by Todd Herzman
And when you put those together?
Well, that’s when one can make true gains.
By the time the three weeks were up, Huon had been living off two hours of sleep per night. The captain told him it was the bare minimum a Knight could survive on—and it shouldn’t be maintained for periods longer than a month. Huon wondered where she’d gotten that information from, and so she’d handed him a book on the subject: The Most Efficient Way to Train and Advance, by the Immortal Kanderan.
Huon had received the book at the start of his second week of training, and wondered when exactly he’d be able to read the thing—that’s when he discovered that triple-surging speed didn’t just help him move fast, it helped him read faster as well.
Over those three weeks, Liona and Huon hadn’t had much time to talk about anything other than their training. They sat down for meals together, but they were always too short to develop a real conversation. Huon was glad that he’d been training so hard—glad he could see his improvement, and improvement in the others, as well, but he wished he had more time to just… be with her. Talk with her. Discover whatever it was they had together. Every time he wanted to finish a session early to spend time with her, he remembered what the captain had said: You have to train twice as hard.
Then he remembered why he was doing it, and knew Liona would understand.
Still, it didn’t feel right. There must be some sort of balance, between life and training…
He’d been thinking about that during a sparring match with Liona on the day the lookout had called that the ship would be docking in Horlana soon.
‘Ignore the lookout,’ Captain Avery said. ‘Finish your match.’
The two were sparring with single-surges. According to Captain Avery, one didn’t always have to fight all-out to increase their skill, especially when it came to surging. Technical skill could be increased at any level of surge. There were techniques that weren’t available to those at lower advancement levels—like the technique Jamison had used on Huon back in the Justice Arena, clamping stone around his leg, and cancelling out Huon’s own earth essence from being able to react to it. But that ability, as a Knight, could be trained even while single-surging the essence.
‘This can be a far more effective training modality,’ the captain had said, ‘as it gives one the ability to spar for longer periods of time, in a low-impact environment. It also lessens the likelihood of ruining my ship.’ That second part she’d said with a raised voice, after Huon had slashed right through the rigging with a triple-surged strength strike that Liona had managed to avoid.
Huon gripped his sword, staring across at Liona. The ship swayed beneath him, but he no longer had to think about it to keep perfect balance. He’d discarded his shield—they were fighting without them today, another thing the captain was adamant about. It wasn’t enough to train armed and unarmed, one had to train as if they’d lost one or more of their weapons. The day before they’d only been fighting with their shields. Huon was glad he had the reassuring weight of his sword.
Liona smiled over at him, gripping her own sword tightly. They both had sharpness essence, but had agreed not to use it in sparring lest they cut the other’s sword in half—or worse.
Liona single-surge sprinted at him, that smile still on her face.
Huon stood his ground, as he so often did when she ran in for an attack. He wished he could surge earth on this ship, but it simply wasn’t an option.
But water and wind? That, he could do.
Huon gathered wind essence around him, letting it pool, ready to be snapped awake. He knew she would be doing the same—gathering it for her strike. At the same time, Huon formed six ice shards—about as many as he could manage while single-surging—and had them hover in front of him. Liona’s control over ice shards was superior, and she could juggle wind and water, but not to the level he could—any shards she created would come at a slight delay—even half a second made a difference.
As she reached striking distance, Huon surged the water, bringing in the ice shards to strike. At the same time, he surged wind into a shield-like barrier, blocking the force of her strike with that alone.
Of course, she’d been expecting that.
Liona used her barrage essence, and even while single-surging, it still made her incredibly fast compared to Huon. Her one strike became four, breaking through his shield before he had an opportunity to counter-attack. She took the ice-shards like they were nothing. They impacted her armour, but didn’t slice into it—she’d have bruises her stamina would heal from the impact alone, but they were barely a nuisance. The benefit of sparring with weak surges.
