VOIDWALKER

by M. L. Brooks

  “Listen. I’ll help you, because you’re funny, and because I enjoy knocking skulls. You’re covering my room here from now until the tournament and I want a full share of whatever the prize money we take in,” bargained Petra.

  “Deal!” agreed Adair.

  “Good, good. Now tell the inn keep to stay out of my hair,” mumbled Petra as she lumbered out of the Salted Mug.

  “Did you just say you’re going to be paying for that ruffian’s room?” asked Miri, her head poking up the stairs.

  “Well… I was hoping you could help me with that part. Just for the week mom, I need the help!” pleaded Adair.

  “Fine! But you’re going to have to work in here until you pay off whatever debts she incurs.”

  “Deal!” agreed Adair again, excited to have found another team member so quickly.

  Walking out of the tavern, she continued her daily patrol. The sun was high and it was shaping up to be another beautiful day in Guardia. Now she just needed to find Shea. Adair’s only thought was that she could check in at the Mage’s Guild and see if they knew where she was. That meant heading back to the market and then down to the South of the Noble’s Quarter.

  The Noble’s Quarter was nestled atop a hill that allowed it to perch above the rest of Guardia. When Adair walked up, a couple guards stopped her and checked her passport to make sure she had clearance to enter. Most commoners were not allowed in the Noble’s Quarter unless they had official business or were part of the nobility. The most prominent buildings were the main Guardia castle and the Mage’s Guild.

  Adair looked up into the sky at the two pristine towers that rose on either side of the great crystal. The crystal floated about thirty feet into the air, suspended by some unknown force originating in the crystal itself. A sky bridge extended to its center from both towers, granting pedestrian access to the monument.

  Looking at both of the towers was awe inspiring. Adair had never actually visited the Mage’s Guild and was not sure which of the towers she should check out to search for Shea. Men in blue robes walked hastily around her. Everyone was busy working on their own projects and they largely ignored even each other.

  “Excuse me, I’m looking for someone. Do you know a young lady named Shea?” asked Adair to one of the random guild members walking by her.

  “Sorry I really don’t have the time,” said the man as he pushed up his spectacles and kept walking.

  Adair straightened her back and picked the tower to her right. She marched inside. The room appeared to be a library with hundreds of books circling either side of her. Tables and chairs with people studying filled the center of the tower. On the opposite end from the entrance was a counter and a man organizing the books. Adair assumed this was the librarian and approached him.

  “Good afternoon. Do you know a mage named Shea Hille?” she asked the librarian.

  He looked up at her his brow furrowed above his long nose.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have any idea where I might find her?”

  “Might find her… Yes…”

  “Uhhh well where?” asked Adair.

  “Any number of places really.”

  “Where’s her dormitory?”

  “So sorry, but I can’t give out private guild information.”

  “Listen, I’m Deputy Captain Adair Titanborn. Shea is contracted to my service and I demand you tell me where I can find her.”

  “Your fancy title does not impress me. You are still but a child before me and even lesser beneath the guild master. Since you are so insistent I shall tell you that I don’t normally see Shea until the evening time anyway.”

  “Well, could you deliver a message to her for me?”

  The librarian huffed and nodded in agreement.

  “Let her know to meet me at the barracks, tomorrow by the open of market,” requested Adair.

  CHAPTER 4

  Standing in the barracks center, just before the meeting time, Adair waited for her team to arrive. Raz and Petra came in at the same time. There was still no sign of Shea. Adair walked up to her companions and decided to get things started.

  “Let’s warm up by running a few laps around the barracks and then we can start talking strategy for the tournament,” said Adair.

  “Yes, mum,” said Raz.

  Petra just grunted in response.

  With boots stomping against the stone path around the barracks, the team began their run. As they ran, Adair paid attention to Petra. Petra’s steps were even paced and her body movements were controlled. She wasn’t lifting her legs an inch further than she needed to in order to match pace with Raz and Adair. Petra was a sturdy woman and could have easily ran for miles without fully exhausting herself.

