by P. A. Wilson
“Good morning,” Jode said taking her hand and leading her to the tent. “We will be meeting in here, protected from spying eyes and ears. It is time to decide what we will do.”
“Do we have any more information?” Madeline avoided asking the real question, what was she supposed to do.
“Not as far as I have been told.” He held back the tent flap, and then followed Madeline inside.
The others sat in a circle with two spaces empty. Blu, Simon, and Arabela sat side by side. Jode and Madeline sat beside each other to complete the circle. Blu welcomed her, and then reached around to close the tent flap with ties of blue and yellow ribbons.
“Now no person or creature outside will know what happens inside,” he said. “It is time to discuss plans.”
“I am willing to go now,” Arabela said. “If we ride quickly he will have no time to prepare.”
“What if you could end this by agreement?” Madeline asked. “My skill lies in negotiation, maybe that’s what I am here for. If you could do this without bloodshed, would it not be better?”
“I do not think Sayer Goddard will negotiate,” Jode answered. “The Scree do not give up so easily.”
“In my world, we had long standing wars that were resolved by negotiations.” Madeline looked to Simon for help. “Do you think this might be like that?”
“No,” Simon said. “I know you think this is like the Troubles in Northern Ireland.”
“Yes,” Madeline said. “No one thought England and Ireland could agree to a permanent peace.”
“I know, but there are a lot of things that are different.”
“Tell us,” Arabela said. “I agree with Sir Jode that the Scree will likely not agree to stop the feud. But if you have a way of doing that, I am happy not to shed blood, even Scree blood.”
Madeline tried to paint the picture. “Two countries fought bitter wars for generations. Parents passed hatred to children. Children killed people for things that had been done to their grandparents and great grandparents.” “Yes,” Simon jumped in. “It was like a blood feud between two countries. But here’s the problem with applying that logic to this situation. The Troubles were not about personal issues. They were solved because it wasn’t personal. No IRA fighter was trying to kill a specific Englishman. They were able to put down their weapons because the problem didn’t exist anymore. The economic situation changed, the rest of the world did not take sides, applying pressure to both England and Ireland for a peaceful resolution. And they were both human. That’s not the case here.”
“Fine,” Madeline conceded. It was difficult to argue the similarities against such facts. “It isn’t the same. I was reaching for an example. Thanks for shooting it down.”
Simon sighed. “I’m not shooting down the idea, just the example.”
“It is not worth arguing over such a thing,” Blu said. “But arguing is what we need to do. Within this tent, it is required that disagreements are aired and discussed. It will not affect the rest of our people; it will not escape the protections.”
Madeline shrugged. “I’m out of ideas.”
“I think it makes sense to heed Lady Madeline’s advice,” Jode said. “It is not sensible to discard her suggestion simply because she is unable to provide an example.”
“Thanks.” Madeline felt warm at his approval. “Why haven’t we really discussed this before?”
“We have all hoped for new information,” Arabela said. “You are not the only person who wished to know your role. It does not matter, though. Often the best plans are made at the last minute when everything is known. If you plan far in advance, too many things can change.”
“What do you think we should do?” Simon asked turning to Arabela. “This is your quest after all. You probably have the most to lose. What would you do if we weren’t here?”
“I would call Goddard out to battle my champion. Sir Jode would fight Goddard, or his champion, and we would settle for the winner.”
“Okay,” Madeline jumped in. “I’m not going along with that one.”
“Do you not believe I can win against a Scree?” Jode asked. “I am the best warrior in the land. I could dispatch whoever Goddard could bring to the field.”
The thought of losing Jode to treachery rose like a shadow in her imagination. “You said you can’t trust Goddard to abide by an agreement. That means he probably wouldn’t fight fair.”
“You are right to argue against the plan,” Blu said. “The prophecy was clear. You are critical to the success.”
Jode placed his arm around Madeline. “I do not wish you to be placed in harm’s way.”
“Yeah, yeah, both of you are interested in keeping the other safe. I think we all get that,” Simon said. “You know you can’t though, right?”
“Yes,” Madeline said.
“I do,” Jode said.
“Well we must agree on a plan, and it will put someone in harm’s way. It may put all of us there before we are done,” Arabela said her frustration showing in the sharpness of her tone. “I think there are only two choices. We fight, or we negotiate.”
“There is a third option,” Blu said. “You can try to negotiate first. Then attack if it is not successful.”
“I think you should try,” Madeline said. “If you are right, then we don’t need to attack openly. We can try to sneak into the keep and kill Goddard quietly. If we can do that without leaving any trace we were there, would it solve the problem?”
“Proof or otherwise, if we kill Goddard his people will not retaliate. There will be a long and hard battle for the leadership of the family. It will be years before they are ready to attack anyone else,” Jode answered.
“It is not our way,” Arabela started. “And that is a good thing. Blu, is there any lore or custom that says we cannot do as Madeline suggests?”
“No,” the small priest answered. “Not that I am aware of. I will meditate on this until dark; I will have an answer for you then. Now, go and spend the day together, practice your skills, think of the details of your plans, discuss them quietly so that you do not bring attention. Goddard may be spying on us when we leave the tent.”
