Dragonia- Dragonia Empire series Box Set

by Craig A Price Jr

  “Hmm.” The blacksmith scratched his chin.

  “Do you think it’s possible?” Devarius asked.

  “The balance would be off. It’s already hard to make a flamberge with good balance, but mixing the two styles, and getting a perfect balance … would prove difficult.”

  Devarius frowned.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to split the blade half and half. It wouldn’t give enough straight blade for much of a standard fight, and the balance would be hard to get just right.”

  “I see,” Devarius said, dipping his head in defeat.

  “However,” the blacksmith began, “if we split the blade into thirds: two-thirds on top for a straight blade, and one-third on the bottom with the flame blade … it would give enough room on top for your standard duel, and the vibration protection on the bottom third. The balance should be a bit easier to pull off that way as well … as long as I do proper mathematics to configure the ratio.”

  “Two-thirds and one-third?” Devarius asked. “I like that idea.”

  “I will have to make a new mold … and it may take several molds before mastering one to have the perfect balance. I’m willing to give it a try, but it’ll probably be several weeks before it’s ready.” The blacksmith paused. “Will that be all right?”

  Devarius grinned. “Yes. I look forward to it. That gives me a few more weeks of practice.”

  The blacksmith nodded, and the two of them shook hands. Devarius left the shop with determination. He needed to improve his skill tenfold within a couple of weeks.

  Devarius wandered around the rest of the city. He wasn’t working on his strength and endurance, but he was learning about the Resistance. He spoke to the old shoemaker, a few different seamstresses, and dozens of chefs throughout the city. Devarius was amazed by how well rounded the city was, and how eager to help everyone seemed to be. After exploring the city all day, he went to the courtyard at night. Normally, he was too sore at night to do anything but sleep in the cot the Resistance had provided for him. After the day of rest, well, his feet were sore from exploring the city, but it was still restful compared to combat practice. He decided to lie in the courtyard and watch the stars. Devarius had always loved the stars, but nothing compared to the view of them from the mountains.

  “I thought I may find you here,” a woman whispered.

  Devarius tilted his head back and watched as Aquila approached.

  “Good evening, Aquila.”

  She lay down next to him, her feet pointing the opposite direction, her head resting next to his.

  “The moons are beautiful tonight,” she whispered.

  Devarius looked north to find the smaller half moon and south to see the larger half moon. “Yes … they are.”

  “Have you ever noticed how the larger one has a tint of blue, while the smaller one is tinted orange?”

  Devarius shrugged. “I guess. I have seen their colors change a little depending on which sun they’re near.”

  “Do you think they reflect the suns?”

  “I would imagine,” Devarius replied.

  “I wonder how bright the night would be if they were both full moons,” Aquila whispered.

  “I don’t think that’s ever happened. But I imagine it’d be bright.”

  “I think it’d be beautiful,” she whispered.

  Devarius turned his head to look at her face. The moonlight glimmered off her smooth brown skin. He smiled. “Yes, I imagine so.”

  She spun her head to look at him. “Devarius … are you looking at me when you say that?”

  Devarius quickly turned his head away. “No … I, um … was talking about the moons.”

  She giggled softly.

  “How is your training going?” Devarius asked.

  Aquila smiled. “Not nearly as difficult as yours. I was already proficient with a bow. I have learned to carve my own bow, with help from the woodworker, and I’ve been getting used to it.”

  “How were you so good at a bow? I’ve never seen you use one before.”

  “My father taught me … when I was young. He never had a son. Instead, he took me hunting with him.”

  “Do you miss him?”

  “Yes,” she replied.

  Devarius remembered her father was the first who had been accused of being a Resistance sympathizer, and hanged.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What for?” she asked.

  “I should have found a way to save more people. I should have stopped them before they began murdering people in our village.”

  She smiled faintly. “No one puts the blame on you, Devarius. You are the one who saved us. Without you, we’d all be hanging right now. If you had moved any sooner, they would have caught us.”

  “Still … I wish I could have done more.”

  Aquila touched his cheek. “You’ve done plenty.”

  “I lost my parents the same way when I was young.”

  Aquila’s eyes widened slightly. “You’ve never told me the full story.”

  “It’s hard to talk about. I’d rather not—”

  She touched his lips. “Then don’t. Just promise me one thing.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “When you’re ready to talk, come find me. I will be here to listen.”

  He nodded. “Thank you.”

  They gazed at the stars for a while, enjoying the silence. The night wouldn’t last much longer. Each day had only nine hours of darkness for their thirty-six-hour day during the fall. Once winter arrived, the nights would be a little longer.

  “It’s late,” Devarius said. “We should both get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

  Devarius stood, then offered a hand to help Aquila to her feet. She accepted, smiling at him.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “You need your rest. The captain is really working you hard.”

  Devarius grinned. “Yes. I’m glad he is. I need it. Many of you already came with skills. My family was farmers, all I know how to do is grow grain.”

  Aquila tilted her head. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Harvesters are needed as much as warriors here.”

  “I know.” Devarius sighed. “But I want more. I want to be a part of the action. I want to make a difference, to tip the scale in the Resistance’s favor.”