Huon managed to block Liona’s sword strike that came after her breaking through the shield—which was good, as it had been reinforced not only with strength, but with wind. The force of the strike hitting his sword—without his wind shield to help deflect—jerked his arm back. He felt a twinge in his elbow—nothing his Knight-level body and some stamina couldn’t handle.
They fought like that for an hour. Exchanging countless physical and elemental blows, but never doing enough damage to make the other give up. It was hard to tell who won in one of these bouts, which was fine, as winning wasn’t the point.
The Strong Wind was beginning to slow, and the captain absentmindedly called an end to their fight.
Huon broke away—he’d just struck Liona in her midsection, while she’d hit him right in the knee—a strike so hard it had actually broken something. A particularly amazing feat, considering the level of surge they were using. Huon took a step, knee buckling slightly.
‘You okay?’ Liona asked, lowering her sword.
Huon glanced over at Liona with a smile. ‘Of course.’ Now the fight was over, Huon could triple-surge his stamina again. In a second, his knee was fine—he wasn’t sure why she was concerned, they’d taken harder hits like that before. It was just part of sparring. Her concern, though unneeded, made him feel good. She cares about me.
He was about to keep talking to her, when he noticed where they were.
Horlana’s marina was… a hundred times larger than the port town they’d left three weeks ago had been. He hadn’t noticed anything going on outside of the ship while he’d been sparring Liona, but now that he looked around, he glimpsed thousands upon thousands of white sails.
Liona came to stand beside him, staring off at the view. Horlana wasn’t just full of ships—the city itself was… well, beautiful.
Huon didn’t know anything about architecture, but he could tell they’d designed the buildings differently here. They were more curved than the structures he’d seen in other cities. There were stone arches everywhere, and all their towers were round.
And their buildings glowed. Huon had thought it was a trick of the light, but on closer inspection, it was something else.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Liona said.
Huon looked over at her. She was smiling at the sight. It was strange, seeing her so carefree. They’d been training so hard these past few weeks.
‘It’s important to have balance in our lives,’ Captain Avery announced to the crew, one foot on each side of the prow. ‘With that being said, I’m enforcing a whole day leave for all non-essential personal.’ She eyed Gale and Liona, then her gaze rested heavily on Huon. ‘That goes for you three, too.’
Rest? Huon thought. The idea seemed foreign to him—what would he do with a whole day not spent training?
Then Liona nudged him with her shoulder. ‘You know, there’s something I’ve never done in all sixteen years of life.’
‘What’s that?’ Huon asked.
‘I’ve never just… walked around a city.’ She smiled up at him.
Huon looked down at her and couldn’t help smiling back. A part of him still protested at the idea of not training—what would happen if he lost a day? Except, he couldn’t think of anything in this world he’d rather do than just… go for a walk with Liona. Not cultiva
te. Spar. Train. Just… walk and talk with her. Huon nodded. ‘I’d like that.’
Liona’s smile widened. ‘Gale!’ she called out to the other side of the ship, where the young Knight had been performing a sword kata. ‘Do you want to come with us, explore the city?’
Huon’s stomach dropped. Suddenly, his skin felt all prickly, and something rose up in his throat. He didn’t understand the sensation… But he thought she’d meant just the two of them.
Gale walked over. His eyes darted about the view, looking at all the different ships, then off at the glowing buildings. He wasn’t smiling, though. He shook his head. ‘I think I’d like to be alone with Snow today.’
The giant white wolf padded over, nuzzling Gale’s shoulder. The wolf was an odd sight on the ship—she didn’t fit on the lower decks, couldn’t even get down the stairs, so she had to sleep on the upper deck, exposed to the elements. The captain had found a covering for her, something to keep her clear from the rain and warm during the night. Often, Huon would notice that Gale was sleeping curled up with the wolf on deck.
He’s lost so much, Huon thought. But at least he still has her.
