Free Thawed Fortunes by Dean Murray Page B

get back to fighting
trim, Sir."
    Fi'lin looked him over with dark, emotionless
eyes for several seconds, and if Va'del hadn't known it to be
impossible, he would have almost thought the Guadel was cataloging
the various bruises and sore muscles hidden beneath his
clothes.
    "I think something to that effect could be
managed, trainee. Why don't you go warm up while I see to making
the proper arrangements. Who did you have in mind?"
    Va'del was halfway through the third form
when Fi'lin returned with Fri'd and Eiri'k in tow. A strange sense
of recklessness suddenly filled the teenager and instead of
engaging the other boys one at a time as he'd planned, he instead
saluted both of them with his practice sword, and assumed a ready
stance.
    The watching Guadel momentarily looked like
he was going to object, but then shook his head in resignation and
stepped back out of the way.
    Apart from all of the bruises, for the first
time since he'd returned to the Capital and been thrown in jail,
Va'del felt like he was at full strength. Better than full strength
even, which gelled with what Jain had indicated based on the
changes they'd made to him.
    As soon as both boys had returned his salute,
Va'del struck, wielding his blades with a measured strength that no
doubt left his opponents' palms smarting, but which shouldn't
result in anything more than colorful bruises if they failed to
parry one of these blows.
    From the first moment of attack it was
apparent to Va'del that he could end the fight quickly if he so
chose. Neither of the other boys was used to working with a
partner. Fri'd's footwork was especially bad, which allowed Va'del
to keep him in Eiri'k's way.
    Instead of going all out, Va'del let the boys
make their best effort and then matched them stroke for stroke.
When Fri'd tried to hammer away at him with greater strength,
Va'del increased the force of his own blows. Eiri'k tried fancy
footwork and complex combinations only to find that Va'del
effortlessly sidestepped most of the blows before moving gracefully
back into position and launching ripostes that came within a hair's
breadth of scoring on his quickly-tiring opponents.
    The fight had gone on for two tenths of a
cycle, Va'del ever more clearly in control, and then he launched a
quick spate of cuts and thrusts that left both boys disarmed and
trying to hold onto two or three different parts of their aching
bodies.
    Looking at the pair with
mock concern, Va'del made sure he had their attention before making
his apology. "I'm very sorry. I hope I didn't hurt either of you. I
didn't realize that I was so clumsy ."
    The sudden stiffness on both boys' faces made
it very clear they understood exactly why they had been selected as
Va'del's 'training' partners. With any luck they'd now think twice
before 'bumping' into him or 'accidentally' swinging something hard
into his leg.
    Va'del saluted the pair again, and then
turned to walk away. Fi'lin, his voice filled with nothing but
casual curiosity, stopped him before he'd made it out of earshot of
the other boys. "Do you think you'll continue to need some amount
of light practice against the trainees?"
    Pausing to regard the Guadel, Va'del nodded
respectfully. "I suspect that I'll probably need their assistance
from time to time. I would expect that my clumsiness won't reappear
of course, but I suppose one never can tell, Sir."
    "Very good, I'll make the appropriate
arrangements."
    As Va'del walked back to the side of the
cavern given over to the needs of the candidates, he realized that
every single individual, from the instructors down to the small
group of Daughters who'd just arrived, had stopped whatever they
were doing to watch him defeat Eiri'k and Fri'd.
    That same sense of recklessness was back, and
rather than stopping in the first open spot and continuing his
forms practice as he'd intended, he walked over to Be'ter and
Se'ath.
    "Why don't you join me in some light
sparring, Be'ter?"
    Va'del could see the wheels