The Champion's Ruin

by Kristen Banet

  “You don’t,” she answered. “You keep him occupied while one of your fellow warriors comes around to attack from the back because the Elvasi will use the net to trap your weapon if he has to.”

  His face was somewhat pale from the scare she just gave him, but he smiled, nodding in appreciation of her answer.

  “That’s definitely the best option. What do you do when you’re alone?”

  “You fake him out and get him to commit to throwing his net, losing his best weapon. While he’s still trying to draw up his sword, you go in for the kill,” she quickly answered. “But never commit to an attack while he’s holding the net. That is a good way to get killed.”

  “You’ve been netted,” Kian said nonchalantly. “Remember?”

  Groaning, Mave reached out and pushed her father for bringing that up.

  “A mistake I’ll never make again. They were aiming to capture me, however. I do think Trevan is asking with the idea a net is for the kill.”

  “I am,” the Elvasi agreed, nodding. “I never knew you got netted, though. I don’t know the story.”

  “We were ambushed in Olost,” she explained quickly. “There was a bounty out on my head, back when Shadra wanted me returned to her, not just dead. Skies, it feels like ages ago.”

  “It practically was. We left Olost two years ago now,” Kian said, rubbing his jaw with a thoughtful expression. “To think, you only spent about a year there, if that.”

  “Yeah.” She had spent more time free in Anden than she ever had in Olost. She wondered for a moment if she ever wanted to go back and quickly decided she didn’t. She felt at home in Anden, even with a war going on around them. There was no reason to go back to Olost. There was nothing important to her there.

  “So, what brought the two of you here?” Trevan finally asked. “Emerian is yours to train now. I don’t want him back.” It was said in obvious jest and made her chuckle at her nemari’s expense, who growled at the Elvasi.

  “I thought we were friends!” Emerian grumbled as Trevan laughed as well.

  “We are, but you were always a nightmare to train. You got better once we made it here, but back in the pits? It was like teaching a child table manners,” Trevan countered. “Don’t deny it.”

  “Whatever,” Emerian mumbled, looking away. She reached out and squeezed his arm, trying to comfort him before turning back to her Elvasi.

  “We decided to leave sparring off the plan today and sit in and get some education from you. You didn’t give him full lessons, not that anyone expected you to. I think it’s important to his education, though.”

  “That’s fine. You can help me, and he can go hang out with the others. You know all of this.” Trevan waved Emerian to stand with the other Andinna, who made space for him in the front row. She watched carefully, making sure none of them tried anything against her half-Elvasi mutt. He belonged to her now, and she would gut any of them for bullying him.

  Trevan launched back into his lesson. Mave found a spot to stand next to Kian, who threw an arm over her shoulder. Trevan talked and talked and talked, asking questions as he went. Emerian, as Mave noted proudly, answered most of them, obviously attentive to everything Trevan was saying.

  “He’s a good student,” Kian noted softly as the warriors moved into a circle around Trevan to watch him demonstrate something. “Emerian.”

  “He is,” she agreed.

  “What are you going to do about his plain face?” her father asked. “I know you hated being that way, so I figured you would have already forced him to get his tatua done.”

  “He’s not ready,” she said softly. “Last year, I would have, but after seeing him over the last few seasons and watching him, he’s not ready.”

  “The first tatua doesn’t need someone to be ready, daughter. It just makes him an adult. He’s your age. I know Luykas and Alchan held off since he wanted to wait because he’s a mutt and shit, but it’s been over a year. He’s here, and he’s living our lifestyle now.”

  She agreed with all of that, but something was missing. “He…” She couldn’t put her finger on it for a moment and watched the training continue as she thought about it. Trevan was showing the warriors how the Elvasi use the net. The Andinna had stolen dozens of Elvasi weapons just for training exercises like this. She looked at Emerian, watching intently.