Not for the first time, Huon looked up at the sky, wondering if he’d ever see Shurie again. He’d told her to fly off back in Caralor, not wanting her to come into any harm as they tried to rescue Liona and escape the place—but he’d expected the bird to come back. It had been over a month since that happened, and whenever he looked at the horizon, he couldn’t see her.
Liona shrugged. ‘Are you sure?’
Huon looked back at Liona and Gale, biting the inside of his cheek, hoping Gale would continue to refuse to come along with them. It wasn’t that Huon didn’t want to spend time with the boy—it was just… he missed it only being him and Liona.
Gale shook his head again. ‘I’m going to take Snow out of the city, let her roam though the plains. She hasn’t had enough room on the ship, I’d like her to be able to stretch her legs before we go on an even longer journey.’
Huon’s shoulders relaxed.
As they were leaving the ship, walking across the plank, Huon looked down at Jakob’s ring. He knew how to create a veil on his own now, but it was easier keeping one up with this. Then he wondered… was that why Shurie hadn’t been able to find him? When he’d joined—been forced to join—the Honourbound, the Immortal of Fire had had him drop his veil—perhaps that was how Shurie had known where he was. Stepping onto the dock, Huon removed the ring, slipping it into the pocket of his martial arts robes—robes that carried the crest of Captain Avery’s ship.
Maybe Shurie would be able to find him now. He lowered his veil slightly, pulsing his essence, then put it back up.
Liona frowned up at him. ‘What was that about?’
Huon glanced over at Snow and Gale. ‘I’m hoping Shurie can find us—before we’re too far away from the continent. I don’t know how far she can fly across the water…’ The thought occurred that the sky-eagle had simply abandoned him, wanting to be free of whatever bond they’d been forming.
Liona smiled, then took his hand. ‘I’m sure she’ll find us.’ She beamed up at him.
Huon’s skin felt all prickly again, but this time for a completely different reason.
‘Huon.’
The two Knights stopped. Captain Avery’s boots tapped the dock as she walked to stand in front of them. She didn’t remark on their hand-holding—something Huon was grateful for.
She made eye contact with Huon, holding it strongly. ‘Be careful in the city. Do not let anyone see your binding—do not even speak of the…’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘The people we are looking for. This place may not be full of pirates like the port town, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be dangerous. As long as you stick to the paths, and don’t speak of these things, you should be safe.’ Her stone-faced expression slipped into a smile. ‘Now, the two of you enjoy yourselves.’ She raised a single eyebrow, then turned on her heel and carried on down the dock.
Chapter 28
Huon’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
For the first time in a long time, he felt… happy. On the ship, he’d felt safe—driven. Free. But that was a different feeling to this. Walking around Horlana with Liona and holding her hand, he felt even more free than before.
They didn’t speak of what the captain had said as they’d left the ship. They didn’t talk of the Everlasting King, the Immortal Seven, the war—they didn’t even talk of where the ship was headed.
They just spoke of what they saw, of their training, the sparring match they’d just had. They didn’t have any coins—Gale was the keeper of the coin purse—so they passed the marketplace with curious eyes, but didn’t linger too long at any one stall.
Huon hadn’t even been thinking about those things—about getting strong, about getting his revenge, freeing the surgecallers… His mind was almost clear of all that, a fact that was strange to realise—those things had always been on his mind.
Liona squeezed his hand, smiling at him as they passed under another glowing arch. The city wasn’t just beautiful from afar, it was beautiful up close. Huon hadn’t seen so many luscious gardens before—none of the places he’d been had really had gardens within the city walls, not that he’d seen, anyway. Not even the Forest City of Landor. Why would they need gardens, when the ground beneath them was a forest?
This city, however, seemed to value their connection with earth essence, unlike the sailors. Flowers grew in every street. All the houses—even the tiny ones, packed close together, almost directly against their neighbours—had small gardens in front of their houses where they grew tomatoes and different types of herbs. Huon had never walked through a city that smelled so wonderful.
‘What do you think we’ll do after?’ Liona asked.
‘After what?’
‘After the Everlasting King has been defeated.’