  Raz was the first one to start struggling on their run. At only a quarter mile he was already sweating and sucking in air through his teeth. To a normal person he would not have been considered out of shape, but as he inhaled deep breaths of air to keep running, it was obvious he did not have the discipline of a soldier. After their second lap around the headquarters, Adair saw Shea approach with another woman.

  She was tall with smooth brown skin the color of rich coffee. Her hair looked like black rope and was pulled back into a ponytail tied up with colorful wooden beads. Her outfit was a simple cloth top, barely covering her midriff that lead to a short skirt, long legs, and bare feet. What stood out most about this woman to Adair were her hands. Her gauntlets were like two large cat claws and would have been impossibly large on a person any smaller than her.

  “Hey Shea! Who did you bring us?” asked Adair.

  “My name is Masi. I’m only here on business for the week but Shea asked for help and I’m willing to give it a shot,” shared the statuesque woman accompanying Shea.

  “Yeah! She helped me get out here when I first came to the Mage’s Guild,” said Shea.

  “Can we just get on with this training?” asked Raz.

  “Oh sure. Let’s head inside,” said Adair as she walked back into the courtyard.

  Inside was a group of five guards. A couple of them were sparring while another was placing a red pole into a barrel on the far end of the courtyard. When they saw Adair walk in, they stopped what they were doing and walked up to Adair’s team. They lined up and stood assertively, waiting for directions from Adair.

  “I got some guys here to help us practice. On their side of the courtyard in the barrel is a red javelin. We have a blue javelin. If they take our javelin and put it in their barrel, they win. If we take theirs, then we win. We’re using wooden swords. Does anyone need anything before we start?” explained the captain.

  She heard a couple of people say no and saw a few more shaking their head to signal no. Raz went over to a weaponry rack on the side of the courtyard and picked up a wooden practice sword. He gave it a couple of swings, testing the weight of it. He had some familiarity with the weapon from his time practicing before Adair recruited him. He walked back to their group and waited to the left of Adair.

  “Look like we’re ready. Where do you want us?” asked Petra.

  “Just line up here and let’s do this,” said Adair.

  Shea and Petra stood to Adair’s right while Masi and Raz stood to her left.

  “Begin!” shouted Adair.

  The guards they were fighting against fanned out in front of them. Adair stepped forward, drawing the wooden sword she had at her waist and engaging the guard in front of her. Petra threw her cloak to the side and with each hand pulled up a wooden rod. The rods were barely longer than Petra’s forearms and she gripped them by a handle protruding near the base of the rod. They were a cherry wood, and the area around the handles was wrapped in a red material that resembled jute. The wood itself had been lacquered but showed obvious signs of use from nicks and dents.

  One of the guards near Raz jumped in and started swinging at Raz. Raz was barely able to hold off each strike. The clacking of wood against wood filled the courtyard. Masi swung her claw down at the gu
ard closest to her. He slapped her hand back with his sword and then lunged in. On an average opponent, the guard would have made a smooth stab, but Masi was faster than he expected. She rolled around the side of his blade and slapped him against the back. Against his armor, her hit wasn’t very effective.

  Petra moved cautiously, using her batons to block the strikes from two guards in front of her. She expertly deflected them. Shea cowered back behind Petra, unfamiliar with fighting and did not know what to do. This meant that Petra was picking up the slack by fighting two against one.

  Adair locked swords with the guard in front of her and then kicked him down. He rolled to the side and tried to get to his feet. Instead of continuing her fight with him Adair ran toward the javelin and with her free hand she lifted it up and out of the barrel. Looking at Masi and Raz struggling with the guards they were fighting, the enemy team leader hatched an idea.

  “You two, get the captain!” shouted the guard Adair had just knocked down as he rushed at Raz.

