Chapter 21

The camp was in horrid spirits again. Of the final eight seekers, only two had passed. That meant that of the original twenty-eight, only fifteen finders would begin the trek home blade-in-hand. And there was no guarantee that all fifteen of those would survive.

One seeker had died before reaching the trials, three had committed suicide after failing, and that left nine failures to round out the group.

“Stay away from the cohort,” Ezhno whispered. “The failed seekers will be deeply angry that you have a blade, despite never experiencing a trial. The finders may try to kill you to make the failures feel better.”

Mato nodded and put his back to the mountainside near the cave, where no one could creep up beside him. Ezhno let the entire camp know that Mato was being punished for today’s poor hunt, and that no one was to approach him or give him any food or water.

That worked well in Mato’s head. They were unlikely to kill him before he completed his punishment. He endured a bit of heckling, but the wisdoms put a stop to that almost instantly. This was a holy place after all.

A few of the finders couldn’t resist playing with their new swords. Six had earned grass swords that allowed them to tread grassy land without leaving a trace. Eight had earned forest swords that allowed them to become invisible in the shade of a tree. One had earned a serpent blade, and the wisdoms had temporarily confiscated it.

The serpent blade was rare. It cut just as cleanly as any other blade, but the wounds it created festered like rattlesnake bites. Even a nick on the finger could prove deadly, and only a healing ability like Ezhno’s water of life could fix it. Worse, it was just as dangerous to its wielder as it was to anyone else.

While most of them played with their sword’s inherent abilities, a couple practiced sparring--though slowly and carefully so as to leave no blood on holy ground. Tupi watched them, giving pointers here and there.

If he wasn’t allowed to move, at least he could practice a bit. Mato put his hand on his sword hilt and pulled through the warrior pairing. For the first time he noticed an effect. His mind automatically cataloged each move. When a move was repeated, he knew what their body position and sword path would be instinctively.

As the session continued he realized that he could reproduce any of those movements, essentially without practice--though practice would be required to build proper strength and fluidity.

His lessons from Ezhno ran through his mind, and he noticed flaws not just in the two sparring partners, but in Tupi’s instruction. In many instances he instinctively knew which of his own moves would be the best counter to what they were doing. At no point did he find Ezhno’s teaching inferior to Tupi’s.

This was magnificent. He was going to be a master swordsman long before anyone would expect it, he just needed to seek out the best possible training. With this, he could probably absorb everything Ezhno could teach in weeks or months, instead of ten or more years.

“What has you looking so proud of yourself,” Poplar asked.

Mato twitched. He’d been so focused on the sword play he hadn’t noticed the wisdom’s approach.

He bowed his head and wiped the smile away. “Apologies, Wisdom. I was watching Wisdom Tupi instruct the finders, and I think perhaps I gained some understanding of a lesson Ezhno has been trying to teach me.”

“And what lesson is that?” Poplar asked.

“Well, it is about generating speed and power. Ezhno says these things begin in the feet, and that if I move correctly, my body adds to the speed from my feet, and then my arm adds to all of that, leading to faster strikes, and better chances to evade or parry.”

Poplar nodded. “A reasonable sounding idea. The proof is whether or not you can put it into practice. Perhaps when you are not being punished I will ask for a demonstration.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Of course, Wisdom.”

Ezhno walked over to them. “It sounds like you were daydreaming during your punishment for daydreaming. Is that accurate, Mato?”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Ezhno turned to Poplar. “I am having difficulty creating proper focus in my student. Perhaps you could recommend something? He needs to be able to perform his duties, so I cannot starve him. This also precludes beating him. I have already made him carry my pack, and I felt it did not have the impact needed.”

Poplar nodded and rubbed his chin while he considered. “Perhaps the key here is to collect punishment ideas from the people he let down. We should ask the finders and the seekers for ideas, and then you, Tupi, and I can select the most appropriate.”

Ezhno’s face lit up. “Tell them to try for something creative. I’ll offer some small reward to those who suggest something the three of us have never seen.”

Poplar smiled, and his eyes sparkled. “You have a devious mind, Ezhno Trail Master. I will see it done.”

Mato breathed, focusing on in and out, in and out. This was going to be horrible.

“Sit,” Ezhno said, and pointed to Mato’s feet.

Mato settled into a cross-legged position. Ezhno walked over to Mato’s bedroll and shade cloth, then picked them up and brought them over. He set up the shade cloth in front of Mato’s face, using the stone wall behind him to make a simple lean-to.

“Now, recite the approved glyphs. I want to hear all twenty-eight, with recommended rune pairings and a short description of their effects.”

“Well done, Ezhno,” Poplar said. “It is good to see you taking a strong hand. This one has some potential, but he needs discipline badly.”

“On that we are in complete agreement,” Ezhno growled.

Mato heard Poplar walk away, and then Ezhno sat at the side of the lean-to, where they could see each other.

“I thought I told you to keep track of them,” Ezhno said.

“I apologize, Teacher. I think I figured out what my warrior pairing does.”

Ezhno scowled at him, no doubt for the benefit of anyone watching. “Go on.”

“I tried it while I was watching them spar, and I understood every movement. Where they made mistakes, how I can best counter them with the skills I have right now. Weaknesses in Tupi’s instruction,” he was already speaking softly, but he lowered his voice further, “I feel semi-confident I could defeat Tupi in a duel now.”

“Fascinating,” Ezhno said. “We need to return to training. Perhaps we can carve out a little bit of time after we set camp in the evenings.”

“What about this punishment nonsense? It seems to be getting worse and worse.”

“You needed to play your part and act appropriately miserable,” Ezhno said. “Instead you drew attention to yourself by grinning like a fool. It makes me look bad, so now I have to increase your punishment to get the desired result.”

Mato sighed. “My mother told me many times to be sorry for the right reasons. I think this time I am sorry for every reason, right, wrong, and in-between.”

Ezhno chuckled, which looked sinister coming from his glowering face. “Well, at least you seem to understand the situation.”

“Thank you, Ezhno. I will try to do better.”

“Just remember, I don’t need you to do better. I need you to do well enough to fool Poplar and Tupi.”

“Understood.”

“And Mato, I don’t know what to advise you, but if you want to take a trial, the mountain’s shadow will cover this spot after midnight. No one would see you enter or leave.”

He wouldn’t have another opportunity for months. Another spirit item could make the difference between death and survival on the return trip. Or it might end his life right now.

“How do I decide?”

Ezhno shook his head and continued to glare. “I don’t know, Mato. That is why I have not taken a third trial. Only you can decide which risks are worth taking. You have all of the information you need.”

“I will think on it.”

“Good,” Ezhno said. “Perhaps ask the Great Spirit for guidance.”

“I suppose it can’t hurt.”

“Mato, can you name the twenty-eight sacred glyphs?”

“Yes.”

“And the runes, with a short description?”

“I memorized them in class,” Mato said.

“I thought as much, I just wanted you to be prepared. Tupi or Poplar may quiz you, to see if I am maintaining your knowledge correctly.”

“Can you tell me how to begin a trial? The ladies will not come out of the cave at night.”