The Brazen Blade Read online

  She blinked at his solemn tone. "Would you happen to know a lot about that? Have you seen battle before?"

  "Not personally, no. But my cousin's told me stories... it isn't nearly as clean and noble as the bards would have you believe."

  "I know as much. I've seen guards kill a man—a criminal trying to escape." She mostly suppressed a shiver at the memory. "The way he gurgled while he choked on his own blood, stories don't prepare you for that."

  "And even knowing that, you're still here?"

  "Even if reality can be harsh, I'm not a person who'll turn away from reality because of it. At least, that's what I like to think. And my brother..." She told him about Tristan.

  By the time she finished, they were at the mess hall. They picked up some green slop from the counter, making small talk about what poisons might comprise it, and she located where Zack and Leroy sat. Apparently they were making more friends too, because another boy she didn't know sat with them. She led Marty over. The table would be a bit crowded, but they'd make do.

  "Kathryn!" Leroy boomed as she and Marty squeezed themselves in on the side of the bench next to Zack. "How nice of you to join us! So who's the new kid?"

  "This is Marty. Marty, meet Leroy, Zack and..."

  "Niles." The stocky stranger with a recently shaved head extended a hand. Kathryn grasped it to shake. "Would-be lady warrior, huh?" He squeezed hard. Unprepared, she gritted her teeth at the pain, but squeezed back harder. His eyes widened, he nodded in acknowledgment and they released each other. "Fair enough."

  Leroy looked bemusedly at him. "So how was it compared to mine?"

  Niles shrugged. Kathryn dug into the slop and found its savory taste satisfying despite its appearance, though perhaps her hunger made her less picky. "So what you did you guys find interesting in class so far?" Zack asked.

  "Not much," Leroy mumbled through a mouthful of food.

  Niles agreed. "Yeah, nothing much."

  Marty put in, "I liked watching the other students and trying to guess how they would do in the future."

  "We did just start," Kathryn said, wiping her mouth and then thinking she might look strange doing so before she was totally finished. Still, she noticed Zack do it too. "We probably won't get to the interesting things until at least tomorrow. Other than fight training, maybe."

  Marty looked the group over. "Bet that's what you guys are looking forward to the most, isn't it?"

  Kathryn stayed silent. She fared well enough in training back home, but still had some doubts about her own skills. She hoped she would find herself up to the challenge, and not get embarrassed.

  "Definitely," Leroy said. "Watching the swordplay of a hero like me will inspire everyone to better themselves."

  Zack's face grew giddy; apparently, he bought fully into Leroy's self assessment. Sitting with his arms crossed, Niles didn't look convinced, and Kathryn wondered if he might figure to test Leroy's claims at some point. He certainly seemed confident in himself, and might even take it more seriously than the boisterous young "hero." Still, they had enough outward similarities to make her think of like birds flocking together. She also felt a little concerned for Zack—he appeared soft and weak, and how little did he think of his own abilities to be so eager to take pride in someone else's?

  Marty was the hardest for her to get a handle on. "And you?" she asked him. "How do you rate your skills?"

  He remained noncommittal. "Not too bad, not the best. Good enough to get me through, I think."

  "I doubt they'll be too demanding about your fighting ability this early on. I'd be more worried about the fitness test."

  "Are you worried about it?" Niles asked.

  "Well... I am fairly light compared to some boys. That should help me with parts of it."

  Finishing the slop, she found it still didn't completely make up for not having eaten all day before. After the thirty minutes allotted for their meal, the next class was strategy and tactics under Major Larson, a surprisingly thin, clumsy-seeming man whose age lay between their previous two instructors. Maybe it was from an old battle injury though, and he had once been impressive. Then came practice in basic formations in a large courtyard—and finally it was time for fitness and combat training. A half dozen senior students arrived along with Major Jax and Lieutenant Harris while Major Larson exited, and Kathryn supposed they needed more eyes for some part of the class. First they were told to stretch, then Major Jax revealed their test.

