Chapter 19
A small yellow bird landed on a low branch to the side of the path, its movements quick and nervous. Looking at Gadreel it gave a shrill yell as if to warn him. The little creature somehow reminded him of Ariel and made him feel guilty. It was rare when they did things separately and Ariel seemed so hurt when he told him about the invitation.
Although he tried to convince Ariel it had merely been an oversight, and of course he was invited, Ariel remained resolute in his belief Helel had intentionally not included him. He insisted Gadreel still go, but the disappointment had been obvious.
Compounding his guilt was the relief he felt. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Ariel, but lately he needed more time alone. He wasn't entirely sure what was causing the feelings of tension within him, but he suspected it was related to Gabriel's visits and the reports he brought from the secret meetings; meetings he wasn't able to attend.
The wooded pathway he followed suddenly opened up onto the courtyard which served as the junction between the many facilities comprising the recreational complex. He strolled the path leading to the great gymnasium where the rapine tournament was being held.
Helel told him he would be dueling later in the evening. Given his standing as the top duelist in his choir, he was exempt from the preliminary matches and would compete after the lower seeds were determined. Gadreel agreed to meet Helel and attend the earlier bouts with his former housemate. Although surprised Helel had sought him out, he was excited to get the invitation and was looking forward to spending some time with him. There was something strangely magnetic about Helel.
He entered the majestic archways and looked at the giant marble statues lining the far wall. Each choir was represented in the collection. Immediately his eyes found the lion, perched as if ready to spring into action. He felt intense pride as he looked at the regal representation of Aralim, his choir. He walked down the row passing the eagle of Elohim, the bear of the Seraphim and the coiled serpent of the Cherubim.
He stood before the giant snake and peered at the glistening eyes, the outstretched wings and open jaws. The workmanship of the statue was incredible. Only the mottled color of the stone revealed the beast was inanimate. Otherwise, it appeared full of potent energy, ready to strike, knowing and poised.
'It is a beautiful animal, isn't it?' a familiar voice asked from his side.
'Helel. You surprised me. I didn't hear you.'
'That is an important quality for a good rapinere to possess. You need to be able to strike before your opponent realizes its coming.'
A sudden soft blow on the side of his head caused Gadreel to jump. He just caught a blur of motion as Helel's hand returned to his side.
Helel smiled and said, 'And you must always prepare to defend against sudden attacks. Come on. Let's find a seat before the matches start.'
They strode down to the front row, adjacent to the four sparring rings at the center of the gymnasium where the more important bouts, including Helel's own, would be held.
'Ariel didn't come with you?' Helel asked.
'He wasn't sure if the invitation included him,' Gadreel answered.
'With you two, it seems unnecessary to invite the other. You are the twins after all. I sometimes wonder if you were fused together in some biology experiment gone bad. But, I'm kind of glad it was just you who came. I get the impression Ariel doesn't like me much.'
'No. I don't believe that is the case. You two have suffered from some misunderstandings.'
Gadreel paused for a second, considering, before continuing, 'Plus, he knows how close you and Azazel are and they didn't develop the best relationship,' he finished with a smile, trying to gauge Helel's response.
'I'm glad you mentioned Azazel because that is one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.'
Gadreel tried not to smile, keeping his face as neutral as possible and maintaining eye contact with Helel.
'You might not be aware, but Gabriel, myself and a select group are studying privately with Azazel to further our skills.'
'What kind of skills?' he asked, trying to sound casual.
'We are just working to extend some of the things we learned in class and develop some techniques we don't quite get to, due to the limited time. You would be amazed at some of the incredible applications we work on. I know you are already very accomplished, and I thought you might benefit from some additional training,' Helel finished, peering intently at Gadreel.
'Sounds interesting.'
'It's an open invitation. I realize you have a lot going on with the bocket team and your classes. I just wanted to extend the offer to come check it out anytime, as my guest.'
'Helel. That’s generous of you, and I will consider it. It might be enlightening,' Gadreel said, managing to keep his voice from revealing any excitement.
'I would say you could bring Ariel along, but I'm not sure how he would react. We meet at Azazel's estate and he has some negative ideas about him.'
'No. I doubt he would be interested,' Gadreel agreed quickly.
'If you are ever able to fit it in I'll make the necessary arrangements. Oh good, here comes Gabriel.'
The three reminisced for several minutes until the bouts began. Seated between his two former housemates, Gadreel couldn't have asked for a better place to learn about dueling. The two were a fount of information on the strategy and techniques employed in combat. They analyzed each of the contestants they watched, pointing out strengths and weaknesses. Soon it was time for Gabriel and Helel to prepare for their matches. They left Gadreel to don their protective gear and grab their weapons.
Gabriel was the first to duel and faced one of the combatants they had observed in a convincing win.
'Gabriel won't have much of a problem in this match. His opponent has a bad tell. He flicks the tip of his rapine vertically whenever he is about to attack.'
As he said this the arella did as Helel described, flicking his weapon and then immediately attacking. Gabriel was, as Helel predicted, ready for this and easily parried the assault, delivering a scoring counterattack as his opponent withdrew.
