by Guy Antibes
The healer took tiny strips of stiff cloth and glued them to his cheek perpendicular to his wound. “Stitches will cause a more prominent scar. Keep the wound clean but not wet. When the glue wears off, the cut should be thoroughly closed.”
Ricky didn’t dispute the healer’s advice. He’d never heard of that treatment before, but Saganet had when he first saw Ricky’s cheek.
“I was worried you wouldn’t attack Effie with some anger,” Saganet said. “You handled it well. I liked your strategy. Of course, that wouldn’t work in real life.”
“A variant of it might,” Ricky said. “Didn’t you say, that sometimes a diversion is necessary?”
Saganet smiled and rubbed his chin. “I did, didn’t I? Good for you. Effie didn’t hold back when you took the switch, you know, but she stopped the fight a bit early.”
“I noticed,” Ricky said. “I reached the end of my creativity. In the real world, I would have taken off at that point.”
“It’s good you recognized that. Effie is here to teach you how to keep that from happening. You have to learn to take the fight to the very end. Preferably, your opponent will be the one who runs away.”
Ricky nodded. “Can we eat at the commissary tonight?”
“You aren’t too sore?”
“My cheek aches, but I want some good food.”
Saganet chuckled. “You want to show off your bandages?”
“Maybe,” Ricky said, although he hadn’t thought of it before Saganet said something.
~
A few days later, Ricky entered the practice field. The weapons classes had ended early for the year so students could begin preparing for their final exams. Saganet and Effie were sorting through weapons stacked on the tables. Ricky had done the same thing with his guardian a few times in the past. The field didn’t need preparing, so Ricky joined them as they went through the weapons.
“What can I do?” Ricky asked.
Saganet ruffled Ricky’s hair. “You get here when we are just about finished.”
Indeed, there were only a few weapons to be inspected. Ricky took a sword and hit it on the ground.
“Cracked.” He tossed it in a pile of broken wooden weapons. “At least they make good firewood,” he said.
They finished, but there was a cane of polished hardwood still on the table.
“What’s that?”
“Your new weapon,” Effie said. “Saganet gave you a knife, but it’s not enough on the streets of Tossa. This one is.”
“But I don’t need a cane,” Ricky said.
“Yes, you do,” Saganet said as he tossed it to Ricky.
It was heavier than he expected.
“Take off the top,” Effie said putting her hands on her hips.
Ricky obliged. The top came off showing a thin knurled handle of brass. “Is this a sword? They are still illegal, aren’t they?”
Saganet grinned. “Pull it out.”
Ricky withdrew a long, somewhat flexible metal rod. “There is even a rim that acts as a small guard.” He waved it in the air, getting a feel for how the metal whipped slightly as he moved. “A steel switch?”
Effie nodded. “You showed that you can use this. It doesn’t have an edge, so it is legal enough to carry.”
He took the cane in the other hand. “I can use this as a small staff?”
“Indeed you can. The switch has a metal insert, reinforcing the cane.”
Ricky thought about an appropriate form and began to move the weapons, going faster as he went. He stopped.
“I imagine you know some additional tricks for these?”
Effie nodded. “There are few of those around. I had a weapons-maker in Sealio create that at Saganet’s request before I arrived. Now you have protection when you walk the streets of Tossa this summer, but you should still move around Tossa with one of us.”
“I have to agree. I haven’t left the academy for months.” He admired the workmanship as the rod slipped into place and the top fit snuggly over the handle.
~
Ricky yawned as he walked into his bedroom after breakfast and stared at the pile of books sitting on the floor of his bedroom next to his little desk. The words inside were a mystery to him a year ago, and now he knew most of them, despite two student tutors abandoning him.
He had final tests in history, arithmetic, and geology starting the first of next week. Professor Calasay had said he would have been top of the class in his Sorcery class. Merry had told him he didn’t need to take all the exams since he was still an audit student, but he wanted to measure himself with the actual students.
Next year that wouldn’t be a problem, but this year, Ricky felt he had something to prove.
Someone knocked on the door. Saganet had already left, so he unlocked the door and opened it, surprised to see Franken Pestella, of all people, standing on the doorstep.
“Come in,” Ricky said.
The boy entered and sat down in the living room.
“I wanted to apologize for abandoning you,” Frank said.
“You don’t have to,” Ricky said, not knowing what else to say. Any antipathy had long been erased by time and by his progress without him. “I’m—”
The door opened, and Victor Taranta and three older boys rushed into the cottage.
“Grab him!” Victor said.
Frank clutched at Ricky’s sleeve, but he shook his erstwhile friend off and ran into his bedroom. He grabbed his cane and pulled off the top, tossing it onto his bed, before he withdrew his switch from the case.
The boys finally rammed the door open, breaking the simple lock.
“Stay back. I’m warning you. I won’t hold back.”
“That’s not a problem for me. I promise I won’t either. I failed the last time, but not now,” Victor said, pulling out a long knife. Two other boys, Ricky recognized them as former students, did the same.
Frank looked on from the living room, his face filled with fear. Ricky pitied him, sorry about the kind of power that Victor had over his former friend.
