Chapter Twenty-Seven
S ince we decided to leave just before the wedding, things may get a little tricky, and I’ve heard too many conflicting thoughts about Lysander Sturdevant for anything to be reliable. So I'm still not sure what I'm walking into. Or away from.
That will give us a few days for me to learn the basics from Patton and Thaliya. Patton has agreed to teach me as much as he can about sword fighting and hand to hand combat before we leave. I hope at least something will stick seeing as he’s the head of guard. Thaliya is confident she’ll be able to progress my studies quicker now that I know what I am and my magic has awakened.
They refuse to leave any sooner, demanding I need to learn at least the essentials before we set off.
We’re lucky here in the south we don’t feel the bite of winter. We’ll have plenty of time to progress up the continent and arrive in the north after the worst of winter has passed. Of course, up there, winter is never-ending.
Now, I have just a few days to soak in as much as I can about self-defense, healing, and anything else they throw at me. Thank the stars I can already hold my own on horseback, or else I’d be out of luck. Baylor’s blond curls flash through my mind and I absentmindedly wonder if he’s as talented teaching one how to ride a horse as he was with other things so many years ago.
“What’re you grinning at? You look like you just watched Baylor falling over backwards into a water trough.” Gryphon rudely awakens me from said daydream with a crooked grin, reminding me that he now knows I’ve slept with the stable master. Maybe I should even the playing field, let him know I know about him and Licia. That’ll wipe the grin off his face.
“Yeah, Baylor something…” is all I can manage to get out as we stalk down the tunnels to where Patton is waiting to instruct me on basic combat techniques. Thank the stars for the darkness down here, or I’m sure my blazing cheeks would give me away even more. “Why are you coming to our lessons, anyway? Just to give me a hard time?”
“But of course. How’re you going to learn anything without my commentary?” Gryphon smiles broadly and playfully pushes my shoulder. Except he forgets he has at least three stones on me, so I fly into the dirt wall on the other side of the narrow pathway. I grab my shoulder and yelp while he cringes at his accidental show of force.
“What do you do in your free time? Carry barrels across the gardens? Move horses across the fields?” I continue rubbing my shoulder while chastising him.
“My free time is spent with you, Roe. There’s no one else.” He puts his arm around me, mocking my interest.
I shrug him off and mumble, “You sure about that?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He looks at me sideways, incredulous I could sleuth something out of him or Licia.
“Not a thing, dear Gryphon. Why? Should it mean something?” I bait him, but he doesn’t bite. We arrive at the domed underground room and find Patton standing stiffly along the wall, ensuring he has a clear vantage point of the only two entrances to this underground room.
“You sound like new recruits, squabbling over the last wooden sword. It’s a wonder no one else has found this passage with the way you two carry on,” he scolds as he passes us our wooden training sword. “Let’s begin.”
Never having wielded one before, the weapon feels long and awkward in my hand. Gryphon instantly begins swinging his around in exaggerated figure eights. He doesn’t look like he knows what he’s doing either. He looks as ridiculous as I feel. I know Jonaraja kept him close, but I guess I always assumed he knew at least the basics of sword fighting. Clearly, my assumption is wrong.
“What?” he asks defensively and promptly stops swinging his sword around. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” He shrugs and looks to Patton for instruction, avoiding my gaze as his cheeks bloom with color.
Patton works us hard all morning. We learn how to hold the sword and the basic stances as well as the proper way to hold and grip a sword. Who knew there’s an art to hand position to ensure balance and maximize control?
Patton also finds great pleasure in relentlessly running us through the basic cut and strike moves until I can no longer hold my arm up. Only after Patton is satisfied we’ve learned something does he finally gesture for us to take a break.
Gryphon is a little less worse for wear, as he already has at least some of the necessary muscles. As we rest our swords against the closest pillar, he puffs his chest out like a proud peacock. Clearly happy with his progress.
“Confidence will only get you so far, Gryphon. Remember this.” Patton holds one finger up in warning; his warrior frame filling the archways in our subterranean training room. “Sword fighting is an art. One that takes skill, power, and speed. Don’t mistake any of those for swagger or foolishness. Both, I understand, are unfortunate tendencies of yours.”
Thoroughly scolded, Gryphon wilts like a hydrangea cut for a vase.
“Understood, Sir Patton,” Gryphon mumbles, the pomp finally deflates from him. I knock my shoulder with his to show my solidarity, and then wince because all my muscles already hurt.
To announce the end of our break, Patton asks, “Look around us. What do you see?”
I look around the underground room. The same one we’ve been standing in all morning. Nothing’s changed. “I see stone walls? Dirt?” I venture a guess at what Patton is focusing on.
“Wrong. Look again. An effective sword maiden always first assesses her environment. Decide what will help you play to your strengths. Rowandine, you are both shorter and lighter than the average swordsman. Tight places and being light on your feet will go a long way to benefiting you. Gryphon, play on your mischievous side. That, in addition to all the strategy meetings you’ve attended, will help you stay ahead of your opponent. So try again. What do you see?” He sweeps his arm out wide, presenting the room to us in a new light.
“The statues and pillars are natural barriers I could use to help block,” I suggest to Patton.
“Good. More.”
“The corners. If we drive our opponents into the corners, they won’t be able to escape easily.” Gryphon folds his arms in front of his chest to drive home his answer, but then thinks better of it and uncrosses them once more, clearly treading on uncertain territory.
“Right, yes. Never back yourself into a corner. It will be the death of you.”
Gryphon and I exchange looks; my fear reflects in his features as well.
“Yes. Good. Enough for today. I’ll see you an hour earlier tomorrow.” And with that, Patton strolls down the dark passageway from which he came.
Gryphon and I turn down the opposite path, our silence speaking volumes of our exhaustion. I flex my back, feeling the ache of muscles I didn’t even know I had.
“So, this’ll be a busy couple of days, huh?” I was under no illusion that preparing to save Ombretta from the grasp of blood sucking Ancients would be easy, but I had no idea it would be this exhausting. “At least you seem to understand what in the stars Patton is talking about.” Gryphon seemed to get the basic movements of the sword and where his feet should be as soon as Patton showed us. And Patton was right. Gryphon’s ability to anticipate his opponent’s movements allowed him an instant advantage.
“Yeah, it's trickier than it looks. No wonder all the guards walk around like they own the place; I feel like a total savage wielding that sword with both hands.” Gryphon practices some swings with an invisible sword.
“You're right. Your flimsy, wooden sword is incredibly intimidating,” I muster up enough energy to laugh at him, but then my abs hurt. And my back hurts. And my shoulders as well. If I could double over in pain, I would. Instead, I stand very still, trying to slow my breathing enough so my entire body doesn’t ache.