Lyric sighed, he had not wanted to fight Jamison. “Jamison used to be friendly with Celine. But he made some rude comments about me at the bar one night and she insulted him. She embarrassed him in front of his friends and Robert James. He already disliked me for being different, after that he really hated me. When they cornered us on our way to the bar, Jamison was already drunk and looking for a fight. I tried to avoid it. Even when he started throwing punches, I just ducked and weaved. But then he started insulting Celine. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never been angry like that before. I felt rage and actually wanted him to hit me. So I let him hit my head, but I kept tilting to he could only strike me in the forehead. The forehead is much stronger than the bones in a person’s hands.”
“Jamison is such an ass! I’m glad you got mad, Lyric. Celine is lucky to have you. She might have a sharp tongue but she’s a sweet girl. She doesn’t deserve an ass like Jamison talking bad about her. But I’m still surprised you got mad. I’ve never seen you mad before.”
“I’m just as surprised as you,” said Lyric. “It’s never happened before. I talked to Azina about it. She thinks it might be my dragonblood. She thinks perhaps the dragons are finally coming back and it’s affecting my body.”
“She really believes that dragons are going to return?”
“Yes,” said Lyric. “The prophecies say that they will return soon. Salus, the mage my father sent to look for me said the same thing. He also warned that the Sacred Blood Brotherhood also believe it.”
“What happens to you when the dragons return?” asked Sibylle.
I don’t know, it seems to have been different for every dragonblood. You believe that dragons could return?”
“I don’t see why not. I know dragons are real. I’ve seen a dragon skull before. The king has one in his throne room. If dragons didn’t all die in the dragon wars, then it seems logical that they could return. There are rumors of a dragon living in the mountains to the East of here. But those are just rumors, no one has actually seen it. Only a few claw marks and some dead animals that might’ve been attacked by a large eagle or some other predator. I also know the Sacred Brotherhood is real. They’ve been recruiting the last few years. My father’s had some problems with them in the past, so the stories do make sense. Besides, you have the mark. That is proof enough.”
“I’m glad you believe me,” said Lyric.
“Come on, let’s head into the house. I’ve something to show you,” said Sibylle as she picked up her training gear.
…
Inside the large main house, Sibylle took Lyric to a trophy room. On display were weapons and armor from around the world. Strange swords, curved daggers and huge axes bigger than Lyric adorned the walls. Sibylle stopped at a armor manikin. She turned to Lyric. “What do you think?”
Lyric looked at the armor. It was black as night with a golden dragon crest across the chest. “It’s beautiful,” he said.
“I’m glad you like it. It’s yours.”
“Mine?” said a confused Lyric.
“Yes. When you agreed to enter the tournament, I ordered it made. You need proper armor to compete in an all-weapons tournament. They use blunted swords and axes, not wooden training weapons like we’ve been using. This armor is very rare, it’s troll skin. It’s thinner and lighter than heavy leathers, but almost as sturdy as iron or steel armor. It’s perfect for a staff wielder.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” said Lyric as he felt the amazing armor. The outer part of the armor was glossy and as hard as a shell, but the inside was soft, it had been lined with silk.
“Lyric, this is an investment in my future. Every combatant you defeat is a possible husband I don’t have to worry about. Spending gold so that you have every chance to win is the smartest thing I can do.”
“I’ll do my best,” promised Lyric. He’d given his word to try win the tournament and would try to do that, despite fact he’d be much happier not winning.
“I know that,” said Sibylle. Now look behind the manikin.”
On the wall behind the manikin was a weapons rack. Two long black staves were there.
“Take the one on the right,” said Sibylle.
Lyric grabbed the staff. It was wood, but like none he had ever seen before. The staff was slightly longer and had a smaller diameter than he was used to, but it was incredibly light and sturdy. “What’s it made of?” asked Lyric as he pressed one end against the ground. The staff, despite being thinner than normal was ridged and didn’t flex.
