by Jon F. Merz
“Are we resting?”
Felix grinned. “Oh no.” He pointed to a spot roughly six feet away from him. “Stand there.”
Wolfric did as he was told and faced Felix.
Felix smiled. “Now attack me.”
“Attack you? How?”
“However you wish,” said Felix. “Do not use the knife I gave you last night, though. Which I notice you have yet to return. You may only use your hands and feet. Understood?”
“I understand, it’s just that my experience with fighting has not been much, honestly.”
“Good, then I don’t have to waste time breaking down bad habits. I can build you up immediately with the correct teachings. Now attack me as you think fit.”
Wolfric hesitated. Felix seemed utterly calm and composed across the distance between them. His hands were clasped in front of him and his eyes were fixed on Wolfric. Wolfric took a breath and launched what he hoped was a powerful punch at the side of Felix’s head.
But in the next second, Felix simply wasn’t there any longer. Wolfric’s punch sailed the empty space previously occupied by Felix and the momentum continued carrying him forward. It was then that he felt his leg being tripped and he sprawled face first into the tall grass and dirt. When he came up, Felix was back in the same posture he’d been in before Wolfric attacked him.
“Was that it?”
Wolfric sighed. “I told you I wasn’t any good at this.” He got to his feet and brushed himself off. “Where did you vanish to anyway? One moment you were there and the next you weren’t.”
“Of course,” said Felix. “Why would I stay in harm’s way?”
“I saw a guy once in a tavern block another man’s punch. I think I thought you’d do the same.”
Felix sniffed. “Far better not to have to waste the energy blocking a strike. Simply move your body some place safer. And then you can pick your opponent apart at will.”
“By tripping him,” said Wolfric.
Felix shrugged. “Well, no. If you’d been a real threat, you’d have a length of wood in your heart right now. But we’re training, so tripping will suffice for the moment. Once you get the basics down, we will escalate things to the appropriate level.”
Wolfric finished dusting himself off. “I take it you want me to attack you again?”
“Of course. We’re only just getting started. This time, however, when you punch me, I want you to keep your balance. Don’t over-commit yourself. Use your hips to derive the power, not your arms. True power comes from utilizing your entire body, not simply the limbs. Watch.”
Wolfric watched as Felix initiated the punching movement with his hips, and then extending his arm and sinking as he reached the extent of the strike.
Felix stood again and nodded at Wolfric. “Now you.”
Wolfric did his best to mimic what he’d seen, but his legs seemed to not like the bending. Eventually, he thought he might be getting a semblance of the movement. For several hours, Felix had him punching up and down the field until sweat poured out of every nook and cranny on Wolfric’s skin.
Felix called a halt to the training and smiled. “How are your legs feeling?”
“Exhausted,” said Wolfric. “I don’t know that I’ve ever used them like that before.”
“I have no doubt,” said Felix. “Most people fight with their upper bodies only instead of using their lower portion as a stable base with which to attack and defend. Consequently, their legs are weak. But have no fear, we will make your legs as strong as they can possibly be.”
“I thought you’d be teaching me how to defend myself,” said Wolfric as he sucked at the water Felix offered him.
“Basics first, Wolfric. There’s no sense teaching you defense until you understand how your body functions best. The relatively simple act of learning how to properly punch is the foundation we will build upon. Soon enough you’ll know how to defend when it’s necessary. In the meantime, it’s time for you to learn how to fall properly.”
“Excuse me-?”
But in the instant that he said it, Felix shot in, scooped Wolfric up around the waist and promptly toppled him over on his back. Wolfric landed hard on his back with a thud as the air shot out of his lungs and the water skin spilled its contents over his clothes.
“Ouch!”
Felix pointed at him. “You must stay relaxed at all costs. If you tense up, you will be injured. When you hit the ground, think of yourself as a bauble, with no rough edges, only rounded surfaces. Exhale as you make contact with the ground to further relax your mind and your body. Think about the image of a ball - that is what you aspire to - and come back up on your feet, balanced and ready to engage your opponent.” He smiled. “Understood?”
Wolfric got to his feet. “I think so.”
“Excellent,” said Felix. “Then let us do it again. And perhaps two hundred times more.”
Wolfric groaned as his teacher came shooting in at him again.
Chapter 8
It was official, Wolfric decided some two hours later. His body was going to resemble a giant walking plum. He could already see the massive number of bruises that covered his body starting to turn an awful shade of purple.
Felix had done his level best to get Wolfric comfortable with the idea of falling and rolling by simply doing it over and over and over again until Wolfric’s body seemed to understand the necessity of relaxing into the throws and falls. Eventually, whether from fatigue or reluctant acceptance, his body started feeling less tense whenever Felix threw him.
And oh, those throws. Over his hip, over his knee, using some type of arm bar, some type of lock on his wrist joint, even by grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and hurling him over, Felix had shown Wolfric an astonishing number of ways to bring an opponent to the ground.
