The Way of the Shadow Blade, Chapter XIII: Sabre Dance

The Way of the Shadow Blade, Chapter XIII: Sabre Dance

Sword gripped tightly in her hands, fighting desperately to steady the weapon in spite of the sweat of exertion on her palms, Aruna struggled to distinguish Fennis' commands over the rush of blood through her ears. The other half of her mind catalogued every step, every turn, factoring in the effect on her relative position. Each weapon mastered by the Guardians came with a set of basic forms such as this that trainees were required to master in their entirety before graduating to man-to-man dueling. While Aruna had begun dueling a month earlier with a wooden practice sword, Fennis had advised Rue that she would not duel with her own blade until she had demonstrated consistent precision in the swordfighting forms and was tested by both Erik and Thorn.

Her blade was heavier than the wooden sword and its balance in her hands slightly--but noticeably--different...enough to affect her control over her weapon. Rue awaited the final commands; tension filled her body, providing yet another obstacle to fight. "Half-turn left!" Rue spun rapidly, bare feet gripping the wooden floor as best as possible to control the rapid maneuver. A Guardian, whose range of awareness extended nearly evenly over the full 360 degrees (unlike a sighted warrior who typically found it difficult to concentrate on that which left his field of vision), often delivered the death blow from a starting position with his back to his adversary. This position usually either unsettled the opponent or, conversely, caused him to drop his guard for that crucial instant the Guardian needed to strike.

"Two-hand lateral strike!" Halfway through her turn, Rue forcefully swept her sword from its position extended at her right side to the front of her body. This would be the killing thrust; she prepared for the latest in a string of failures.

The shock of contact with the wooden target simultaneously elicited a dull thunk from the target itself--and dislodged Aruna's grip on her sword entirely, both from the force of impact and the surprise of her success. The handle twisted out of her hands and the blade clattered unceremoniously to the floor to her right. "Ta kasak be'kolauf ahru!" Fennis ordered, voice wavering as he struggled to subdue a fit of laughter. Rue obediently retrieved her sword. "Ueparichlan edroch." As soon as Aruna's sword was sheathed, its familiar weight returned to her side, her instructor strode over from his place in the corner--well out of range--to assess the damage to her target.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Rue joined Fennis, gingerly running her fingers over the surface of the target, ready to pull away the instant she detected a splinter. "Well, you got it," Fennis confirmed at the moment her fingers overlapped his. There she discovered a deep notch in the wood on the left side. "Congratulations, Aruna, I believe that's a first."

"Thank you," said Rue, lips pulling into a smile of their own accord.

"You're quite welcome," replied Fennis. "You do realize you have much room for improvement, right?" Aruna softly acknowledged. "That was a glancing blow only. A man would be wounded by this, but would still present a real threat to you. You just barely caught the target with the last inch of your blade, which is part of how you spun the sword from your hands. You did strike straight on and at the proper height, but I still want to get opinions from Erik and Kirian on your grip. A Guardian cannot afford to lose control over his weapon. Excuse me for saying this, but you of all people know very well what a sighted fighter will do if you lose your grip on your sword. No matter how well you track where it lands, that is one of the few times where he will hold a decisive advantage. Anyway, Kirian may well have an alternate technique for you." Although female Guardians were required to keep pace with their male comrades, some allowances for gender differences in technique were permitted; given Rue's slenderer fingers and somewhat smaller weapon, a change was quite possible.

"The glancing blow also means your positioning was off. I'll want to have Erik check that as well. But overall," Fennis allowed, "that was the best run-through you've done so far. You should be proud of how far you've come."

"Thanks," Rue said, positively beaming now. She knew quite well that having been normally sighted for so much of her life had presented challenges in her training that few other Guardians had ever dealt with--but just as Alleric had predicted last year, her persistence now paid off with rapid improvements. "It has been a long time," she realized, amazement creeping into her voice. "I was watching you and Alleric sparring in here...wow, twelve years ago? God only knows how much of this I could've imagined then!" As she watched the images in her mind, she wondered what she would have thought if someone had told her then that by the age of sixteen, she would be functionally blind, even if not quite physically so...and this by her own doing.

"Yeah..." Fennis grew wistful, undoubtedly remembering a much younger, more mobile Alleric. "I have to admit this...I had strong reservations when Erik assigned me to you. Teaching a student like you--" Rue noticed his confusion as to whether he dared to refer to her now as sighted, "--is a rare experience. I had my doubts about you...but just as many about myself. I was afraid we wouldn't get along, that we couldn't relate to each other, or that I wouldn't understand how to help you. I expected Erik or one of the seniors to teach you. But in all seriousness, I would never consider asking for reassignment now. I think the limitations you've faced have in some ways made you all the better for it...and it is an honor to be your instructor."

