The field that Wolf was directed to that morning sat in a little valley in between mountain curves. It was perfectly flat, the grass cut low, and there were areas off to both sides with benches and awnings for shade. Obviously, this was a well-established training field. There were already several dozen men gathered, most of them either sitting on the benches or under the awnings. Hyun Woo was with them, but he was facing the road, anticipating their arrival. When he saw them, Hyun Woo clapped his hands loudly, calling their attention to him.
“You have come early. That is good. These are all of the enforcers of your guild?”
“Except Fei,” Wolf responded. Turning, he gestured to Tran and said, “This is Tran Amar.”
Tran bowed to Hyun Woo as Fei had taught him to do the night before, but didn’t say anything. Hyun Woo bowed back in response, eyes weighing and evaluating the dark giant.
“And this is Rune Maley,” Wolf nodded to his other side.
“Maley?” Hyun Woo asked, startled. His surprise was obvious as he looked at Rune. “Are you related to Siobhan-jia?”
Rune had grown accustomed to this response—after all, he and Siobhan didn’t look a thing alike, so no one assumed to them to be kin—and had learned how to handle it smoothly. “She’s my adopted sister.”
“Is that so.” Hyun Woo filed that fact away, but did not say anything more than that, just exchanged bows of greeting. “It is my pleasure to teach you. Today, I wish to start by evaluating your individual skills. Wolfinsky-gui mentioned to me that you all fight very differently from each other.”
Tran tapped his heart twice in nonverbal affirmation. “I’m a dual-wielder with short swords. Wolf fights with broadsword and shield. Rune is a hand-to-hand combatant.”
Hyun Woo probably guessed half of this just by the way they were armed, but his eyebrows still rose a notch. “Yes, remarkably different in skills. Teaching you how to move as a unit will be somewhat challenging. Regardless, let us start with a simple demonstration of how you fight. It will help me.”
That sounded reasonable, and none of them objected.
Hyun Woo turned his head and called to a man standing nearby. “Gil Hyun Lee! Come and be a sparring partner.”
A man that looked remarkably like Hyun Woo, only younger and leaner, stepped away from the other men that had been watching on the sidelines. He gave a short bow, more like a nod, toward Hyun Woo.
“Hmm, I think we shall start with the youngest.” Hyun Woo gestured toward a spot in the field away from everyone. “Rune Maley-gui, if you would spar? Please do not be too serious in this, I do not wish for injuries.”
Even though Rune didn’t argue, he clearly felt a little nervous about this. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Still, he turned on his heel and walked a few feet away before falling into a ready guard stance.
Tran shifted uneasily next to Wolf and leaned in enough to murmur softly, “Is this a good idea?”
Wolf didn’t respond because he wasn’t sure himself that it was. Rune had learned over the past six months that killing people wasn’t always an acceptable response. But that didn’t mean much when he was in a fighting situation. Sometimes, muscle memory and instincts kicked in without giving a man’s mind much say in the matter. He was very afraid that Rune would do serious damage without really meaning to. “Stay close and on your toes,” he finally responded.
With a grunt, Tran shifted positions to the other side of the yard, making himself available to come in at a different angle if necessary.
“Hame!” Hyun Woo said loudly.
Rune flew into action, coming in low and using both arms to attack in sharp, quick jabs, seeking an opening in his opponent’s defense. He kicked, spun, punched without doing any damage, each strike being either parried or blocked. Rune’s opponent—what was the man’s name? Gil-something or other—was good. Very good. At least as good as Fei, possibly better. Wolf grudgingly admitted the man would even give him trouble.
After those first few attacks, Gil found Rune’s rhythm and stopped just defending. His hands lashed out and almost connected with Rune’s neck. It was only the former assassin’s quick reflexes that saved him. The fight was intense, and fast. Wolf’s eyes could barely keep track of their movement and his blood quickened in a familiar rush of adrenaline just watching. Hadn’t Hyun Woo said this was a simple demonstration?