The bedroom was barely big enough for two, let alone four fighters. Ricky held the cane in the middle and batted knife thrusts, using the wooden case for deflection, as he began to rain blows on hands and faces.
The boys grabbed for the switch, but the smooth surface allowed Ricky to yank it back. He felt a cut on the arm holding the cane. He knew if he let go of either weapon it would be the end of him.
He had a chance as one of the boys widened his stance. Ricky kicked him in the groin, sending him to the floor. Unfortunately, that gave the other two more room. He whipped the switch across the soft tissue of the neck of another; a line of blood opened, and that fighter retreated to the other room, trying to staunch the flow.
For a moment, Ricky faced Victor, who thrust his knife towards Ricky’s midsection. Ricky sucked in his stomach, but not far enough as he felt the knife violate his body. Ricky had to stop this, so he poked the end of the switch into Victor’s eye.
Victor dropped the blade and ran out of the cottage screaming. The other boys followed. Ricky looked out his window watching a terrified Frank help Victor stagger away.
The energy left Ricky, and he sat down on the floor, holding his stomach. His arms and hands had bleeding cuts. He sat for a while; Ricky had no idea how long, before he picked himself up, and, locking the door behind him, struggled to get to the infirmary.
The Healer put Ricky on an examination table.
“I don’t know where to begin. You’ve got blood all over you.”
Ricky croaked the word, “Stomach.”
The Healer gasped as he saw the wound. He actually put his finger inside and let out his breath. Ricky finally relaxed enough to pass out, but not before hearing the Healer utter the comforting words, “Not so bad.”
~~~
Chapter Twenty-Seven
~
“H ow do you feel?” Saganet asked, gently shaking Ricky.
“I was asleep,” he said.
“What happened? Your bedroom is a mess. I found two knives on the floor.”
Ricky nodded. He was weary. “Victor Taranta, the two students that left the school, Franken Pestella, plus one other boy.”
“Frank?”
“He knocked on the door. I let him in, and the others followed.”
Sanganet’s face reddened with anger. “Franken will be expelled.”
“I imagine he let them in through the gate,” Ricky said. “Victor has one less eye, though. He poked me in the stomach, and I poked him in the eye.” Ricky took a deep breath and repeated the fight scene when Effie entered the room. “Am I going to be all right? I think the Healer said the wound wasn’t too deep.”
“You did the right thing getting to the infirmary. The wound might have killed you if you hadn’t been helped right away. You’ll recover, but your cane was pretty much destroyed.”
“I used it to deflect the knives. The boys brought three with them.”
“Two were left behind. One was very unique, probably Victor’s.”
“He needs to go to the juvenile home in Applia,” Ricky said. “But that won’t happen.”
“It rarely does. I’m afraid you have an enemy for life.”
Ricky chuckled, but it hurt. “I’d rather have an enemy for life than no life. He shouldn’t be allowed back into the academy.”
“None of the boys will. That is something Merry can do, although with Lord Taranta it won’t be easy.”
Merry rushed into his room not long after Saganet had. Ricky gave her an abbreviated, less graphic version of his fight. “You can keep Victor from re-enrolling?”
“I will now, especially after the endowment Baron Mansali gave us.” She looked out the door. “The rest of you can come in.”
Professor Calasay, Betti, and even Loria walked in. “We heard about your fight with Victor.”
“Frank is a worm,” Loria said.
“Franken is no longer at the academy. I just expelled him before final exams,” Merry said. “He might not have raised a weapon against you, but he was complicit.”
“If that’s what you call it. Before the attack, I was thinking of telling Frank I had no ill feelings, but that doesn’t apply anymore. I still recommend reporting the situation to the constables,” Ricky said. “They should have some record of the attack, even though Victor won’t be punished.”
Merry shook her head. “Lord Taranta wouldn’t permit it. He would probably fashion some kind of rationale to accuse you of attacking his son and demand you be transported to Applia. That might happen anyway.”
Ricky nodded. “He came with the purpose of killing me. It wasn’t just an attack. That is the second time he’s nearly done it, but there is nothing I can do.”
“Victor has been denied entrance into Doubli Academy forever. That will be a black mark on his record if he tries to enter the Royal University, if it’s any consolation,” Merry said.
“None of it is,” Ricky said, feeling well enough to let the magnitude of Victor’s assault sink in. “He’s a murderer, if not in fact, certainly in his heart.”
“Oh, Ricky,” Loria said, with her face showing concern. That was an unexpected expression. “You don’t have to worry about your exams, do you?”
“I still intend on finishing what I started,” Ricky said. “As soon as I can get back to the cottage, I will get back to the books.”
“Even if they are a bit bloody?” Merry said.
“Are they?”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “They are, but I hope that isn’t all yours.”
“A good part of it,” Ricky said. “I’ll wash them off as best I can.” The books for audit students were always on loan.
Merry patted him on the wrist. “You do your best to make me proud. I’m glad you feel well enough to return to your studies.”
Not really, Ricky said to himself, but he managed a smile.
Later that day Saganet helped Ricky make the journey to the cottage. His guardian had cleaned the blood on the floor and had done a serviceable job on his books. Ricky’s back was propped up with pillows.