“Until dark, then.” Arabela stood and cut the ribbons holding the tent flap closed. “We have only two days until the moon is full.”
They followed her out of the tent and stood watching as the priest laced a blue ribbon through the holes from the inside.
Arabela dismissed all but two of the guards, setting those at the door of the tent. “I suggest you all spend the day practicing your skills as Blu said. I will be in my tent thinking about this negotiation. I will need to have something I can give to Goddard if this is to work. Something he will value and cannot take forcibly from me.”
Simon walked away to the edge of the camp where the goblins had set up. “I’ll be hanging with my guys,” he called over his shoulder. “It’s not like I have skills to hone.”
“Madeline,” Jode said. “I suggest we spend time on the practice grounds. It is an hour or more before the midday meal. We have time for you to learn some new skills.”
“Really?” Madeline thought she was as skilled as she was going to get before the fight. “You think I have time for that?”
“Yes.” Jode took her arm to draw her along to the clearing. “This is a skill linked to the dance. It will help you to survive if you lose your weapons and have to face an armed opponent.”
They reached the clearing where a few of the guardsmen were working through a sword exercise and others were testing the strings of their bows. Jode asked her to wait at the entrance to the space while he talked to two of the guards. When he returned, they followed him, exchanging comments she couldn’t hear, but that brought broad grins to their faces.
“Lady Madeline, I have asked Alan and Booker to demonstrate the skills I need you to learn.” He directed the two men to stand apart a few feet away. “When you have seen what they have to show, I will take you through a few warm up exercises. You won’t have tim
e to warm up if you need this in battle, but there is no need for you to hurt yourself while we practice.”
He clapped his hands twice and the two men circled each other. Then Booker rushed at Alan pulling a knife from his belt as he did. Alan sidestepped, and then spun around as the attacker passed. He completed the spin and feigned stabbing Booker in the lower back. The two men bowed and return to the starting position. Alan charged the second time, this time low and aiming at Booker’s stomach. Booker spun and kicked the knife out of Alan’s hand as he passed.
“It’s like a bullfight,” Madeline said, “I saw one on National Geographic television a few weeks ago. And it’s not that different from sword defense. Can I try?”
“I would like you to warm up first,” Jode insisted. “Get your sword and we’ll go through the standard movements. I’ll ask Alan to come back and take you through the defensive actions.”
“Why not you?” Madeleine felt disappointment fill her.
“I must admit I am not an expert.” Jode looked down as if embarrassed and then looked up at her with a grin. “I do not often find myself without my sword so I have not spent much time practicing. I think it would be better if you worked with someone more familiar with the art.”
“Fine, let’s warm up then.”
The two spent a half hour walking through the sword practices. By the end, they worked through the motions in perfect synchronization. Madeline felt as though they were dancing, and didn’t want to stop.
“I think you are sufficiently warmed up.” Jode stepped back and summoned Alan back to the area they were using. “Please, give me all your weapons, Madeline.” Unbuckling her sword belt, she handed it and the sheathed sword to him. Then Madeline started pulling knives from the pockets in her shirt and pants. When she finished, she felt considerably lighter and Jode stood with his arms full of very sharp metal.
“Lady Madeline,” Alan said. “Let us walk through the movements so I can explain them. Then we can do them quickly until they become instinct.”
He stood in a low crouch and waited until Madeline copied the stance. “Good. Now when you see an opening, or when the opponent attacks, show me what you think you will do?”
Madeline stepped forward and swung her arm around as though to stab him in his side.
“No.” Alan spun away slapping her hand as he went. “I would have cut you badly if I was armed.”
Madeline rubbed her arm; he had made solid contact with her. “What should I have done?”
“Protect your body, and cut outward not inward.” He made the movements to illustrate the concept. “That way it is more difficult to turn your momentum against you.”
“Start again,” she said crouching.
Alan attacked without stopping. Madeline spun away from him, feeling the breeze as his hand passed her body. She lost control of the motion and fell.
“More control,” Alan snapped. “Don’t look at your feet when you move. Watch your attacker.”
Madeline pushed away the frustration she felt at her inability to pick up the skill as easily as she had the sword. She kept trying, and eventually, was able to avoid his strikes and not fall down from the momentum. Alan nodded his approval of her performance and made to leave.
“Wait,” Madeline said. “What if more than one attacker comes at me?”
“I would suggest you run as fast and as far as you can,” Alan responded. “You may survive a few passes, but two men with swords will attack in pattern. They will force you to try to dodge in two different ways. You will find yourself impaled quickly.”
“Good advice,” Jode added. “Madeline, I hope with all my heart you are not put in a position to fight with, or without, a weapon, but you are as prepared as we have time for.”
“Okay.” She thanked Alan, and then put all of her weapons back into place. “I guess I should practice my throwing now. Jode, do you want to come?”
“Yes. There’s a target set up, I’ll have the archers stop so we can use it.”