In the next second, that adrenaline turned into ice in his veins. An expression he had not seen in Rune’s face in months flickered to life and he knew in that moment that the boy felt too pressed by his opponent. Old instincts had kicked in and now Rune was going for Gil with killing intent.
Swearing, he slung the shield from his back and darted forward. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tran do the same, heading straight for Gil. Trusting the man to stop Gil, he focused on Rune instead.
Neither of them quite made it.
Rune went straight for his opponent’s throat, expression hard and distant. But the blow he intended to land never made it. At the very last possible moment, his hand instead went into the air right next to Gil’s ear and stopped dead.
Wolf was moving too fast to stop himself now and he caught Rune around the shoulders and hauled him back two steps. “Breathe, kiō,” he commanded into his ear. “Breathe. Calm down.” Glancing up, he saw that Tran had Gil by the shoulders, although the other man just seemed stunned to come that close to death without even being able to put up a half decent defense.
Rune grabbed Wolf’s restraining arm with one hand, grip hard with desperation as he sank into him, letting Wolf support his bodyweight. His breathing was shaky, eyes wild. Wolf’s heart went out to him, as he knew exactly what was going through the poor boy’s mind in that moment. He made calming sounds in the back of his throat.
“Shh, shh. You did fine. You stopped yourself. He’s alright.”
Hyun Woo approached cautiously from the side, his eyes taking Rune in, evaluating every nuance.
Feeling like someone should offer an explanation, Wolf said helplessly, “Our apologies, Hyun Woo-zhi. Rune comes from a very…rough background. He’s still learning how to hold back.”
“I think that is not the problem,” Hyun Woo disagreed. Bending slightly, he put his head on the same level as Rune’s. “Rune-xian,” he said gently.
Rune’s head came up slowly, hesitantly to meet the man’s eyes. Hearing Hyun Woo address him like a young son no doubt confused him. It certainly confused Wolf.
“It seems to me that you have come from a dark place,” Hyun Woo said, still in that gentle tone. “A place where you had to fight hard to just survive? Am I right? I thought so. In doing so, you protected yourself very well, but you lost your center in the process. Your survival instincts now make decisions for you instead of your heart,” the old man put his hand against Rune’s chest, “and that is not good. I think you realized this, which is why you have chosen a different path, is that not right?”
Rune managed a nod but words seemed beyond him.
Hyun Woo gave him a gentle, approving smile. “This is good. It takes strength, to change yourself as you are doing. I will be pleased to help you so that you may leave those dark instincts behind you. A man’s heart should go with him into battle. If not, he is not a man, but a beast.”
Seeing that Rune more or less had a hold of himself now, Wolf let go and let the kid find his own feet.
Rune was glued to Hyun Woo. Licking dry lips, he asked, “Ya think I can? Change so that I don’t have to worry about hurting people accidently?”
“Yes, of course.” Hyun Woo lifted an illustrative finger in the air. “Storms make oaks take deeper root. You are like a young oak. Your roots are very deep, very strong. Once you find your balance again, little will be able to shake you.”
Wolf felt a line of tension he didn’t know he had carried ease. Even though Rune had a similar background to his, they were different in very vital ways. He had known lightness before being dragged into a dark guild—Rune hadn’t. A
nd that had made all the difference in how they adapted back into being good men. Wolf had struggled for almost two years before he finally felt normal again. Rune wasn’t even sure what ‘normal’ was, or how to attain it. Wolf, Fei, and Siobhan could only teach him so much from their own experiences and knowledge. If Hyun Woo could help him, then so much the better.
Hyun Woo put a hand on Rune’s shoulder and promised him gently, “It will be well. For now, stand at my side while I evaluate your comrades.”
Rune didn’t seem inclined to disagree with this order, but he first turned to Gil and bowed to him. “I’m sorry.”
His opponent shook his head, still looking a little rattled. “Your skills are formidable, Rune Maley-gui. I would like to face you again. But later, perhaps, when Hyun Woo-zhi allows it.”
Seeing the man was sincere, Rune gave him a quick nod and a fleeting grin.
