Knight Rising

by T. Mikita

  “I could help you find it,” Phoenix said tossing back her short red hair as if it had once been longer.

  “Find what?” Asher asked.

  “Whatever you want, Pendrick,” Phoenix said, with a smile.

  “So, I guess that pairs you with me today, newbie,” Dorren commented.

  “What?” Asher felt as if he were swimming up from the power in Nicki’s eyes. There was definitely something there, whether it was magic or sex appeal, Asher was uncertain, but he definitely wanted to get to know more.

  “For certain things we pair up,” Dorren supplied. “You’re with me today.”

  “What about Nicki?” Asher asked looking back at the girl.

  Dorren rolled his eyes. “Partner with me. Phoenix will eat you alive. I’ll keep you from getting beat up too bad on your first day. We leave the girls together.”

  “Isn’t that a bit sexist?” Asher said.

  “Maybe,” Dorren said, “but Nicki and Galina are mages. You don’t want them to hand you your ass the first day, do you, Newbie?”

  “I guess not,” Asher said glancing back to Galina who had barely spoken. She was intent upon her meal and hardly looked like she would physically best anyone.

  “Do you have a talent?” Asher asked turning back to Joel.

  “I charged your cell phone, remember.” Joel answered. “Get with the program, Ash.”

  “Asher,” he said. Only Jules called him Ash.

  “Okay Asher,” Joel stressed his name. “I’m chemistry and tech.”

  “I thought you were Joel,” Dorren quipped, and Asher found he liked the cheeky Brit.

  “Yes, I remember. And thanks,” Asher said. “I mean, for the help with my cell phone, but that doesn’t sound very magical. How much do we even use computers here?”

  “A bit,” Joel said. “We do still have to cover all the regular subjects,” he said. “Potions and herbal remedies are similar enough to chemistry. A lot of medieval stuff about Arthur and the Order covers the history and social studies requirements. We still have math and English, even if it is mostly writing papers about assigned magical topics. But we are allowed to type them. Both for English and the magical theory classes.”

  “Papers aren’t important,” said Phoenix. “As long as you can do the practical, you’ll pass.”

  “That’s true,” Joel agreed. “But that’s not as easy for me as it is for you, Phoenix. I was hoping for fire. I think it pairs a bit with the electricity manipulation in technology, so I’m hopeful.” Joel snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. Joel sighed. “Nothing yet.”

  Fire, Asher thought? Like throwing fire balls? When did they get to do that? He still wasn’t sure how this all worked, but he was starting to get excited about the whole magical thing now.

  “Dream on,” said Phoenix. “If anyone gets fire powers, it’s going to be me.” She flexed her arm and the phoenix head on her bicep bobbed its head.

  “You know that isn’t how it works, Joel,” said Galina. “Power doesn’t come free.”

  “We usually do conceptual magic in the afternoons,” Dorren explained. “But the mornings are taken up with more mundane subjects and the physical arts.”

  “Physical arts?” Kenny laughed, nervously. “Fancy name for getting the shit beat out of you by whatever the teachers can dig up to throw at us.”

  “Don’t worry,” Nicki said tossing her red hair. “Joel will protect you.”

  “It’s how we get stronger,” Galina commented. “Fighting things.”

  “Yeah.” Phoenix added. “Do you want to end up as a Sentinel, Kenny?”

  “A living Sentinel is better than a dead Knight,” Kenny said softly.

  “The Sentinels have an important role,” Joel defended his friend. “Without them we wouldn’t even know what we are up against most of the time.”

  “Well then, Kenny, you should apply for Sentinel now. Give up on becoming a Knight, and you won’t have to fight anymore.” Phoenix said.

  “No one’s giving up,” Joel argued.

  “I have to go change my shirt before class,” Kenny said pushing away from the table and standing. Obviously, he was uncomfortable with the conversation.

  “There’s no shame in being a Sentinel,” Galina said. “The lore is important too.”

  Phoenix shrugged and scraped together the last bit of egg on her plate. “If you get in trouble, just cut off its head. That usually works. I don’t need the grimoires to tell me that,” she said under her breath.

