1

Ellis lay there staring into the darkness of the ceiling; looking past the wooden beams that supported the roof and into the hollow space beyond. His mind continued racing, as it had been all night. Between each bombarding thought, the sounds of morning which drifted through the bedroom window began to pry him awake. With a heavy groan, he rolled over and buried his face into the pillow. Ellis had been too anxious to sleep, but now that dawn had arrived, he suddenly felt exhausted. In truth, he had still not recovered from yesterday’s training.

He had been working extra hard all day, and in the afternoon, he had finally landed his tenth strike on the wooden training post. As promised, after ten strikes, Telhari would begin training Ellis with metal blades. Unfortunately for Ellis, word had gotten around to Perry about their arrangement. Once his uncle had found out, he had excitedly declared that he would come to observe their training. Ellis knew that his uncle had done so only out of genuine interest, but even still, for some reason, fighting in front of Perry made him incredibly nervous. Training with Telhari was simple; but with his uncle, there was so much more to consider—

Ellis slapped his cheeks suddenly.

He hated ruminating like this.

Instead, he ripped the blankets off his body and let the cold air sting his skin. Once fully awake, he rolled himself out of bed, threw on his clothes and ran downstairs to the kitchen.

“Oh!? Yer down here early, huh?”

“Mornin’ George!” Ellis said. “Got anything ready yet?”

“We jus’ got here boy, same as you.”

George was accompanied by a half dozen other personnel who were already wading between the counters carrying baskets full of fresh produce.

“He wants to work us to the bone, he does.”

“What about in the pantry?” Ellis asked.

“Hmm…” George thought about it. “Might be able to find some jam on the shelves?”

“If you open them up, you better finish em!” one of the other cooks yelled.

“Got any jerky instead, George?”

“Hmph.”

“Ha! He don’t want yer jam, Molly!”

“Got a problem with my jam? Tastiest jam in all of Viemen!”

“Jam ain’t good by itself,” Ellis argued.

“Yeah, yeah…” George cut in. “If you want some meat, go check out back.”

“Thanks, George!”

Ellis jogged out of the kitchen and off towards the back yard.

Out back, Ellis snatched a piece of beef that had been drying on the rack. He gnawed at it as he continued jogging over to the well. Ellis sidestepped the line of servants, each one carrying a bucket of water toward the manor. He picked up a wooden ladle, scooped it into one of the buckets and brought it to his lips.

“Oi! Use yer manners!”

Ellis choked on the water as a maid swatted him on the back of the head.

“Sorry!”

With his breakfast complete, Ellis continued along the flattened path toward the training grounds.

During the war, the training grounds covered a much greater area than they currently did. After the war had ended and the barracks had been renovated, the grounds were reduced to only a quarter of their original size, and the area immediately adjacent to the barracks was re-purposed. The old soldier’s quarters were turned into servant housing and most of the armories were dismantled, and the wood used elsewhere. The left over training area had not seen any use until a few year ago when Perry had begun gathering members for the Starspawn.

Ellis approached the dilapidated wooden gate with caution. He listened carefully but heard no voices coming from beyond. A tall wooden fence, roughly ten feet high, rose up and surrounded the perimeter of the training area. Ellis slipped past the gate and peeked inside.

The grounds were empty.

In the far corner stood the wooden posts used for sword training, similar to what Telhari had used; though, of course, none of these ones came to life. A few yards off was a flattened area that had been cleared of grass, while the dirt had been left in the sun to dry.

This was to be their arena.

Ellis made his way over to a wooden shed, within which was housed the training weapons. He opened the door and let out a scream.

“Telhari!”

Telhari was standing there with his arms folded, eying the swords that lay on the wooden rack.

“Good morning, Ellis.”

“G—Good morning.”

“Have you come early to practice?”

“I did,” Ellis said, pouting.

“Did you not expect me to be here?” Telhari asked with a smile.

“It would have been nice,” Ellis sighed, “But it’s just like you to be the earliest one.”

Ellis walked over to the sword rack and began to run his hands along the hilt of a longsword. He yawned heavily as he lifted it off the rack and held it in his hands.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah…”

Telhari folded his arms again.

“Don’t look at me that way” Ellis groaned. “I’m fine.”

Telhari didn’t move.

“I guess…I’m just nervous is all,” Ellis added under his breath.

“Nervous about what?”

Ellis swung the sword a few times then furrowed his brow. He put the sword back on the rack and reached for another.

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“Uncle Perry is coming to watch.”

“You needn’t worry Ellis. This is training.”

Ellis held the second sword out at arm’s length for a few moments, then put it back.

“The point is to test your strengths and identify your weaknesses,” Telhari continued, “No one is perfect.”

“Easy for you to say…” Ellis mumbled.

“No one is perfect, Ellis. No one. Especially me.” Telhari reached out and grabbed a sword off the rack and handed it to Ellis. “Try this one.”

Ellis took the blade and held it out, testing the weight. Gripping the handle with both hands, he assumed a stance and swung it a few times.

It was a perfect fit.

“Thanks…”

Ellis dropped his arm and let the sword hang toward the floor, the tip of the blade touching the dirt.

“I’m gonna lose, aren’t I?”

“Lose? This isn’t about winning or losing, Ellis. My job as your teacher is to see that you improve yourself. All you need to do is stick to your training and trust yourself. The rest will follow.”

Ellis nodded his head.

Telhari reached behind him and pulled a sword off the rack and held it up, testing it for himself.

“And if it helps,” he added with a half grin, “You can imagine I am a training post.”