  "You must complete eighty push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, twenty pull-ups, and then run forty laps around this yard all within half an hour. If you do not understand what any of these things are, Lieutenant Harris will now demonstrate them for you." The younger officer did each exercise once, then ran around the perimeter. Kathryn thought the last part a little unnecessary. "We will be watching you, so do not try to cheat!"

  Zack gulped. For once the instructors hadn't specified their positioning, so they and Leroy managed to stay close to each other. "Forty laps! That sounds like a lot."

  Kathryn tried to estimate the length of each side of the courtyard. "It's not that bad. Can't be much more than four hundred feet a lap."

  "You don't consider that much?"

  Leroy patted his back. "You'll be fine. It's nothing for an aspiring hero, eh?"

  "Um..."

  The class split into groups, each monitored by an instructor or student assistant. Kathryn, Leroy and Zack managed to stick together. They got down on all fours for the first portion of the test, and she asked Zack while they began, "You good?"

  "Nervous as hell," he said between push-ups.

  Leroy warned him, "Calm it down a bit. Don't want to blow all your energy early."

  He stopped talking, looked down and focused through the rest of the push-ups. It took him a little longer than the others, but he seemed to be doing okay so far. Kathryn and Leroy blew through the sit-ups and headed over to the pull-up bars set up on one side of the yard. She completed her twenty when he was starting his sixteenth, and he cried, "Pretty impressive!"

  "I am a lot lighter than you." He finished and dropped down, and they looked to where Zack just now did his last situp. The small boy lay back for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before getting up. "Should we wait for him? We should have time to spare."

  "If you want to. I don't mind giving myself less time for the run for an extra challenge."

  Not that that would be much of a challenge for a hero, she thought humorously to herself in his voice. Zack struggled badly with the pull-ups, almost giving up at more than one point, but amid Kathryn and Leroy's shouts of encouragement finally made it through. "My arms," he gasped when he joined them on the ground. "Feel like... they're going to pop out of the sockets."

  Kathryn put an arm over his shoulders. "Good for you you'll just be using your legs next. Come on!" They went to the edge of the yard and joined the many students already deep into their runs. They passed Marty, keeping an easy pace in more of a jog, and saw Niles a ways ahead plowing forward with nostrils flared in grim determination. Kathryn and Leroy ran slower than they could have for Zack's sake, flanking him so they could continue to bolster his spirits, but even that only worked for so long. After thirty laps he slowed down, and after thirty-five he looked on the verge of collapse. He lurched more than ran, bent over with his mouth wide open panting like a dog. Remembering her brother struggle similarly at times heightened Kathryn's sympathy for him. Major Jax counting down as the time limit drew near reminded them of another problem.

  "He's not going to make it," Leroy said. "If we don't leave him behind we're not going to make it."

  She tried to think quickly and a crazy idea popped into her head. "Zack," she asked hesitantly, "mind if I carry you?"

  "What?" both boys asked, though Zack's voice was scarcely audible.

  "If I carry you, you should be able to make the forty laps in time."

  "But, I don't think that's allowed," Leroy said in a flat tone.

  "We won't know unless we
try. A big part of being a soldier is teamwork, right? So maybe we'll be rewarded for finding a way to help our comrade."

  "Hmm..."

  Kathryn grinned. "And maybe, you can help me do it. A hero won't leave all the hard work to a lady just because he's scared of getting in trouble, would he?"

  Leroy chuckled; it seemed she had said the right thing to persuade him. They each tucked an arm under one of Zack's legs, picked him up and carried him the last few laps while he held onto their shoulders. Setting him down, they walked towards where Lieutenant Harris stood watching intently. Unsure what his blank expression meant, she said, "How was that?"

  "He does not pass." At this, Zack's face fell. "The individual fitness tests must be completed, individually." The Lieutenant smiled. "However, I did admire your creativity and commitment to your friend."

  "So does this mean I'm kicked out of the school?" Zack asked glumly.

  "Those who fail the initial test will get a month to improve. If you can't pass it by then..."