  With a quick lift and tackle, the guard knocked the wind out of Raz and threw him to the ground. Adair was running back to her barrel. The two guards who had been fighting Masi and Raz blocked Adair’s path. She tried swinging at them with her sword and using the javelin to hold the other one at a distance. She wasn’t doing a very good job.

  The guard who tackled Raz turned to Masi. Masi ran around him as he attempted to slash at her. She was fast but wasn’t able to match his strength. He started chasing her around the courtyard. Petra blocked one guard’s swing and then jabbed the other in the stomach, punishing him for his open stance. The two guards eased back, realizing that Petra was not the target they thought she was.

  “We need a strategy Adair. You’re the captain, tell us what we need to do to win,” said Petra calmly as she kept Shea safe behind her.

  “Shea, use some magic!” shouted Adair as she fended off the two guards that were on her.

  “I don’t know any combat spells!” cried Shea.

  “Just do something!” ordered Adair.

  Shea stepped out from behind Adair and started chanting. She had a small crystal amulet around her neck that lit up as she chanted. One of the guards who was fighting Adair moved over to attack Shea. Adair started running for her barrel, the other guard ran with her. Adair was inches away from planting the red javelin into her barrel when the guard who followed her ran forward and used his entire body to knock over the barrel.

  As the guard closest to Shea lunged in, Petra spun around and clapped him in the shoulder with her baton, knocking him into the ground below. A heavy fog settled into the courtyard, spurred on by Shea’s chanting. They could barely see a couple of feet in front of them.

  With both javelins on the ground next to the spilled barrel, Adair turned her attention back to fighting the guard closest to her. Knock him down and put the javelins back in the barrel was all she could think to do. They clashed swords and after a couple parries, Adair struck him in his sword arm. He dropped his weapon and inched back from her. He clutched his arm where she had hit him. Adair saw something move in her periphery but when she glanced over she didn’t see anyone.

  In the cover of the fog, Petra circled around the two guards she had been sparring with and quickly struck them down. They both shouted and groaned as the warrior beat them down. On Adair’s end, she watched in awe as Masi jumped out of the shadows and onto the back of the guard Adair had been fighting. He screamed in terror as she held his head in her claws. Adair scrambled to put the barrel back up and then she reached around for the javelins but they were missing.

  “Clear out your fog, the battle is over,” shouted the guard from the other side of the courtyard.

  Shea stopped chanting. Adair’s team walked closer together and looked over to where the voice was coming from, the red team’s side of the courtyard. As the fog settled she saw that the red team’s leader had both javelins in the barrel. He had used the cover of the fog to sneak by her and grab both of them while she was distracted.

  “This is stupid! We never had a chance. It was four against five. We have this girl wearing mage robes, but she’s no mage!” exclaimed Raz as he started kicking the dirt.

  “Leave her out of it,” warned Adair.

  “Well it’s true. What about this freak you found over here? She just ran around in circles,” argued Raz, pointing to Masi.

  “I’m a runner. I did what runners do. We had no leadership, and the one person who could have beaten everybody in this courtyard was busy playing with sticks!” said Masi turning to Petra.

  “You were holding back weren’t you?” Shea asked Petra.

  “We were training. You wouldn’t have learned anything if I won the fight for you.” Petra shrugged.

  “I can’t do this.” Raz waved as he walked out of the courtyard.

  “I’ll talk to him,” sighed Shea as she followed after him with Masi.

  The guards they had been training with nervously went back to their duties and ignored the scene that was unfolding around them. Adair sighed heavily while walking to the edge of the courtyard where some basic wood benches were. She sat down and looked down at the dirt. Petra came over and sat down beside her.

  “Sometimes failure can bring people together as a team. You have heart, and that’s more than a lot of people. Now we just need a strategy,” said Petra, attempting to be comforting.

  “I’ve never fought against trained people before. As a guard, I mostly just walk around, and occasionally chase down a few thugs or petty thieves,” mumbled Adair.

