by K. E. Young
"Well done! We had no clue these existed. I'll have one of my people verify the condition of the passages and check these tunnels to the outside. I find their existence alarming. Thank you."
"All part of the job. There's a good chance that the tunnels are escape routes and the other end may not open from the outside at all. We can only hope so."
"Yes. Who is Lord of the Army?"
A test. "Dantalion. Nakairu dragonlord. Black and red. He's out hunting pseudo-bandits on the north-west trade routes right now."
Mero grinned. Nailed it. "Actually, we got word he's returning to the capital. He should be here in time for the Darthan ambassador's welcome reception. The rest of the army will continue in the hands of his second for a bit longer."
"How did you get word so fast?"
"Signal towers. The Arboren had set them up during the war so Dantalion took advantage. We have them in the Waste and Therys as well now and Prince Rendas is working on deploying them in Akkad and Direnis. I have the blink code written down here somewhere. I think it's over there." He waved a casual hand at an untidy stack of paper on the floor in a corner.
"So what is our relationship with the Darthans?" I eyed the various stacks of papers around the office and my fingers twitched. I squashed the growing urge to tidy the mess.
"Excellent, they're allies in the best sense of the word. They took out most of the ruling Arboren in Marin without our help at all. Then they put the old Marini royal family back on the throne, marched troops through to the Vallen border, and kept most of the Valleni Arboren from escaping Emperor Urash's forces. They're doing well economically and trade between Dartha and the countries in the Drakken Empire, or under Drakkeni protection is brisk.
"Unfortunately, Marin's restored royal family lost control because they were weak and ineffective and that hasn't changed. The Arboren have crept back in there. It's their only remaining refuge so we're letting it lie while the spies nail down the locations of our targets.
He pointed out areas on the big map hanging opposite the window. "The Karthim to the east, Marin and the Dogaren to the northwest and north respectively and Porthis to the southeast are our biggest problems but there are odd things going on to the far northeast too. Not a problem as far as I can tell but we need to look into it. People going missing, that sort of thing.
"It could even be the Dogaren. They're nomadic and live to the north of Dartha and Marin. They're an odd lot and occasionally cause trouble. It's outside their territory but not outrageously so.
"Recently, someone assassinated the Marini Grand Duke, their version of our High-Lord. It's probably internal but we can't be certain just now. I have reason to doubt. Another one of those things I'm investigating along with those bandits.
He waved his hand at me. "Oh - tomorrow morning I'll want you to start going through the recent reports and summarize them the way you did Felat's. I like the format you used. Half a year should be enough."
He turned back to the map without waiting for a reply. As if he ever would. I suspected that Mero's biggest problem was that he had too much going through his head at any given moment.
"Anyway, word from Porthis is that they're making nasty noises in our direction. It's possible they're an Arboren puppet, but it's just as possible they're making nasty noises to everyone. They usually do. It must be something about the weather. It's always raining. They're the most miserable bastards I've ever met. They'd like to conquer the world if only the rest of the world weren't keeping them sick and poor. Never mind that their religious beliefs do that far more effectively than we ever could."
He looked at me with a disbelieving expression. "They don't believe in bathing. Says it causes disease. From what I can see, they're the only ones dying of disease and they're the only ones who don't bathe. It says something, doesn't it?
"Anyway, Porthis is odd. They don't believe in the Eperan God at all. They reserve their faith for a line of divine prophets. When the current prophet dies, his spirit joins it's brethren in the 'Hall of the Divine' and watches over their people. The priests elect new prophets from within their ranks. The current prophet keeps the Porthan king a puppet and is fanatical about the 'false gods' that the rest of us revere. He believes we must be saved from our mistaken beliefs, that we should turn to them and worship the prophets."
He turned to me with an annoyed glare. "The Gods do not ask for worship. We are their children, not their slaves. The Goddess is our mother just as the Eperan God is the father of the native peoples of this world."
As usual, Mero was skipping from subject to subject without pausing. Thal was right, he needed an assistant. Mero's duties were pulling his attention in too many directions.
He grinned. "That's enough on Porthis. Let's go eat, but not too much. We have practice today." We headed toward the dining hall.
"How often are practice sessions?"
"I have a mandatory practice session once a week but you can practice any other day you like as long as you can fit it into your schedule. You'll have more than the mandatory anyway as you'll be teaching knife work."
"Yeah, Takas asked me to add him to the sessions this morning."
"A few others have too, including a couple of Geran's warriors. Word has spread from those who witnessed you during the battle. I hope you don't mind."
"All part of the job. I've taught before although not knife work specifically."
"You mentioned that you were an instructor. It will be interesting to seeing what you did teach."
I was a perfectionist and my patience with the faults of others wasn't the greatest, but my students claimed I was a good teacher. "A warning for you. I'm strict and a perfectionist. I'm also not a patient person when someone isn't trying."
"My father was the same way when teaching me unarmed combat. He was Commander of the Imperial Guard. He argued that lives depended on ensuring his students learned those skills properly."
I nodded in agreement. Many of those with military backgrounds would agree. Anyone who's had to fight for survival might.