Huon opened his mouth, but no words came out. ‘I… I honestly don’t know—I’ve never thought that far ahead.’
Liona nodded, then went quiet for a long moment, loosening her grip on his hand.
Had he… had he said something wrong?
He was frowning, going through their conversation as they passed through a quiet street, when a figure appeared in front of them.
‘There you are.’
Huon froze. Liona’s grip on his hand tightened once more, so hard she must have been surging strength.
Jakob stood in front of them, still wearing his beat-up Honourbound armour. There was no glow to it—Huon had assumed it was Core armour, but if it were, it didn’t have any essence within it.
‘Since this war began, I’ve been wondering where you would turn up.’ Jakob tilted his head to the side. ‘I sensed your essence by the docks, and couldn’t believe it. My son, all the way over here?’ He stepped forward, staring down at Huon’s wrist—the wrist of the hand holding Liona’s. ‘You were bound to an Immortal. I know Blaze is still alive—how did you escape?’
Huon wanted to run. He looked inside his core—his fearlessness essence was still depleted, he’d had no reason to be brave on the Strong Wind. All he’d done was train over the past few weeks.
‘Leave us alone,’ Liona said. Her voice sounded strong, but Huon sensed that was because of Liona’s control, not because she wasn’t worried.
Huon surged his acute hearing, searching to see if there was anyone else close by. The last time he’d encountered his father, Bern had been with him.
I beat him before—I can beat him again.
‘And why would I do that?’ Jakob pointed at Huon. ‘He is my son. Now, boy, show me your wrist.’
Huon backed away, still clutching Liona’s hand. ‘I don’t want anything to do with you, Father.’
‘Perhaps, but I want something to do with you. You are my son. You belong by my side.’
‘Then why do you keep abandoning me?’
‘To make you strong.’ He tilted his chin u
p. ‘And I can see that has happened.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve reached Champion already?’
‘No.’ Huon bit his tongue—he shouldn’t have said anything, he should have made Jakob assume he had. Not that being a Champion would make a difference against a Legend—especially a Legend who’d taken down an Immortal.
Huon didn’t think using roar would be enough to disorientate him and get away.
He looked around, past Jakob, trying to see if Bern was anywhere to be seen. Would Jakob make him fight the man again? Last time, he’d won… this time? He was even stronger now, with access to many unique surges—he’d be able to win again. He’d be able to win easily.
At least, that’s what he hoped.
Jakob tilted his head to the side. ‘There’s something different about you. Something more… powerful.’ He frowned, then snapped his hand out, grabbing Huon’s wrist. ‘Tell me, boy, how did you escape?’
Huon tried to yank his hand away, triple-surging strength as he did, but he couldn’t. The man was too strong. ‘That’s not your business. You abandoned me, three times.’
Liona let go of Huon’s hand and drew her sword, pointing it at the Legend. ‘Let him go.’
Jakob looked over at her, then laughed. Loud and deep. ‘You are a child.’ He waved a hand. A massive gust of wind came from nowhere, sending Liona flying off into a nearby building. She smashed into the brickwork, slid down and landed on her feet. It took her a moment to straighten up—something must have broken in her back after taking such a hit, but it looked to be healed by the time she was standing straight again. She’d managed to keep her sword in hand—not that it would do any good.
Huon was sick of this—sick of being pushed around by people stronger than him. ‘You heard her, let me go.’
Jakob pulled Huon’s sleeve up and yanked his arm around, staring down at his wrist. His eyes widened slightly. ‘Impressive, son. Perhaps I underestimated you. But of course, any child of mine would have potential for greatness.’ He let go of Huon. ‘I just hope you know the cost of what you’ve done.’ He released Huon’s arm, then looked at his own wrist. ‘Yours feels different. I didn’t know there were more Celestial’s visiting Harolan. He shut his eyes. His head cocked as though he were listening to something. ‘Kalak didn’t know either. Interesting.’