“I don’t need to be fed like a baby,” Ricky said.
Saganet dipped the large spoon in the meaty broth. “The Healer told me you needed to rest in bed and drink liquids for a week. I’ll make sure that happens. Merry said she can arrange idle professors to administer your exams from here.”
“I don’t need all this attention, and it isn’t necessary for me to pass the exams, as the results aren’t official.”
Saganet shook his head. “That’s not what you told me before all this happened. You’ll get the opportunity to pass. I won’t let Frank and Victor win.”
Ricky felt ashamed at Saganet’s words. He closed his eyes. The walk from the Infirmary had wrung out all his strength. “I know. I won’t let you down,” he said before he fell asleep.
~
It took Ricky a few days more to get the strength to attack his books again. He studied in bed since sitting put too much pressure on his stomach wound. His mind kept going back to the fight. Ricky considered himself lucky.
He struggled to his feet when he heard a knock on the door. His eyebrows rose when he saw Benno standing with Loria.
“I talked him into helping you study. I figured I’d need to join in so you wouldn’t come to blows with Benno.”
Ricky really wasn’t up to another fight, but he knew his studying hadn’t gone very well. “Come in,” he said, stepping aside to let the pair of them come in.
He shuffled to his bedroom and brought out pillows, so he could sit up a bit on the couch.
“My books are on the floor,” Ricky said once he lay back.
Benno retrieved them. “Is this your blood?”
“Most of it, I think. It wasn’t a clean fight on either side.”
Loria made a face but took a deep breath before she began. “You’ll have to tell us what your priorities are. What I don’t know, Benno does.”
They spent the rest of the day. Ricky learned a few things he had missed in class and was encouraged by Benno’s willingness to help him.
The studying was about to wind down when Benno asked, “All three of them pulled knives on you?”
Ricky nodded. “I have Victor’s knife and one other.”
“Where are they?”
“In my room on my desk. If you wouldn’t mind…” Ricky said.
Benno examined both knives. “This one must be Victor’s. It has the mark of the craftsman who made it. The other also has a mark. If I can have these, I can verify who made them. Victor’s knife is custom, so we can absolutely prove that he attacked you. I can’t commit to the other.”
Ricky didn’t sense a lie. “Fine. I don’t care to keep them as trophies, anyway.”
Benno nodded. He looked at Loria and sighed. “I guess we can be friends again,” he said.
It took a few moments for that statement to sink in. Ricky looked over at Loria who nodded encouragingly. “Right now, I need all the friends I can get.”
Benno smiled. “I don’t suppose you can get me into Professor Crabacci’s training classes during the summer?”
“He might not be holding any, but you can join me if you wish.”
That brightened Benno’s expression. “Great. We can have another session tomorrow, then I have to concentrate on my own studies.”
“I’d like that,” Ricky said.
“I’ll be going then.” Benno put his hand up. “Don’t see me out.”
“Does he mean it?” Ricky asked.
Loria nodded. “I told him he didn’t have a future with me, under any circumstances, except as a friend. Now he wants to get into better shape.”
“I think that’s great. Are we friends?” Ricky asked.
Loria nodded her head. “I don’t think we could do an adequate job performing at the Festival if we didn’t trust each other. Benno was…was an impediment.”
“Fine with me, but I thought o
ur performance was a ruse,” Ricky said.
Loria shook her head. “No ruse, but a diversion.” She smiled. “I think it will be fun.”
Ricky smiled back, but he wasn’t so sure how much fun it would be. He’d done more sorcery than Loria, and it could be hard work.
She looked around the cottage and jumped up. “I’d better be going. I won’t be here with Benno tomorrow, but we’ll get plenty of time together after finals.”
~
Ricky shuffled out of his last exam, the history final. He felt pretty good about his performance, especially with the additional context Benno provided him in their three meetings. He was glad Benno had added another session.
He knew he wouldn’t be the best in any of his classes, but he had learned more in nine months at the academy than he had during his whole life. Ricky did excel in one class and he felt he would have deserved an excellent grade in sorcery if he wasn’t auditing.
Now he could focus on building up his body. Ricky couldn’t run yet, but he felt much better. The Healer had checked him out earlier in the day and said that all he had to do now was restrict his activity for a few more weeks. He itched to go outside the academy grounds, but Saganet and Effie both cautioned that that was more dangerous than being cooped up.
At least the discomfort of sitting up had disappeared before his first exam. Now he drifted over to the gymnasium where Effie and Saganet had arranged to meet him. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Not all of it came from sweating out a few of the answers, but summer already had its grip on Tossa.
A year ago, Ricky could sit on the shady side of a shantyboat and get some relief from the hot weather. The academy grounds had trees, but they didn’t bring as much relief as a breeze coming off the river. He sighed. Even with the scar on his stomach, he wouldn’t trade the opportunity that Mistress Doubli had provided for more of Gobble’s opportunities for theft.
He walked into the stuffy confines of the gymnasium. Effie sat at a table strewn with papers, but Saganet wasn’t in sight.
“Sit, sit,” Effie said. “We have some serious subjects to talk about. Saganet will be here with something to eat and drink, but we can get started.”