by Peter Last
Senndra stepped away from her opponent and slowed her breathing. She tossed her sword from her right hand to her left. She knew that her skill with that hand was much less, but it was better than fighting with a sprained wrist. She swung the sword through the air several times and listened as it whistled, then prepared to meet her instructor. He attacked first, faking a blow to her head, but finishing with a blow to her midriff. Senndra had seen that move more times than she could remember and deftly met his sword with hers before spinning away. She knew that if she tried to withstand a full force attack, she would not stand a chance with her right arm out of commission. She raised her sword and attacked Lemin, putting all of her weight behind the blow. He appeared ready to block the strike, so Senndra faked it toward his head. She switched to a jab to his knees, but it never contacted. Lemin sidestepped Senndra's sword and allowed her to fall forward into the dirt.
Senndra rolled over and watched as her opponent approached. He extended his sword as though to press its point against her throat, but she wrenched her weapon out from underneath herself and batted his sword away. He attacked again, this time bringing a blow down from above. Senndra knew that she could not block Lemin’s sword, so she swung at his knees. He had to pull back his blade to hop over Senndra's sword, but it only bought her a few extra seconds. One last time, the instructor raised his sword for a victory blow. As he brought his weapon down, Senndra raised her sword and slammed the flat of its blade against Lemin’s wrist. The force of the blow snapped his wrist down and flung his weapon several yards away.
Taking advantage of her disarmed opponent, Senndra rolled to her feet and swung her sword at him. For a moment she could see Lemin's face clearly, and the smile on his face told her that she had underestimated him. Ducking the blow, he spun to her left side, capturing her wrist and twisting it around behind her back. The movement jarred the sword from Senndra's grip and moments later, she felt her own steel at her throat. The fight was over.
“Well, it looks like the cadets will have to wait to see me get beaten,” Lemin said as he released Senndra's arm and returned her sword. Senndra slid the weapon into her scabbard. She turned to look at the cadets in the stands and saw that many of them were starting to leave.
“Is your wrist okay?” Lemin asked Senndra. “I saw you take a good hit early on. Maybe you should have the doctor look at it.”
“It's not bad,” Senndra said. “I've been there pretty much every day since I started sword fighting. I think I'll give the doctor the day off.”
Lemin had to be told several times that everything was fine, before he finally dismissed Senndra and called for another student. Senndra jogged to where Rita sat in the stands.
"It was a good fight," Senndra's friend said. "Better luck next time, I guess."
"Better luck? Against Lemin?" Senndra said. "It's nice of you to say so, but I seriously doubt it. I would wager that there are only a handful of people in the world who could beat that elf."
"You're right, but one of those people is here right now."
Senndra gave a surprised exclamation and jumped in her seat. Vladimir had snuck up on her without a sound.
"Really? Rita said in a voice of disbelief. "Who here could beat Lemin in a sword fight?"
"That's easy; the best sword fighter here," Vladimir responded.
"Timothy?" Senndra asked incredulously. Here was finally something that she and Vladimir could talk about. "There's no way that he has a chance. Lemin's far too good."
"He's good to be sure," Vladimir agreed. "Better than most people in the world, in fact, but you can tell that he is a dragon rider at heart. He prefers to shoot arrows from the back of a dragon, not swing a sword in hand to hand combat."
"So what about Timothy?" Rita asked. "What's he like?"
"He was born to fight with a sword," Vladimir answered. "He has the build and proficiency for it. I wager that given a few more years of training, you will be hard pressed to find anybody who could beat him."
"You talk like you know Timothy," Senndra said. The question was implied.
"Somewhat, yes," Vladimir answered, "but what I said doesn't have to do with that. All you have to do is watch them fight. Actually, here's your chance."
Senndra looked toward the arena and watched as Timothy walked out to face Lemin. The two barely exchanged pleasantries before beginning to fight. It was clear that today was about the tournament champion facing off against the best instructor at the academy.
"Watch the motion of the feet," Vladimir said almost as soon as the fight commenced. "Timothy has excellent range of motion, and while Lemin is also moving well, it's almost as if he doesn't want to take any steps."
"That would make sense if what you said earlier is true," Rita commented. "If he's used to fighting on a dragon, he would have learned to keep his feet locked into the stirrups at all times."
"Look at his arm motion," Senndra countered. "He's constantly moving his sword back and forth, trying to find an opening."
"Agreed, but his style is for close fighting," Vladimir countered. "He prefers a short sword or a knife, and it shows. Timothy uses a hand-and-a-half sword, which gives him the advantage of length. If he can utilize it properly, that could almost win the match for him."
"Almost?" Senndra asked.
"Lemin has obviously fought against long swords before, and he has more experience," Vladimir explained.
"You're not making it sound like much of a contest," Rita said. "I guess you think Lemin has a wrap on this match?"
"Timothy was practically born with a sword in his hand," Vladimir said. "Just watch the fight. It'll be exciting if nothing else."