2

The cool damp of the early morning quickly dissipated with each beat of the blazing summer’s sun. Ellis stood at one end of the field, shifting his weight nervously from side to side. Perry, Ingrid and Avenell had arrived at the grounds ten minutes after Ellis and Telhari had. Not long after that, Mary had arrived, followed by other members of the Starspawn. Overcome with anxiety, Ellis tapped his boot on the ground in quick succession while he waited, desperately trying to distract himself.

Their first training session was to be a mock duel.

“What are the terms?” Perry called out.

“The match is over when one person scores three points,” Telhari said. “Each hit to the body is a single point, and the round will end when someone lands a hit.”

“Below the neck, only?” Ingrid asked.

Telhari nodded.

“Strikes to the head and neck are prohibited.”

“And the swords are blunted?” Perry asked.

“Of course.”

“Good,” Perry said, folding his arms. “Very good.”

“What about crotch shots!?” Albert called out, garnering a smattering of laughter from the crowd.

“Off limits,” Telhari answered.

Albert nodded with satisfaction, ignoring Ingrid’s side eye.

Ellis looked around at the assemblage before him. It wasn’t just his uncle, but Avenell, Ingrid, and over a dozen members of the Starspawn were watching him. All seasoned fighters. Each capable and skilled, with years of experience.

Standing before them, Ellis felt painfully inadequate.

Every second waiting there seemed to be an eternity for him. He could feel his body tingle with anticipation. Cold beads of sweat ran down his neck and back.

“Good luck, Ellis!” Mary called out.

Ellis desperately sought out her face in the crowd. She stood there, smiling warmly at him.

“Are you ready?” Telhari asked.

Ellis smiled back at Mary and then turned to Telhari.

“Yeah.”

Telhari nodded back at him.

“Sir Perry, if you would.”

Perry stepped forward a few paces.

“On the count of three…”

Telhari brought his blade into position.

“One…”

Ellis sank low and assumed his stance.

“Two…”

Albert leaned toward Ingrid and whispered to her.

“Let’s see how special this guy really is.”

“Three!”

Ellis was first to strike, charging down the middle and stabbing at Telhari. He figured if he could strike first, he might catch Telhari off guard.

Clang!

Ellis felt a pain run through his arm. The blow back from metal blades was completely different than that of the wooden ones. Even the sound of the metal colliding was louder and sharper— it left his ears ringing.

“Do not lose your focus,” Telhari whispered.

Ellis snapped back in time to realize Telhari was upon him. He clumsily shuffled backward, just barely avoiding Telhari’s strike. It was as if he had no space to breathe. Telhari was both taller and stronger than he was. With each advance, Ellis’ heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He tried to swing again at Telhari, but the strike was weak and without support. Telhari avoided it easily, retaliating with a jab.

Ellis froze, overwhelmed with worry, and lacking the skill or ability to outmaneuver. Telhari’s sword flew towards him and his body filled Ellis’ field of view. Without any other option, Ellis slammed his eyes shut and—

“One point to Telhari.”

Ellis opened his eyes at the sound of Perry’s voice.

The tip of Telhari’s blade was touching his padded vest, right in the center of his chest. Ellis stared down at his arms, frozen mid swing and still trembling.

Telhari’s face twisted with concern.

“Remember the training Ellis,” he said softly as he lowered his blade from Ellis’ chest.

“I know!”

Ellis bit his cheek as he turned away from Telhari and walked back to the starting line. He could feel himself getting angry; gripping the sword handle so tightly in his fist that his hand started to burn.

How embarrassing…

He didn’t stand a chance anyway, so why was he even doing this?

“Ready?” Perry asked once again.

They both nodded.

“Begin!”

Ellis stood there, waiting for Telhari to make the first move.

Telhari waited patiently for a few moments.

Ellis still didn’t move.

Telhari approached him slowly, inching forward little by little, watching carefully; but Ellis wasn’t moving. He was simply standing there with a loose grip on the handle and sagging shoulders. He was squatting down a few inches, but his body was more relaxed than before. The look on his face said it all.

He had already given up.

Telhari stood up and lowered his blade.

“What are you doing?” Ellis asked, annoyed.

“I should ask you the same thing.”

Ellis scowled.

“I’m fine. Just get on with it.”

“As you wish.”

Telhari stooped low and struck with a speed and ferocity that caught Ellis off guard. The movement was less like that of a swordsman and more like that of a predator. Ellis felt a jolt of energy move through his body; a fear of death surged through him.

He gritted his teeth as he shuffled backwards, bringing up his blade to parry Telhari. He managed to catch the strike in time, but in a moment Telhari had withdrawn and was lunging at him again.

Ellis’ mind went blank— he hadn’t felt this same fear since that day in the cave. The basilisk descending upon him. It’s imposing aura moving closer and closer. The feeling that at any moment he would be killed, mercilessly.

“AH!”

Ellis’ fear took control, and he swung at Telhari several times in quick succession. Telhari returned each strike, parrying them one at a time.

“Remain calm, Ellis,” Telhari whispered, “Don’t let your anger control you.”

Telhari came at him again, this time bringing his blade down from above.

A head shot!?

Ellis instinctively brought his blade up and turned it to the broad side, stopping the strike inches from his face. He tried to fight back, but Telhari was overpowering him entirely with just one arm.

Out of desperation, Ellis summoned all of his strength and pushed Telhari away. In that split second, he jumped backwards as the blade came down; Ellis felt a pulse of wind move past his face as the sword cut through the air.

He managed to resist.

But even with his body able to respond, his mind was still hopelessly lost.

His thoughts were raging like a storm.

There was a tightness in his chest, working its way up his throat, threatening to choke the life from him. A fear was gripping him tightly from the inside…Memories began to bubble to the surface. Memories from that night—

And what do you hope to do with that…

I am beyond death!