Witchling (Curse of Kin)

by Ari Harper

  Bones ignored my outburst. “We have a job to do, both of us, so you may as well get over your childish attitude and listen. It will not go away just because you wish to hide from it.”

  “I’m listening.” I saw Jasper watching us from the doorway, his face a picture of despair.

  “Yes, my family let the demons rise. And yes, I am here to protect you because the first job we have to do is break the curse that Edrith threw at Jasper, and you have to be the one to break it. Until that is done, we cannot attempt to close the door. All the time that has been wasted trying to find the right girl has let in more and more evil. Once Edrith has been dealt with, then we can go on to battle what is taking over your world. As you have been told already, I am charged with living here to teach and fight alongside you.”

  “Oh, really, so it does get better?” I said sweetly, the sarcasm dripping from my mouth. “Not only do I get to save Jasper, which I would do in a heartbeat, don’t get me wrong there, but I then get to save the world. What a prize, lucky me. And to top it off, I get you as my sidekick. How totally awesome is that.” I turned from him and clenched my fists, the urge to hit out at something stronger with each word he spoke.

  “You can argue with me for as long as you wish, Nera, but the fact remains that the more time we waste, the more demons we allow to come through. Do you really want that?”

  I looked at my feet, my face heating when his words hit home. Yes, I had been acting childishly, but in my mind, I had every right. I turned to see Jasper approaching us, forever the peacemaker.

  “Jasper, we need to think of something we can do to encourage Nera to embrace her craft without all the angst that she has shown so far.” Bones ignored my quick intake of breath.

  Jasper placed a warm hand on my shoulder and pulled me into his chest wrapping his arms around me. “I’m sure that you have something in mind, Bones.”

  I gave in and leaned my head against him, closing my eyes. Slowly I started to relax safe in his arms.

  “I think we need to do something to use her excess energy before she hurts someone with her sharp tongue and stubborn attitude,” Bones said. “If she is up to it, the longswords would be a good idea. They are part of our culture after all, and the positive use of energy will be good for her in the long run.”

  I pricked my ears up at the mention of swords. A challenge was always the way to get to me, and Jasper knew it. I had long wanted to learn how to fence, but there were no instructors in town. Sword fighting would be great.

  “What culture?” I asked Bones, trying not to show too much enthusiasm.

  “Do you recall the emblem that your world uses for the symbol for justice, the lady with the blindfold and sword?”

  “What of it?” I wondered where this was going.

  “The common notion is that she is a Roman goddess. Not quite true. She is my mother and has been responsible for handing out justice since the time before man began,” Bones explained. “She heads the high council and has the ultimate decision in all things. The sword is thought by humans to be merely a symbol, in our world it is never far from our side. It is one of the only ways that a god can be truly and permanently killed. We all learn to use a sword when we are growing up. Apart from the fitness side of the sport which I believe would appeal to you, it is the only weapon that we use along with our powers, and one that you need to learn. We are rarely without our swords.”

  “Well, where is yours?” I asked, my interest finally getting the better of me.

  “Let me, Bones.” Jasper let me go and ducked back into the house. He returned a short time later with two swords in his hands. He handed one to Bones and held the other one out to me. “This is mine, girl dear.”

  The first thing I noticed was the weight of the weapon and the length. It was longer than I expected. Forty-eight inches, Jasper informed me. The hilt was wrapped in leather strips and the guard or cross was inscribed. Set into the pommel was a dull red jewel. Part of the family colors, I knew.

  “Would you like a demonstration, Nera?” Bones asked.

  “Yes, I would.” I could feel the excitement building up inside me, and I handed Jasper his sword before backing up to the chairs to keep out of their way. Hugo was at my side, my earlier bad mood disappearing.

  They took their stance, and holding the longsword in both hands, Jasper attacked first. Bones stepped back and blocked the blow, then swung his sword down and sideways.

