Death Comes To All (Book 1) (9 page)

"Sorry,
I'll try to remember Malik."

"No
harm done Drom," Malik answered. "As I said, there's no one
else around. See." He pointed to the tree where Trick still
slumbered as if no one paid him any mind. Malik had said that the
dragonling would warn them if anyone came near. Right at that moment
it appeared to Drom as if the tree the animal was in could have
caught fire and the small creature wouldn't have noticed, so soundly
did he sleep.

"I
think I should take a different name as well," Drom said
suddenly. "Raine, I mean Tara, had said that you change your
name not only to protect yourselves, but also to protect those people
in your past, those that can be used against you by your enemies if
they should somehow learn who they are. There are people in my past I
would want to protect as well. As long as I'm staying with the two of
you, I think I should pose as someone else."

"It's
probably a good idea," Malik admitted. "Did you have
anything in mind?"

"I
haven't really had time to think about it."

"We
have plenty of time before you have to worry about it," Malik
told him. "In the meantime we won't call you by any name should
we run into anyone. When you decide on a name let us know. There are
two things you should keep in mind when choosing an alias. First, try
not to use something that's obviously a cover. If you call yourself
Dread Blackhearted or something like that you might think it's
frightening, but really anyone who hears it will think it's
ridiculous. Only powerful mages use names like that, or really stupid
trogs, and even then it's rare and rather silly if you ask me.
Second, and possibly more importantly, don't use anything from your
past. If you take your grandfather's name, or even just the name of
someone from your village, it could potentially be traced back to its
source, which defeats the whole purpose of creating a new identity.

"When
you create a new persona it's more than just a name. You're creating
a whole person, with a different background and everything. Keep it
simple and easy. You can keep most of the details the same, only
change small things like names and locations. Everything you make
different you have to remember that you've changed, otherwise people
will be able to see through it. For now, you're a Thane guard from
the north, don't specify where because a real Thane guard wouldn't,
and you're working for me. You don't have to tell anyone anything
else. If we run into anyone I'll do all the talking anyway, so you
shouldn't have any need to concern yourself with a background story
right away."

The
group headed back to the road and began following it west once more.
On foot the traveling was fairly easy, though Drom could see that it
would be quite difficult for anyone attempting to take a wagon down
the track. As they walked he considered the background Malik had
fabricated, both for himself and for Drom. Raine, now Tara, didn't
seem to have a new background, however she had changed her looks
enough that anyone who hadn't seen her change wouldn't be able to
recognize her. She acted no differently than she had since he first
joined them; that is to say she rarely talked and when she did what
she had to say was generally short and to the point. Her overall
attitude at least seemed better now that she had eaten the night
before. As long as she had regular meals she was almost pleasant to
be around, if a little blunt.

From
time to time Drom spotted Trick as he flitted from tree to tree above
them. The little dragonling would be almost impossible to see if he
hadn't known where to look for it. Drom would have thought the
colorful animal would have stood out against the green foliage, like
it had during the hunt the evening before, but it seemed to be quite
capable of blending in when it didn't want to be noticed.

"You
shouldn't watch him like that," Tara observed. "Should
anyone pass by and see you looking up like that it will naturally
draw their eye in that direction, to see what you are looking at. It
would defeat the purpose if others noticed him."

"Sorry,"
he replied sheepishly. From that point on he made certain to keep his
eyes firmly at ground level, alternating between scanning the road in
front of him and the trees to either side of him. A guard would be
watching the surroundings, keeping alert for any surprises. If anyone
saw him, he wanted to act his part as best he could. Drom thought for
sure that anyone paying attention would surely see through his
disguise. The sword constantly banged uncomfortably against his thigh
as he walked, and he had to adjust it constantly.

Nothing
and no one appeared that day, though Drom watched diligently. The
group didn't stop until nearly sundown, by which time he had started
hoping someone would appear, just to break up the monotony of the
day. His two companions barely said a single word.

The
pace they set was rugged. Not as bad as one they had set the day
before, but certainly more than Drom was used to. Drom suspected that
this was the normal pace for them. The day before they had moved
faster to stay ahead of the guard. Now that they no longer looked
like the people the guards would be looking for, they didn't feel the
need to rush. Still, the pace was difficult for Drom to keep up with.
He could match it, but he knew it would take him a while to get used
to the constant, hard travel.

When
they finally stopped for the night Drom was already exhausted. His
day, however, was not yet over. While Tara prepared a small fire for
their campsite, Malik left them at their makeshift campsite, looking
for wood of a different kind than the firewood Tara collected. In a
few moments he returned with two stout sticks, perhaps two inches
thick and nearly four feet long. He tossed one of them to Drom.

"While
Tara gets dinner ready for her and I, I'll begin your instruction.
Tomorrow will be a shorter day, so you’ll have time to gather
wild greens to cook yourself a hot meal. For tonight, you'll have to
deal with a couple of oranges.

“Now,
before I can teach you how to attack or defend yourself with a sword,
you'll need to learn how to hold one. Hold the stick out in front of
you as if it was a sword. Let it rest between your thumb and your
index finger. Grip mostly with the index finger and your middle
finger, leaving the last two fingers on your hand loose. Like this,"
Malik showed him using his own stick, his little finger putting
almost no pressure at all on the makeshift weapon.

Drom
tried to copy the grip on the stick he had been handed, though Malik
had to adjust his grip slightly. It felt as if the wood only floated
in his hand.

Surely
such an insecure grip can't block or attack without me losing my
hold
, he thought.

"Wouldn't
I get a stronger swing if I gripped it tighter?" he asked. "This
just feels like a really weak grip."

