by Marlow York
“Enough talk,” Vondak said. “Fight!”
Anza’s lanky frame bent into a fighting stance, and I mirrored her. She reminded me of a housecat crouching just before it jumps on its prey, tail flicking eagerly. Without hesitation, she leapt at me, and I barely had a chance to dodge her attack and counter. She twisted and blocked my fist, then recoiled with a punch of her own. Her sharp knuckles burrowed into my jaw, and my teeth clacked together painfully.
She’s fast, I thought in surprise. I’d seen her fight several times, but it was almost dizzying up close.
Her kick swept through the air, but I lifted my leg and tucked elbow to knee, blocking the strike. Her height was also a huge advantage; I’d have to work my way through her long-limbed attacks to get close enough to do any real damage. She kicked again, and I tried to grab her leg, but she pulled free and stepped in close, driving her fist into my stomach.
My stomach heaved as the wind was knocked out of me. While I was doubled over, she grabbed the back of my neck and pummeled my face with a barrage of punches.
Next thing I knew, I was flat on my back with the world spinning around me. The fight was over.
I gasped for breath while Anza’s face filled my view. “Stupid Fiero,” she said. “You really thought you’d stand a chance just because I’m a girl?”
“Anza, that’s enough,” Vondak warned.
She looked up at him, then sneered at me one last time before turning to exit the ring. A small shower of sand raised from under her foot and sprayed me in the face. No doubt she’d done it on purpose.
I jumped up and hurried from the ring before anyone could notice the faint glow of flames coming from my hands.
I stood behind Saven and the group so I could calm down without curious eyes on my hands. I needn’t worried though; everyone was more interested in the next fight going on in the ring, which was lasting a lot longer than mine had. Raerek fought with another tall, strong recruit. Their skills were almost evenly matched, so the fight was much more involved and technical than my pathetic loss.
“Do you think you’re hiding back here?”
Vondak came up beside me, eyes on the ring as he spoke.
“No,” I lied.
Vondak glanced down at me, his perceptive eyes piercing into mine.
I heaved a sigh. “I am the worst one in the entire group,” I lamented quietly. “How am I ever going to become a Warrior if I can’t win a fight against another trainee?”
“You have improved greatly since your first day here. Do you not feel stronger and faster than before?” Vondak asked.
“I do, but I still can’t win in the sparring ring, and I am almost always last during the run through the forest. Surely those are signs that I don’t belong with the Warriors.”
“You are doubting your place amongst us? When Ysolda insisted I let you join the recruits, she seemed certain it was where you belonged. Perhaps you shouldn’t have chosen your path so lightly.”
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” I assured him. “I knew it was risky and I might fail, but this is where I belong.” I looked up at him fiercely. “This is where I need to be.”
Vondak looked thoughtful, then he watched the ring in silence for a moment. When Irlav announced Raerek the winner, Vondak called the next two trainees to the ring without a moment’s hesitation. I couldn’t pinpoint the criteria he used to match the fighters, but he must have had some sort of system.
“You must look more closely at your fellow trainees,” he finally said. “Though you are all training together, you must be competitive. Study them in the same way you would study your enemies. Instead of insisting you are not as good as them, think about the ways you can take advantage of their weaknesses.” He gestured towards the ring. “What can you tell me about them?”
I looked at the sparring ring and tried to pick apart the trainees’ fighting styles. They were both very strong, quick, and becoming experts in the Grakkir hand-to-hand fighting techniques. However, I noticed right away that one of them had a narrower stance. With a good leg-sweep, he could easily be thrown off his feet. The other one had no visible flaws in his stance, but he had a habit of gritting his teeth before he threw a punch, and as he did so, he dropped his guard with his non-dominate fist. If an opponent could dodge his powerful punch, they might be able to sneak through his guard and land a counter-attack.
“They have very subtle flaws,” I said quietly, amazed by my own observations.
“Each one of you have flawed fighting styles.” Vondak looked at me and lowered his voice. “Even Tarek had his flaws, and he was the best recruit at the time of his training, despite being the youngest.”
I looked at Vondak in surprised, unaccustomed to hearing anyone from the village speak Tarek’s name aloud. “You knew Tarek?”
“Everyone knows everyone in the Grakkir clan,” Vondak replied bluntly. “We do not hold secrets within the clan.”
I knew about that aspect of the Grakkir culture. It was one of many ways the Grakkir were like the Fiero, though I was proof not everyone obeyed that rule. “But how did you know him?” I pressed.
“Because I was one of his trainers,” Vondak said. “When I was younger and still actively fighting in battles, I was an assistant like Irlav is to me.”
I looked at the sparring ring again, trying to picture a young Tarek duking it out with another young man. I bet he was a ruthless fighter.
“Before he became Shunned,” Vondak continued, “he was on his way to becoming a legendary Grakkir Warrior, just like his father. He was strong, fast, took orders well. He excelled in every activity we threw at him, and if he didn’t, he became angry with himself and practiced until he had mastered it.”
“What was his weakness?” I asked.