“Why didn’t you teach me to shoot an arrow?” she asked, curious, as they approached the archers.
“Look at the archers.” Jode pointed. “See the way their shoulders are built?”
Madeline noticed that, male or female, human or other, the archers had strong broad shoulders and big arm muscles. The smooth movement as they drew and released the arrow from the flexed their muscles impressively.
“I guess I would need much more time than we have.” She sighed. “What if I hadn’t known how to use a sword before I came? Would I only have throwing knives? I don’t think that be enough.”
“The sword is your best weapon true, but, if you had not the skill we would have trained you to use the knives without throwing them. Tell me why you took so many different classes. It seems you have a little knowledge in many things.”
“I never found anything that kept my interest enough to keep at it when it got hard. I have to admit I was worried when I saw how quickly people here learn,” she said. “I thought you might have too high an expectation of my abilities.”
“You have learned well,” Jode said. “It is, perhaps, because of all the classes you took.”
“I suppose here I have more incentive to keep going when it gets hard. If I give up, it could cost lives, not just a bit of money. Will you teach me knife fighting this afternoon?” Madeline brightened. “Defense was good but, another way to fight will be a benefit.”
“Of course, I will teach you. After you are able to throw from this distance.” Jode placed a stick on the ground. “This is further than you have thrown before. Sink all of the knives into the target three times, and then I will show you how to hold the knife for a fight and you will show me how you think you would fight with it.”
Madeline looked at the tree in the distance. A red ribbon circled the trunk and several knives were already stuck there. Jode made her wait until the knives were retrieved and the distance was cleared.
Patting the pockets holding her knives, Madeline thought about the pattern of movements she would need to reach for and throw all of them. In a real fight, she would not be pulling the knives from the ground but from their hiding places. She closed her eyes, took three deep breaths, and then opened her eyes to focus on the target.
Madeline reached for the blades on her hips first, throwing one, then the other, right at the target. Then she pulled the knives from the front of her shirt, and finally the knives from the diagonal pockets on the back of her shirt. All of the knives hit the target and stayed in the wood until she pulled them out. She returned them to their pockets as she walked back to the stick.
“Well done,” she heard two men who were watching say.
She reminded herself not to get cocky, and then repeated the performance. All the knives sank into the wood again. This time one of the men ran to pull the blades from the wood and return them. Jode had not spoken for the entire performance.
Madeline held one knife in her hand and placed the others in the ground. This time she pulled them from the ground and threw them in one smooth motion, not waiting to see the blade land before throwing the next. All blades made contact.
“Are you using magic?” Jode asked as the two men who had been watching retrieved her blades.
“I don’t think so.” Madeline remembered the danger of using unprotected magic. “I hope not. What does magic feel like?”
“It is different for everyone. But I think you would feel something. If you do not think so, then you are probably not doing so.”
“Will you teach me knife fighting now?”
“No.” Jode took her arm. “You need to eat something. You are pale, and I am afraid you are about to fall over.”
Madeline laughed, but agreed with him about eating. “I guess it’s been a while since breakfast.”
They took water, meat, and cheese to a group of boulders by the stream. They were in sight of everyone but not close enough for anyone to overhear. While they ate, Jode talked to her about the techn
iques of knife fighting, demonstrating the proper way to hold the knife so she would not cut herself too badly.
“The most important thing to remember is that knife fighting is fast,” he said putting their plates down on one of the boulders. “You must act on instinct. If you try to think, you will be stabbed before you decide what to do.”
“Swords are like that,” Madeline said holding the knife in her hand and trying a few different passes at an imaginary opponent.
“Yes, but the knife is not as heavy. The follow through is shorter and the recovery is immediate. Here, let’s try without the blade.”
He made her hold her hand as though she held a knife and then they started fighting. Madeline copied his stance while they circled, legs and arms wide. Jode suddenly rushed her and she spun away trying to stab as she did. He grabbed her hand and twisted her to his chest, holding her with one hand and miming slicing her throat with the other.
“Try again,” Jode said releasing her. “This time keep your arms in when you spin so I cannot grasp you.”
“Okay,” Madeline said, breathing heavily from the exertion and his closeness. “But am I supposed to be learning not to get into a knife fight with someone so much bigger than me?”
“You’ve learned the first lesson then.” Jode laughed as he circled her. “Let’s see if you can at least pretend to damage me.”
They fought for almost an hour, circling each other and attacking. Sometimes Madeline would start the attack and sometimes Jode. Mostly Jode would win, but towards the end, Madeline started to use her smaller size and speed to her advantage. Ducking in under Jode’s reach, she was able to cut him, well pretend to, and dodge away. On the last pass, she was able to contact his leg in a way that would have hamstrung him if they had been using knives.
“Very well done,” Jode gasped. “Your advantage in a real fight is your short stature. It is a good strategy to give many small cuts. It will drain your opponent quickly when moving so fast. You might be able to survive a fight.”
“I think I’m better off running if I can, though,” she said, panting. “The odds are against me surviving long enough to get in the cuts.”