Rue bowed her head in an instinctive, unseen gesture of humility. "That's very kind, Fennis."

"It's sincerely meant," he said. "There's something else you should be thinking about. You know that Amargo's triad went to Beraya to pick up the new student from Khodar, right?" Rue admitted this had slipped her mind. Beraya was the westernmost nation on the continent of Erekjaht and Khodar's closest northern neighbor across the Erekett Sea. To the east of Beraya was Kahlem, the Aramansch-speaking neighbor of their homeland. "Well, a few days ago, a runner from Kahlem brought word that they'll be back within the month. If I were a betting man, I'd say the new kid will be yours."

"What?" Rue burst out. "I would've thought Jakob was next in line! Or Tiago...I'm too young!"

"I don't know that I'm right," Fennis hastened to emphasize. "I don't want you to worry yourself to death over this. Ordinarily you'd be absolutely right. But the information we have about Irshaand suggests you may at least be considered. If it all turns out to be correct, I mean. What I heard, though, is that he was born with at least some sight, which he lost by three years of age. When he gets here, it will have been almost three years for him. Unfortunately, many Khodari aren't very kind to blind children. So I'm thinking that if he remembers anything about seeing, the seniors will want to ease his transition to our ways by placing him with you."

"Makes sense, I guess--but still, why not Kalle, or especially Imrir? I mean, Imrir is Khodari, speaks the language, and has a few visual memories." Imrir had lost his sight to a head injury at two and a half years of age; while there had been no other ill effects from the accident, ever since he'd regained consciousness, he had been completely blind.

"But Imrir and Kalle both have students," Fennis reminded her, "and when those students are uninitiated children, a transfer is generally forbidden. Hopefully when Irshaand gets here, he'll know at least a little Aramansch. Imrir will have been working with him on the trip, and you can bet the Elder will step in when they get here." Grandfather Michael was fluent in the Shinsayeh language spoken in Khodar, Iskedr, and Shinsaah itself, as well as the southern parts of Alinar. Sherenaan, Aruna's father, had spoken it as well; he was half-Khodari and had learned the language from his own father. "You should be aware that Irshaand's mother is coming with him. Again...the situation in Khodar wasn't pretty, and in his case especially, it was necessary that they both move to Araman rather than staying with our brothers in Khodar."

"Even an enclave of Guardians couldn't protect them? And why would they want to harm him? Is he a mage-child?"

"He's not," Fennis said. "Remember that the Khodari enclave is less than half the size of ours. They could protect him--but the best thing was to just bring what's left of the family here to Araman. Irshaand would live in fear back in Khodar, no matter how well-protected he was. I think the father abandoned the family...and if you think Aramansch laws are unjust, I've heard she could be killed for it--as if it were her fault the worthless scuzzball skipped out on her! The assumption they make is that she was impure or just plain inferior, unfit to live in the presence of men!"

"How could that be? Any Aramansch man who deliberately walked out on his family could get excommunicated for it! Probably one of the few things we Aramansch get right," she muttered darkly.

Fennis gave a dry, sarcastic half-laugh. "It gets better than that," he spat in the most vitriolic tone she had ever heard from him. "The Church is weak in Khodar, or they'd put a stop to those sorts of killings. And they would most certainly object to the main reason Irshaand's mother has a price on her head. The ones who follow the old religions there--and even some of the baptized!--see the sickness that blinded him as a sign of her sinfulness!"

"Ach, rett soendrud schfan tahk!" Rue exclaimed.

"It is appalling," Fennis wholeheartedly concurred; the same Aramansch word carried both the meanings of 'appalling' and 'obscene.' "As for me, I truly think you could be a real help to this boy. You even understand...well, what it is to be hunted. If Irshaand is assigned to you, I promise I'll do all I can to help you get started. But perhaps we'll know more tonight."



"Good evening," Thorn greeted when he heard Aruna approach him from behind in the corridor. "Please, walk with me." He rested a hand on her left shoulder as he asked, "How have things been?"

"Pretty good," she replied. "I actually clipped the target with my own blade today!"

"Indeed!" Thorn acknowledged. "I could hear you across the Great Hall. I am quite pleased with your progress." Thorn carefully stopped short of voicing any approval of Rue's decision to become a Guardian, but coming from him, she understood that this commendation was heartfelt and precious.