  Though he still slumped forward from exhaustion, his eyes brightened with relief. "I wasn't that far off. I should be able to get my endurance up enough." But Kathryn still feared he might get himself injured before that, especially if their training increased in intensity.

  "Everybody spread out!" Major Jax said. "Arrange yourselves so you are not close to anyone you already know."

  Kathryn could have cheated by going near Marty or Niles, who they probably didn't know she'd met. But she thought she might know what came next, and would rather test her skills against someone else. Her suspicions were confirmed when the instructors and assistants handed out blunt swords. They even had different sized swords for different students—an assistant tried to give her one smaller than those offered to male students her height, but since that would put her at a greater reach disadvantage than she might already have, she insisted on a normal length blade.

  After they all had weapons, Lieutenant Harris said, "Everybody find yourselves a partner and spar. We'll be observing you to evaluate the level your skills are at."

  Kathryn didn't think it would be a problem. But when she approached the first student she saw, he turned away towards another. She tried with a different boy and a third only for them to do the same thing. Maybe they didn't want to be seen as picking on a girl, or risk the shame of losing to one. The air filled with the ringing of blades and boys' grunting. She figured she might have to pair up with Marty or Niles after all, but when she spotted them both already crossed blades with others. She looked around some more. The number of students should be even, so somebody must be free right? A lanky boy stalked around the fringe of the crowd, gazing over their heads in search of a partner. Over their heads. She realized he must be very tall, almost six and a half feet, and the long sword he'd been given suited him perfectly. Ah well. She supposed she had no choice. She walked to meet him.

  The tall boy, his shoulders broader and arms thicker than she'd realized up close, laughed when he saw her. "You're going to fight me? This is going to be done in seconds!"

  His size did make her wary, but she tried not to show it. "Maybe so. But there's no one else, is there?"

  "You might as well give up. I'm sure you don't want to get hurt."

  "You don't have to hurt me if you don't want to." Though she kept a relaxed demeanor, his arrogance quickly began to annoy her.

  "All right, I won't if you let me disarm you. Then again, you might not have a choice!" He swung his blade down.

  She sidestepped, then jumped back from a horizontal cut. His reach made it a close thing, the wind of his point's passage tugging at her jacket. It would definitely be a bad idea for her to let him control the distance. Before he could draw the sword back for another swing, she darted in. Her blade clanged off his as she made quick cuts at close range, forcing him to shift rapidly to ward them. He intercepted one of her strikes with a solid block, stepped back simultaneously and managed to put space between them. His weapon swept around. Kathryn had no time to dodge, and judged she would have to deflect it with her own. She expected the blow to be hard, maybe too much so for her to handle. Nonetheless, she prepared to meet the attack at an angle to mitigate its force—which might well still rip the hilt from her hands.

  Their blades touched, she felt the pressure against her arms for an instant... then she'd twisted his out to the side, and was stepping in towards his undefended flank. That hadn't been so difficult. Her confidence grew as she realized her skill and physicality were real. She did well sparring against her brother, father, house guards and others who practiced with her, and felt fit and strong, but had still feared she could be a big fish in a small pond and her abilities might not hold up in the wider world. Now she recognized her large foe struck not much harder than the best of her guards, and smiled while she smacked his rump with the flat of her sword.

  "One point to me," she teased. She felt alive, and it made her more daring than she might usually have been.

  He spun back towards her leading with his empty hand, balled into a fist. Hey, was that allowed in this test? She leaned away, his backhanded punch passing in a blur inches from her face, then blocked a hilt blow aimed at her nose with a forearm. Ouch... fair play, she supposed. It wasn't like enemies on the battlefield would shirk bludgeoning attacks. She kicked the boy hard, her shin slapping loudly against his thigh, then uppercutted him when he froze for a moment. He stumbled back and she pressed the attack, jabbing relentlessly with her sword. Boys ran out of the way as he retreated, but his defense was tight and his flashing blade denied her another touch.

  "Don't think you're so good!" he snapped. "I was taking it easy on you. Now I won't!"