Lunch was light. Fruits and veggies dominated with some cheese and assorted dips. The inhabitants of Lord Cassettis' table were cheerful and loud while the other tables were quieter. "Is it normal for this table to be so boisterous?"
"No. Today is a special occasion. I understand that most of the house will watch your trials today, even those who aren't warriors. They're making it a party. There may be those from other houses as well."
I gulped. Wonderful. An audience. "Gee, no pressure here."
Mero laughed. "They've heard so much from those who were at the battle. You already have a reputation."
I sighed. It happened every time. I start fighting and people get wary. Maybe so many of them being warriors and soldiers would help. It did at the dojo. "So how are we going to be doing this?"
"We're using simulated battle conditions. There will be a few observers watching, while the rest of the warriors will take turns attacking you with an assortment of practice weapons. Some attacks will be one-on-one, while others will be group attacks. We'll scatter a few extra practice weapons around for your use. There will also be a few obstacles for you to fight over, around, and through. We'll test archery another time. Once we have a good handle on your other weapon skills, we'll clear the ground, and I'll test out your unarmed skills."
"You huh?"
He gave me an evil smile. "I'm very good."
I sighed in sudden irritation. He was right. Arrogance was definitely one of his faults. "Of course you are." He laughed and toasted me with his tea before turning to Koris.
Mero's arrogance irritated me, but it also made me more comfortable with him and my little crush did not need that. During training over the years, I had spent a lot of time around all sorts of Special Forces types. Seals, Rangers, even one scary fellow someone told me was ex-Maglan. They tended to be arrogant too. I was used to dealing with arrogant guys.
You couldn't always call it arrogance though, since they
truly could do what they thought and said they could do. Most of the time. Supremely confident was a better phrase, but arrogant was easier to say and pointed out the inherent weaknesses.
After the meal, the whole household trooped out to the practice yard. It was sandwiched between two wings of the palace and the cliff face. To one side was a long building with windows high in the wall that turned out to be the armory.
Inside were numerous racks of assorted weaponry. The smell was of oil, leather, sawdust, and metal. At the end closest to the door, the weaponry was of wood, leather, and something like bamboo but almost black. Everyone gathered their choices and pulled extras of all types for me to use.
They took about fifteen minutes to set up. The obstacles included benches, hay bales, sandbags, and a mud puddle about twenty feet across. By the time we were ready to start, the practice ground was ringed two and three deep.
Mero's household was out in force, but from what I saw, there were at least four other dragonlord households represented and a scattering of other ornately dressed folk I didn't recognize. Many of the servant staff watched as well, including Anis. She waved cheerily at me when she saw me looking at her. Mero stood on the sidelines directing the setup.
Mero directed me to take my position in the center of the field and the warriors surrounded me. I was weaponless although there were several weapons within range.
This wasn't life or death the way the battle had been and I wasn't at all sure that my inner demon would wake up to play. I shouldn't have worried though. As they took their places, the adrenaline began flowing. No one was smiling now. They looked deadly serious. I felt my demon wake up and drift forward to look out my eyes.
The first warrior attacked. He was behind me and I sidestepped, turned and swept his legs out from under him, then grabbed an oversized knife at my feet. The next attacked before I could straighten and my demon took over. The rest was a blur of jumbled images. At one point, I watched myself chasing one of my attackers before sliding in the mud. I ended up throwing the practice knife in my hand and watching it strike him between the shoulder blades. Another snippet included kicking a bench towards a pair of attackers before addressing a third. I was dimly aware that there was a great deal of yelling and cheering going on from the sidelines.
I came back to myself when all of my attackers retreated simultaneously. Panting and muddy, I was holding the two ends of a broken staff and had been using them as Arnis canes. They were unwieldy and heavy for that but they had worked. The sun had shifted position so I had been at it longer than I thought. No wonder I was out of breath.
Mero walked over with a huge grin on his face. "Demon spit! You're even better than I thought. I guess you needed more of a challenge than the Karthim could provide. Go ahead and sit down for a while. We need to get this mess cleaned up before I test your unarmed skills."
I sat down in the shade and sipped a cup of water Anis handed me, wiping some of the excess mud off with a rag. As I watched the men clean up the mess I heard a deep voice behind me. "That was impressive. I wonder if Mero will allow some of my men to train with you. There are many better swordsmen out there, but you're the best I've seen at handling a realistic situation with a minimum of force and resources. It's fascinating to watch. You use everything, in every way. I'd be willing to bet that if you only had a tea cup you could have killed someone with it."
I turned around and saw a tall man with broad shoulders standing there. He was almost as handsome as Mero with straight, black, finger-length hair, and deep maroon eyes. His ears were pointed and his canines more prominent than I was used to. He wore a red and black embroidered warrior's tunic and the obligatory leather pants and boots, this time in a battered dark gray. Something about him tickled a memory.
I stood and bowed to him. "Lord Dantalion, I presume. You're back early. It depends on the cup. At the very least I would have made them feel it."
He laughed aloud. "I was told you were quick. It's too bad I wasn't here when the Karthim made their push. I think you would have done very well in my household. You would have made an excellent first choice."
