Two days later Li was late for weapons training. All the villagers were expected to defend the walls in case of attack. Not that that had happened in years but it was required. However those Li’s age didn’t mount a proper patrol. Instead every week they were expected to spend time to train in basic weapon skills. And occasionally they would be brought out through the wilderness with a party of hunters.
They met in one of the north fields - whichever was being kept fallow that year. Sean, the instructor, was busy setting up the fifth of five stuffed dummies they would be using for target practice. The rest of the class was gathered around waiting for him to start the lesson. Some of the boys were already picking through the small rack of spears. A solid majority of the boys were convinced that some of the spears were special - touched with magical power. Every week there was a competition amongst them to see who would get the best one. Li didn't really see the point. None of the spears were very good. And he very much doubted any sort of magical artifact would be found in a training rack.
Li tried to catch his breath as he jogged across the field. He was a few minutes late. Luckily no one seemed to be paying him any attention. He had spent the last few days helping Zen salvage what they could from the shop and helping with the process of rebuilding. It had been going well. There was a lot of help from the villagers. Li was still surprised at how good they were all being, he kept waiting for it to stop. But even at first light there had been a small crowd of people lending their skills to the effort of rebuilding.
Li looked around as he reached the edge of the group. The boys were still jockeying over who got what spear while the girls were making a great show of ignoring them. The boys were being very careful though. Li vividly remembered the only time he had ever seen Sean angry. He had heard Li claiming that one of the other boys had only beat him while sparring because the other boy had a special spear. He had spent ten minutes explaining at the top of his lungs that there were no such things as enchanted swords or magic weapons. There were some who could put some of their own energy into a weapon but the weapon itself was just a tool. And that anyone who claimed otherwise was just covering up for lack of practice. After which he had had Li training the spear well into the night. It was a lesson Li had taken to heart but unfortunately the same could not be said for the other boys.
Later Lisa, one of the local wise women, had explained things a bit further to him. She explained there were four types of power. Works done by the Sidhe - strong but fickle. Those contained within the body - every breath you took and every step you made was with those powers but some few could concentrate them to gain great strength and do great deeds. The heroes of old were all said to be skilled at these arts. Then there were the external powers. As Sean had said a very few could reach power out into tools. And not just weapons. Part of the reason that Zen was so good with wood was his ability to channel power into the use of his tools and the forming of the shapes he carved.
Lastly there was the power of the seers. Some like the wise women would find meaning in the signs of nature all around. What would be just a flock of birds flying overhead to some would to a seer become some knowledge of the future. A sign, an omen.
Li still wasn't sure if he believed all that Lisa said. He knew of Zens skill and at times it really did seem magical. And the sidhe were all around. But he had never seen anyone who could run like the wind as the old stories told or do any of the other feets attributed to magic. And while the wise women often claimed to have seen signs of this and that event as often as not time proved them wrong.
But most of all none of that explained the powers his parents must have had for his brother's stories to be true.
Li looked up from his musings to see Sean had finished with the dummies and was counting heads. He frowned for a minute and then shrugged and started the lesson. In theory everyone Li’s age should have been at training but Simon and a number of his friends had found that if they just didn't show up Sean didn't care enough to do anything about it. Li was both happy and annoyed at this development. He didn't have to put up with Simon but it rankled that Simon could get away with things like this when no one else could. He still hasn't found any way to show that it was Simon that hard burnt down the shop but he was sure it was only a matter of time. The more he thought about it the more annoyed he became. It was just not right. Simon could get away with anything. He could feel his teeth grinding a little and then realised that some of the other kids were casting worried looks his way. Embarrassed Li looked down at his feet and sighed. I must look like an idiot. Why could things never go his way?
The class started like all the rest. Sean demonstrated some simple thrusts with the spear and then showed how you could use it to block. Each student then grabbed a spear and took turns standing in front of the dummies and practicing a stab. The motions were simple but quickly grew tiring and monotonous. But Sean kept pacing around encouraging them and saying how the only way to get good was to practice while having them repeat the sequence over and over again.
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“Remember, try to feel the spear as an extension of yourself. You should feel as if it is a part of your body. Let it flow with you as you lunge and then THRUST” he said, demonstrating on one of the dummies. Sean’s staff was a blur as it flicked forwards, almost seeming to sizzle through the air before being buried in the chest of the dummy.