Timothy and Lemin had moved constantly during the course of the short conversation, but without drastically changing position. They were still in approximately the same location that they had started the fight, and continued to exchange blows for another minute. Timothy was the first to break contact though Lemin didn't press the advantage. Both of the combatants looked winded but continued to circle each other, looking for a good opening. There were a few weak thrusts exchanged, an attempt by each fighter to keep the other on the defensive, but nothing even resembling the original energy level. Then, in an instant, the tempo of the fight changed again.
Lemin blocked a thrust from Timothy and retaliated with an overhand slash. The younger man sidestepped to avoid the attack and circled counterclockwise. The clash of metal again filled the place as the combatants slashed, thrust, blocked, and parried. Though there had been argument over the fact last night, there was no uncertainty now as to who the best cadet at sword fighting was. For the moment, the outcome of this match, cadet against legendary instructor, seemed to be in doubt. The fight continued to rage, and the cadets watching were on the edge of their seats. Was this finally their chance to see Lemin beaten?
Something about Lemin's carriage changed, a change that Senndra had seem many times before when the elf was not in clear control of a bout. Something was about to change, though what it would be was uncertain. She didn't have to wait long to find out. Ducking his head to avoid a blow, Lemin stepped quickly toward Timothy, striking him in the stomach with his fist. Timothy staggered backwards, but the elf was on top of him already. Capturing the younger man's sword arm under his arm, Lemin struck the wrist, causing his opponent to drop his weapon.
Timothy had been taken off guard by the new strategy implemented by Lemin, but had adjusted quickly. The elf was faster than he was, but he was larger and stronger. Ripping his sword arm free, he delivered an open handed strike with his left hand. The blow contacted Lemin on his breastplate, thrusting him backwards and putting space between the two combatants.
"This is where it falls apart, I guess," Rita commented. "Unarmed, he doesn't stand a chance, right?"
"No," Vladimir agreed. "He's toast at this point."
"Don't count him out yet," Senndra said. She didn't know why, but she really wanted to see Timothy win. Maybe it was just that she wanted to see Lemi
n beaten like every other cadet here.
Timothy threw his fists up in front of his face in a typical fighter's pose. Lemin dashed forward, stabbing as he came within range of his opponent. Timothy used the palms of both hands to block the blade away and spun, kicking Lemin in the chest. The elf staggered backwards and circled clockwise. Timothy stooped and picked up a handful of dirt from the ground. As the elf charged, the younger man flung the dirt at his face, but the move was futile. Lemin spun right, avoiding the dirt and kicking Timothy in the side. Timothy was knocked off balance and fell, and Lemin followed up with a strike. Timothy rolled sideways as the blade descended, then back on top of the sword. The weight of his body pulled the hilt toward the ground, ripping it from his opponent's grip. He rolled off of the sword and retrieved it from the ground. Now the tables were turned; he had the weapon and his opponent did not.
Dodging blows from Timothy, Lemin ran backwards toward where the younger man's weapon had fallen a few minutes earlier. Diving to avoid a swipe, he slid past the sword, grabbing it as he passed and rotating his body to end the slide on his knees. Timothy pressed what was left of his advantage, raining a series of blows down on Lemin, but the elf was too skilled. Blocking every strike, he rose to his feet and swung wide at his opponent. Timothy jumped back, barely avoiding the strike.
"It's a short sword, dummy," Vladimir said to himself. "You can't fight like you're used to fighting."
With both of the combatants armed again, they backed away from each other momentarily to catch their breaths. This was a short reprieve; Lemin knew that Timothy had very little practice with short swords and was clearly at a disadvantage, one that the elf was not going to squander. He stepped forward, striking as he moved. Timothy caught the first strike on his blade and tried to return the blow, but his blade missed Lemin by a foot and a half. The younger man just wasn't used to the short weapon in his hands.
Lemin clearly had the advantage now, and he chased Timothy around the arena, constantly swinging his weapon. The outcome of the fight was all but determined, but Timothy either didn't realize how outclassed he was or didn't care. He continued to run away from his instructor, looking for opportunities to strike, but not finding any. It was a simple task for Lemin to finish the fight. Staying out of range of Timothy's sword, he rained blows on his defenses. The young man was weakening, and it was beginning to show. Lemin thrust his sword forward, but Timothy batted it to the side. The next attack was the final one, the one to finish the battle. Lemin swung hard overhand at Timothy. The blow smashed through the tired man's defense, and Lemin pulled it back under control before it hit Timothy's shoulder. Though the blade of the sword was blunted and Lemin had softened the blow, it was still enough to knock Timothy to the ground. Lemin placed the tip of sword momentarily at Timothy's throat before removing it and allowing him to stand.
"Well, now I feel like he was toying with me during the sword fighting competition," Senndra said.
"That seems unlikely," Vladimir countered. "Timothy isn't the sort of person to toy with an opponent. He finishes them off quickly if he can."
"Then he must have been off his game yesterday," Senndra persisted. "He is certainly a lot better of a fighter than I am."
"It's true, he is," Rita agreed.
"Rita!" Senndra exclaimed, looking at her friend in disbelief. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I am," Rita said, "but he's better than you are."