“Witchwood. It’s the hardest wood in the world. It’s used by the metal crafters of Northern Solotine in the making of black steel. It burns extremely hot, it’s almost unbreakable when coated in resin. No having to worry about a sword slicing through a block.”
“Norther Solotine? Isn’t that the land of giants and barbarians?” asked Lyric.
“Yes, it is. My father has trade routes there. Ferocious warriors, but also great miners. Father says there are hardly any giants left in those lands, but some of the northerners are descendant of giants, so they can be very large men and women. Some of the weapons on the walls are from Solotine.”
Lyric looked at the large axes and swords on the walls. Some were bigger than him. He couldn’t imagine fighting a warrior that was strong enough to lift those heavy and cumbersome weapons. He shook his head, “Remind me to never anger anyone from Northern Solotine. I’d hate to meet the man that can lift those weapons.”
Sibylle agreed, “I’ve met a few of the warriors that father trades with. They make men like Jamison look tiny. Even Sir Robert says that he’d avoid fighting them. He says Northern Solotine warriors are among the fiercest and most dangerous in the world. They are always fighting and at war. Probably why they make the best weapons and armor.”
“I hope there are none of them in the tournament,” said Lyric. Suddenly the idea of sparring with such a giant make him yearn for magic. If he’d shown any magical talent, he wouldn’t have been forced to learn to fight.
Sibylle laughed. She could almost see Lyric’s thoughts. “Solotine is far away. It’s one of the farthest places that we trade with. Very few of their warriors ever leave the north, only traders and some mercenaries. None are in the tournament.”
Lyric let out a deep breath. “Whew, you had me worried there. Facing skilled warriors and nobles is bad enough. The idea of fighting a barbarian is frightening.”
“Don’t worry. I have a list of almost all the combatants in the tournament. I convinced father to let me help schedule the fights. You’ll have to win your fights on your own, but I did get to pick who you fight.”
“I hope you scheduled me to fight the grandfathers and sickly,”
“Not quite, your first fight is against a noble, Baron Burke. He’s one of the oldest competitors, but he’s a former champion so he won’t be that easy. On the other hand, he’s one of the most vile men I’ve ever met and it’s imperative he not win, thus he’s your first opponent. If you win no other fight, beating the Baron would make me forever grateful.”
“It seems strange that you already know who I’m to face.”
“The tournament is only a few weeks off now,” said Sibylle. “Some of the nobles who came for Festiva are staying here until the tournament. Every day, more and more people will be arriving. There will be some surprise entrants, warriors from around the Isle that we aren’t familiar with, but for the most part, we already know who will be attending and I’ve been able to plan accordingly. You’ll be facing some of the weaker competition to start and I’ve scheduled the timing to favor you. One of your advantages will be conditioning, especially against the nobles who don’t train nearly as hard. So your bracket has lots of back to back competitions. If you keep winning, your competition should be tired.”
Lyric smiled. “Sounds like you have it all planned out.”
“No, but I’ve done as much as I can. I can’t control who wins, but I can at least make it difficult for the really bad opt
ions to win.”
“Have you any competitors that you are cheering for besides myself?”
“I’ve started making lists. Nobles that I don’t hate or despise, nobles that I can’t stand, commoners that are undesirable, and unknowns. There aren’t many choices I’d pick for myself to marry, but there are at least some that I know are decent men. I have another champion besides yourself I'll be cheering for.”
“That’s good. Who’s your other champion?” asked Lyric. Sibylle had never mentioned anyone else, but they didn’t often discuss the upcoming tournament. Instead, they focused on training and lately they’d focused on the Festiva. Lyric hoped the champion would win so that he didn’t have to marry Sibylle. She was nice and a good friend but marrying her and not Celine was the worst part of this damnable situation.