Li gritted his teeth and kept going. Some of the boys and girls were acting up in front of each other and not really paying attention. But Li didn’t need any more arguments with Sean. He kept doing the simple routine, trying to get the positioning of his feet and the movements of his body right. Li figured he must be more tired than he thought though - as he was repeating the sequence he began to feel a warm sensation coming up through his feet and into his legs. He tried moving his feet and the feeling went away but a frown from Sean had him moving them back to the correct position. After a while the warm feeling came back but Li barely noticed. He was too engrossed in hitting the dummy as each strike seemed to hit just a little bit harder than the last. He figured he must be doing something right.
By the end of the session everyone was exhausted. Sean snorted as he looked at them.
“Same time in two weeks. Try to get some practice in before then”. A general graon was his only reply. He scowled at that and turned to go but nodded to Li as he brushed past him.
“You are starting to get it kid. Keep it up. We will be starting with the bow soon. I think you will like that”.
Li smiled. Praise? From Sean? The world just kept getting stranger. And the bow? Li had had a chance to use a bow a few times but had never had one of his own. A good bow was just too expensive. He was really looking forward to using one of the village weapons though.
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Li was walking home from training. He felt happy after the words of praise from Sean but was tired bone deep. He hadn't felt like this in a while and it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other as he trudged home with his head down. Which is why he didn’t see Simon and the others until he was almost on top of them.
“So Li, how’s your brother? So sad the wedding won’t be going ahead now” said Simon grinning around at the other boys.
Li’s face tightened but he kept his head down and just kept walking.
Simon paused for a second but when he didn't get a reaction said “I said, How is your brother Li? It’s OK. I know an orphan like you might not feel he can talk to his betters but I give you permission. At least just this once”
Simon turned back to his friends again but Li just kept walking. One of the other boys turned to his neighbour and fake-whispered “Looks like Simon is losing his touch” and both boys began laughing.
Simon swung back to Li.
“Hry you, I'm talking to you” hre said and shoved Li hard in the shoulder just as he was passing. Tired from the training and not expecting the shove from the much bigger boy Li tumbled backwards and landed flat on his back, all the air squeezed from his lungs.
“Look at that. Poor little orphan can’t even stay on his feet. And they say his parents had powers to walk on trees. What lies. As if anything that spawned something like that could be anything but useless.”
Simon turned back to the other boys again grinning triumphantly and so did not see the grimace on Li’s face. Li had had enough. He had put up with the taunting, the jeering and the physical attacks from this boy and all the others over the years. He had kept his head down and just tried to go about his life And now here he was. Flat on his back while the boy who had burnt down his brother;s shop and ruined Shauna’s wedding gift was laughing at him. The boy who now had not just attacked him but insulted the memory of both his parents. Something in Li finally snapped.
Heaving in a deep breath his hand scrambled over the ground and came up with a gnarled stick. Jumping to his feet he fell into the stance he had practiced all afternoon and lashed out. As he did he felt a great wave of heat coming up through his feet and down his arms and with a roar he slashed out at the object of his anger.
Simon started moving as he sensed the movement behind him but didn't have time to turn completely before he was hit in the face by something that felt like a boulder. Li slashed again and again hearing a crack that he took to be the branch breaking but nothing slowed him down as he kept striking over and over again, his anger finally being given a way to vent.
The other boys stood shocked and horrified for a moment or two before they ran forward and grabbed Li lifting the smaller boy by the arms and off his feet and pulled him back away from the screaming form of Simon. Li struggled briefly but then relaxed and finally his mind cleared enough to actually see what he had done. Simon lay shaking and screaming. His face a bloody ruin and one of his arms hanging at a horrifying angle. As he looked at him Li felt sick in his stomach.
What had he done?
The shock of the other boys seemed to be turning into anger. A few began to hurl stones and spit at him while a smaller group gathered around the stricken form of Simon. Then two of the older ones intervened grabbing Li and pulled him back down the path and up to Grady’s front door. Along the way they lost no opportunity for a sly kick or a jab to the ribs but Li barely noticed.
How was he going to face Grady? What was he going to tell his brother?