  It was almost beautiful to watch. Their swords clashed, and the sound resonated around the garden. It was like a well choreographed ballet, the way Jasper and Bones parried and cut. I sat mesmerized while they displayed the lost art of longsword fighting.

  I was disappointed when they finished. They laughed and slapped each other on the back while sauntering toward me. I could see the love the two of them obviously had for each other, and a warm feeling settled deep in my stomach when I looked at them both. I felt I had fallen even deeper over that cliff than before. If Jasper put so much faith in Bones, who was I to push him away?

  They came to a stop in front of me, placing the points of their swords into the grass and leaned on them, breathing heavily.

  “Would you like to try, Nera?” Bones’s voice was no longer cold and indifferent.

  I could make this easy, or I could make this difficult. Whatever came to pass, I needed to keep these two men close to me. That I knew. At least until I could figure out if this was indeed the path that had been written for me. I made my decision.

  “I would love to try, thank you.” I got up from my chair and accepted Jasper’s weapon.

  He guided me while Bones acted as my sparring partner. The sword felt cumbersome in my hands, and if I had to rely on my athletic skills alone, I would have been dead inside the first five seconds. But a thrill raced through my body with the weapon in my hands. The two men patiently took me through the basic steps and cuts. As fit as I was, I was not anywhere near sword fit. It took a totally different set of muscles and actions to anything that I had done before. After a bare ten minutes, I was begging for a break.

  I sat with a cup of tea, marveling at the feel of the longsword in my hands. The muscles in my arms and shoulders were screaming from holding something so heavy and different. I felt a lot steadier now that I had accepted what was to be inevitable, according to Jasper and my protector anyway.

  “That was totally awesome, I must say. Even if it wasn’t part of your culture, I would want to learn it. Brie and Sully would love to try too. Would you mind?”

  Bones face blanched when I mentioned Brie’s name. The other day must have scarred him for life. If he had indeed been around me since I was born, he should have had a good insight of what she was like.

  “Sounds wonderful, girl dear.” Jasper laughed at Bones’s reaction. “Toughen up, Bones. She really is harmless.”

  “Like a viper is harmless,” he said, his face grim again.

  “She is not that bad,” I said, protecting Brie. “She is just in love with love. Is that a crime?”

  “No, but it makes me feel uncomfortable,” he replied.

  I glanced over at Jasper who was trying his best not to laugh at his nephew’s discomfort. “Get over it, Bones. I will bring them over next weekend.” I sipped my tea. A small spark of satisfaction took hold in my mind. “The holiday break is coming up soon too. We’ll get plenty of training in then. What do you think, Jasper? Up for it?”

  I laughed at the look on Bones’s face and shared a glance with Jasper.

  ***

  Saturday morning, Dad decided to take Roman fishing at the river so I didn’t have to take him to Jasper’s with us as I had promised. Brie was anxious to see Bones again, but Sully was thinking about weapon training, the same as me. Holding a sword in my hands was like the ultimate rush. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even though I tried to appear cool with it the day before, my skin was tingling with anticipation. Sully had been beside himself when I called him last night. He loved all the old weapons an
d suits of armor at Jasper’s and was just a typical boy at heart. As sweet as he was, the macho side of him came out at the mention of swords.

  We walked with Dad and Roman to the river and then went our own way to Jasper’s. It was a nice day, hence the fishing trip, and it didn’t look like rain was forecast either.

  Hugo raced through the gate, quickly followed by Brie, who was keen to see Bones again. Sully and I watched her and shook our heads. Bones didn’t have a chance in hell of evading her. Somehow that thought made me feel a little better.

  Jasper was making tea when Sully and I walked in. Briewas busy following Bones around the kitchen. In the end, he took a seat at the table, and Brie sat beside him, leaning into him and holding onto his arm. Jasper poured our tea and sat down with us.

  “So, is everyone interested in learning the longsword?” he asked, looking around at our excited faces.

