“Not really,” L’tel replied, staring down at Thela. “She tends to think more in images and impressions right now.”
“Same with Amang,” Halena agreed.
Khollo nodded and turned to Aralye. “Is Ayrmi the same way?”
“No,” the huntress replied immediately. She released Ayrmi for a moment, and the purple dragon rolled over to expose her belly for additional scratching. “Ayrmi can speak, but her vocabulary is pretty limited. We’re working on it.”
“Wait, you mean speak like we’re speaking now?” Sven asked, incredulous.
“Well, maybe not like you’re speaking,” Aralye countered, grinning maliciously. “More like how the rest of us speak. Coherently.”
“Hey!”
“You left yourself open to that, Sven,” Khollo said, shaking his head. “Aralye, you said Ayrmi can speak? Will she obey you if you tell her to do something?”
“Only if she understands,” Aralye replied.
“Could you tell her to hover or stand up?”
“I can try.”
Aralye concentrated, her eyebrows drawing together slightly as she looked at Ayrmi. The purple dragon froze, then flipped upright, wings flapping once or twice to help her gain her balance. Ayrmi chirped and extended her scaly head towards Aralye. The girl laughed and scratched along the little dragon’s jawline.
“She’ll obey, but she doesn’t really understand why just yet,” Aralye explained.
“Interesting,” Khollo murmured. “She’s developing quickly.”
“Yes, but she’s still small,” Aralye murmured.
“That’s not a bad thing,” Halena replied, groaning slightly as Amang sprawled across her legs. “These others are starting to get pretty heavy. They might start hurting us accidentally if we’re not careful.”
“Which is why they need to be trained,” Khollo agreed. “Right now, they’re young, full of energy, growing daily. They’re uncoordinated, and don’t really pay attention to what they are doing. We need to help them fix that.”
“How?” L’tel asked.
“I don’t know,” Khollo admitted. “Especially since most of them can’t communicate reliably at the moment.”
What if Kanin gave them flying exercises to do?” Sven suggested. “Work off the energy and help them learn at the same time?”
“It makes sense,” Halena mused. “I mean, we humans do it as well. Just look at the Academy in Ardia. It provides focus for all of the young, aggressive, and adventurous types.”
“Well, not all of them,” Aralye noted, “All the ones who have the money to attend the Academy and the lack of brains required to want to die on a battlefield somewhere.”
“No battlefields right now,” L’tel noted. “I’m not sure what use soldiers will have in the future.”
“They’ll always be needed,” Sven replied.
“Why? So the kingdom can fracture and be at war with itself?”
“To defend against outside threats.”
“Which there aren’t any,” L’tel muttered, “Not anymore. Khollo saw to that last year.”
“None we know of,” Khollo corrected. “Anyway, ignoring the Academy for the moment, let’s see if they’ll listen to Kanin. Kanin, can you show them one of the exercises Ezraan taught you?”
I can, Kanin agreed. Just make sure they are watching. Do you think they will listen once I show them?
Maybe?
That is not reassuring, Kanin grumbled as he moved out of the dragon hold. Khollo and the others followed the emerald dragon closely, the newest Keepers keeping a firm hold on their dragons, who were squirming and squeaking as they tried to escape.
Kanin stepped up to the edge of the dragon hold and spread his wings to either side, flapping them experimentally. Ready? He asked Khollo.
Ready, Khollo replied. The four young dragons were watching Kanin curiously, and had stopped struggling for the moment. Maybe this would work after all.
Kanin leapt from the ledge and climbed rapidly into the air. Once he had gained enough altitude, he moved into the first maneuver Ezraan had taught them, spinning, rolling, diving, and twisting through the air in fantastic, awe-inspiring movements. The other Keepers let out exclamations of surprise. The young dragons were beside themselves, chirping and squeaking and wriggling.
