Chapter 27-The Art of the Sword
Footwork was by no small means an easy thing for Idus. At the beginning, both of them had listened intently to Alex’s teaching, but no matter how hard Idus tried to do the exercises Alex was teaching, his lumbering feet just wouldn’t respond. Before now, he had thought of his feet as quick and powerful, but they did not seem to be built for swordsmanship. It seemed to take light-footed people to be able to master the art, and even though Idus was strong and quick, his feet did not hit lightly, indeed as a linebacker in football, the opposing line, and quarterback had come to fear his lumbering gallop as he approached the line of scrimmage. As they continued, his temper grew short, and his frustration piled up.
Irgen, on the other hand, appeared to be made to be a swordsman. His light-feet enabled him to travel like lightning around his opponents. Alex had started by teaching them what foot combinations worked the best for quick parrying and then counterattacking. Then he had showed them how to circle an opponent when in a fight. After that, he had paused and made them focus on just moving forward in an attacking position, and then moving backwards. They stayed at it for a long time. By the time they finished, darkness had fallen completely over them.
“Good!” Irgen and Idus stood up straight, sweat dripped profusely down their forehead and neck, and their short quick breaths interrupted the silence that had fallen. They looked hopefully at Alex. He was leaning on his staff gazing steadfastly at them. “Irgen, very good. I do believe you are a natural swordsman. Footwork is perhaps the most important part of fighting with a sword. But Idus,” he peered keenly at Idus, “you are not--a natural.” A silence followed as Idus blinked dumbly back at Alex, in his head he was thinking:
“No duh, you must be a genius to have figured that out. I mean after all you are the pro, so I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it… I mean what do I need the sword for, I can already kill with lightning.” His thoughts were interrupted though with a genial comment from Alex.
“No, you are not a natural with a sword, but few lightning mages have ever been. Indeed it is said that the great Idus of the past did not ever use a sword. Instead his preferred weapon was a double bladed war axe.” Idus blinked again taken aback at this new bit of information. His predecessor didn’t use a sword, and he was no good at one. Well that was good news, he supposed.
“Wait you mean Idus the brother didn’t use a sword?” Irgen asked suddenly.
“You mean you don’t know?” Alex asked back.
“No, we only heard part of Alecto’s story.”
“Well then, I guess I’ll tell you what I know. Very little is known about Irgen and Idus as soon as they left on their journeys. The brothers did not speak of it much, and it seems that the few they told, took their secrets to the grave with them, but we do have many old wives tales about them. Perhaps they hold more fact than fiction, but no one will ever truly know.”
“We do, however, know a few things for sure; it seems that Idus went far into the north with his winged shoes. Your grandfather, as it was, followed many of the old tales into the northern country, and somehow found through extensive research that Idus had stopped in Scandinavia. It seems that he had heard rumors of the Norse gods and of their exceedingly great power, so naturally, he was drawn towards them seeking for that same sort of power. The Idus of old was said to be very bold and assertive, and he was known to be very power hungry. He sought for it at every turn. It was the thing he desired above all else. The very mention or thought of the word brought longing into his soul, and he lusted after it, until he finally determined that he must have it.”
“It is said that he found the Norse gods and after many days of persuasion, they allowed him to dwell among them, but in his heart, his envy grew. He spent endless hours learning the different arts of the Norse gods, but he could find no way to mimic them. He found that no matter what he did, the power that existed in them could not be transferred to him. And then finally, one day, he managed to get one of the gods outrageously drunk and flattered him into telling how the gods themselves had gotten their powers.”
“Here the stories differ, for some say that the god told him of a secret place high in the mountains around them. A place where a man could be endowed with power making him incomparably powerful, nigh invincible. Others say that the god he got drunk was Thor himself, and Idus, through gambling, managed to trick Thor into sharing his power with him.”
“As for me, I like the thought that he had to search for this hidden power, but no one can really be sure which tale is the truth. But one thing is for certain and that is that he eventually gained what he sought, and after he got his new power, he had to test just how strong he really was, so he tested it out on the Norse gods. It is said that he stormed into Thor’s mighty dwelling and fought an unforgettable battle which has been lost to the pages of history. We do know that in the end, he ended up fighting to a standstill with the gods, and seeing that he could not win, he stole Thor’s mighty battle axe, forged as a brother to his mighty hammer, and flew to safety with his winged sandals. Nothing more is known about Idus.”
“But what about Irgen?” Irgen asked impatiently.
“Irgen, we know even less of. Once again, your grandfather tried to follow his trail, but this time, he could not find the end of it. It went extremely cold in Egypt. It seems that after leaving Greece, Irgen found passage to Egypt, but on the way, his vessel was hit with a mighty gale and was completely destroyed, but Irgen was not a demi-god for no reason. He managed to use his mighty strength to swim south until he landed in present day Libya. He managed to make it, yes, but the toll it took on his body, he never forgot. He hated the sea from that moment on.”
“After he landed we know he went in search of the Egyptian gods in Egypt, and then they took him somewhere, but where, not even your grandfather knew that. We do know some of the traits of Irgen; however, like for example, he desired fame and glory more than anything else. He thought that the way to immortality was through a man’s renown, and he received a lot of it. I mean to this day fire is thought of as one of the greatest achievements of man, and it took a great man, even a great mage to harness that power, but his other achievements have once again been lost to history. It’s a shame---” He stopped as the four of them heard soft footsteps near them. Reggie came into the light looking a little depressed but better.
“How did training go?” He asked in a quiet voice.
“It went well, and Alex was just telling us about the stories of the old brothers, Irgen and Idus.” Idus said eagerly although he knew the practice hadn’t gone well at all.
“That’s good,” He looked quizzically at Idus, “although I’m sure you know there are no real stories of Irgen and Idus. They were, at best, shady characters that got lost in the pages of history.” He sighed and looked up wearily into the sky, and the light above them disappeared, revealing the open heavens above them. “Well I guess it’s time you guys get your sleep. I’m sure Gregory will want to work you two work-horses again in the morning.” The brothers frowned at the thought of Gregory’s training, but still they consented that it was best that they go to sleep. So without further ado they trooped off back to the castle, no one noticing in the darkness, the new bitter look which had come over Alex’s face.
The Brothers Tuerl & The Staffs of Zeus Page 27