  He slowed his backward movement and mounted his own offense, lashing out with counters between dodges and parries of her attacks. The battle soon became even, and they chased each other back and forth across the dirt. Her arms began to tire from the impacts against his heavier blade, and his strikes grew more and more frequent as hers slowed. Already? She attributed it at least partially to carrying Zack for a few laps and not having enough to eat. No, she didn't want to lose...

  She recalled how it was when she sparred against multiple of her house guards, and she had to concentrate even more and make every movement count. She too could take it to another level. Waiting for him to wind up for a heavier blow, she barreled in. Savvy enough to realize what she was doing, he changed it into a short thrust meant to deter her. But she ducked it, the sword tip almost grazing her shoulder, and was inside his reach again. He frantically intercepted several pokes from her with the hilt and flat of his blade, then she jumped and slashed down. He blocked, yet the full weight of her body behind it drove him to one knee.

  She stepped on his other thigh and launched herself over him, twisting around in mid jump. He stood, but before he could turn around, her point pricked the back of his neck. "You're dead." She noticed the courtyard had turned silent except for his heavy breathing. Was their fight so interesting to watch?

  "But I'm the junior dueling champion of my city..." he muttered.

  The excitement of the contest still emboldened her. "Well then Lurtdle is better," she declared, not unaware of the smugness in her voice. He probably deserved it after dismissing her at first. She lowered her sword and looked to the class with hands on her hips. Many pairs of eyes stared back in awe.

  "That was amazing!" Zack said, sitting on the dirt with a large welt on the side of his face. He'd probably lost his bout, yet didn't seem to care. "You were both so fast, I can't imagine keeping that pace—and you won! Kathryn, you're a hero!"

  Somewhere to her right, Leroy coughed. "Let's not get carried away. But that was fairly impressive."

  Major Jax walked up to her, Lieutenant Harris following behind. "It was quite impressive," the former agreed. "Seems like both of you will be shoe-ins for the advanced group." That consolation didn't stop her opponent from fuming with sullen eyes on the ground.

  The instructors proceeded to divid
e the class into groups. As promised she was placed into the advanced group, along with Niles, Leroy, the boy she'd fought, and another unremarkable-looking one with small hands. Maybe he was the "speed" or "finesse" fighter of the bunch; she preferred to consider herself as an all-rounder, for she liked not to think of herself as an underdog. "Reunion of the elite, huh?" Leroy mused with looks at her and Niles. "I figured something was up when baldy here acted all vague about how your handshake felt."

  Niles shrugged. "I couldn't gauge much of anything. Not like I tested her with my full strength, and I doubt she squeezed back with hers. Could tell she was stronger than a lot of boys, though."

  She addressed the one she'd defeated. "Don't feel so bad, everybody loses now and then. I'm sure I'll lose at some point here. What's your name?"

  "Jerome." But he didn't say any more, and she wasn't sure it would be wise to try and force a continuation of the conversation. So she turned to watch the rest of the students be assigned to groups. Marty was put into the intermediate group, which matched his attitude about himself—and Zack, of course, the beginner group. It could be worse. At least he wasn't among the two students who had suffered significant injuries, one a concussion and the other a broken arm. The second boy at least would probably be going home.

  Their next class under Major Larson was less obviously military-oriented, being on mathematics, but Kathryn figured knowing math would help a leader make decisions involving many things such as troop numbers and supplies. Still, it was boring compared to what had come before, and she struggled not to doze off. Leroy, for his part, got woken up and chastised for snoring at one point.

  Class ended, and Kathryn felt relief when she heard it was time for dinner. The fatigue from the long day was catching up with her, perhaps because she hadn't adjusted to the schedule yet, and she'd love if she could fall onto a soft bed and close her eyes soon. She needed to relieve herself, so she didn't join her friends at the mess hall until a bit later. After picking up a roasted chicken leg, bread and a bowl of soup—good thing they were more generous with supper—she found Leroy, Zack, and Marty at their table.