  “I can see that!” replied Petra before letting out a hearty laugh.

  “Let’ start with a skills assessment. What can our team do?” asked Petra.

  “Well Raz is just a basic fighter. Masi is fast, but doesn’t strike hard. Shea is a mage, but she doesn’t have many useful spells. You’re a powerhouse and I’m---,” Adair was cut off by Petra.

  “Yer our leader,” finished Petra.

  Raz, Shea, and Masi walked back into the courtyard. They didn’t say anything and their posture looked defeated. When they got back, Petra stood up with Adair and joined them by the front of the courtyard. Raz crossed his arms and didn’t make eye contact with any of them.

  “We were talking strategy. Shea, what can we do to get your magic where it needs to be?” asked Adair.

  “With magic, being able to cast quickly on a battlefield requires an item of power. Otherwise I really can’t do much. I know a few basic weather spells from my time on the farm, that’s why I was able to chant that one so quickly,” explained Shea.

  “So how do we get you one of those items of power?” asked Adair.

  “You already have one,” said Petra, her brow furrowed in confusion.

  “What do you mean?” Shea asked.

  “Surely you’re being funny? That necklace lit up when you were chanting a bit ago. If you concentrated your power on it as you chant wouldn’t that activate it?” asked Petra.

  Shea looked down at her amulet with a renewed sense of interest.

  “Mundane hands use mundane tools. Mystical hands use mystical tools,” said Shea as if everything suddenly made sense.

  “What does that mean?” asked Adair.

  “It means that magical objects in the hands of normal people won’t work. You have to have a certain amount of magical resonance for the item’s power to reveal itself. My amulet was probably an item of power this whole time and I just wasn’t skilled enough to use it,” explained Shea.

  “So, if you use it, you’ll be able to cast better next time?” asked Adair.

  “I’ll have to practice a little more but I definitely will be,” said Shea, lifting her fist into the air victoriously.

  “Alright everyone, listen up! Shea, I want you practicing some spells for the match, the rest of you are with me. I’m going to run you through the all of the drills I know. We need to be ready for our match,” announced Adair, clapping her hands to pick up the morale.

  CHA
PTER 5

  Standing in the waiting area of the coliseum, Adair looked through the gaps of the iron gate in front of her. She couldn’t look out far because about 20 feet ahead of her was a wooden wall that had been erected to direct the flow of battle to the center of the stadium. Shea stood next to her, fully adorned in her pale cerulean robes and clutching her amulet in her hand. Behind them were Raz, Petra, and Masi.

  “This is it. Remember the plan. Shea, you’re going to stay behind Raz, Petra, and I. We’re going to hold them off and give you time to cast. Masi, your job is to go straight for their flag. Even if they are tougher than we are, all you have to do is get the flag back to our tower. Does everyone understand?”

  She heard a mix of grunts and affirmations from her team. They all lined up next to her and in a minute the gate was lifted up. In the stadium outside, the crowds looked down upon the battlefield and cheered as the contestants entered. To Adair’s left was a wooden tower with a tall red flag billowing on the top. To the right was a gap in the wood fencing where Adair and her team could walk.

  They headed to the right, each of them keeping a hand ready to draw their weapons. Once past the wooden fences they could see Nathaniel’s team emerging from their wooden barricades. The entrance through the enemy’s barricade was situated diagonally from Adair’s team, across the entire battlefield.

  Nathaniel’s team had four fully armored knights. Their shields were bright white with blue diamonds emblazoned across them. They didn’t walk, they marched, perfectly in sync with each other. They moved close together, almost forming a phalanx.

  “I’ll get the flag,” said Masi.

  She ran up to the enemy’s wall and pressed a button on the buckler of her right hand. Two small grappling hooks fired out and hooked on to the top of the obstruction. Masi pressed another button and it started reeling her in. With the aid of her mechanized grappling hooks, she easily ran up the wall and jumped over the other side. Nathaniel’s team continued their march toward Adair.