“It’s a secret,” confessed Sibylle. “But you’ll recognize the armor and the staff. I ordered two sets. But don’t worry, I have you and the other champion in opposite brackets. The only way you two would have to fight would be if you both made it all the way to the final.”
“That’d take a miracle,” said Lyric. “I’m not nearly good enough to win a tournament.”
“I don’t know about that. You’ve come a long way in the last few months, you’re a pretty respectable fighter now when it comes to skill level. You have an advantage over many of the nobles in that you’ve been training every day and will be in excellent condition. Luck plays a large factor in these tournaments, and since I’m helping with scheduling you’ll have a favorable draw. It’s very possible for you to win.”
“The fancy new armor and staff should help, that’s for sure,” said Lyric twirled his new staff. The balance was perfect.
“My thoughts exactly,” said Sibylle.
53
THE WEEKS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT FLEW LIKE THE WIND. Lyric trained every day with his new armor and staff. He was glad that Sibylle didn’t wait until the tournament to present him with his gifts. It took a week before he was comfortable wearing the armor. As light as the troll skin was, it was still slightly stiff and made twisting and flexing challenging. With the help of Sir Robert and Blair, he figured out how to move quickly with the armor on.
Lyric was so busy preparing for the tournament, he had little time to spend with Celine. As the tournament grew closer, he noticed that she seemed withdrawn. With only two days left until the tournament, Lyric decided that more training wouldn’t help at this point. He declared to Sibylle, Sir Robert and Blair that he was done training. He was taking a day to spend with Celine and then he’d come to Redfall estates for the tournament. They all agreed it was a wise plan. As Blair had put it, “You’re almost half-assed borderline decent as a fighter now, might as well enjoy yourself for a few days. Give me another year and I’d be able to make you into a warrior.” Lyric understood what Blair was saying. He wasn’t good enough to win, but he’d done his best to prepare and now he’d just have to see what happened.
Celine had agreed to spend the day with him, but was being very quiet as they sat at the pond where she’d so many times interrupted his nude sunbathing and swimming.
“What’s on your mind, Celine?” asked Lyric as they sat together throwing pebbles into the water.
“You know what’s on my mind. It’s the damn tournament. I’m worried,” said Celine.
“That I’ll get hurt or that I’ll win?” asked Lyric.
“Both,” said Celine. “These tournaments can be very rough. Blunted edges don’t mean that competitors don’t get hurt. Serious injuries happen often, sometimes people die. There are a lot of men that are going to try hurt you because you are different.”
“Celine, I’ve been beat up so many times that I’ve lost count. Almost every day when I lived in the orphanage I took a beating. When I escaped to the streets I got less beatings because I could hide, but the street kids were just as mean as those in the orphanage. I can take a beating, at least now I’m doing it for a good cause, and I have the skills to defend myself. I never had those before.”
“I know,” said Celine softly. “And I’m cheering for you to win. I really like Sibylle and truly believe the king put her in a terrible position. Sometimes the things nobles have to do, don’t make up for the wealth they enjoy. I’d hate to be her. I just hate the fact that I’d lose you.”
“I doubt I’ll win, I’m not good enough,” said Lyric.
“That’s not true” said Celine. “You always are too modest about how far you’ve come as a fighter since you arrived with Aunt Azina. It’s too bad you never developed any magic skills, even after taking the broggins bark potion. However, there have been rumors of dragon sightings on Partha. If that is true, who knows what affects that will have on you.”
“If dragons show up, we’ll have bigger issues than me getting married.”
“I know. It doesn’t seem to matter what happens, life is going to be complicated and difficult. It would be much easier if I didn’t like you.”
“I’d hate that. I love every minute that I get to spend with you. You’re the most beautiful girl in the world and every time you smile at me, I feel blessed. Azina bringing me to Middale has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I’ve never been truly happy until I met you.”
“That’s why this is so hard,” said Celine. “I feel that same. But you need to win the tournament. You can’t give a half-assed effort. You must do your best to win.”
