First of Spears

by Billy Wong

  "A light spar, huh? Not a real fight? I don't think that would count as what we were talking about before."

  "We could have a more intense match later, after you've had our child. Perhaps we can think of this one as more like a courtship ritual."

  She laughed. "Actually, I've been to places where it's not uncommon for men and women to have ceremonial duels before being wed. Very well, let us get a taste of each other's techniques."

  As the training yard was in use by the guards right now, they headed instead to the garden. "I guess I really will have to go easy," she said brandishing her spear, "since we don't want to damage your parents' property."

  He drew his sword. "What, were you thinking of not going easy?"

  "What can I say? I'm competitive." She looked around. "We should still be able to have a decent spar with the added challenge of avoiding the pretty plants."

  Theo rushed her, not holding back that much as he knew she could handle it. She parried a few strokes, then jumped spinning away as lightly as if carried by the wind and landed facing him. "You trying to avoid a fight?" he asked.

  "What fun would it be if it ended in the first exchange?"

  "You're bluffing, even you couldn't beat me in one exchange. Especially in your condition."

  "Maybe, maybe not." She walked forward, her jabs and swipes at him slower than he had ever seen before. As he dodged and guarded them, albeit still not without some difficulty, he suspected she might be trying to let him take in the nuances of her movements. It was like she was teaching him... what? To beat her? No, he doubted she would ever wish for somebody to defeat her. But maybe she wanted him to know her better, so that their spirits could be closer and perhaps also to allow him to put up something of a fight when they had a more serious match.

  He struck back, attempting to test which counters might have success against her style. Nothing seemed to get close to touching her. She giggled, her dancing spear like a wall before her between the moments it shot forward to threaten him. "Sweating already?" she asked, her voice blissful while he frantically retreated from a flurry of pokes. She didn't seem to be working hard at all, yet already pushed his defenses to the limit. She darted behind a flowery bush, making him hesitate to swing his sword, and came around the other side with a thrust. He blocked, but being caught off balance was dropped on his butt. As he scrambled up, she teased, "I expected more from one of the top five swordsmen of Egrent."

  He wiped his forehead to keep the water from his eyes. "I'm surprised Sophie could keep up with you as much as she did. She doesn't seem nearly as fast, and you're not even going full tilt here."

  Claire gave a humorous smirk. "You're falling for it, unlike her and Gunther." When he blinked in confusion at what "it" meant, she clarified, "It's not pure speed that baffles you, although I am pretty fast. The angles I use, my control of distance—they fool you into thinking I'm faster than I am. I notice you watching my spear carefully. Watch the rest of me too, and you'll get a better sense of what's going on."

  Theo blushed, a bit embarrassed. "You're not telling me anything I don't know. I've trained for years under a master warrior, I know all about the importance of footwork, distance and angles. You're just so fluid at it—the way you transition between stances as easily as someone takes a step, for example—it makes me feel like a novice all over again. And no matter what you say, you are extraordinarily quick."

  "Sorry, I sometimes forget one can be a skilled fighter without being on my level. I should hardly talk to you the way I do Lily. So the rapid stance switches are part of it... to be expected. I was impressed how well Sophie did sticking to her single stance, even if it was a unusual hybrid. In any case, she held up that well because she's really good. But you have plenty of talent too, to have gotten as far as you did. Just keep at it! I'm sure if you continue fighting me, you'll get more used to it and maybe learn to add some of my tricks to your repertoire."

  Sparring against such a challenging partner always had practical benefits that went beyond the fight itself, if one knew to take advantage of them. "I'll definitely look to pick something up, as well as beat you."

  "Beat me?" She twirled her spear tauntingly in hand. "Then go for it, if you think you can!"

  Chapter 9

  Theo continued to train with Claire, their originally planned one-time sparring session becoming two, three, a dozen and more as he pushed himself to improve his performance against her. She found his steady progress admirable, though she didn't know when if ever he would catch up to her. She supposed they could keep at it until her pregnancy grew too advanced for it to be safe.