  “High ambitions.” Aquila smiled. “But I understand the feeling.”

  She leaned into him and kissed his cheek. He felt her warmth spread through him at the touch.

  “Good night,” she said as she sauntered into the darkness.

  “Good night,” he whispered, touching his cheek where she’d kissed him.

  25

  Devarius stood in the courtyard as the first sun rose. He breathed steadily as he admired his new sword. It had taken the blacksmith three weeks to perfect it. The first four blades weren’t balanced enough for the blacksmith, so he’d remelted the metal for other things. However, the fifth blade had a perfect balance. The blacksmith was rather proud of it, but he’d admitted it took the other blacksmith and the two apprentices working together to create the perfect mold for the weapon. Devarius had thanked every one of them.

  The blade wasn’t sharp yet. He’d requested to use the blade before the blacksmith sharpened it. He wanted to practice with the captain with his new weapon before it was sharpened. Actually, he wanted to defeat the captain with his new blade before having it sharpened. He’d come close a few times with a practice sword, impressing several of the recruits, but unlike Paedyn, Devarius hadn’t bested him yet.

  Tynaer stepped in front of Devarius. The captain studied Devarius’s new weapon. Tynaer held out his hand.

  “May I?”

  Devarius handed the weapon over.

  Tynaer inspected it closely, running his bare hand across the side of the blade and bringing it close to his face to inspect the craftsmanship.

  “Did Smithy make this for you?”

  “Yes,” Devarius said. “Actually, it took him, the other blacksmith
, and their two apprentices to get it just right.”

  “Hmm.” Tynaer tested the balance of the weapon. “It’s well balanced, and beautifully crafted. I hope it’ll be worth it.”

  Devarius raised a brow.

  Tynaer looked at him. “I’d hate for them to spend so much time to create a new weapon, taking away from their tasks of creating all the weapons our army needs, to forge you a blade. It would be a shame if you never improved enough to properly use it.”

  “I will. Watch me,” Devarius growled.

  Tynaer grinned at him as he handed the sword back.

  Devarius gripped the sword, wielding it in front of him, staring coldly at Tynaer.

  “Are you so eager to lose?” Tynaer asked.

  Tynaer walked to the clearing as everyone else paired up to practice. Devarius followed close behind. Tynaer didn’t give Devarius a chance to position himself as he leapt forward, his broadsword striking inches above Devarius’s exposed neck. Devarius stepped backward, but he felt the air shift in front of him. He repositioned himself and stepped forward, thrusting his new weapon in an upward arc. Tynaer blocked it before it reached his face. Devarius didn’t stop though, and slid the blade upward, forcing Tynaer’s broadsword to slide down Devarius’s until it reached the waves at the bottom third. The vibrations made Tynaer’s arms vibrate until his sword struck the crossguard. Devarius pulled the blade away, stepped to his left, and swung, first left, then right. Tynaer blocked both strikes, but on the second, Devarius slid his blade upward as well, forcing Tynaer to vibrate against the flame blade.

  The battle continued on, much longer than they normally fought. The others around them had already changed partners over three times. Devarius knew Tynaer was weakening. He could see the sweat creasing the captain’s brow. His arms were shaking as he fought, the vibrations from Devarius’s lower blade affecting him. Devarius pressed harder, using the top of his blade for a flurry of strikes.

  Tynaer misstepped and twisted too far to the right. Devarius pushed himself forward hard at the opportunity, slashing his blade from left to right. Tynaer couldn’t right himself in time, and with one final downward swing of Devarius’s sword, Tynaer’s broadsword slipped from his grasp and tumbled to the ground. Devarius grinned as he readied his sword to touch Tynaer’s chest for the winning mark. Before his blade could reach his foe, the captain dove to the ground and rolled forward. His leg swept under Devarius, clashing with his legs. Devarius crashed to the ground. Tynaer grabbed his broadsword and touched it to Devarius’s chest as he lay on the ground, stunned.

  “Nice try,” Tynaer said. “But you got cocky.”

  Devarius took Tynaer’s outstretched hand and got to his feet. He brushed off his shoulders and sheathed his sword.

  “I thought I had you,” Devarius said.

  “You thought wrong,” Tynaer said.

  Devarius frowned. He had really believed he was getting better.

  “Don’t give up,” Tynaer said. “You have worked harder to improve your swordplay than anyone here. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I’ve seen you practicing sword forms with the other swordmasters after our practices are over. If you keep it up, you will best me in no time. However, keep in mind … I’m not the best swordsman here. Just because I’m captain doesn’t mean I’m the best with a sword. It means I’m the best at strategy.”

  “Understood,” Devarius said.

  “Do you want to be the best?” Tynaer asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Tynaer nodded. “Tomorrow, you will have a break from dueling.”

  Devarius’s frown deepened.

  “Instead, I want you to go to the eastern courtyard and meet Orrick. He is a blademaster. He will teach you several different sword forms. I know you’ve learned a couple, but it’s hard to learn them while dueling.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  26

  Devarius stood in the eastern courtyard during daybreak. He was alone. Both suns hung in the sky. He wondered if the so-called swordmaster would even show up. His thumbs began tapping together as he waited impatiently.