  “What do you think, Jasper?” I pointed my chin at Sully. Sully could hardly contain himself.

  “I knew that you were talented when I first saw you, Bones,” Brie gushed. “A soldier. How wonderful and romantic.” She closed her eyes and sighed.

  Jasper coughed to cover his laugh. Sully and I didn’t bother.

  “Perhaps we should let the kids choose a sword, Jasper.” Bones tried vainly to untangle himself from Brie’s clutches.

  “Good idea. We have a few up in the war room, and since they have already been privy to that, why not let them choose.”

  “Was that the room with the painting?” Sully jumped up from his chair, ready to run for his sword.

  “Yes, it is,” Jasper replied. “You probably didn’t notice the swords hanging on the wall. You were all, um, thinking of other things at the time.”

  I looked at him with raised eyebrows. You think?

  We finished our tea and followed Bones up the stairs, Brie right behind him, his butt at her eye level the whole way up. I watched where he touched the wall to make the panel slide so we could enter the war room. I put that in the appropriate box in my memory for later. The painting of Jasper and his family stared at me as I entered. It still didn’t seem real. Sure enough, on the opposite side of the room, about ten swords were laying horizontal in holders attached to the wall.

  Sully was in front of them in seconds, a big, soft grin on his face as he ran his fingers gently over the forged steel.

  “Careful there, Sully. They’re very sharp.” Jasper hurried over to stand beside him. “Take a couple down, get the feel, and use which one you would like to call your own for now.”

  “Really?” Sully asked, awed by Jasper’s offer.

  “Really.” Jasper took one from the wall and handed it to him.

  I watched Sully test out the sword in his hands, the grin never leaving his face. I exchanged glances with Jasper. He knew that this had made Sully’s day, probably made his year, actually. Jasper indulged my friend when it came to boy toys. In the past he had let Sully rummage around in the cellar and discover a lot of the old weapons, but this was the first time he had offered to teach us how to use any of them.

  “Brie, let that boy go and come over here.” Jasper reached for another sword, then held it out to her.

  She huffed out a big sigh but went over to Jasper anyway. Bones dropped into a chair at the large desk, a relieved look on his face.

  “That is one mean-looking sword, Jasper,” Brie said. “Are you sure it is okay if I play with it?”

  “Yes, Brie.” Jasper laughed. “It is a mean-looking sword, and yes, you can play with it. If you want to try a different one, feel free to choose.” He turned to me. “Nera, try this one. You may as well have your own too.”

  He handed me a sword, and I tested it for weight and balance. “Thanks, this feels pretty good.”

  “If everyone is happy with their chosen weapons, how about we go outside and begin.” Jasper signaled to Bones, who led the way.

  We followed them to a clear part of the garden and lined up. “This is the boring but essential part of sword training,” Bones began. “It is no good racing off to battle without knowing any of the basics. So, we will start with the proper way to handle your sword. There are two different grips.” He looked up to see if we were following his instructions. “Choose whichever feels best for you. Try this one first. See how I’m holding the sword below the guard, right hand above the left. Make sure your hand is relaxed with the pinkie finger giving the handle the tightest grip. All the other fingers should be a little more relaxed. If you hold too tightly, your arm will tire faster with the tension.”

  He moved his hands and held the sword a different way and glanced over at us again. “This is the second grip that you can use. Your right thumb hooked up over the guard. Not the grip to use in serious battle. You are more likely to lose your thumb. Get the feel of both grips, do a few cuts, and choose what works for you best.”

  Bones watched us test out the different grips, and when we appeared to have chosen, he continued. “Now onto the foot work. Nera, if you would come here please.”

  I walked over to him. He stood behind me, his arms coming around to cover my hands. I ignored the feel of his body leaning into mine and lowered my head so no one would notice the heat that I knew was coloring my cheeks. His foot tapped at mine to get them into the position he wanted before he continued.

  “You must watch your weak line. It only takes a small amount of force to unbalance you. Try it with each other. Jasper, could you help me here, please.”