Lyric was confused. “I thought you don’t want me to win.”
“I don’t want you to win for selfish reasons. I want you all to myself. However, you are dragonblood and have an important destiny. If dragons are back, you are going to be critically important. If you married Sibylle, you would have the ear of Lord Lamar and the king. That might be necessary to save us all.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’ll never lose me you, silly boy. But destiny has plans for you and living happily ever after in a house in the woods with a couple old witches and their incredibly beautiful, funny, smart, niece might never be an option.”
Tears filled Lyric’s eyes. The troubling thoughts of Celine filled him with sadness and fear for the future. Was he truly doomed to sadness? Agreeing to enter the tournament had almost been a lark to him, so far off and unrealistic of a goal. However, now it was very real and on the verge of happening. “This isn’t fair.”
Celine curled up beside him and held him. Her voice didn’t crack under the stress of her emotions but the tension was there below the surface, Celine already knew what Lyric was just realizing. Life was going to be hard on Lyric regardless of how the tournament went. Being dragonblood was about to become very real and very dangerous. “Life isn’t fair, but we take it as it comes. You are dragonblood, and that is a responsibility that goes beyond our own happiness. Aunt Azina has never told you, but our coven of witches has long been on the lookout for a dragonblood such as yourself. Our prophecies say that dragonbloods will dictate the future of human kind. Just like in the past when dragonbloods ruled the world, your connection with their magic will lead you into power. I only hope it is someone kind and caring like yourself that comes into power. That is why you must try and win the tournament.” Celine kissed Lyric on the forehead. “Lyric Finch, skinny little bastard son of a whore, you have one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever known. You are the perfect person to rise into power. You have empathy and know what it is like to be the downtrodden, you must do what is necessary to rise into power.”
“Why didn’t Azina tell me this?” asked Lyric.
“You needed to focus, the burden of knowledge was ours to bear. I asked her to let me tell you when the time was right. We all love you, Lyric, and would gladly keep you to ourselves. But the cost of such greed could be too great. If a dragonblood with a black heart rises to power, or worse the Sacred Blood Brotherhood start another war which humans can’t win, then everyone loses. I’d rather live lonely loving you from a distance then be the cause of human extinction.”
“History shows that dragons are just like humans. Some are good some are bad. If dragons want revenge for their banishment, or the Brotherhood and their ilk start another war, it’s possible that the dragons wipe us out. The first dragon war was won with betrayal and strong magic. That magic has faded into history, despite what the Brotherhood thinks. They are arrogant and forget the role certain mages and witches had in the first war. Without those witches, the Brotherhood would have lost and dragons would now rule the world. The Brotherhood historians have glossed over those facts and now they truly believe they can defeat dragons on their own. That arrogance could kill us all. That is why people like you, Lyric, are needed. If you end up bonding with a dragon, you’ll be able to tell them that the Brotherhood don’t represent all humans. That most are willing to live in harmony as we have done relatively well for thousands of years. The balance of power between humans and dragons has always been a tenuous one. That is why dragonbloods became so important. They act as an ambassador between the races and can help create peace or war.”
Some of what Celine was telling Lyric was things he already knew. Azina had told him much of this before, but he’d never realized what a central role he was expected to play in this future drama. As a dragonblood he’d be right in the middle of a possible war between humans and dragons. The tournament, while of immediate concern, was only a small but important part of his possible future. Azina, Celine and the rest of the witches of their coven wanted him to take advantage of the opportunity created by Sibylle’s wedding tournament. The tournament was an unprecedented opportunity for a low born man to rise into a position of power among the highborn by marrying into the royal bloodlines. Something that would be incredibly valuable to a dragonblood looking to increase his position among his fellow men. A promise made to a friend in her time of need was now something much bigger. “I truly have no choice. I must try and win this tournament, despite my feelings.”
Lyric's Curse (Dragonblood Sagas Book 1) Page 23
