“Are you listening to me? I want you to leave,” I said, this time using my anger to force myself up. I started to walk to the door, but he grabbed my forearm to stop me. My burns and bruises made me yell out in pain and drop to my knees.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were in so much pain?” he asked angrily as he released me and began inspecting my wounds.
I slapped his hands away and used the bed to stand up. “Get out. I don’t want to see you.”
He growled angrily and stood up. “Fine, don’t tell me what they wanted. I’ll go talk to them myself.”
I turned my back to him and opened the leather pouch the goblins had given me. Inside was the healing medicine in a small wooden tube and the pain reliever in a clear container. My door opened and closed as Favian left and I was alone again. I opened the healing medicine and spread it onto one burn, holding my breath to see if it would sting or not. Surprisingly it didn’t sting and it gave me immediate relief. I stripped out of my clothes and spread the medicine everywhere I had bruises and burns and then put a small amount of the white powder pain reliever on my tongue and let it dissolve. My pain vanished and I felt invigorated again. I was definitely going to have to get the twins a present for this!
After redressing and hiding the medicines in the pouch in the bottom of my bag I headed out to the outdoor training arena for a meeting with Master Martin. As I neared it I realized this was not a meeting, but a set up. The arena was filled with every student of the school and every teacher was there as well, sitting up on the railings. I stepped inside the arena and Master Martin waved me forward. I walked to him, looking at all of the faces around until I spotted the one I was seeking. I immediately turned away from him, having only been wondering if he was there.
“Marin, I’m glad you made it. Did the earlier training make you sore?” Master Martin asked.
“Yes,” I said in a truthful statement. The training had made me sore, but the medicine the twins gave me had cured that.
“I’m sure you’ll loosen up soon.”
“What’s going on?” I asked him, “Why is everyone here?”
“Today is a trial,” Macon said as he stepped into the arena.
“A trial?” I asked in shock, “Against me?”
“More of a trial because of you,” he answered with a smirk.
“I do not understand,” I replied, “Why a trial? What is to be proved?”
“Those my dear are the perfect questions. We are putting on trial whether girls should be allowed to join the Academy more often than just your case,” Macon said as he walked to the center of the ring.
Now I understood. I was the first girl to be allowed to attend, let alone complete the Academy. They had to test me to see if it was a good idea to allow girls to attend in the future. “I understand,” I said with a nod of my head. “What trials am I to face?” This was so sudden and seemingly random. Had Favian known? Was that why he had really come to my dorm?
“You’ll be tested in everything,” Macon said, “but first we will test you on your fighting skills.” Macon nodded his head at Master Sean.
Master Sean smiled evilly at me and then snapped his fingers. Two first year students climbed down from the railing and approached me. I pushed my cloak back behind me and gave myself freedom of movement depending upon the type of attack they used on me. “Hand to hand, no weapons,” Master Sean said, “Begin!”
The two boys charged me and I forgot about the kidnapping attempt. I forgot about Favian being mad at me. I forgot about everything except the trial. I would prove that girls should be allowed. I would prove that I was a capable mercenary and I would prove that I could be a Protector. The newbies charged forward enthusiastically and I ducked their wild swings easily and kicked them in the backs to use their own momentum against them. They both stumbled forward and down to their hands and knees and then jumped up and turned towards me again. I took a wide stance and put my hands in defensive positions near my face.
The boys moved away from each other so that they would both come at me from different sides and then darted towards me again. I blocked and punched and kicked and after only a minute had them both on the ground, knocked out.
I backed away from them so others could drag them out of the arena and faced Master Sean waiting for his next signal. “Swords,” he said and then snapped his fingers. Two second year students hopped down and drew their swords. I drew mine and fought to keep the smile off of my face. I knew it was a test, yet I felt no fear or worry, only cheerfulness.
Master Sean yelled, “Begin!”
The two looked at each other and then one of them ran at me. I blocked his downward thrust and elbowed him in the stomach before rolling away from the second guy’s sword. He spun around in an advanced technique no second year should have known and I barely had time to jump back from the blade which skimmed passed my shirt. I sliced upward, catching him in the chin and knocked him on his back.
“That’s why you don’t use advanced techniques until you learn them,” Micah called teasingly.
The student still standing circled me and I stood loose and ready for his attack. “You’re not as good as you think you are,” he said bitterly.
“I never said I was good,” I answered seriously.
“Your confident attitude says it for you.”
I smiled. “I’m not confident, just calm and prepared for anything you throw at me.”
He snarled and kicked sand up at my face, trying to blind me. I dashed backwards and wiped at my eyes trying to see him before he got within striking distance. The crowd booed and I heard Master Sean curse angrily. I finally got the sand out of my eyes and found the boy circling me silently. I pretended to still be blind and swung wildly with my sword in the opposite direction as the boy. He smiled smugly and dashed forward, expecting to catch me off guard from his dirty play. I spun around and blocked his blow, elbowing him in the face at the same time and then pressed my sword to his throat. “Cheap tricks don’t work,” I said with a smile.
“You’re a fool,” Master Sean said, “And an embarrassment for using such a dirty trick.”