  One day, Theo arranged for Damon to meet her and take her to a tailor where she could be fitted for her wedding dress. When he didn't show up on time, she decided to head to his room to see what was going on. The hall was empty and quiet, with nothing to indicate anything amiss. Yet she felt the whisper of a nagging dread, and wished she had brought her spear. But even with just the daggers she carried for backup, or her hands and feet alone, her defensive abilities should likely be more than adequate. She knocked and got no answer. She leaned forward trying to listen in, heard a scraping sound and immediately jumped back as a blade stabbed out through the wood. Grabbing the knob, she threw the door open.

  Prince Damon lay on the floor in front of his bed, a red puddle spreading out under him. Between him and Claire stood a black-masked figure with long white hair, taller than most men and slim. It wore dark robes, and held a thin curved sword in one hand which it thrust again at her. She drew a wide-bladed dagger to parry it in the nick of time. Fast, she thought as it swayed back from her riposte. Gods, was Damon dead? She still didn't know him well, but would be devastated for Theo if he was. The amount of blood beneath his body didn't bode well... One thing at a time. She blocked another blow from the longer blade of the—assassin?—stepped in close to negate his reach advantage and rocked him with a headbutt. At least, she assumed it was a he. He stumbled back, tripped over Damon and fell on the bed. She should finish it as soon as possible. She leapt after him, deflecting the upward blow he threw from his back with her dagger and landing knee-first on his gut. He flailed at her with a fist; she blocked with her forearm and tried to push her knife down into his chest. He held it off with his own weapon, grabbed up a candlestick from the nearby drawer and smashed it over her head. She tumbled off the bed, rolled up groggily only to catch a boot in the mouth that snapped her head back. She saw stars as the back of her skull thudded against a wall, and the curved sword plunged down to end her. Damn, if only she had her spear.

  She slapped the blade aside with her hand so that it embedded in the wall, kicked the masked one backward into the bed. He kept his grip on his hilt so that the sword was pulled free, but before he could bring it to bear she had closed the distance and grabbed his wrist. She pinned him seated against the bed for the moment, attempted to stab his neck. He caught her arm too and they strained against each other, trying to wrestle their weapons into desirable positions. He slowly stood up, seemingly against her will, but that was what she let him think. As soon as he made it to his feet, she dropped back on purpose and flung him over herself, hurling him against the wall. She spun as she rose, putting all her momentum behind a punch that crashed into his temple on his way up.

  It would have knocked most men out. But he appeared to be sturdier than most, and who knew how much protection that mask contributed. He staggered for an instant, then threw a kick like that of a horse to Claire's midriff. It drove her back grimacing, and he dashed in. She just sidestepped his thrust, buried her dagger in the back of his shoulder. He turned painfully and she punched him in the throat, then lifted him off his feet with a kick between the legs. "First of Spears... still strong without it," he choked out, bent with agony. She raised her dagger to finish him, but he reeled away enough to turn a blow that would have severed his spine into a lesser stab next to his shoulder blade. He sprinted for the door.

  Claire made to run after him, but t
hen a pang stabbed through her belly. Shit, could it be? That had been a heavy kick, which would have finished the fight against many. She shuddered with rare fear. Not having seen it coming unlike against Sophie, she didn't know if her hard abdominal muscles could've protected the baby enough without tensing them. Another sharp pain, and she doubled over clutching her stomach. No, this wasn't happening... All thoughts of pursuit forgotten, she checked Damon's pulse with a shaking hand, then stumbled into the hall in search of help.

  #

  When Theo heard the meek-sounding knock on his door, he didn't know who to think it was, and certainly didn't expect who it turned to be. Claire stood before the portal, countenance taut with pain. He looked down her form for wounds—and stared to find a dark stain on her dress over her groin. In a miserable voice, she said, "I think I... lost our child. A-and, your brother's dead."

  His mouth dried up in a heartbeat, and his head grew light. "Did you just say what I thought you did?"