  “He’s not Andinna yet,” she finally said softly. “He’s so close, but there’s something missing.” The right word came finally as she watched more. “He’s missing passion,” she decided. “There’s something every Andinna has in them, even the ones I hate. Passion. A violent passion. We laugh when we fight. We cheer as blood is spilled. He’s not there yet, and I think he needs to be there for him to truly embrace being Andinna and getting his tatua.”

  “He won’t have that until he goes out to fight,” Kian whispered, leaning in. “Does that mean you plan on bringing him with us on our next missions?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed, nodding slowly. “He’s ready enough for that, and I think he needs to take that last step. He’s not like me and Luykas. Luykas, from his own stories, was able to find his place in Anden before he reached adulthood, and I always craved acceptance among Andinna. Neither of us ran from being Andinna. Emerian did. I don’t blame him, but he did. I don’t think tatua is just adulthood for him, but a final decision between his Elvasi and his Andinna natures. First, we need to find out how deep his Andinna nature really is.”

  “When did you become so wise?” her father asked, sighing. “I can’t say I disagree with you when you put it that way.”

  “Blame Alchan and Luykas. They’re the ones who made the decision. I’ve just found myself agreeing with them.”

  Kian chuckled. “The king and his ivory shadow once again prove to be smarter than everyone else.”

  “What?” Mave frowned at the usage of ‘Ivory Shadow.’

  “No one ever told you the story?” Kian tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. “That’s how we got our name. As they were growing up, Luykas got the nickname of being Alchan’s ivory shadow. He followed Alchan everywhere. They were never really apart. When we discovered Alchan was the new king, Luykas was the first to pledge himself to Alchan as a member of the royal guard. Those of us who were there and pledged ourselves to defend the new king, decided we would follow in Luykas’ footsteps and become the king’s royal guard as well. The idea of the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company came later down the road, but you’ve heard us say it. The Company has always been the royal guard.”

  “I remember,” she said, smirking. “I just never heard anyone call them that before. The king and his ivory shadow.” She snorted, thinking about it.

  “Well, it used to be the prince and his ivory shadow,” Kian corrected. “I think only Nevyn and I say it now and never when they’re around. Don’t tell them I finally told you.”

  She laughed silently at the idea of Alchan and Luykas being annoyed over an old nickname, but she could see it. There was a mission she still didn’t know about because every time one of the Company mentioned it, someone else would growl they weren’t supposed to talk about it, normally, Alchan.

  It was midday when Trevan declared he was finished. He was sweating as he walked to Emerian and shook his friend’s hand.

  “You did good,” the Elvasi said with a smile.

  “Thanks,” Emerian said with a grin in return.

  Mave’s heart thumped when they both turned to her.

  “What?” she demanded as they stared.

  “What did you think of the lesson? I’ve been trying to streamline it.” Trevan walked closer. “And Emerian did well, don’t you think?”

  “He did.” She looked over her nemari. “How do you feel? Was it an educational morning for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, let’s find something to do for the rest of the day. Trevan, do you have any plans?”

  “I don’t. Dave has been walking with Learen recently, so I’ve had more free
time.”

  “Kian?” She turned on her father, eyeing him. “Want to find something to do with us, or do you have plans?”

  “I’m going home to Senri. You three have fun.” Kian removed his arm finally and launched into the air.

  “What do you have in mind?” Trevan asked, tilting his head to the side.

  Mave looked at Emerian before she answered. She had to get him ready. She didn’t want him to become her, but she couldn’t hold him back, not if she ever wanted him to fully accept being Andinna.

  “Well, Emerian has never fought a gryphon rider. Maybe we can find a midday meal and work on that,” she said with a shrug, trying not to show them how pressing she thought it was. “You’ve gotten good at riding him, and I’ve seen them fight before. It can be a learning exercise for all of us.”

  15

  Trevan

  Trevan rubbed his gryphon’s beak as Mave and Emerian walked up. He’d never tried to ride Vahn for anything aside from transport. He hadn’t known how to ride a gryphon before Mave brought Vahn back and gave him to the only Elvasi in their camp. Trevan had been grateful, but that didn’t make him an expert about the Elvasi cavalry.