"If
you held it the way you're suggesting it would be easy to knock it
out of your hand," Malik answered candidly. "You leave your
grip loose until you move, whether you strike or block. The same is
true for the muscles in your arms. Your natural response is to tense
up. However, a tense muscle takes longer to move than a loose one.
When you strike, don't swing with just your arm. Swing your hips and
waist with it. At the last second, tighten the grip on your last two
fingers. It will add speed and strength to your attack. Watch what I
do, and swing like this."

In
one swift, easy move he shifted his body to the side, striking a thin
sapling next to him with a vicious hit. The wood collided with a loud
crack, sending bark flying in all directions. It seemed to Drom as if
the assassin had hardly put any strength into the attack at all, yet
the results were obvious.

"Now
you try it," Malik instructed. "Step into your swing and
strike as hard as you can. Don't forget to keep your muscles loose
until the moment you strike, then tighten your grip just before you
hit. The weapon will flow into the strike naturally. Just move with
it."

Drom
did as he had been told, and swung with all his strength at a sapling
like the one Malik had hit. The tree shook violently from the blow.
Unfortunately, so did Drom's hand.

Ouch!

He
nearly dropped the stick when it hit. His arm felt numb all the way
up to his elbow, tingling as if it had fallen asleep. Malik choked
back a laugh.

"Now
you see why you don't want such a strong grip," he joked.
"Remember to leave your hand loose until just before the moment
of contact. When you tighten down on the last two fingers it will
pull the weapon into the swing naturally. Also, I noticed that you
put nearly all of your power into the blow, but most of that power
came from your arm. Fighting like that you'll tire yourself out
quickly, and your blows won't cause any more damage than they would
if you used your body instead. Move your hips into the strike, and
don't use as much of your arm. You'll be faster and will be able to
fight longer without tiring that way. Try again."

This
time Drom managed with effort to avoid tightening his grip too soon.
His mind told him to grip it as hard as he could, but he had been
told otherwise.

Just
relax and do as you were told.

The
stick swung around hard, cracking the tree with a thwack. It wasn't
as hard or nearly as fast as it had been when Malik did it, but at
least he didn't hurt himself again.

"Better,"
Malik observed. "Not great, but it's a beginning anyway. There
are four types of sword strikes. Only four. Everything else is either
a variation of those movements or it's not being done correctly. The
first is the on-side strike, which you just used on that sapling. The
second is the off-side strike. For that strike you move you arm
forward, just as you would with the on-side strike, but at the last
moment you turn you wrist and pull your body weight in the opposite
direction. This will turn the sword around to strike at the other
side of your opponent’s body, Like this."

As
before he demonstrated the attack technique, this time striking the
tree on the opposite side. Drom had seen Malik fight before, and knew
the man was slowing down his movements considerably. Even at the
slower speed Drom could still just barely see the change in the man's
grip.

He
tried his best to copy the move, finally completing it passably after
the third attempt. It wasn't great, by any means, but it was at least
he was beginning to understand how the weapon would move.

This
is nothing like the grips and movements I used when I was using the
tools on my father’s farm,
he
thought.

"For
today we're going to work only with those two attacks. Whether you
are striking the head, the body, or the legs, it still uses the the
same body motions of those two techniques." Malik punctuated
each of the strike locations by demonstrating them as he marked them
off, leaving three clear, precise marks on each side of the young
tree, one for each height of the body parts he spoke of. Drom
followed suit, though his movements were slow and sloppy in
comparison to the smooth gliding motion of Malik's strikes.

"By
using the momentum from one strike as it bounces off the target, you
can flip the weapon to strike the other side. Your movements will be
much faster that way. Watch closely." Malik struck hard with an
on-side shot, then spun the weapon and flipped his wrist, striking
the other side in a blur.

Wow
is he fast!

Drom
could barely follow the attack, though with the description he had
been given he knew what Malik had done.

"Practice
that attack three hundred times, then you can stop for the night to
eat," Malik instructed. "Don't forget to move your body
into the strike. All of your power comes from your body. I'll watch
and let you know if you’re doing anything incorrectly."

"Three
hundred times?" Drom was daunted by the prospect of striking the
tree like that so many times.

Is
he serious That will take over an hour!

"Yes,
three hundred times," he repeated. "You've never used a
sword in your life. We need to get your body used to the motions.
After a few weeks of practicing those strikes you'll find that the
movements come far easier to you than they will right now. The easier
it becomes, the faster you will become. Remember, strength can allow
you to fight longer and hit harder, but speed is how you win. You saw
the other day how good that trog's strength served him. I defeated
him so easily, in part anyway, because I was much faster than he was.
Well, that and just simple skill. This is how you begin. This
practice teaches you how to move, and the speed will come naturally."

He
could not see how hitting a tree over and over again was going to
turn him into a great swordsman, but he did as he was told and began
swinging. Several times Malik stopped him, changing minor details
like how he placed his feet, how he moved his body, or how he held
the stick he was using in place of a sword. After a time he began
feeling a certain rhythm to the movement, and he noticed that,
without trying, he had started moving much faster.

Malik
watched him closely the entire time. Once Tara had finished roasting
several strips of boar over the fire she joined him. As the two idly
munched on the meat, Drom wondered what they could have been thinking
about.

Am
I actually doing well, or am I really as bad at this as I feel?

Certainly
his two companions seemed to find him amusing, though they didn't say
anything aside from the minor changes Malik would make from time to
time.

By
the time Drom had finally finished with his sword practice he was
starving. Strangely enough however, he no longer felt as tired as he
had when the group had first stopped for the night. In fact, he felt
invigorated. He fell into the tangy oranges with gusto, barely taking
the time to peel the first two before gulping them down. In a few
minutes he had already eaten four. He stopped himself there, not
wanting to eat too much at once and dwindle his supplies too quickly.