  Asher looked back and forth between the friends, watching their conversation. Joel and Kenny were obviously close friends. Maybe more than that if he read them right. Kenny was quiet and Joel was the more outgoing. The girls, Galina and Nicki were obviously talented. Dorren called them mages, but they were not necessarily friends with each other, maybe more like rivals. Although Asher’s money was on Phoenix, if it came to a physical fight. Dorren was obviously the calming influence of the group.

  “Everyone just chill,” Dorren said, confirming Asher’s evaluation. The man’s deep accented voice caught everyone’s attention.

  “That’s right,” Joel mocked in a terrible imitation of Dorren’s British accent. “Keep calm and carry on.”

  Dorren just rolled his eyes. “What was your best mundane subject?” He asked Asher.

  Asher shrugged. On a whole, he hadn’t done terribly in school, but there was nothing he really excelled at. “Ah…study hall?” Asher said.

  Joel laughed. “Then you will fit right in with us,” he said.

  “Come on. We are going to be late for hand-to-hand,” Dorren said.

  Asher smiled. At least he had made a few new friends and they seemed like decent people.

  13

  The Order of Mordred

  The little group of students hurried outside to the training grounds, which was a bit of a walk from the dining hall. Asher was shivering by the time they got there, even though they nearly jogged. The area was somewhat protected from the weather by a large clear dome. Joel said the dome was removed in the warmer months.

  The first combat class was taught by a woman who looked like she could have kicked an Amazonian’s ass. She was even taller than Phoenix. Asher thought she looked a little older than his aunt, but she was stockier. She had graying hair pulled back in a severe pony tail.

  Most of the little group from breakfast stood with Asher, but he noticed that Phoenix had migrated to the other side of the field. She wrapped her arms around a tall blond student tilting her head up for a kiss. The fellow willingly obliged. Asher’s mood instantly soured. Of course, Phoenix had a boyfriend, he mentally chided himself. A girl that hot was never free and single, not in his world. Her boyfriend looked like he could be a stand-in for an action movie. Asher didn’t stand a chance.

  “Line up,” the teacher demanded in a booming voice and the students moved to follow her orders, all except for Phoenix and her blond boyfriend. Asher watched Phoenix trail her tattooed hand down the boy’s arm, and cling momentarily to his fingers before moving to line up with the others.

  “Connor, this is Asher Pendrick,” Phoenix said.

  “Connor Logan. Order of Sir Galahad...” the boy began to introduce himself.

  “Quiet,” demanded the teacher, stopping the introduction mid-sentence. The class settled almost immediately, snapping to attention.

  “For those of you who do not know,” the woman said, “I am Erlene Houlegate, Order of Gwenivere. Although many of my colleagues prefer the feminized title, as a full Knight of the Order you will address me as Sir, or Sir Erlene.”

  Sir Erlene strode up and down the row, eyeing them all severely. She paused when she spotted Asher.

  “Pendragon, do not think that your illustrious name will get you any special treatment in my class,” Sir Erlene said.

  “I wouldn’t expect it, Sir” Asher said as he lined up across from Dorren. He would have to get used to calling a woman ‘sir.’

  Sir Erlene frowned at t
he two of them. “And yet you partner with a probable Sentinel,” she said. “As a Pendragon, I would think you would want more of a challenge.”

  Asher had heard the group say that Kenny was probably a Sentinel, but Dorren was supposed to be a healer. That wasn’t offensive magic, but it still seemed pretty powerful to Asher.

  Dorren’s dark eyes narrowed, at Sir Erlene’s comment which was as much reaction as he gave to the subtle insult. Asher wondered if people with skin as dark as Dorren’s could actually blush. Asher could almost see the steam coming out of Dorren’s ears, but there was no change in the ebony hue of his skin.

  “Yates,” she said. “Trade places with Lacey.”

  “Sorry,” Dorren mouthed to Asher before moving to spar with Lacey’s partner, Jackson Teague.