Vondak frowned. “Arrogance. He was the best, and he knew it. I warned him the way we warn all the arrogant young Warriors, like Raerek and Anza. I told him many times, ‘a Warrior is proud, but never prideful.’ It is important to have self-confidence when entering battle; however, it can be destructive if it is not reined in. Tarek found out the hard way. Now he is Shunned.”
I wondered when Vondak had last seen Tarek. He seemed prideful from the moment I met him, but perhaps he had changed. Did it really matter at this point in his life? It seemed impossible for Tarek to ever come back from such a heavy disgrace.
“Do not spend any more time worrying about Tarek’s position,” Vondak warned me, as though reading my mind. He looked up as the fighters exited the ring, one a winner and one a loser. “His time is over. You only need to worry about who you wish to become.”
His words were harsh for someone who seemed to respect Tarek, or used to respect him. Before I could ask anything else, Vondak spoke again.
“Remember what I told you.” He glanced down at me. “All of you have flaws, but you are observant. Use it to your advantage.”
I swallowed and watched as Vondak strode towards the center of the fighting ring. Sparring was over for the day.
Chapter 18
Itrudged through the door, exhausted and battered, when something hard sailed through the air and smacked my forehead. The small wooden bowl rolled to a stop against the wall.
“Ouch!” I shouted. I looked up and Tarek stood on the other side of the small room, the faintest smirk on his lips. “What was that for?” I demanded.
“It was a test,” he said. “And you failed.”
I rolled my eyes. “A test of what?”
Tarek walked slowly towards me. I squared my shoulders, preparing for a fight, but his posture was relaxed as he brushed past me. “Come with me.”
All I wanted to do was sit and eat whatever Sarrenke was boiling over the fire, but I turned and followed Tarek back outside. We stood under Saven’s curious and watchful eyes. Khero sat a few feet away from the snake, his face impassive but attentive.
“Have you won any sparring matches?” Tarek asked.
I paused reluctantly. “No.”
“You
will never be a Warrior if you cannot win a fistfight with a child,” Tarek scolded.
I wanted to spit a remark at him, but I stopped. Tarek lifted his fists, taking a fighting stance. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Fight me,” he said.
“I can’t win a fistfight against a child, but you expect me to fight you?”
“Yes,” Tarek said. He rushed towards me, and I had no choice but to raise my arms. I quickly sidestepped his punch and righted myself.
Tarek leapt at me again, and this time I blocked his fist with my bruised arms.
“What are you doing?” he demanded. “Do not just block, fight back!”
He kicked at my side, and I was unable to block in time. I took the hit but managed to stay on my feet and recover. My irritation trumped my exhaustion and I went on the offensive. I charged at him and landed several punches on his raised arms.
“Yes,” he said, as though the punches didn’t even phase him. “Keep going.”
He made no attempt to strike me, and instead let me punch and kick as much as I wanted to, blocking and dodging every hit. My body ached in protest, but I pushed through. When Tarek swung at me, I blocked his fist and retaliated with a punch to his left cheekbone.
Both our eyes popped open with surprise. It was the first time I had ever hit him, and judging by the look on his face, he hadn’t meant to let me punch him.
Tarek dropped his fists and panted. “So, you are not a coward. That is good.” He stepped closer to me. “It does not matter how big or experienced your opponent is. You have fire in you, and that fire gives you courage. A true Warrior is always brave, but never arrogant. Your strength will grow because you are courageous; keep your pride in check and you will never become arrogant.”
Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the house, Khero quick on his heels. I stared after him, astounded by his sudden offering of advice.
“He has come to respect you, perhaps?” Saven suggested.
“Perhaps,” I agreed.
✽ ✽ ✽
Soon, my days became habitual. After a day of training, I came home and sparred with Tarek. The more I learned, the harder he was on me, but I grew stronger and smarter with each lesson. I was determined to overcome my exhaustion and do my best, no matter what. Even when I was sore and frustrated from lost sparring matches with the other trainees, I found myself looking forward to our one-on-one lessons. I couldn’t deny Tarek’s skill was impressive, and he had many useful things to teach me.
“A Warrior is proud, but never prideful.”
That also meant acknowledging when someone was better than you and accepting them as a teacher, rather than an opponent.
After sparring, we all ate dinner together. Sometimes Khero and Saven would disappear into the forest to hunt. Khero’s acceptance towards the giant snake surprised me at first, but I sensed a kinship between them that ran deeper than the understanding of mortal humans.
Once dinner was cleaned up, Sarrenke accompanied me down to the spring and sat on the shore, reading another Fiero legend while I bathed. This went on for several nights until Sarrenke finished the last story and gently closed the book. She was about to speak when her eyes wandered up the path. I followed her gaze and saw Tarek standing on the small hill above us, quietly watching and listening to the tale.
Sarrenke looked at me with a sly look. “It is time for me to go to sleep.”
“Wait!” But it was too late. Sarrenke was already making her way up the hill, the book tucked under her arm. Tarek glanced her way as she passed but didn’t follow.
“Lousy man,” I grumbled to Saven. “He must think he can see me naked because he’s my husband.”
“Well…” Saven said thoughtfully.
“Don’t even think about it. Block his view of me.”
Saven slithered into the water, entirely filling the small stream. I stayed close to his side as I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself.