Taking pity on Gil’s rattled nerves, Hyun Woo didn’t ask the man to face another from the Deepwoods guild but instead turned and called out someone else to fight with Wolf. Wolf was an old hand at sparring with multiple opponents and he fought the other man to a standstill without either of them collecting more than a bruise. Tran stepped forward next and his fight went more or less the same, although his opponent had to spin and leap free at one point to avoid losing an ear.
Hyun Woo clapped his hands and said, “Enough. I am satisfied. Tran-gui, Wolfinsky-gui, Rune-xian, come.” He waved to them with his palm down, like a man calling a child to him. All three men gathered in front of him silently, interested in what he had to say. With their full attention on him, Hyun Woo asked, “When you are preparing to face an enemy, what is the first thing you must consider?”
Wolf, Tran, and Rune shared a glance before Tran offered, “Their fighting strength and what weapons they’re using?”
“That is second,” Hyun Woo corrected. “No, the first is the angle of the engagement. At all times you want to limit how many angles your opponent can face you. Take this field for example,” his arm swept out to gesture toward the empty space, “it is a terrible place for battle. The angles of engagement are many, and they are hard to cover. Of the three of you, Wolfinsky-gui would find it easier to fight here because his shield limits how much his opponent can reach of him.”
That made complete sense to Wolf.
“At all times, when you see an enemy approaching, you must find ways to limit their angles of engagement and control how they can reach you,” Hyun Woo advised. “Now, keeping that in mind, I think that blending your fighting styles into one cohesive unit is challenging but not impossible. First, Wolfinsky-gui must lead. He is your anchor. If you need to approach an open place, where archers and spearmen are gathered, you must come in to a field of battle behind him, trusting in his shield.”
Rune eyed the shield doubtfully. “It’s only about three feet wide. All three of us behind it?”
“This is why I said it will be challenging.” Hyun Woo lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You must stay directly behind Wolfinsky-gui as you enter, otherwise the shield will not cover you. Also, you must always line up in this order: Wolfinsky-gui, Tran-gui, and Rune-xian.” As an afterthought, he amended, “Unless Man Fei Lei-xian is with you, in which case he will go before Rune-xian. The reason for this is simple: order.”
Wolf had been following just fine up until this point, but the man had lost him. “Order?”
“When you have engaged the enemy, you must peel off and go to specific sides in order to fight effectively without hampering each other,” Hyun Woo explained patiently. “Tran-gui will always go to the left, because he is armed with short swords, and he can use his swords to block your broadsword in case a swing goes too wide.”
Wolf had better control over the broadsword than that, but he privately admitted to himself that fighting was unpredictable enough that putting Tran on his left was probably a wise move.
“Rune-xian, because he fights hand-to-hand, must stay on your right. Partially because this way, he can take advantage of your shield when he needs it.”
That also made complete sense.
“We will engage in a mock battle so that you may practice this.” Hyun Woo lifted a finger, tone low in warning. “Remember, you are each other’s defense. Do not stray too far from the other’s side. You want to stay within two arm’s lengths of each other at all times.”
Far enough away that they could fight, but close enough that they wouldn’t leave each other’s backs unprotected. Got it.
“You understand me? Good.” Hyun Woo half-turned and called out several names as well instructions in his native tongue that went completely over Wolf’s head. Then he directed them to a specific spot in the field, lining them up as he had taught them to do. “You will break into formation the moment Wolfinsky-gui reaches the first opponent,” he told them. “Again, do not fight so hard as to cause injuries. Rune-xian, if you feel pressed enough by your opponent that you feel old instincts kick in, raise both your hands high over your head and the other man will stop. If this is not possible, drop completely to the ground on your knees and he will stop. This is an old signal with us, all will understand it.”
Rune expression relaxed when he realized he had breathing room. He was still nervous after what had happened and Wolf didn’t blame him. “I understand.”
Satisfied they were all more or less prepared, Hyun Woo lifted a hand in signal and boomed out, “Hame!”
Where in sweet mercy had her guild disappeared to?