I finished wiping my eyes out and faced Master Sean. “Third years?” I guessed.
He smiled. “Yes. Multiple opponents.”
“Wonderful,” I said as four muscular kids climbed down from the railing.
The kids spread out to form a square around me and took loose ready stances. They were obviously better trained than the other kids I’d fought so far, but that made sense because they were third years. “Begin,” Master Sean said.
Unlike before, no one moved. I turned slowly to be able to look at everyone as they kept their cool in statue stances. I took a deep breath and then they moved at once. I couldn’t think of moves ahead of time because they attacked too quickly. In what seemed like an hour, but was really only a couple of minutes, I finally defeated all of them. I leaned over, taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself. My heart was beating faster than normal and a weird fire burned inside of me at the exhilaration of the fighting.
“Whoa,” one of the students on the railing said, “I didn’t even see how she did that.”
Students walked out to help the third years off of the sand and to tend to the few cuts I’d opened when punching them.
“Fourth year,” Master Sean called. “Archery.”
Finally I could take a break from fighting. I sheathed my sword and squatted down to rest my legs a bit. I wasn’t very good at archery so this test had me the most nervous. I could handle myself in a fight, but standing still and aiming at a target one hundred yards away was not my strong suit.
Master Martin walked out into the arena and handed me a bow and quiver of arrows. “Do your best.”
“I always do,” I said as I positioned the quiver on my back and faced the target which had been placed at the other end of the arena.
A tall skinny guy whom I’d met, but couldn’t remember his name, walked out with a bow and quiver to stand
next to me. He held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Tristan. Good luck, Marin.”
I smiled and shook his hand. “Same to you, Tristan.”
He took an arrow out and aimed carefully. I found myself holding my breath with him and for some reason actually rooting for him. Had I injured my brain during my training?
He released the string and the arrow whizzed down the arena. A few of the students whistled in appreciation and then several cheered as the arrow hit the perfect center of the target.
“Well hell,” I whispered, “I’m not going to be able to top that.”
I aimed carefully and released the bow’s string. The arrow sailed down the arena and landed two inches to the right of Tristan’s. A couple kids laughed and others clapped encouragingly.
Tristan shrugged. “You’re close. You tilt your shoulder when you release your string. Try focusing on keeping your body completely still, like stone and you’ll do better.”
We moved over to the second target and Tristan easily hit the center of the target again. I tried to use his advice and focused on keeping my body as still as a statue, but I still missed the center by at least an inch. “Stage two,” Master Martin said as students took the targets out and then made piles of wool and twine balls. The balls were used for moving targets, something I was even worse at then regular target practice.
Tristan knocked an arrow and nodded his head. “Ready.” The students at the other end of the arena tossed up two targets and faster than I’d ever been able to, he shot the first arrow, grabbed a second from the quiver and shot the second, striking both targets before they hit the ground.
I whistled in appreciation. “That was incredible. You’re really fast,” I said seriously.
“Thanks,” he said with a smile.
I took two arrows from my quiver and Tristan looked at me like I was crazy. I held the arrows in one hand and the bow in the other and nodded at the students. “Ready.”
They tossed the targets up and I put both arrows on the bow at once, turned my bow sideways so that it was parallel with the ground and shot. The arrows hit both the targets and the students cheered.
“That was an interesting way to shoot,” Tristan said teasingly.
I shrugged. “It’s the easiest way for me to hit two targets close to each other. That technique does not work for more than two or for others far away from each other.”
“I’ll have to remember to try that sometime,” he said. The students grabbed three targets and Tristan nodded his head. “Ready.” They tossed the targets up and with the same speed and skill that he had been displaying, he hit all of the targets.
I was truly outmatched. I pulled two arrows from the quiver again and then pulled a third and held it in my teeth. “Ready!” I yelled around the arrow in my mouth. Now everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. They tossed the targets up and I hit the first two and then pulled the arrow from my mouth and aimed at the third target, but it was too close to the students and I wasn’t a good enough aim. I lowered my bow and shrugged. “Like I said, that technique doesn’t work all the time.”
Tristan held out his hand to me again. “Good try.”
I shook his hand. “Good job. I’m impressed with your archery.”
Master Martin took the bow and quiver and shook his head at me. “You really need to practice your archery. You haven’t improved since you were a fourth year.”
“I know,” I said as I rolled my neck.
Master Sean called, “Fifth year. Dual wielding weapons.”
Micah tossed me a second blunt sword and gave me two thumbs up. I smiled at him and spun the blades to get accustomed to them. Dual wielding was one of my strong points so I was actually looking forward to this trial. I walked to the center of the ring and was shocked to see Christopher walk out to me. He was a fifth year, but he usually hung out with Favian, Micah and me during meals and was a really good guy. I had no idea he was the best skilled at dual wielding for his year.
He bowed to me and then held up his weapons in a salute. “I’m not going to go easy on you,” he said seriously, “This is a test and to properly test you I must fight with all of my skill and might.”