“The key, whenever you are trying to upset someone’s balance, is to make sure your center is lower than theirs.” Felix then had come into throw Wolfric but kept his hips higher. As a result, the throw did not work without an extraordinary amount of effort.
Felix had then come in, positioned himself just so, and lowered his hips so they were below Wolfric’s. This time, the throw seemed almost effortless and Wolfric again toppled to the ground.
“You see?”
Wolfric, tasting dirt for what seemed the millionth time, had nodded and gotten to his feet again. “I see.”
“Good, then today’s lessons are concluded. I suggest you wash the dirt from your face and we’ll mount up again. We have miles to cover before we reach our next stop.”
“Another night of camping?”
“We’ll see,” said Felix.
Now they were back on the road, again headed east toward Vienna. Wolfric had lost count of the miles as they fell away behind him. But every once in a while, Felix would ask him a question to test his awareness. It grew wearisome, but Wolfric kept reminding himself that if he truly wanted to be what Felix was, then he had to rise to the challenges that were presented to him.
Felix, for his part, seemed completely nonplussed by any of the day’s activities. He rode without complaint or apparent pain. And despite the exertion of tossing Wolfric about for three hours, he seemed utterly crisp and fresh for whatever might lie ahead. His apparent ability to withstand an inordinate amount of discomfort frustrated Wolfric who wondered what it took to reach such a state of physical capability. He voiced the question to Felix who only chuckled.
“What does it take?” He smiled now. “Only everything that you’ve got.”
“And what does that mean?”
“It means exactly what I said,” replied Felix. “It takes everything you’ve got to make your body, mind, and spirit the best they can be. To forge them into one cohesive unit. Such that you are able to react and respond at a moment’s notice, do what needs to be done for however long it takes, and come out on top in any encounter you might have over the course of your work.”
“I’m crushed after what we went through back in that fie
ld.”
“As you should be,” said Felix. “That training was as much about teaching you how to fight as it was a test to see how well you weathered the conditioning.”
“And how did I weather it?”
Felix’s eyes twinkled. “You tell me.”
Wolfric sighed. “I’ve got a long way to go before I even approach your level.”
Felix nodded. “That is true, but it’s good to see that you are able to be honest with yourself. Do you know how many people lie to themselves on a daily basis about what they’re capable of? The number would astound you. People think nothing of telling themselves lies so they can continue to be average and mediocre, rather than face the uncomfortable truth that comes with the pursuit of perfecting yourself.”
“Is it possible to become perfect?”
“Of course not,” said Felix. “Perfection is never the goal, but the aspiration to perfection most definitely is. If you were to reach perfection, what then? How would you continue to grow? You wouldn’t be able to. You would have reached the limit of your abilities. But I don’t believe there is a limit, therefore the attainment of perfection is impossible. The pursuit of it, however, is what we use to drive ourselves to be better every single day that we are fortunate enough to breathe in the air and feel our hearts beat in our chests.”
“I would imagine that for some people, such a philosophy would be discouraging.”
“For most people,” corrected Felix. “Pursuit of perfection requires constant work, constant discipline, constant acknowledgement of failures and vices. People don’t want that. People want to be told how wonderful they are, how what they’re doing is ‘good enough,’ and that they should just settle for what they have.” He looked at Wolfric. “Can you imagine living your entire life that way? Simply reaching a point of good enough? Even though you knew deep down that you could be so much more than what you are, that you could see things no one else has seen, or have adventures that most never dream of? I mean, what is the point of living if not to embrace life in all of its many incarnations?”
“Perhaps some feel they are not meant for greater things. Maybe some feel they don’t deserve it.”
“I’m certain there are many like that,” said Felix. “I’m also certain that there are many more who are simply too lazy, too scared, or too caught up in useless things to ever attempt the life that we few seek.”
“Yet, they may still find happiness.”
Felix cocked his head a bit. “I suppose everyone’s definition of happiness is different. Or perhaps people tell themselves that they are, in fact, happy, even when they are not truly blissful. I don’t know. What I do know is that we are destined for greater things, you and I. Far greater things than just sitting around waiting to die.”
“I’m certainly destined for many more bruises covering my body,” said Wolfric with a grin.
Felix chuckled. “You are at that, my young squire. But take heart, every lesson and every experience shall bring you closer to achieving the sorts of things that you never before thought possible. Even when you were enjoying those two farm girls back in Bavaria.”
Wolfric nearly lost his grip and fell from the saddle. “Just how long have you known about me? That was almost a year ago.”
Felix nodded. “Indeed it was. As I told you previously: it’s my business to know. Just as it will some day be yours. We’ve known of you for some time. You might say that we are always on the lookout for potential recruits. And I would dip in and out of your life from time to time to see how you were getting along.”
“Interesting time to dip into my life.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t intentional,” said Felix. “I was returning from an assignment and detoured long enough to see what sort of antics you were getting up to. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed. But have no fear, entertaining two young lasses isn’t cause for concern in the ranks of our service. You will need, after all, charisma for this job. And I would rather have you gallivanting around than be sitting in your mother’s farm house trying to figure out the fascinating features of a woman’s body using a sheep.”