  He couldn’t deny her idea was sound. The more practice everyone got, training in the air, the better. The gryphon riders the Elvasi were using were the wild cards of every battle. Only a few Andinna had practice fighting against them, and Trevan had seen the injuries they could inflict with his own eyes.

  “I’m going to be the first to say this, but I think this might be a really stupid idea,” Emerian said as he looked at Vahn with concern. “What if one of us gets hurt?”

  “Then we’ll see a healer,” Mave countered. She walked right up beside Trevan and reached out. Vahn knew her, more than any other Andinna in the valley. For some reason, he knew she was the reason he was alive. Trevan could relate as the gryphon leaned into her touch and rubbed his beak against her hand. “Do you want a snack?” she asked the beast softly. She pulled her free hand from behind her back and revealed a fish, holding it out. “Gently,” she ordered as the gryphon realized a meal was being presented to him. He reached out and took it from her, then swallowed it whole.

  “You’re spoiling my mount,” Trevan accused, chuckling as the gryphon sniffed around for more, pulling against the lead Trevan had on him.

  “I am,” she agreed, rubbing the beast’s beak. “I brought him here, so I’m allowed to.”

  “He’s a novelty you enjoy having around, and that makes you like him more. Admit it,” he teased, grinning.

  “Just like his rider,” she fired back, smiling. Trevan’s face flushed, and he turned, so she couldn’t see it. He hadn’t expected her to call out the similarities between him and his gryphon and their place in her world. He was just that—a novelty—the Elvasi who wanted to help the Andinna. The Elvasi who didn’t really have a place in their community, but he was there anyway, just like the gryphon. Neither of them had anywhere else to go, so they stayed in the valley and tried to be helpful.

  “So, how do we want to do this?” Emerian asked, oblivious to what had just happened or sounded like it, anyway. Trevan didn’t think he was deaf and blind, just choosing to ignore what had just happened.

  “We’ll use wooden weapons for safety,” Mave declared, stepping back to look around. “Can you go get some from that shack? A spear and some moroks. Or a long sword for Trevan. Spear will probably be best.”

  Trevan heard Emerian jog away without replying to his warrior and looked at the male running across the field. Emerian went into the shack, coming back out with three wooden moroks and a wooden spear.

  “As for you and Vahn,” she continued, looking at him. “Use the spear or a sword. That’s what I saw the Elvasi using. They try for range, and the gryphon does most of the work in the air. He’s trained to tear us apart in combat, and I think it would help you to learn what he can really do.”

  “Of course, it would, but I’m not trained by the Elvasi, and I don’t want to hurt anyone with him by accident,” Trevan countered. That was why he had never tried to do this sort of training. “I don’t know what he responds to or how to make him stop once he gets started. It took me a season to get him healthy and flying with me on his back. It took two weeks of that season for me to learn how to control him on simple flights.” Trevan would never forget those weeks as he tested the waters with Vahn. There was a lot of yelling and a lot of laughter as he tried to enter the skies, using a mount, so he could keep up with the Andinna he lived around. Once he had the hang of it, being with Vahn was a boon, but he would never forget the work he had to put into it. It made him respect Vahn’s power—he could throw Trevan on his worst day and kill him on his best.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said, seemingly without a worry in the world. She took the wooden spear from Emerian and looked it over before handing it to Trevan. “You know how to use the Elvasi spear. Just act as if you’re on the back of a horse.”

  “I was never a member of the cavalry,” he tried to remind her. “I was a foot soldier. I was a good foot soldier, but a foot soldier, nonetheless.”

  “Well, now you’ll be more,” she said, smiling. “Come on. You might need this one day, and it’s better if you train with us than with someone who might take advantage and try to use it to hurt you.”

  “You really don’t trust anyone,” he commented, somewhat indulgently. “There’s not many here that trust me, but I don’t think I have anything to worry about anymore.”