As Kanin was beginning the sequence for a second time, Thela broke free of L’tel’s grasp and flew after Kanin. Almost as soon as she broke free, Amang and Uthano followed suit. Ayrmi cocked her head, looking at Aralye, then took off, wings pumping. The four young dragons formed a bumbling, bobbing phalanx as they flew, chasing their larger counterpart.
Well, they are following me now, Kanin observed. They do not seem to understand the pattern though.
Khollo watched as the hatchlings bobbed through the sky, a parody of Kanin’s effortless gliding. They made no attempt to spin or roll, merely pursued Kanin in a straight line as best they could. Still, it’s progress, he observed. At least this way they are getting some exercise and learning to follow you.
They are not following so much as chasing, Kanin pointed out. This is a game to them.
The young make games of many things.
And this will be life and death someday.
By which time they will have learned.
Kanin rumbled uncertainly. We will see. Whatever the case, I seem to have them fully occupied. What will you do with the others while we are flying?
Khollo glanced back at the other Keepers, who were following the high-altitude chase with their eyes, grinning like fools. I think it’s time we work them into shape.
Meaning?
We’re going to spar some, Khollo explained. They’ll need their fighting skills, and it has been weeks since any of them have worked out with their weapons.
What about Halena?
What about her?
She has no weapon.
Khollo frowned, looking back at the girl from Ardia. Kanin was right. Alone among the candidates, Halena had not brought a weapon with her to Ethgalin.
We’ll figure something out, Khollo decided. He moved back towards the others as the connection with Kanin faded.
“Well, Kanin’s got them distracted. Let’s see if we can use this time to get something done. Grab your weapons, and meet back here as quickly as you can.”
Sven grinned and touched the axe hanging over his back. “Already have mine Khollo.”
“Me too,” Aralye agreed, gesturing to the bow and quiver slung over her shoulder. “But I can’t really spar with any of you.”
“No,” Khollo agreed, “You can’t. Set up some targets for yourself and work with those for a while. The rest of us will spar. L’tel, you have your spear, right?”
“It is not mine,” L’tel grunted. “But I have a spear yes. And a shield.”
“Then grab those,” Khollo said.
“Khollo?” Halena interjected hesitantly.
“I know,” the young Keeper said. “You have no weapon, and no training. But as a Keeper, your life might be in danger someday, or Amang’s life. When that day comes, you will have to be able and willing to fight, or at least to defend yourself.”
Halena bit her lip, but nodded anyways. “What do I need to do?”
“First,” Khollo replied, “You need to choose a weapon.”
“How?”
“Not an axe,” Sven grunted, “Those are heavy and require a fair amount of skill. Sword might be good, but it would have to be a lighter one, not your standard blade. Still requires a lot of agility and moving around in a fight.”
“Which I don’t have,” Halena reminded him.
“No. What about a staff?” Sven asked, looking at Khollo.
The young Keeper shrugged. “That could work, I suppose. What do you think, Halena?”
“It’s not much of a weapon,” she replied.
“It’s perfect,” Sven countered, “It’s versatile, easy to handle. Good reach. All it really requires is a good strong base and some coordi
nation. You’d pick it up in no time.”
“We can try it,” Halena decided. “I do like the idea of not having an actual blade. A staff would feel more natural. Less like I’m being made into a warrior.”
“All right,” Khollo agreed. “A staff. Where can I find one of those?”
“You have a whole jungle,” Aralye replied drily.
“That I can’t get to,” Khollo reminded her. “Not while Kanin is distracting our young friends.”
“Then have Kanin fetch one.”
Khollo reached out to the emerald dragon. Kanin, do you think you could find Halena a staff while you’re flying around?
There won’t be one just lying about.
I know, just break a suitable branch off of a tree or something. We don’t need anything fancy, just something we can use for training purposes for a little bit.
I’ll see what I can find.
“Sven, L’tel,” Khollo said, turning back to the group, “Carve wooden replicas of your weapons, then get to sparring. You’ll be a good match for each other.”
