table. One more blade stood in his line than Raven's. The crowd erupted in cheers while Raven shook his hand. He smiled and leaned forward to say something. Raven nodded and laughed.
"We have a winner." The gentleman seemed relieved. "Zack of Lyons is our winner of the juggling competition."
The short man, Zack, bowed to the audience.
"Now for our last competition. If our competitors would line up to take turns?" The gentleman motioned towards a range that was set up. Targets hung from ropes, were mounted on chains, or even attached to barrels on the ground. "First up please!" Each competitor attempted to strike the targets. Some did quite well, getting all twenty blades in their targets. Finally the giant stepped forward. He scored all twenty, but a few were close. He nodded, a proud grin crossed his face. His was the best so far. Zack stepped forward and started throwing quickly. He struck all the targets solidly, almost dead center on most of them. He bowed to the gentleman and stepped backwards, making way for Raven. She stepped around the giant, who leaned downwards to speak. I could see her stiffen and her head turned. She made a quick comment to the giant who laughed and motioned for her to continue. Zack obviously heard this exchange, his face grew dark and angry. He asked Raven a question, she simply shook her head, her braid swinging. He nodded and stepped backwards. I could tell she was furious, her spine was straight, what skin I could see was white as snow, and her jaw was clenched. She wanted to hurt the giant for whatever he threatened. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and stepped up the line. She picked up a handful of knives and threw them. She threw knife after knife until all twenty stood dead center in twenty targets. Not a single miss could be seen. The crowd erupted while the giant's countenance darkened. Zack stepped forward and shook Raven's hand. He then turned to the gentleman and whispered something in his ear. The gentleman's head whipped around and he looked at the giant. He motioned a few city guards to approach. He said something to them and their leader looked at the giant. He nodded his head and they suddenly surrounded the giant. His hands were tied as he bellowed in protest. They hauled him off while the crowd watched. Once the guards left the gentleman stepped forward.
"If anyone, whether citizen or visitor, threatens a competitor inside the city during a competition then you pay the consequences. Trey the beast threatened Raven D'Cloud Lightfoot with bodily harm. This was witnessed by Zack of Lyons. Trey will be serving a year in the city sewer for his choice." The audience met this announcement with shock and dismay. The gentleman shook his head, "Now, we have a winner to reward." He turned and waved Raven forward. "This young woman has demonstrated a keen ability to handle knives, above and beyond most. We offer her this prize in hopes that others will be inspired by her skill and that she will continue growing in her abilities." He handed her a small purse filled with gold and a handful of papers, most likely vouchers for the other prizes. The crowd cheered loudly and stomped their feet. The noise made it hard to think. Raven made her way to us sitting on the wall, receiving slaps on the back and congratulations as she worked her way through the crowd. The clearing started to empty since the contest was over.
"Way to go!" Cried out Skyler. "I knew you could do it!" She hugged Raven around the neck. "I am so sorry that happened. It is just like a cave folk to behave like an animal."
Xavier pulled Skyler close, "Now my sweet. You would not be bad mouthing my people?" He smiled gently.
She shook her head, "Your people might live in the caves in the mountains, but there is a difference. That man is a beast for sure. To threaten someone over a simple competition." She sounded disgusted.
"I agree with her." A new voice spoke softly. Zack had approached our group quietly. "That man is more beast than human. He made threats that Raven would have been justified in responding with great harm." He nodded to Raven. "You are a skilled woman. I have enjoyed pitting my abilities against yours this evening."
Raven blushed, "It was my honor, master." She bowed.
Zack's eyebrow's rose. "Master? I am not your master young lady."
Stain grinned, "That would be me." Zack nodded.
"I call you master because you are a master knife handler." Raven stated this firmly.
Zack smiled and nodded, "I will accept that. I must wonder how you knew. I have never met you before and you are not from around Lyons."
Raven smiled broadly and pointed to a knife strapped to Zack's hip. "Only a master carries that knife."
Zack looked down and grinned broadly, "Truly spoken." He pulled the blade out. It looked like someone had hammered five different blades together until sharp points sprouted outwards in a strange pattern, resembling a hand almost. "Then you have been trained by a master. Good. Such a talent needs to be nurtured." He put the odd blade away.
Raven frowned, "Being a master, you
could have beat me easily. Why did you let me win?"
Zack shook his head. "I might be a master, however your skill won tonight. Mastery of a thing means you understand it and can perform it. It does not mean you are the best in the world. Most masters are extremely good at their craft, but someone of such natural talent as yourself will be formidable once you reach mastery of the knives." He grinned and looked around. "You have a valuable woman here. Do not let her go." He turned to go.
Raven grabbed his elbow gently, "At least allow me to share in my good fortune?"
Zack stopped and looked at her. "How so?"
Raven handed him a few of the slips of paper. "While I could use some of these, others would be wasted on me. Could you not take them and put them to better use?"
Zack looked surprised, but took the papers. "Thank you young lady." He put them in his pocket. "Before your group leaves town, please pay me a visit at the Bawdy Steer and allow me to gift you a small token of my appreciation." He turned and headed off into what was left of the crowd. People called out to him, he was obviously well known.
"That was handled well, my apprentice." Stain spoke this softly, his voice showing his pride. "I think we need to find our lodgings. I feel quite tired now."
Skyler nodded, "It has been a long day for me also. Husband, take me home." She put her arm through Xavier's and they headed back towards the Wounded Gull. "Come by and visit!" She called out over her shoulder.
Raven put her arm through mine, "I am tired husband of mine." She leaned against my shoulder. "Find me a bed to fall upon?"
Everyone chuckled and we headed towards the direction of the Blue Maiden.
***
"Welcome to the Blue Maiden!" A young girl cried out as we entered a brightly lit building. It looked clean and well maintained, unlike a lot of inns. "Would you be needing food, beverages, or a place to rest tonight?" The young girl asked.
Tulip nodded, "My brother, Timothy of the Dirty Hand, suggested that we visit your establishment."
A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3) Page 21