  Asher realized that he was now paired with the same guy who was bullying Kenny earlier. Great. He really didn’t want to make enemies on his first day. “Hi. I’m Asher,” he said, trying for a friendly tone.

  “I know,” Lacey sneered. “Everyone knows who you are,”

  So much for friendly, Asher thought.

  Lacey was about Asher’s height, but broader around the shoulders. The only consolation Asher had was that Lacey was a head shorter than his goons. Against either of them, Asher would be the middle weight against a heavy weight fighter. Luckily, he and Lacey were more closely matched, although Lacey had the advantage of experience.

  “Lacey, show Pendragon what we do here,” Sir Erlene said.

  “Of course, Sir,” the boy said sweetly.

  Asher did not bother to tell the teacher he preferred to be called Pendrick. He could already tell she wouldn’t give a damn what he preferred. Asher kept his attention on Lacey. He couldn’t abide bullies. He wasn’t going to let this guy get the better of him.

  “As you know, or you should know,” Sir Erlene said, her hard black eyes on Asher. “Your knight abilities are augmented by the things you face. The Otherworlders. That does not include the powers of other Guardians, still you will attempt to best your partner. It is good prep for later challenges. After all, if you cannot best a human, how can you hope to best something with probable superhuman speed and strength, to say nothing of claws and teeth.” She surveyed the field for a moment. Her eyes settling on Kenny with obvious distaste.

  “Begin!”

  Lacey reached forward immediately and grabbed his wrist. Asher found himself on his back before he could spit. Lacey put him down with such force that his head whacked the ground hard and he saw stars. “What the fuck?” he blurted once the wind returned to his lungs. The back of his head ached and he blinked to clear his vision. He reached back to see if he was bleeding, but his skull seemed intact. If just barely.

  “Pendragon, you may refrain in the future from spouting expletives in my class. One demerit.” Sir Erlene crowed.

  “But—” Asher began, thinking that even though they were sparring, that move was just this side of a sucker punch, and unnecessarily violent. He rubbed the back of his head gingerly as he stood to face his opponent again. Lacey wanted to hurt him, but Asher wasn’t going to be a snitch. He was going to take this little shit down a peg or two.

  “You are supposed to tuck your chin,” Lacey sneered unhelpfully.

  Asher noticed that no one else had put their partners on the ground hard enough to hurt them. Other combatants were helping their opponents to their feet. Lacey didn’t bother. This was the type of guy that enjoyed being a bully. Asher shuddered to think what Lacey would do to Kenny if they were partnered. Kenny had victim written all over him, but Asher wasn’t going to take this guy’s bullshit lying down.

  “Again,” Sir Erlene said. Walking the class through a combination of moves.

  This time, Asher really tried to keep from hitting his head. He tucked his chin hard, but Lacey shoved harder. His head snapped back.

  “You are supposed to break the attack,” Lacey said sniggering. “Don’t you know anything Pen-dick?”

  The third time Lacey set him up to fall badly, Asher swiveled his feet and took Lacey’s legs out from under him. Suddenly, they both were on the ground grappling.

  Lacey threw a punch, that hit Asher in the thigh. He had assumed that Lacey was going for the groin, but a quick and instinctive turn deflected the blow. Asher caught Lacey’s hand and twisted it. He was done with this shit.

  He latched onto Lacey’s little finger and bent it backwards. As the pinky goes, so goes the rest of the body. His father had taught Jules that little trick of self-defense when she was very young. He remembered how simple it really was and how vulnerable the fingers were both to breaking and to dislocation. Contrary to popular belief, most people did not fight on with broken fingers. Almost immediately Lacey was crouched over, nearly on the ground, trying to get even lower, his whole body following the stress in that one finger. Asher put a knee in his back and continued to put pressure on the digit. Another moment and it would pop.

  “I yield!” Lacey cried.

  Immediately, Asher released him and stood, backing away.

  Lacey pulled himself together and took a wild swing. It connected solidly with Asher’s midsection. Asher was stunned for a moment that Lacey did not stop after he had yielded. For whatever reason, Lacey wasn’t just sparring. He was out for blood. Asher was not expecting the first blow. The second, he anticipated, and ducked.