  Something touched his shoulder. Devarius’s body tensed. He looked to his shoulder to see a blade resting on the top of it. His body jerked as he twisted away. Before he could fully spin around to see who was behind him, the hilt of the sword slammed into the back of his head. He crumpled to the ground. Everything around him became blurry. When his vision refocused, he saw the point of a sword floating inches from his face.

  “Good morning,” a voice said.

  Devarius’s eyes bulged. “Orrick?”

  “Yes,” the man said as he sheathed his sword.

  Devarius scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off. He studied the man in front of him. Orrick was short, at least a head shorter than Devarius, with white curly hair dangling to his shoulders and a large white mustache. He looked old.

  “You’re the swordmaster?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised, boy. I wasn’t always old. I have a lot more experience than anyone. Over the years, I have learned every sword form I could. I may be too old to join the ranks in the army, but I’m never too old to train new recruits.”

  “Then why aren’t you the one training us?”

  Orrick laughed. “The captain doesn’t like to waste my time. Unless someone shows promise, he doesn’t bother to send them to me. Besides, I prefer to train only one person at a time.”

  “I see,” Devarius said.

  “No … you do not see. If you saw, you would have seen me coming.”

  “Huh?”

  “Seeing is more than just your eyes, boy. You must see with your mind, your ears, and your touch. When you’re in battle, there are threats all around you. If you refuse to look anywhere but forward, dead you will be.”

  “I understand.”

  “I certainly hope so. I do not like training fools.”

  “How are we to begin?” Devarius asked.

  Orrick tossed Devarius a small net on a pole. “We’re going to catch butterflies.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Quite.” Orrick pulled a net of his own from his belt. “I need more for my collection.”

  “Your collection …?”

  “Every swordmaster should have a butterfly collection.”

  Devarius’s jaw dropped. Orrick spun around. He strode toward the city gate. Devarius stood, frozen, for a moment, before ambling to catch up with the so-called swordmaster. When they left the city, Devarius braved another glance at the old man.

  “Where are we going?” Devarius asked.

  “To a meadow, of course.”

  “A meadow?”

  “Where else do you reckon we’ll catch butterflies? Not many like to come in the city. However, they love the flowers in the meadow. We’ll find plenty of butterflies in the meadow.”

  “You are serious?”

  “Of course I am, boy.”

  “How am I going to become a blademaster by catching butterflies?”

  Orrick ceased walking. He spun to face Devarius. “Tynaer tells me you want to be the best. Is that true?”

  “Yes,” Devarius replied.

  “Then you need to shut that overconfident mouth of yours and listen. I’m only going to say this once, boy. There will be no questioning me, no revealing my training to anyone, and you will follow my commands without question. I will not train you otherwise. Do I make myself clear?”

  Devarius narrowed his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

  Orrick clapped Devarius’s shoulder. “Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let’s go catch butterflies.”

  Once in the meadow, Orrick made Devarius lay his sword on the ground next to his own. He showed Devarius the proper way to catch butterflies with the net. In the beginning, Devarius tried to stride over to a butterfly and catch it, but Orrick stopped him. He showed him he had to use limited motion with his bicep, and use all of his motion with his forearm, either with downward strokes or upward ones, depending on the situation.
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br />   At first, Devarius resented the old man for having him do such a menial task, but soon he realized Orrick was showing him form. Devarius bit his tongue as he accepted every suggestion the old man gave. The first half of the day, he caught butterflies by using the net with one hand, but the second half, Orrick wanted him to hold the pole with two hands and practice the same movements of upward and downward strokes.

  By the end of the day, Devarius’s forearms were sore. He sat on the ground next to Orrick as they watched the second sun set.

  “You did well today. We have caught many butterflies.”

  Devarius clenched his teeth and nodded.

  Orrick looked at him, studying his features. He picked up the large jar of butterflies and held it in front of him. “They are beautiful, are they not?”

  “They are,” Devarius admitted.

  The jar held dozens of butterflies of every color, some a solid hue, while others had intricate patterns weaved onto their wings.

  Orrick smiled as he loosened the lid on the jar. “There is nothing quite like watching butterflies fly into the sunset.”

  Devarius’s eyes widened as the old man took off the lid and the dozens of butterflies flew out of the jar. His fist clenched when he first saw all the butterflies escape, all of their hard work escaping into the sunset. But his rage relaxed after a moment. He watched the butterflies. The old man was right, the butterflies were a beautiful sight as they flew into the sunset.

  “What’s on the agenda tomorrow?” Devarius asked.

  “Tomorrow we’re going to swat bees with a stick. I know where a large nest is in the city. The bees are becoming a problem, so we need to take care of them.”

  “With a stick?” Devarius asked.

  “The best way to take care of a problem is one swat at a time.”

  Devarius gulped. He knew he’d be sore tomorrow, but now he would need to add a few hundred beestings to his plan.

  “How long until we start using swords?” Devarius asked.