  "I'm so sorry! I went to Damon's room when he didn't show up for our meeting and found him murdered by a masked assassin who fought with me. He proved quite competent, and landed a forceful strike to my middle. The i-impact was too much for our babe."

  The loss at once of his brother and child made Theo's vision swim as he struggled to come to terms with it. This couldn't be real, could it? It had to be a bad dream, or some kind of illusion. But the world felt as real as it had minutes ago, and in his heart he knew it to be so. Though sadness weighed him down to the point he wanted to sink through the ground, he hugged Claire knowing she must feel as terrible as he did if not more. "It's not your fault. Anyone would've had to defend herself in that situation. I'm just glad you were strong enough to."

  "I didn't even tell you if he saw me first before I attacked him," she said softly.

  He patted her back, tears running down his cheeks. "I trust you. You promised you'd be more careful for the sake of our baby, and I believe you would be true to your word. Even if you did attack first, there must've been a good reason for it, like you thought Damon might still be alive and tried to save him."

  "I didn't attack first. He was aware of me before I was of him, and took the initiative. But I did think Damon might be alive, and that's why I didn't run."

  "You didn't do anything wrong, then. There's no one to blame besides the assassin. Did you kill him?"

  "No. I won, I think, but he got away and gave me a fair beating in the process. Seems like I'm not looking so invincible these days."

  Her attempt to disparage herself still wasn't the most humble, but he was glad since he wouldn't ever want to see her lose all her strength. "Then we'll have to figure out who it was... and find him..."

  "Theo?" Claire asked with concern, and he realized his voice had become increasingly low as he spoke the last sentence. Why was his body so light? His knees buckled and he sagged towards the ground. Claire caught him, holding him upright. "Theo, don't! I need you, I need-" Before he could hear the next word, which he presumed would be "you," darkness swallowed him.

  When he regained consciousness, he lay on his back with softness beneath him like he was in bed. He didn't open his eyes, daring to hope what he had just experienced might have been a dream after all. It seemed awfully clear in his mind and detailed, but maybe it was a really vivid one. Please let it be so... He opened his eyes a crack. A female figure sat in a chair by his side, and he looked up at her face.

  "Theo!" Lily said, noticing him turn his head. "Are you awake?"

  He snapped fully to wakefulness. "Lily? What are you doing here?"

  "Claire brought you to our room after you fainted." So it was theirs, he saw now, and not his own. "I'm glad you're all right."

  "I fainted?" His heart sank. "So it actually happened... Damon and our baby are g-gone..."

  Lily hugged him, laying her head down on his chest. "I'm so sorry Theo. I'd never seen Claire as distraught as when she carried you back here—I can't even imagine how hard it must be for both of you."

  It would probably be harder once it fully sank in. Right now he felt largely just numb with shock, still in disbelief this could be reality. His logical mind knew it to be so, yet he kept wishing it would turn out otherwise, that Damon would step through the door with Claire any moment now and reveal it was all a grand joke. Any second now... why didn't they appear... please...

  He swallowed as he forced himself to accept the truth. "How is Claire?" he asked in a cracked whisper.

  "Here, have some water first." Lily offered him a cup, which he sipped listlessly from. "Physically she's fine. She lost a lot of blood along with... her child, but she's so robust, she still had the strength to walk around after bringing you here. But she's in trouble now. They're questioning her as a suspect in your brother's death."

  Theo sat up, spitting water all over himself. Only now did he see Gunther watching over them from the far corner. "What?!"

  "They didn't find any evidence of another assassin in the room. So since Claire is the only person around covered in his blood, your mother accuses her of being the culprit."

  "B-but she lost a child! And what woman would be mad enough to try and play assassin while pregnant?"

  "Not that she did it, since we both know she didn't, but the queen already made an argument against that defense. She pointed out Claire isn't exactly a normal woman."

  That was a fair point, Theo admitted. She had been crazy enough to duel Isolde the Breaker while pregnant. "Where is she now, can I see her? And if she's a suspect, how are you allowed to be with me?"