“Spear against axe?” Sven asked in disbelief. “I could just shear through the spear and then lop his head off!”
“Or I could run you through from a meter away while you couldn’t reach me with your axe,” L’tel retorted.
“Like I said, a good matchup,” Khollo muttered as the two fell to arguing. “In the meantime, Halena, let me show you a few moves with my Sen-teel. That will help when – ”
Something fell from the sky beside Khollo, clattering on the stones and making him jump in surprise. He looked down and saw Kanin had retrieved a long, thick branch from one of the jungle trees. The broken off end was a shattered and splintered mess, but the rest of the improvised staff seemed solid enough.
“It looks heavy,” Halena observed.
“It’s not so bad,” Khollo assured her, stooping to lift the branch. He gripped it like a classic quarterstaff and lifted, grunting slightly. “Well, maybe a little heavy,” he admitted. He handed the staff to Halena gently, letting her get a good grip on it before releasing it completely. When he did release the staff, she stumbled forward a pace, surprised by the weight. Khollo studied her critically as she struggled to lift the oversized branch. The splintered end was almost thick enough to be a club.
“We’ll have to find something more suitable eventually,” Khollo decided, “Or shave this one down. But it will do for today.” He drew the two halves of the Sen-teel and twisted them together, forming one complete weapon. “Now,” he began, placing one foot about a half meter in front of the other and crouching slightly, “Fighting like this is all about leverage and intelligence. The staff is versatile, yes, but only as versatile as you can imagine it to be. If you don’t consciously work to use its full length, you’ll end up swinging one end of it like a sword with the rest hanging uselessly behind you.” He demonstrated briefly so she would understand, taking a few half-hearted swings with the foremost blade of the Sen-teel.
“I get the idea,” Halena promised, grounding one end of the staff and wiping her brow. “So, how do I use this thing?”
Khollo showed her how to grip the staff in two hands and hold it at the ready, one end held up and ready in front of her, the other pointed backwards slightly, down by her calf. Then, they began a simple pattern, stepping and striking with one end of the staff, twisting and following up with the other. Halena’s movements were uncoordinated and awkward, and the burden of the staff made her stumble repeatedly. After ten minutes, Khollo called a halt and she let the staff drop, grimacing and breathing heavily.
“That . . . could have gone better,” she panted.
Khollo shrugged. “Not bad, considering you’ve never been trained to fight. You’ll get the hang of it.”
“Sven or L’tel could have killed me a hundred times just then,” she muttered.
“Well, they’re warriors,” Khollo pointed out.
“Not me,” L’tel called, scowling. “I am not a soldier.”
Sven rolled his eyes, then swung the wooden axe he was making from spare wood they had found lying around. “Fine, we get it, you’re not a soldier. You’re just big, strong, good with a spear, and more than capable of defending yourself.”
“Thank you,” L’tel grunted quietly, still working on a practice replica of his spear.
“You almost done?” Sven asked impatiently.
“The head does not look right.”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s just for practice.”
“It must be right, or I will build bad habits.”
“Then get a move on and fix it. I carved this whole stupid axe and you’ve been carving a spear – ”
“Spearhead,” Aralye corrected, firing an arrow through a makeshift target. “He just replaced the steel head with the wooden one. He hasn’t even been working on the shaft this whole time.”
“Gah!” Sven threw up his hands. “You incompetent oaf! My grandmother carves faster.”
“Then maybe you should spar with her,” L’tel replied, glancing up at the northerner.
“Can’t, she froze last winter.”
“Then how does she carve?”
“Will you two knock it off?” Aralye asked. “It’s hard to concentrate with all of this yammering.”
“Concentrate on what?” Sven snorted. “You could shoot those targets with your eyes closed. They’re not even that far away.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re on a narrow ledge.”
“Yes, but the narrow ledge is very long,” Sven replied. “I wouldn’t have expected you to notice that though.”