"Which isn't to say that you're a poor fighter," Vladimir pointed out. "You made it to the last match and deserved to be there. There just aren’t very many people in the world who can fight as well as Timothy. Give him a few years and he'll be able to take down Lemin without a problem."
"Not without a problem," Senndra disagreed. "Lemin's got too many tricks up his sleeve for that."
She watched as Timothy and the elf shook hands. It was crazy to think that anyone would be able to beat Lemin without a problem. He had seen more action in his life than all of the cadets in the academy combined. No, she decided, dismissing Vladimir's comment, Lemin was not someone to be trifled with, no matter your skill with a sword.
******
Five hours later, Senndra was again seated in the stands of the arena. Rita sat on one side of her, and Timothy was seated on the other. They had arrived at the arena an hour before and had talked to pass the time. Now, however, they grew silent as they waited for the ceremony to begin. All around them, the sound of several thousand cadets was deafening. Rita sat on Senndra's right, looking around in awe. She was a vision if there ever was one. She wore a very becoming blue dress that fell to the middle of her calves, but the real eye-catcher was her hair. She had worked on it for several hours and, with Senndra’s help, had made it perfect. With her beautiful features and the halo of golden curls that surrounded her face, there didn’t seem to be a single male in the area that wasn’t staring at her or at least sneaking glances. The single exception was seated to Senndra’s left. Timothy sat with his chin on his palm as he looked out into the arena, seemingly oblivious to Rita. Vladimir, seated on the far side of Timothy, was another story. Senndra had decided to give him a chance in light of their almost normal conversation at the sword fighting arena earlier in the day. She didn't mind that Timothy had invited his friend to sit with them; as it turned out, he was nice enough even if he wasn’t exactly normal. On the other hand he might be a bit too normal, Senndra realized, noting the way he was practically gawking at Rita. Oh well, given enough time, he would get used to her.
The ceremony started abruptly when an old man ascended the stage. Senndra immediately knew by his robes that he was a priest of Elohim. He lifted his hands for silence and gradually got his wish. He looked to the sky, closed his eyes, and stood thus for several minutes. All of the cadets stood, closed their eyes, and waited for the priest to begin speaking.
“Almighty, magnificent God,” he began when he finally broke the silence, “we praise and thank you for your wondrous works. We thank you each day for what you have given to us. We ask you for forgiveness for our sins and pray that you will help us to obey your commands and edicts in the following days.
“I now thank you for all of the cadets gathered here today. I thank you for the commitment they have made to serve their country in the military and pray for your protection over them. I ask that you be with the ones that are completing their training, as well as the ones that will continue their training. Protect those who will be going into danger and help them to use what they have learned here to serve you by protecting their country.
“I also ask for your blessing on the ceremony today. May everything go as planned as the extraordinary cadets of this academy are recognized for their achievements. In your name I pray, amen.”
Senndra opened her eyes and looked at the stage again. The priest climbed down, and another man took his place. He waited for the priest to leave the arena before he began.
“Welcome to the one hundred and seventy-fifth annual awards ceremony of the Academy of Belvárd. Please stand and recite with me the pledge to the nation of Magessa.” All of the cadets rose to their feet, saluted their country’s flag, and following the lead of the man on the stage, recited the pledge to Magessa.
Once the final words were spoken, the man stepped off the stage and another came to take his place.
“I think you all know what I’m going to be doing,” he said once he reached the top of the stage. This man was a skilled orator and instantly had everyone on the edge of their seats. “It's time for this year's Extraordinary Performance awards! We'll recognize the top ten percent of the cadets currently enrolled here as well as bestow the coveted 'Cadet of the Year' award. The awards are based on physical and academic performance as well as leadership ability. The cadets that you will see tonight are truly the best of the best and will be leaving tomorrow to visit Saddun, the academy in Gatlon. Though we are the best there is,"- there were mild laughs of agreement across the crowd - "there is much to be learned from the cadets at Sa
ddun. Oh, and it's going to be really fun! So without further ado, I'd like to present the winners of this year's awards. Please come forward when I call your name.”
“The Cadet of the Year goes to..." the man looked down at his paper, flipped it over, and then began to go through his pockets. There were groans across the audience; this wasn't the first year that he had made this show. "Here we go!" he said as he pulled a sheet of paper from a pocket. "The 'Cadet of the Year' goes to Senndra Felling, for excellent show of physical and mental strength!”
The man continued down his list of the top ten percent of the students at the academy as Senndra descended the steps toward the arena. All she remembered was that Timothy and Rita were also listed. She was not surprised that Timothy was selected, though she had been uncertain about Rita. She was glad that her friends would be going with her to visit Saddun.
Senndra reached the arena and, directed by helpers there, walked to her station in front of the stage. She reached her spot and turned around to face the stands. As she watched, cadets from every corner began to stream down the stands as they were called. The names seemed to go on forever, and Senndra recognized several. It appeared as though all of her friends would be going on this trip that promised to be a fun and welcome break from classes. If there was a better way to get to know Timothy and Vladimir, she couldn’t think of it. A great experience with low stress and fun activities awaited them in Gatlon, and she couldn’t wait to begin.