“Ah, good, you are just in time.” Her mother sat
abruptly on a log near the fire. “You two will spar from now on while I watch
and shout out instruction.” Riona groaned, Damien was a full head taller than
her, and he was much stronger. Her body already ached from the long hours in
the saddle and wielding the staff in the air, and now she was doomed to more
bruises. She glanced at Damien who was lifting and swinging the staff
experimentally in the air.
“Riona, run through the
basic poses with him a few times before you start.” Vanya sat on her log paging
through an aged book on her lap, her blonde hair had come loose and fell
forward as she leaned closer. They went through the poses side by side again
and again until Damien could do them without counting.
Feoras had settled in and
faint trails of smoke piped out of his nostrils and his eyes were only slits.
They had flown all day for several days and he was still growing so he still
needed more sleep than he was getting. Riona was slightly jealous that he could
lie down and sleep while she had to train.
‘You forget that I’m
listening, and that technically I’m training with you.’ His eye closest to her slid open slightly and
she could see the red colors reflecting in the firelight. ‘I am your other
memory, though you still need to train your muscle memory. That could save your
life when I can not.’ His eye slid back shut and their mental connection once
again went quiet.
“Are you okay?” Damien was
looking at her with a questioning look because she had stopped mid swing.
“Yeah, just getting some
feedback.” Damien sent a look over towards where Feoras now lay with his eyes
closed.
“Now face each other
before we lose all of the light.” Vanya still was pouring over the book
balanced on her lap as she stirred the contents in the portable pot hanging
over the fire. Riona turned reluctantly to Damien and saw him doing to same.
“Ready?” He waited for
her to make the first move. As worried as she was of being struck, she was sure
that he was just as hesitant to really go after her.
‘Take advantage of his
hesitancy.’
‘But he’s my friend.’
‘He is your opponent
right now; not your friend.’
Despite her inner
reservations of striking him, she made the first move. She feigned going to the
right and mid swing brought the other end as if to strike him on his left calf.
Her staff vibrated in her hand as he blocked her first attempt.
‘Again. This time make
your movements more fluid so he can’t see what you’re going to do lengths
away.’ She bristled at his commands even as she blocked one of Damiens strikes.
Her staff once again vibrated in her hands, and a few of her fingers went numb.
‘And when did you become
an expert on sparring?’ She hadn’t been paying attention and Damien rapped her
smartly against the back of her legs forcing her to the ground on her knees.
Thinking quickly she swung her own staff out underneath him, hitting him in the
ankles and he too fell onto the ground.
“Enough, come eat, the
food’s done.” Vanya had finally put her book down and was ladling out their portions.
Both Riona and Damien rose without helping each other up and walked quietly to
the fire.
‘You did well with your
tooth pick, little one.’ Her pride had taken a hit with the sparring, but
Feoras acknowledging her progress within a few short days did help a bit.
“Damien you are to ride
between Riona and I. I will take lead and Riona will bring up the rear with
Feoras flying above.” Vanya quickly ate her own bowl of dinner and sat back
down on her log with the decrepit book.
“I thought you were sending
him back to Rhydian Valley.” Vanya
didn’t even look up from her reading to answer.
“No, we are too close to
the forest for him to turn back.” She lifted her eyes for a moment to where he
was sitting, then went back to her book. “You might be glad to have the help
later.”
‘She is right little
one.’
‘I know. I just don’t
want anything to happen to him.’ Feoras snorted and small bursts of flame
issued from his nose.
‘I think
he can handle himself.’ Feoras sniffed, ‘He did stand up to me when he thought you
were in danger.’
Riona patted
Feoras on the nose and then scratched behind his horns. ‘Yes he did.’
She curled
up next to Feoras side as his large wing swept over her blotting out the night sky.