Wolfric laughed out loud. “If that was the case then you should have drafted the man who lived a town over from us. Word was he was quite the admirer of the woolen kind.”
Felix held up his hand. “We’ll speak no more of that sort of thing. Not unless I have had far too much to drink, anyway.”
“Where are we headed?”
“A few miles further on, there is a small hamlet where we can find shelter at the inn, food in the tavern, and a chance to rest while I see if there are any messages for me.”
“Are you expecting one?”
Felix shrugged. “Well, we won’t know until we get there, but to answer your question, we are in the business of receiving messages anywhere we might travel. There’s always a chance the Council has dispatched a message to me and I will need to let them know I have received it and my plans going forward.”
“How will you do that?”
“Wait and see,” said Felix. “Wait and see.”
Chapter 9
They reached the hamlet by the time the sun was almost gone from the western sky. Felix seemed completely casual as they rode into town, but Wolfric knew him well enough by now that he understood Felix was looking at everything and everyone as they came down the main street. He might not have looked interested, but he was cataloging everything. Wolfric tried his best to look as disinterested as his teacher was. He had no idea if he was fooling anyone. So rather than try to imitate it, he thought it might look better if he played the role of squire and seem deferential to Felix when they dismounted.
He hadn’t discussed this with Felix as the idea only occurred to him as they rode into the town, but he felt it would suit him and possibly deflect any questions from curious locals who no doubt saw few strangers in these parts.
Felix guided them over to the inn and tethered their horses near the side of the building. Felix dismounted in a flourish and Wolfric slid painfully down from his own steed, following in Felix’s wake as they entered the inn, taking care to duck under the low door frame as they did so.
Inside, it was gloomy and dark save for a few candles strategically positioned throughout to cast light into the shadows. A huge slab of wood served as the desk and the innkeeper looked them both up and own as they came inside.
“Help you?”
Felix smiled. “We’re in need of rooms for the night.”
“One?”
“Two if possible. He’s bad enough company on the road, I don’t need him as a bedmate as well.”
The innkeeper chuckled and eyed Wolfric. “I don’t blame you.”
Wolfric resisted the urge to say something. Felix seemed to have picked up on Wolfric’s role playing and so the younger man simply went along with it in stride. There would be time for discussion later. For now, the priority was finding room and then food. Wolfric was utterly famished from the training he’d been receiving. And he needed fresh blood as well.
Felix jotted down a single name and then slid a few gold coins across the counter to the innkeeper who quickly pocketed them. “Two rooms upstairs across the hall from each other. Will that do?”
Felix nodded. “Indeed it will. My thanks. Is there a place here to get some food? We’ve been on the road all day and are in need of sustenance.”
“The Laughing Horse down the street serves a fine meal,” said the innkeeper. “I lost our cook a while back and haven’t found anyone to replace her yet otherwise I’d be glad to serve you.”
Felix held up his hand. “It’s late and I wouldn’t want to trouble you. If the tavern is open, that will be fine.” He turned to Wolfric. “Tend to our bags and then meet me down the street at the tavern. Be quick about it. I don’t want to wait for my meal any longer than necessary.”
“Yes, m’lord,” said Wolfric, feeling his face go hot.
He wondered if the innkeeper actually believed that Wolfric was Felix’
s charge. Wolfric was already in his 20s, but perhaps the innkeeper had seen other examples of young men down on their luck indentured to wealthier lords and ladies. Again, thought Wolfric, it didn’t matter what the innkeeper came up with as long as he didn’t become too suspicious of them both.
Not that they really had anything to hide other than the fact they were vampires. But Felix had stressed the need to remain as free from undue scrutiny as possible. Being observed meant a greater chance of being remembered. It was better to give people the impression that their assumptions were correct and therefore unworthy of any real attention.
Wolfric dragged their bags upstairs to the rooms and then made sure to lock each door before gingerly descending the stairs again and venturing outside.
The hamlet was small with a lone main street bordered by buildings on either side. He passed a small gift shop, a grocer, and a butcher as he walked to the Laughing Horse tavern. As he approached, the scent of some sort of stew caught his nostrils and his mouth watered in anticipation of the meal he was about to have.
He crossed the street and headed for the door of the tavern when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Almost too late he pivoted trying to avoid the strike that had been aimed at his head. His hands came up instinctively and he nearly punched out at the unseen attacker when he heard the laughter, low and amused.
“All right then,” said Felix materializing out of the darkness. “So it appears you do have some degree of awareness in spite of what I assume is a ravenous hunger.”
Wolfric dropped his hands to his side and let out a breath. “How long have you been following me?”
“Since you left the inn,” said Felix. “I was nearly convinced you’d have yourself a headache after my punch landed on the side of your head. Fortunately, you proved me wrong. That was good. What wasn’t good is that it took you nearly until the last moment to become aware of me lurking in the shadows behind you. We’ll need to work on that.”