  He stepped away from me and did the same with Sully while Jasper helped Brie.

  Once we went through our paces and had the general idea, he went onto teach us the primary guards. “We will focus on the four main guards until you master them and then we can go onto the secondary guards. You will use all nine eventually, but I will be more than happy if you only get the first four right before you return to school after the upcoming holidays.”

  “Take your places. Brie and Sully with Jasper. Nera, you are with me.” Bones faced me with his sword in his hands and circled, waiting for me to strike. “Remember this: about an inch below your belly button is what we refer to the center of your body. It must be facing your opponent at all times.”

  I risked a quick look at my feet.

  “All of your movements should come from this spot. When you are placing your feet, always think, is my center where it should be? Or am I at risk of overbalancing and being overpowered?” He kept his gaze on me as he spoke. “Imagine if you will, that your tailbone was in fact your third leg and it has broken off. You need to balance as if it was still there, all the while keeping your center toward your opponent.”

  Jasper and Bones went from Brie to Sully to me and back again, repeating the process until we had our footwork and guards to Bones’ satisfaction.

  He walked the line of trainees and nodded in approval at our stance. “Great. Take a quick breather and then we will try some movements with those thoughts in place.”

  “When are we going to learn how to fight?” Sully asked.

  “We will get to it in good time, Sully.” Bones spoke with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Jasper has suggested you all learn how to fight properly, just as we were both taught when we were young men.”

  “Do you mean that we will really be fighting, as in fighting to kill?” I asked, my gaze locked onto Bones.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” he replied. Bones lips curved up in a smile as if he was laughing at me, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

  We took a five-minute break, and then he called us back to it. For the next forty-five minutes Bones drilled us, pushing us to the limit. Our arms were aching when he finally called a halt.

  “Take a break, everyone.”

  I was flushed and had sweat running down my face. I was fit, but even a few more minutes would do me in. The swords were heavy and would take some practice before we were able to use them easily.

  “That was so cool!” Sully exclaimed, gulping dow
n big breaths.

  “How did that feel for you, Brie?” Jasper asked.

  “That was just fabulous, Jasper. I feel so powerful with the sword in my hands.” Her face was glowing with joy, and she was bouncing around us with the biggest smile.

  Jasper laughed at her enthusiasm. “Looks like we might be doing a fair bit of this over the summer, Bones.”

  They both looked at me at the same time. I felt like a bug on a stick. “Yes, I did enjoy it. Once we get sword fit, it will be great. My arms feel like I have been carrying around a bucket of lead, though.”

  “By the time the holidays are over, you won’t notice it when you pick up your sword, Nera. It will weigh nothing compared to today,” Bones said. “Mind you, your friends at school will probably want to know why your arms have bulked up so much.”

  “Bonus.” Sully flexed his arms. “Can we do just a little bit more, please?”

  I laughed. One would never call Sully a weedy type of guy, but the extra muscles obviously appealed to him. We gathered together and prepared to spar with one another again.

  Jasper partnered with Brie, and Sully and I took turns with Bones. I let Sully go first and stood on the side watching them. Bones was patient with Sully, but after five minutes, I could see Sullyflagging, the weight of the sword making his arms ache.

  “That will do for now, Sully.” Bones turned to me. “Your go, Nera.”

  He watched as I patted Sully on the shoulder and walked over to stand in front of him. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Ready, Nera? Why don’t you start?”

  I placed my feet and lifted my longsword. I lunged at Bones, and he easily parried my cut. I swung my sword from a different angle, and again he blocked me. Every time I attacked, he was ready and swatted me away. After a short time, I could feel the sweat running down my face again and my arms ached.

  “I think that will do for today.” Bones looked as cool as when we had started.

  I nodded my head and ran my hand over my face. I leaned onto the sword with one hand as I heaved in deep breaths.

  “That feels so good,” I said. “Exhausting but good.”