  “I won’t take those chances.” She stepped back, crossing her arms with clear expectation. He stared at her for a moment, trying to fight this. He didn’t think this training was going to go the way she wanted it to. “Well? Mount and get into the air. I’ll go first.”

  With a sigh, he grabbed Vahn’s neck feathers, using them as leverage to pull himself up. Luckily, someone had scavenged a saddle for him because there would be no way he could do this bareback. With only the most minimal encouragement, Vahn jumped into the air, his wings beating hard as he gained altitude over the field. Below him, Trevan watched as Mave pointed Emerian to the side, out of the way before she joined him in the sky.

  “Now, I want you to lift the spear and try to attack me!” she called out.

  “Are you ready?” he asked his mount softly. “Let’s not hurt her, okay? We don’t need that kind of trouble.”

  Trevan wanted to groan, but he lifted the spear, holding Vahn’s reins with one hand, struggling to balance himself. He tapped his heels and sent the gryphon flying toward her at a speed he wasn’t ready for. She dodged the spear easily, but Vahn did something Trevan didn’t expect. As Mave moved to their side, her wooden sword raised and ready to strike, the gryphon turned sharply, making a bird-like scream, and swiped at her. Trevan didn’t see if it hit, but Mave dropped ten feet.

  “Woah!” he yelled, yanking the reins. Vahn fought as Mave went under them and came up on their open side.

  Trevan felt the wooden sword hit his thigh but ignored it as Vahn tried to spin on their sparring partner, swiping out again at the Andinna. She went up and over them this time.

  “Mave, I don’t know how to control him!” Trevan called, realizing the gryphon was acting on instinct. He held the reins, pulling back to hopefully figure out what would make Vahn stop. “Mave, stop!”

  He found her again, hovering twenty feet away. Vahn saw her as well, and Trevan wondered if the gryphon would go for her now that she had distance.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, her volume just barely loud enough for him to hear clearly. “It’s going well. We’re learning something.”

  “I don’t trust this,” he called out, trying to angle Vahn to land again. The gryphon did as he asked but remained wary as Mave landed and walked to them. She walked with the same confidence she always had, but there was a wariness from her as well. “He doesn’t either. Now he thinks you’re the enemy. You can see it. Look at how he’s reacting to you.” For safety, Trevan looked around the
clearing and saw Emerian walking slowly to them. He didn’t want the mutt to accidentally sneak up on them and spook Vahn, so he angled the gryphon so he could see both Andinna.

  “I see,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I was hoping he would be okay with a simple exercise, but…”

  “Mave, they must have trained him to kill Andinna to save his rider,” he pointed out sadly. “He’s not safe for this type of training.” He took her concentration on Vahn as a chance to see if she was okay. She wasn’t. He could see the bleeding on her thigh. “He injured you. Even though you spoil him, he was still okay with tearing your thigh open.”

  “Yeah…” She looked down with a frown he had seen countless times before. The frown told him a hundred things. She hated to be wrong, hated misjudging the situation. “I’ll get it looked at,” she promised quietly. “I’m sorry. I thought this might work. You could join us in battle one day, and it would be good training for everyone here…”

  “He’s taught to kill you,” Trevan reminded her softly, dismounting. He normally would let go of the gryphon’s reins and let the beast do what it wanted, but Trevan couldn’t trust that now. “I don’t know if we can break that conditioning, especially with weapons coming at him. He’s probably seen a lot of his own kind die. I definitely don’t trust taking him into a fight where we’re going against his own kind. He’s as likely to turn and attack the closest Andinna.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” she agreed, reaching down to massage her thigh, the wooden morok discarded on the grass. “Why don’t both of you take the day off? This…this didn’t go the way I wanted. I’m sorry, I won’t suggest this again.”

  He watched her turn around and walk away. He could see the limp and the defeated slump in her shoulders, a sight he had never witnessed before. Even at her lowest, he had only ever seen her walk tall.

  “I can help,” he called out. “With the leg. Emerian, you know where I keep our aid kit, yeah?”