Impressed, Gadreel asked, 'Does Gabriel have a tell?'
'No. He is excellent. But he is cautious. The way to defeat that one is to attack with abandon. He is so careful in the way he fights, he can't handle a reckless attack. You need to be willing to put it all on the line if you want to beat Gabriel. Unless you make him fight you on your terms, he will slowly and methodically pick you apart.'
Gadreel could see the truth of Helel's assessment. Gabriel scored most of his points on counterattacks. He was rarely the aggressor, and when he did initiate an exchange, he did it with incredible patience and a gradual buildup of pressure, cutting off lines of retreat and pushing his opponent into an indefensible position. Gabriel easily won his match without surrendering a single point.
As skilled as Gabriel was, Helel was even more impressive in his first match. He scored points so quickly it almost seemed as if he were in control of his opponent's moves. Even the judges looked surprised with how easily Helel bested his adversary.
'Does he have a weakness?' Gadreel asked Gabriel.
'No,' was the immediate and sole response.
During Helel's final match Gabriel attempted to explain his friend's dominance in the ring.
'The reason he doesn't lose is because he is better at sizing up his competition than anyone, including me. He can spot weaknesses no one else recognizes. Sometimes he will point out things I would never notice. He seems to understand innately what another is going to do before they do. It is almost scary at times. And it’s not just in the ring. Try to argue with him sometime. He always sees the flaw in your argument, even if it doesn't exist,' he said with a slight chuckle as Helel strode up.
'You seemed a bit off during the match,' Gabriel said.
Helel stopped short and looked irritably at Gabriel before realizing his friend was joking.
'Anytime you are ready for a prop
er duel,' he answered.
'Luckily we won't face each other during this round, even if I win this next match.'
'True, but the finals are coming up, and I suspect it might be us standing toe to toe.'
Gabriel gave his friend a smile before excusing himself to prepare for his final match.
After he left, Helel turned to Gadreel. 'Why doesn't Ariel trust me?'
He sat, not sure how to answer. Ariel was suspicious of Helel. Ever since their excursion to the warm springs, Ariel suspected Helel of trying to sabotage him. But Ariel had attempted to put those negative feelings behind him. He wasn't sure how successful that had been.
He looked at Helel and answered honestly, 'I'm not sure.'
'That's what I thought. We had a misunderstanding early on, but I hoped he would be able to put his misconceptions behind him. I'm afraid he has a bit of paranoia about others' motivations. He mistook Azazel's attempts to push him as sabotage. Did he ever tell you about their conversation?'
'No,' Gadreel answered, surprised. 'He said he didn't want to talk about it.'
'I guessed as much. He's probably embarrassed. Azazel tried to explain he pushed Ariel in order to get him to work harder. Azazel believed he had great potential, but was unwilling to stretch himself without special provocation.'
Was it possible his friend hadn't wanted to talk about the confrontation because of embarrassment? Gadreel had seen Azazel hindering Ariel's progress in class himself. If he used this tactic to push Ariel to improve, it would help to explain why Ariel was selected as his top student. And Ariel had improved as a result of Azazel's special attention. Could it be that their overheard conversation had prompted their trainer to show an alternative method of teaching in an attempt to demonstrate his point- that there were different ways to get students to learn?
'Are you able to see those around you?' Helel asked pointedly. ‘Was it you who sensed Azazel's aura and informed Ariel what he was doing in class?'
Gadreel sat silently, not sure how to respond. He felt intrigued about participating in Azazel's training group. If the trainer found out he had told Ariel, would he still be welcome? He struggled to meet Helel's eyes.
'Impressive. It is rare someone gains the ability during their first year at the academy. I don't have the statistics, but you are in pretty limited company, my friend,' Helel said, looking genuinely impressed.
'Does Azazel know?'
'He suspects strongly. Don't worry. He's not upset. He actually told me that he would love to have someone with your natural talent working with our group. That is one of the reasons I approached you. He just wasn't sure whether your relationship with Ariel would allow for your participation. And by the way, I can see too. There are a few of us that develop early,' Helel said in a friendly voice.
Their conversation was interrupted as Gabriel returned, face glistening from exertion.
'So, what is the verdict?' he asked.
Gadreel, who hadn't seen any of the match, sat sheepishly, not sure how to respond. Luckily, Helel saved him of having to say anything.
'He scored both points on you because you are too timid. You are faster and smarter than him, but you let him control the tempo too much. He shouldn't have been able to score a single point on you. You can do better,' Helel responded casually.
Gabriel laughed. 'I can always count on a frank assessment from you, my friend.'
Gadreel wondered, as he retraced his steps home, how Helel managed to carry on a conversation with him and analyze Gabriel's fight simultaneously. He had never noticed Helel's attention stray, but he had observed every point of the bout. Gadreel realized how much he had to learn. If he embraced Helel's offer, he would develop his abilities in ways he hadn't even considered. But how was he going to accept the invitation without destroying his relationship with his closest friend?
Tail of the Dragon Page 20