Siobhan had been in a meeting most of the morning with the council, going over the exact situation that Orin was in and figuring out precisely which experts they needed to unravel the mess before it exploded. Sylvie had joined the meeting for the last hour, helping to explain what Siobhan didn’t know. Somehow, during those three hours, their entire guild disappeared without a trace. No one was in their guest house. After walking all the way through, she gave up and joined Sylvie back on the front porch, arms set akimbo on her hips. “Where did they all go?”
“Wolf was invited to go to the main field last night by the master strategist,” Sylvie answered, half-turning to look behind her. “Which is over there, somewhere. I think Rune, Tran and Fei are with them. I heard Wolf mention it last night.”
Well that accounted for four of them. “And the rest?”
Sylvie spread her hands, shrugging. “Who knows? Who are you needing, anyway?”
“Markl,” Siobhan answered, exasperated. “He’s the one with all of the numbers written down. I can remember some of them, but not all. Oh Jae Pyo needs precise information to make any sort of plans.”
Sylvie looked away, her face becoming unnaturally still and expressionless. “You want to find Markl in this place? Good luck with that. He could be anywhere.”
True. But that didn’t explain that almost belligerent expression on Sylvie’s face.
Siobhan rocked back on her heels, debating on whether to say anything or not. She wasn’t blind—Markl was absolutely infatuated with Sylvie. From what she could see, Sylvie was charmed and attracted to him as well. And yet, for the past six months, the two of them had stayed in this awkward limbo of not-quite-courting, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why. Siobhan firmly believed that a third party trying to get in between a couple usually made the situation worse rather than better, but at this rate, they’d all be grey-headed by the time anything became official.
Deciding on a middle ground, she said instead, “You can usually find him, though. You seem to understand him better than anyone else.”
Sylvie very carefully didn’t look at her as she responded, “I know his habits. I don’t know him well at all.”
Uh-oh. That was not a good tone. Sylvie’s voice had sounded strained saying that. No, she couldn’t just leave this alone anymore. The time for that had apparently passed. Siobhan slid an arm around the other woman’s shoulders and pulled her in for a half-hug. “Talk to me, Sylvie.”
“Siobhan, what are we doing?”
Sylvie looked lost, eyes bright with unshed tears. “I don’t know anymore. I thought at first that he was attracted to me, then I thought maybe it was more than attraction, but he doesn’t do or say anything. I don’t know how to react around him anymore.”
Hence that strange, unnatural tension between them? Siobhan had thought Markl had done something stupid. Men were prone to foot-in-mouth disease from time to time. “I’m just as confused, that’s why I’m asking. None of us can figure out what’s holding the two of you back. I actually had a bet going with Beirly that the two of you would become a couple before Rune finished his journeyman training.”
Sylvie gave a bitter snort. “You lost that bet.”
“Well, no, Beirly actually did. He didn’t think it would be that long. He bet on less than three months.”
Instead of consoling her, this seemed to enhance Sylvie’s anger. “So it’s not just me being overly hopeful?”
“Nope.”
Sucking in a breath, the brunette let it out between clenched teeth, like a teapot whistling out steam. “So what do I do?”
Trying to jostle her out of that foul mood, Siobhan tsked her with a wagging finger. “You know my love advice doesn’t come free.”
Sylvie’s trading instincts sparked to life and she eyed her guildmaster sideways. “The pewter hair clasp you like.”
Siobhan let go of her and held out a hand, which Sylvie promptly took, sealing the deal. The tension broke enough that Sylvie’s brow unknotted and Siobhan fought back a smile. “Markl strikes me as the type that has little confidence in himself where women are concerned. Don’t try to make him jealous, that will backfire. He’ll think he has no chance with you and give up. Instead, make it very clear to him that he has your interest. It will give him the courage to close the gap.”
Running a hand roughly through her hair, Sylvie took in a breath, puffing out her cheeks. Her eyes were fixed off in the distance as she turned this advice over in her head. “Yes,” she finally agreed with a slow nod. “Yes, that might be the problem. I’ve never done or said anything outright to him. But truly? You think that it’s just a lack of confidence on his part?”
Blackstone (Book 2) Page 7
