Jon shook his head and looked up into the sun to see Odellius bending over him, his hand held out, “Another go?”
Jon nodded his head and let Odellius pull him to his feet.
The two stood face to face in the central yard again and Jon balanced on his toes and waited for the word from the starter. When it came he immediately dodged to the side but this time Odellius kept at a distance and slowly circled in a manner that forced Jon towards the loose ground. Aware of the danger, Jon lashed out with his superior reach to strike home blow after blow against the midsection of his foe but Odellius didn’t even seem to notice the swats that would have sent most men to the ground with a cry of agony.
“His skin must be thick as an elephant,” thought Jon to himself and tried to move in, only to have Odellius charge forward quickly and land several lightning fast shots that almost sent Jon over backwards. Jon used his huge stride to back away from the massive man whose forehead was covered with sweat and whose mouth hung open as he tried to suck in more oxygen. Jon realized this was the way to beat the behemoth, keep out of range, strike, and force a chase. Eventually the big man would go down and Jon smiled in triumph. As he carried out this strategy he became aware of the crowd’s shouts for the first time.
“Look at the tall one run,” shouted a boyish voice, followed immediately by another cutting comment, “Fight like a man, Julia,” it came and hurt him deeply. He took a moment to look at the spectators and spotted the sisters, Rhia and Shia and their look of acute disappointment hit him like one of Odellius’s strikes.
Jon looked at Odellius, who now breathed like a horse after a long run, and suddenly decided on a change of tactics. He charged forward, let his wooden sword drop to the ground, drove his shoulder into the midsection of the man, wrapped his long arms around him, and tried to throw him off balance. For the briefest of instants the fat mason seemed to slide off his feet and Jon had him all but tipped over, but then Odellius shifted his weight forward and Jon felt his knees buckle. The gray knight went to one knee and, with a tremendous effort that turned his biceps into massive balls, drove forward, and lifted Odellius to his toes and then a few inches into the air. At the last moment the big man used his little wooden sword to smack Jon on the side of the leg and Jon felt all this strength suddenly leave him. He collapsed to the ground as the big man stumbled and dodged to the side to avoid smashing him.
Jon rolled on his back and looked up at Odellius whose face was red with exertion and whose hand was out in an offer to help him up. It was only when he took the hand that he heard the eruption of screams and cheers that came from every member of the crowd. Jon walked off the pitch his arm around Odellius as everyone continued to applaud. They walked to a wooden bench and collapsed on it together, the thing creaking ominously beneath their weight. A young boy, not more than seven or eight, rushed over with a huge mug of frothy beer that he handed to Odellius and another boy, whom Jon vaguely recognized as Sorus Brewer, handed him a smaller mug filled with water. Odellius tilted back and drank with one huge pass, then pulled off his helmet to reveal wet and sweaty hair.
“Well fought, Jon Gray,” he said with a nod of his head. “I never thought I’d know what it feels like to fly but I was like a bird there for a moment!”
The people nearby broke into laughter, whispering back to those further away the words of the immense mason; laughter began to break out all over the little pitch. Jon stripped off his own iron helmet revealing his shock of sandy blonde hair and began to pull off his jerkin as a dozen young hands immediately reached in to help him.
Mikus Swift ran quickly back to the manor house his feet covering the distance quickly. He burst in the front door of the home, slammed it, and dashed to the large office where his father awaited his report. The man sat behind his large desk and drummed his fingers on the surface. “Well?” he said, his eyebrows arched.
“Odellius beat him, dad,” said Mikus, and Thorius smiled broadly as he eased back in his chair.
“So the young warrior from Tanelorn was humiliated?” he asked and Mikus hesitated for a moment, his face turned down towards the wooden slats of the floor. “Well?” repeated Thorius as his eyebrows came together. “The boy was thrashed, yes?”
Mikus nodded his head. “Twice straight.”
“And this Jon Gray did he take defeat poorly, whine and complain?” said Thorius and sat up in his chair and eyed his son closely. “Tell me what happened, boy!”
“It was a fair fight and… and…,” the story tailed off into silence.
“And,” said Thorius who stood and came around the table to hover over his teen son. “What happened?”
“Jon Gray tried to wrestle Odellius down,” said Mikus suddenly in a burst as his eyes shone brightly. “He had him for a second too, had him lifted up, but then Odellius knocked his leg out and he fell!”
“In the air?” said Thorius as he turned and sat on the edge of the desk. “Odellius?”
Mikus nodded, “He almost had him!”
“I suppose the crowd thought that it a noble effort,” said the man as his shoulders slumped.
“They went crazy, dad,” said Mikus. “Maybe you’re wrong about Jon Gray. He seems like a pretty nice guy.”
“I’m not wrong,” insisted Thorius and shook his head sadly. “You remember that. No matter what happens from here on out that boy will bring trouble to Elekargul. Any sort of alliance with Tanelorn will bring down dangerous foes upon us.”
“We’re knights of Elekargul,” said Mikus, standing tall, his eyes shining with passion. “It doesn’t matter what danger comes against us. We’ll fight it and defeat it!”
“You’re not a knight of anything, squire,” said Thorius. “But the chance to defeat the boy early is clearly finished. I must muse upon a new plan. Get out of here, Mikus. Go practice in the yard, your sword skills lag behind other boys your age.”
“Yes, father,” said Mikus and turned around and left the old knight by himself.
“If anyone is going to be a hero it’s not going to be some trumped up teenager with delusions of grandeur,” he said to himself, and then returned to the desk and looked at its empty surface for a long time.
Chapter 4
Strange draconic creatures apparently spun lthrough the air and battled one another in etched figures on the high domed ceiling. At the apex a massive green dragon with a half a dozen horns thrust from its forehead held court. On its back sat a human with strange, white, reptilian eyes, a long staff shaped like a crocodile in his right hand. Far below a decayed skeletal figure sat on a marble throne, its hands clenching the arms of the chair and its empty eye sockets peering endlessly out towards some unseen vision.
Two creatures appeared in a narrow corridor and argued with one another as the first, and taller, jabbed the second with a forefinger inches from his face.
“I tell you, Usharra,” said the first as his features became visible in the dim glow of the cavern. His head was horny and scaled while long layers of scales streamed down his arms and neckline. The scales were predominantly green but a sprinkle of red and purple gave them an iridescent look. “The staff has been found. How else do you explain the dreams?”