Rue inhaled softly, but deeply. As always when Thorn was near, Rue caught a faint whiff of grass and soil, and sometimes with concentration she could determine, for instance, if the field commander had been giving lessons in identifying wild berries, or if he had been on horseback. Today nothing remarkable was apparent, but a question suddenly occurred to Aruna that until today she had constantly forgotten in his presence. "What exactly is it that you do each morning before we eat?"

"What makes you ask?" Thorn inquired in return.

Concerned that she'd stepped out into forbidden territory, Rue quietly ventured, "I...ah...I can tell you've been outdoors already, every time you come in for the morning meal. Please don't laugh at me for this--but it's the scent of grass. I mean, you bring it into the room with you. I'm sorry if that was prying..."

"Well-observed, Rue, and it's no trouble," Thorn said. "It isn't something I often feel the need to discuss, but I have no reason to keep it from you. You are correct--I do go outside at dawn, and I pray at the edge of the forest, alone. I think you're noticing that I kneel in the grass. It is a very intimate time I share with God, that makes a great difference for me. It's been a custom of mine since I was about your age." The field commander paused. "One thing you said concerns me, Aruna. Why would you believe I'd laugh...or, I suspect, be offended...by your saying what your nose tells you?"

Rue hesitated; her cheeks and ears grew warm. "I'm sorry...I guess it's habit. Sometimes scent is one of those things sighted people don't like to discuss in polite company. Especially when it comes to the scent of a person. I guess it's one of those things my parents taught me when I was little."

"Your parents were right in a sense--you should indeed consider what you say to whom. But Rue, you are a Guardian among fellow Guardians. You ought not be ashamed of the ways you gather information, whether that means laying your hands upon mine to 'watch' what I'm doing, or noticing that I track in the scent of grass. You need--and deserve--to be fully aware of your world. I am actually pleased that you're taking your sense of smell into account; you didn't seem to do so last year, not to the extent that's normal for a Guardian. Develop this, Rue--don't try to talk yourself out of it."

"I'll try not to," she said.

A curt greeting interrupted her thoughts. "Good evening," said the most recently initiated Guardian. During the year when Aruna had held Guardian status and Morgan--once Vargos--did not, these cool, distantly formal rituals had become almost their sole means of communication. Rue replied in kind, but at least since his initiation there had been something of a truce. Gone was the bitter rivalry, now replaced with a grudging respect. Their momentous exchange at his initiation (how strange it had been to attend the "ordinary," more joyful version of the ceremony!) had been brief and strained, but his abrupt inquiry as to whether she experienced constant pain from her disused eyes had shown more concern than he'd ever hinted at in the past. Word of her accident in fieldcraft months before had undoubtedly prompted the abrasive, yet not entirely unwelcome question. They're useless to me now, Rue had replied in dispassionate tones, and at some point I will go blind. But with my blindfold, there is no pain. Your concern is appreciated, though. While Aruna had sensed little genuine kindness from Morgan, she had felt duty-bound to at least encourage the development of some empathy in him.

From the Great Hall, the sounds of excited chatter floated into the hallway, reverberating upon the floor and walls of the corridor. When Morgan, who had slipped in front of Rue and Thorn, let himself inside, Aruna reached out for the door and ended up grabbing empty air. Biting back a very unprofessional remark about how some things never changed, she settled for a silent roll of the eyes underneath her blindfold. Rue succeeded on her second try, and immediately Kalle, who had waited just inside the doorway, welcomed her.

"Go on," Thorn said as soon as he heard Kalle's voice, giving her a light nudge with two fingers on the upper arm. Rue followed her friend to an empty spot in the ranks, and they sat next to each other on the floor. She pulled her feet close to her body, wrapping them in her robes, for springtime nights in the Erchandemur region were still sometimes rather chill. Thorn, for his part, spoke furtively now with Erik. The two senior Guardians worked their way to the front of the room where they, the Elder, and some of the other seniors prepared to lead the meeting.

"Come to order!" the Elder Guardian called over the cacophony of voices. Though her adoptive grandfather's gentle voice lacked the power of Thorn's, or the deepness of Erik's, the Order immediately fell silent upon hearing his distinctive tones. "I regret to inform you, it's some unfortunate news that's occasioned this gathering. The situation across the entire continent of Erekjaht continues to destabilize rapidly. Our visitor, Rukei Andrej from Kahlem, brings word that his nation is threatened by border incursions from raiding parties fighting a civil war in Beraya. There's no sign thus far that Beraya, Onaya, and Alinar will find peace, although Arkuen has offered to host talks. But it's likely Araman will be asked to commit forces soon if the situation worsens. The one consolation is that Rukei Andrej says Amargo's party was able to avoid most of the hostilities by going to the port of Sábriand in Alinar and sailing to Kahlem.