“How long is it going to take you to notice I’m holding a real weapon and you’ve got a wooden toy in your hands?”
Sven scowled, then tapped his wooden replica against the ground and glared at L’tel. “So, are you done yet?”
“Nearly.”
“Nearly?” Sven exploded.
“Sven, L’tel!” Khollo interjected. “Get to sparring. L’tel, it’s a practice weapon. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
“Finally!” Sven muttered, “Someone with some sense.”
“Let it go, Sven,” Khollo replied. “Both of you, get a move on.”
The two youths moved a little further along the ledge, giving themselves space to fight. Khollo turned back to Halena, smiling ruefully. “Sorry about that. Ready to continue?”
Halena took a deep breath, then nodded and hefted the staff, wincing. “I think so.”
“Good. Ready stance.”
Halena adopted the ready stance, gripping the staff tightly and struggling to keep her balance. Khollo demonstrated another simple series of blocks and strikes, always reminding her to keep both ends of the staff in play. Halena managed only stumbling, lurching imitations of his easy movements, struggling with the staff. When Khollo next called a break, she threw down the staff and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, scowling at the staff.
“This is pointless,” she muttered. “I’m not cut out to be a fighter.”
“Not yet,” Khollo replied gently. “But with enough practice – ”
“I might be able to hold the staff,” Halena interrupted. “Khollo, let’s not fool ourselves here. I don’t have the strength, I’m not in shape, and I have no experience. You could work with me individually every day for a year and I don’t think we would make much progress.”
“You’re wrong,” Khollo insisted. “You can do this. It will be difficult for both of us, but if it keeps you alive, it’s worth the effort.”
“There’s no one to fight,” Halena reminded him. “No wars left. Just the Sthan.”
“Wars can rise from within.”
“Maybe. But if the world goes to war with itself, what will five Keepers matter?”
“We may not,” Khollo said quietly. “But we will fight nonetheless. It is our duty, Halena.”
The girl stared at him in disbelief. “What, just throw all of this away? Lose the Keepers for another thousand years?”
“If that is what fate has ordained,” Khollo murmured. “You see, we were brought here for a reason, Halena. All five of us made our way to Ethgalin for a reason. What it is I don’t know yet, but this world has not seen an end to war.” He turned away and gazed across the jungle, towards the hatchery and its restless occupants. “In fact, I think the next war may already be coming.”
Chapter 28:
The West Side
Relam marched briskly along the icy streets of Etares, Cevet at his side, the king’s four guards surrounding them protectively. Relam was becoming increasingly convinced that all of his precautions were unnecessary though, since nothing had been seen of the Masks and no more threatening messages had come smashing through his window.
“Look,” Cevet murmured as they crossed the bridge over the now-frozen Furnier River. “Just let me get back into things, Relam. The situation seems to have cooled off now.”
“And I would like to keep it that way,” Relam muttered. “Nothing from the Masks in over a month, and we’re both still alive. I’d call that progress, Cevet.”
“I wouldn’t,” the regent growled. “We’ve made no progress on identifying the Masks. Knet’s captives did nothing for us, after all the waiting and plotting.”
Relam winced, then scowled at the reminder of those less than satisfactory results. The results of the interrogation had arrived by message pigeon, as planned, but there had been discouragingly little new information. The desert raiders had been paid off, as suspected, but they could not say by who. Their leader had been the only one to meet with the mysterious bankroller, and he had fallen in the skirmish that resulted in the destruction of the raider band.
“Maybe we just capture all of them next time,” Relam grunted, pulling his cloak a little tighter around him.
“Not possible.”
“I know,” the young king replied. “I was joking.”
“Oh.”
The two walked in silence for a few paces, crossing the center of the bridge, then moving into the west side of Etares. The bank of the Furnier was shrouded in frost and mist, an indistinct, shadowy gray landscape. Relam felt his guards close in a little further in an instinctual response to the sight.
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