"Yes. That's what Mero said. Of course, he also said I'm better off with him. First choice?"
"He would. I haven't built a household yet. Your first choice is usually the one you want as your house master, someone who can help you build the house. So what's up next? I came in partway through your demonstration."
His answer confused me a little but I didn't know enough to even ask the right questions. I didn't think house meant bricks and mortar here. Something to address later. "Unarmed is next."
"Who is he getting to test you at that? I'd be willing to help." He grinned.
"Mero says he'll do it himself."
Dantalion raised his brows at this and whistled. "Be careful. Mero is undoubtedly the best of us at unarmed. His clan specializes in it, but he's not very good at pulling his punches. He can do real damage."
Crap. Mr. Arrogant had cause for his arrogance. I should have expected that. "So can I."
"Good luck. My advice, don't hold back."
"I wasn't planning to. I didn't much care for his smugness when he told me he was good. My teacher taught me 'There is always someone better. Always' and if I had gotten smug he would have proven it the hard way. If he couldn't do it himself, he'd find someone who could."
Dantalion grinned again. "I'm looking forward to seeing you pound him into paste then. I'll cheer for you." He moved off with a cheerful wave.
I laughed and finished my water. Dantalion was easy to talk to. Mero was too. I wondered if it was the dragon thing that made the difference or something else.
The men had finished cleaning up the yard and Mero gave a yell to get my attention. "Oy! Get over here. Let's finish this." His grin of evilness was back. I admit it was daunting. Knowing he wouldn't hold back and I could get hurt for real brought the adrenaline and my demon back. I was getting better at letting it out. Maybe I had just needed a little practice in more realistic conditions.
A dojo is an artificial environment. It can't take the place of the real world and some can never translate what they learn to the streets and real situations. It looked like I didn't have that problem.
I walked toward Mero and almost missed his shift as he began his attack. No holds barred indeed. The adrenaline hit full force and the demon took over. Once again, time became a blur of disjointed images, this time laced with a lot more pain. Mero fought dirty and didn't hold back. I would be black, blue, and red all over. I remember biting him hard enough to draw blood, him yanking at my hair before I kicked his knee out from under him, being pinned and slamming the back of my head into his nose, and pulling his hair. It wasn't neat, pretty, or fair. Rules had gone out the window.
Somewhere in the middle of it all, I got mad. I realized that I was still holding back. I wasn't trying to kill him because I liked him and didn't want to hurt him. That's when it all changed. I stopped holding back and got serious. From that point on, I had Mero on the run. He managed to pull out of or duck move after move, all potentially fatal. It just pissed me off more. In the end, I had him in a solid Arnis hold that would break his neck the moment I dropped my weight.
He yelled, "I yield!" and I froze. I woke up and realized that the crowd was silent although I had the vague realization that their yelling had been resounding only moment earlier. I slowly released him and looked around as the whispers began. The expressions were equal parts shock and delight. Dantalion was in the latter category with a smidgen of sheer glee added.
A panting Mero looked at me with wary respect and spit blood out. He looked like he wasn't quite sure what had happened. As if he had leaned down to pet a seemingly harmless kitten only to have it take his arm off at the shoulder. Looking down at myself, I realized I was bloody, filthy, and sore in more places than I could count. My mouth still tasted of blood and I had a bite mark to match the one I had given Mero early in the fight. Scrapes and incipient bruises peppered my body. "Oh
man, I'm going to hurt."
Mero gave a pained laugh. "Oh, yes. Do you know how long it's been since I've yielded? I figured you were good. That's why I decided to test you myself. Didn't know you were that good." He wiped the blood from his neck. "You're mean too."
Oh, crap. I actually bit my boss, didn't I? "Is this going to cause any problems?"
He shook his head ruefully. "Not with me, other than maybe my ability to sleep comfortably for a day or two. Or walk. Or sit."
Yes. I thought I would have the same issues. I prodded at some loose teeth with my tongue. "Soft food only." I looked at him sternly as the pain in my ribs spiked when I shifted my balance. "And I will not be running any errands for you. What did you do to my back?"
"Yes, very soft food. You have reports to deal with, remember? As for your back… I don't recall. I think I was trying to keep you from killing me at the time. You scared the demons' own hells out of me. I've never seen someone look that angry at me before and I'm good at getting people mad at me."
As the adrenaline faded the pain in my back became more insistent. I snorted. "I didn't like how smug you were about your skill during lunch. Arrogant. I wanted to teach you a lesson."
He chuckled breathlessly. "I think you managed that. I can't walk without help. Koris, get over here!"
Koris helped him to the sidelines by the armory and I limped over to join him, holding my ribs. The slight young man from the battlefield was examining Mero's knee by the time I got there. Since I wasn't sure I could get back up if I sat down I decided to just lean against the wall of the armory with my eyes closed.
Dantalion's amused voice roused me. "Here's your share of the winnings." He was smiling at me holding out a handful of gold coins when I opened my eyes.
"You bet against me?" Mero sounded hurt.
He grinned broadly down at Mero. "Of course! The odds were fantastic! I won enough that even giving her ten percent she still got a month's pay."