"Also--Reústma and the Eredvaardian colony of Gehraeth are at war in the Sea of Arkuen...this started only a month ago, and we will need to keep abreast of the situation in case our brothers in the Reúhel or Arkuensch enclaves require assistance. And let us not forget that Aramansch forces remain committed to the fight against the Istaltic Alliance. Boenmar and Istalla have come to a stalemate for the moment--but this proves that the Alliance is far stronger and more unified than most of us...excepting our brothers in the Boenmarsch enclave, ever suspected. The Aramansch League is in this war for the long run. While we in Araman proper have felt few of the effects thus far, we must remain vigilant. Thorn?" the Elder invited in low tones.

"This is a potentially dangerous situation," stated the strategist. "We must remember the possibility of attacks upon the Aramansch homeland itself, with our country's army spread so thin. Even we at Erchandemur Keep must concern ourselves with this. But what has really given life to Sarganessi's campaign is a recent disruption of the Synod." A collective gasp arose from the seated Guardians, Aruna included. "The gathering of Patriarchs meeting in the Brichtalsch city of Knaleiren had a rather nasty episode...guards of the Archpatriarch of Araman and those of the Patriarch of Seratis came to blows in the Synod's meeting chamber. It is believed--but not certain--that a young Istaltic guard provoked the conflict."

"Excuse me, sir!" called Magne. Thorn indicated by silence that he would accept the question. Because it was impossible to silently signal to a Guardian the need for a question, these interruptions were permitted by Guardian etiquette when the speaker paused between thoughts. Guardians of Aruna's age, however, were typically too nervous to consider it, so she was deeply grateful to Magne when he voiced the fear weighing on every Guardian's heart: "Was this an assassination attempt on the Archpatriarch?"

"There is no direct evidence for it--still, it cannot be ruled out," answered Thorn. While the Archpatriarch of Araman lacked absolute authority over the Church Synod, his position was bolstered by a powerful bloc of Aramansch-speaking patriarchs, and often the patriarchs of Arkuen. "Even if this was simply an unruly youth with only petty troublemaking in his mind, this has just furthered the tension within the Synod. It's no secret that the Istallan and Ammesaran patriarchs would like to see the Aramansch League diminished in the Synod. But now they are threatening to break away from the Church and set up their own if certain demands are not met. While a sizeable part of their nations' populations is unbaptized, a schism could very easily exacerbate the war between the Istaltic Alliance and the Aramansch League.

"Unfortunately, it gets even worse than simply trying to depose the Archpatriarch," Thorn warned. "They demand that as a condition to remain within the Church, the Synod convene an official tribunal to govern the use of supernatural gifts. They claim it's to combat the threat from the blood-mages...but they refuse to exclude the Spirit-gifted from being required to seek human permission to use their gifts. They draw no distinction." Aruna heard Jakob, her neighbor now that she'd moved into her own quarters, hiss the word 'soendrud' under his breath--appalling, obscene. Thorn's own acerbic tone left no doubt of where he stood on the issue.

The Elder Michael took over; Rue imagined him indicating his will to Thorn by a touch. "This is very difficult news to swallow; I sympathize. While our faith goes beyond the earthly Church, this threat against our unity is a blow to the Body of Christ...that much is certain. I am not a priest--and I would advise those who need it to speak to him--but this is my advice as Elder of this enclave: let's not forget in our prayers for unity to ask God to help us keep our own hearts open to reconciliation as well as theirs...or we certainly will lose the One Church we love so dearly. While the Order of Guardians does not fight in alseijadkuratik--" holy wars, "--we owe it to the Lord to consider the status we've been blessed with in our country and to set a loving example. When this news reaches the common folk of Araman, that example will be badly needed."

The Elder Guardian paused. Not a sound could be heard in the Great Hall as he asked, "Are there any concerns that require attention at this time?" When no one spoke, he clapped his hands once and announced, "What was heard here is a matter of the Oath. Dismissed!"

Sickened and reeling from the news, Rue barely heard Kalle's words to her--all of her attention was focused upon sensing her way through the crowd to Grandfather Michael.