  Asher came back with a solid right hook, laying his body into it and connected solidly with Lacey’s nose. The soft tissue caved under his fist, and blood spurted from the appendage. Lacey backed away sputtering, a hand to his nose. Blood dripped through his fingers staining his shirt.

  Asher realized that the entire class had stopped doing their single combinations to watch. He stood uncertainly, worried he had taken things too far.

  “Don’t worry, Lacey. A little cold water and peroxide will take that blood right out.” Kenny said sweetly.

  “A Sentinel should learn these things,” Joel put in, adding insult to injury.

  Asher remembered the blood on Kenny’s shirt this morning and really didn’t feel too upset about bloodying Lacey.

  “I could heal his nose,” Dorren offered. “Or at least stop the bleeding.”

  “You! Stay away from me!” Lacey screeched; his voice muffled as the blood continued to drip through his fingers.

  Although Asher had only met Dorren this morning, he didn’t think the boy was being sarcastic. He really was trying to help.

  “Hold your nose closed. Don’t bleed all over everything,” Sir Erlene said with very little concern. When it was clear the bleeding was not going to stop any time soon, she sighed. “Let’s get you to a healer. The rest of you, read chapter six in Sun, and answer the questions at the end of the section on battle strategy. Class dismissed.”

  Still protesting, Lacey let the teacher lead him away. Asher was glad he was not in trouble for unnecessary violence.

  Once they were out of earshot, a girl Asher didn’t know began a slow clap. A few others broke in with laughter and applause patting Asher on the back and congratulating him for beating Lacey.

  “I’m just glad the class is cut short,” Kenny said.

  Joel laughed.

  Asher smiled and accepted the accolades, but a glance across the field brought his eyes to Lacey’s two friends. The boys stood a little apart like twin mountains with arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Asher was sure they were not going to forgive and forget. No, he would have to watch those two.

  Kenny sidled up beside him, looking in the direction of Asher’s gaze. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ve got your back.”

  Somehow, Kenny’s words were not all that reassuring.

  Phoenix came over to congratulate him, but Connor was by her side beaming like a toothpaste commercial. Somehow it lessened the compliment for Asher. “They never should have let the Order of Mordred back in,” Connor commented.

  “Yeah,” Phoenix agreed. “The whole lot of them are dicks.”

  “Even
the girls?” Joel asked, with a grin.

  “Especially the girls,” Phoenix said.

  “Who is the Order of Mordred?” Asher asked.

  “Lacey, of course,” Phoenix answered. “Mordred always was the bad seed.”

  The practice field was clearing out. Dorren and Kenny moved on, presumably to their next class, but Asher could not help glancing back towards Lacey’s goons.

  “They are Order of Mordred too,” Galina said confirming Asher’s suspicions.

  “Didn’t Mordred kill Arthur in the stories?” Asher asked cautiously.

  “Yes,” Galina said softly. “Through death magic and treachery.”

  “Great.” Asher sighed.

  14

  Dust

  Joel clapped Asher on the shoulder knocking him out of his reverie. “Come on,” Joel urged. “We don’t want to be late.”

  “What’s our next class?” Asher wondered pulling his schedule from his pocket.

  “Calculus,” Joel said. “Unless you have general math.”

  Asher shook his head as he looked at the schedule. “No,” he said. “Calculus.”

  Joel nodded. “We have twenty minutes to shower and dress back in our uniforms.”

  Asher nodded and followed him at a brisk pace. He was surprised that they were headed back towards the dormitory buildings.

  “Don’t they have showers in the locker rooms nearer the …umm…combat field?” Asher asked.

  “They do, but I’d rather not be naked around Lacey or rather his baboons at this particular moment.”

  “You shouldn’t let them push you out,” Asher said, but he also understood Joel’s reluctance to tempt fate. Besides group showers sucked. They sprinted up the stairs. Joel paused at the top step. “Meet you in the atrium in fifteen?”

  “Sure,” Asher said.

  “Don’t be late. We’ll get demerits.” Joel disappeared at a run down the corridor.