“You do not love him even in the slightest now that he is your husband?” Saven asked.
“An arranged marriage between a slave and her master is the last way to start a loving relationship.”
Saven hissed thoughtfully. “Perhaps you will learn to love him. I sense something changing between the two of you.”
I looked up at Tarek, still standing at a distance. There was nothing threatening or perverted about the way he watched me, but just the fact that he was there at all was strange. He had never come down to the stream with me before. It was difficult to picture myself being in love with a man like him, but I didn’t hate him the way I used to. Ever since I started my training, things had improved between us. It wasn’t love, that was certain. Perhaps it was because he was beginning to respect me, and in turn, I claimed my rightful place as a member of the Grakkir, not a lowly slave who could be pushed around.
“Yes, I sense he is beginning to respect you,” Saven agreed, reading my thoughts. “But, do not worry. If anything should happen, I will still fight him and that old wolf to the death if I need to. I will keep you safe.”
I smiled. “I know.”
Tarek walked slowly towards us but kept his distance as he found a spot farther down the stream. Saven coiled around me protectively, but Tarek wasn’t even looking at us as he removed his clothes and stepped into the stream.
He washed with his back to us, and I could see years of fighting etched into his skin. His arms and back were streaked with old scars. He knelt in the stream and dunked his head under, coming up with water streaming off his long hair. He gasped at the chilled water, something I felt, but not enough to bother me. I had to chuckle at a powerful Warrior finally showing signs of weakness in cold water.
“Let’s go,” I told Saven. I glanced over my shoulder at Tarek, who watched as we left. He could have called me back or tried to chase after me, but he didn’t. All he did was watch as I walked away.
✽ ✽ ✽
As soon as I finished the Fiero book of legends, I quickly returned to Ysolda seeking another book. I had liked reading in school, but the volumes we were allowed to read weren’t nearly as interesting, nor as personal to me.
The library contained several books in my language, and I devoured them with a hunger I hadn’t felt in a long time. The familiar act of reading comforted me and reminded me of life before the attack, but the hunger ran deeper than that. I was equally disturbed and fascinated by what I read—the history of a world I never knew. Our world. My world, before the wars had destroyed it and the City’s government came into power.
The books described many wars between massive cities filled with millions of people. Did the entire world even have one million inhabitants now? I didn’t know, and I couldn’t begin to picture what that would look like. To think that one city alone could house one million people…I simply couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Wars had been fought over land, resources, money, religions. There had been numerous religions and more money than I could imagine. The Fiero had been taught that both were pointless, and yet people had killed each other over them. People would even kill for an idea. I struggled to picture a world where armies annihilated entire cities over simple differences, but wasn’t that the reality I was living now?
A large book told me all about plants and animals that probably no longer existed. The giraffe, with its bizarrely long neck, and the great white shark with a mouth full of daggers. Beautiful flowers and towering trees, all gone due to poisoned air and water. The photos of these creatures made them look like a child’s silly fantasies, but they had existed. Did they still exist somewhere in the world, hidden away for their own safety, or were they really all dead? Victims of humans’ selfish and destructive ways.
I closed the book and gripped it with shaking hands. I turned to Saven with tears brimming my exhausted eyes. He had been listening intently to my thoughts as I read, and we shared a moment of mind-spinning numbness.
“Saven,” I whispered. “My world is a lie.�
�� I glanced at the candle near my bed. The wax was a thumb-sized nub with a tiny blue flame struggling to find something to hold onto. I understood the feeling. “Everything I’ve been taught is a lie. The world is a mystery to me.”
“Not everything is a lie, but a significant amount of the truth has been hidden from you,” Saven said.
Maybe he was right, but his words didn’t comfort me. “Those who were supposed to be my protectors are now my enemies, and the ones I was taught to hate are now my closest allies.” I took a deep breath. “I feel as though I’ve finally woken up and the world outside my window is a complete fabrication.”
Saven gave a quiet hiss and moved closer to me. “Better to wake up from a long sleep to an unknown world than to live a nightmare disguised as a fairy tale.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I murmured, but I was too exhausted to feel comfort in his words. “If this is waking up, then it is a very painful awakening.”
“Yes,” Saven agreed. “But what matters now is what you will do with this information.”
I set the book aside and lay facing him. “What I want to know is what Ysolda expects me to do with this information.”
“Good question,” Saven said thoughtfully. “We must be wary of her from this moment onward.”
“I don’t think there has been a moment when I didn’t feel wary of her,” I said.
✽ ✽ ✽
Training continued for several weeks. Each day consisted of physical exercise, weapons training, survival skills, and learning about potential enemies, mostly the City. We were always physically exhausted and bruised, but the longer training went on, the more I saw my body transform. My muscles grew larger, I could run farther before I became exhausted, and my survival skills improved.
Saven also became stronger and faster. He raced with us through the forest, and practiced lunging and grappling with fallen trees, snapping tree trunks like they were mere twigs. The others were sometimes alarmed by his ferocity, but they tried not to let on. I was amused by their wide-eyed expressions and the way they gladly veered out of our way as we ran past them, rather than try to block our path.