  "I imagine she's still being interrogated. I don't know if you'll be allowed to see her. As for me, Gunther offered to keep an eye on me so I could tell you what happened on Claire's behalf."

  "Glad you're okay," the swordmaster said, "even if it was a tad soft of you to faint like a lady." He frowned as if reconsidering his jape. "Sorry."

  Theo shook his head. "I know you don't mean any harm. I guess you trust them too, then."

  "That, and I thought it would do to let High Waloros keep some face instead of having even the cook locked up. But yeah, I don't get the impression your woman is the type of person to kill in sneaky fashion like that."

  "Not to mention it makes no sense for her to let herself get pregnant in the process if this was all some great plan."

  "I already said I believe you. It is odd they couldn't find a trace of anybody else being in the room, though. With all that blood and her having fought the assassin there, shouldn't there have at least been footprints?"

  Theo scratched his chin. "That is hard to explain—but maybe the explanation isn't a conventional one? We've both seen recently that magic is real, and what it's capable of. If it can raise the dead and facilitate nonstandard movement of armies, being able to hide the tracks of an individual doesn't seem far fetched."

  "That's true, but our main enemy with access to magic is already dead."

  Lily said, "It's quite possible he had an apprentice though, or left some of his magic to his allies. We should tell your parents this so Claire might no longer be the prime suspect, although I wouldn't be surprised if she's already mentioned this as a possibility to those questioning her."

  Gunther gazed down. "I doubt they'd take her seriously in that case. For better or worse, people don't tend to give much credence to those they regard as criminals."

  "Then we better hurry before she's mistreated more than she might already have been." Theo rolled hastily out of bed, almost falling before Lily caught him and struggled to hold up his weight. He shook his head clear, rallied his strength and stood, and the trio headed out.

  Asking around, they learned that Claire wasn't being held in the dungeon as Theo feared, but questioned in the throne room surrounded by guards. A good thing his father still tread lightly when it came to potentially offending High Waloros, he supposed. "Claire!" he said as he beheld her kneeling before the king, the armsmen ringing her with bare steel yet appearing more nervous than she did.

>   "Theo. Happy to see you awake."

  It was a small thing to draw comfort from in these times, but he felt happy to see her unharmed too. So far, at least. His mother was there too, standing in the spot where Damon normally did. Theo's chest hurt at his brother's conspicuous absence. "Have you reminded them who the last great enemy of our country was?" To his parents, "Claire isn't the one you should first suspect. What you think is more plausible, a pregnant woman risking her babe and herself to do assassin's work far from home—and for that matter the First of Spears losing her child in battle with Damon who was far below her level—or the true killer's passage being obscured by similar forces as we've recently dealt with?"

  "Forces?" Queen Talia demanded. "Do you mean to say magic?"

  "We've seen what it is capable of. Even if such claims might have been dismissed, we must acknowledge it to be a very real threat."

  "True, Manuiel wielded sorcery against us. But he is now dead. Why should we make the leap of assuming a mysterious other of his ilk plots against us, when a more tangible malefactor is right before us?"

  Theo felt like his mother just had it in for Claire, and wanted to blame her over any other possibility. "Why do you have to make her your scapegoat, would you rather let whoever really did this keep running free while she suffers the punishment? This is your son who was murdered, how can you use it as an excuse to sate your grudge against someone you don't like?" Most watching stared in surprise at his candor while she glared at him. The anger blazing from her eyes threatened to melt him, and he realized she might actually believe Claire was responsible, though her prejudice must factor highly into that notion. "It doesn't make sense, though. If she's after our family, why would she kill Damon, but then not kill me when she had the perfect opportunity, even choosing instead to help me?"

  "How shortsighted can you be? Of course she didn't kill you. Why would she when, if you gained the throne, she would soon have a puppet king for High Waloros wrapped around her finger? She probably meant to kill your brother and father while leaving you alive, only to be foiled when Damon put up a better struggle than expected and injured her with his last breaths."