I saluted him with my weapons and said, “I would expect nothing less and know that I will not go easy on you either.” We backed up two paces and then I nodded my head at him. He charged forward with a war cry to make any master happy and swung his swords. I parried and blocked and we made our way around the arena as he attacked. I watched his movements, waiting for an opening where I could attack him, but none were showing. I blocked high and then cut low, but he swung one of his blades around and down and blocked me. I tried to attack him again, but received a hit on my shoulder for my troubles. I jumped back and rotated my shoulder to be sure it wasn’t broken and I could still fight and then jumped forward, attacking with everything that I had.
He spun around and nearly caught me in the side of the head, but I ducked at just the right moment and hit him in the stomach with the pommel of my sword before rolling to the right and hitting his lower leg. He swung down at me and I rolled away just in time to avoid his blade. I jumped up and he came at me, one side high and one low. I blocked both and spun around him to put my blade against his lower back and throat. “I win,” I whispered.
“Never let her get that close to you when she’s dual wielding,” Master Sean said. “She’s famous for her spins of death.”
Christopher saluted me with his swords and I saluted him back. “Well done,” he said as he limped out of the arena.
Micah walked out to me to take his sword back and said, “That was good, but you were open several times. If Christopher hadn’t been so focused on getting a solid blow in, he could have nicked you several times and caused you a lot of pain.”
“Good thing for me that he didn’t see the openings,” I whispered as my shoulder began to throb. I pulled my shirt down and was shocked to see a three inch long gash in my shoulder, bleeding slowly down my arm. “Hell,” I whispered.
“Sixth year. Final combat,” Master Sean called.
“Marin, you shouldn’t continue…” Micah began.
I glared at him and pulled my shirt up. “Keep quiet. I only have one test left.” He didn’t want to let me continue, I could see it on his face. “Go,” I said angrily. He frowned irritably, but walked to the railing and climbed up to sit on top of it. I turned and stared in absolute shock at Favian standing in the center of the ring watching me. “What exactly is final combat?” I asked Master Sean.
“It’s a test to find your weakness. You fight with any weapons and the only rule is no killing.” That did not make me feel any better. “Begin!” he yelled.
I could feel the blood beginning to run down my arm to my elbow, but I had to forget about that. I had to forget about everything and fight Favian. Fighting him was not easy when I was in top shape. Fighting him with my emotions on edge and my body injured was going to be downright impossible. I had to do it though. I had to prove that I could be a mercenary, that I could attack my best friend if I had to. I took a ready stance and raised my hand, crooking one finger and moving it towards me to tell him to come at me.
He looked at me with cold eyes and for the first time I felt afraid of him. He was looking at me like we weren’t friends. He was looking at me like he didn’t care if he hurt me or not. He was looking at me like he didn’t know who I was. The energy I had felt before and the fire I had inside turned to ice at the look in his eyes.
He charged forward and I ducked his first punch and kicked at his legs, but he sidestepped and my kick missed. I wanted to use my sword, but I was right handed and the wound on my shoulder would only hinder my sword fighting abilities so I couldn’t use it. Favian continued to press me and fight me and it was all I could do to ward off his blows.
I needed to attack him. I needed to fight back, but I couldn’t. I had my throwing knives, but they weren’t dulled and technically I wasn’t supposed to be carrying them anyways.
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Master Sean had said any weapons though. I was about to pull one of them out when two spears were thrown into the center of the arena and I knew what I could do. I dodged Favian’s attack and ran around him and towards the center. He was right on my heels, but I snatched up a spear before he caught up to me and spun around in a perfect arch, brought the spear up and hit him in the head.
Or I would have if he hadn’t grabbed a spear as well and blocked me. I tried my hardest to hit him or cut him, but he was too skilled at everything for me to land a shot. I thought I was out of options until I saw that he was dropping his left shoulder, something his father constantly nagged him about. I watched for it again and then arched the spear up high and brought it down to slice his shoulder.
He grunted in pain and I almost smiled victoriously. It was a good thing I hadn’t smiled because he swung his spear low and knocked my legs out from under me. As I fell onto my back I only had a moment to wonder if he would hold back and then he was on top of me, trying to pin my arms with his legs. I punched his thighs and stomach and tried to get out from under him, but he was too strong.
I growled in frustration and rolled over so that my back was to him and when he leaned forward to grab my shoulders I swung my head backwards, head butting him in the face. He grunted in pain and fell backwards off of me. I spun around with my throwing knife in hand to press it to his neck, but he already had his knife out against my throat with a look of pure rage on his face.
We squatted in perfect silence with my knife’s tip against the side of his neck and the side of his blade against the front of my throat. Fear and sadness made me quiver as we held our squatted poses. It would have made for a magnificent painting had an artist been around.
We had never fought like this before. He had never come at me in anger before. I had never seen such cold eyes directed at me.
“Looks like it’s a draw,” Master Sean said happily with a smile.
Neither Favian nor I moved. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t look at his face. I couldn’t be angry or sad. I couldn’t do anything, but shake in fear as my best friend held his knife to my throat. Would this be what came of us? Would we end up killing each other in the future?
Mercenary Little Death Bringer Page 6
