Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (45 page)

Suddenly, a high-pitched tone marked the
first of ten bells.

"Squire Firoth," greeted Sir Syndil, "right
on time. Please, do come in." Stepping to the side, he gestured for
Danny to enter as the smile widened upon his face.

Danny forced himself to obey, the familiar
smell of sweat and steel greeted him as he stepped into the large
room.

"This marks our last session together,
Danny," said Sir Syndil, as he closed the door. The door shut with
a loud click, as if to enhance the finality of his words.

"I'd like to thank you for all of your help,"
said Danny sincerely. "Truly, without it, I could never have
mastered my ability."

"So, you think you have mastered it, do you?"
Sir Syndil asked, taking a few steps forward and stopping within
arm's reach.

Danny turned away from the Elf and entered
the dueling circle. He felt uncomfortable in such close proximity
to Sir Syndil in lieu of recent events.

"I can nearly hold the…" Danny stopped
himself; he had almost referred to the named ability of the
Mageknight. "Ability," he corrected with a quick turn of the
tongue, "for a full day."

"Is that the full extent of your power?"

Caught off-guard by the question, Danny
looked down and found himself at the center of the dueling circle,
the stone marking Sir Syndil's secret hiding place just beneath his
feet. "I don't know," he said, fighting to keep his tone even.

"Nor do I," imparted Sir Syndil, taking a
step forward. "However, I have always found that the best way to
find out where one will end up is to test him or her to find out
their current level of expertise." At that, his right hand slipped
over the silver hilt of the Bonded at his side and pulled the
slender blade free.

The Ghostsight had become nearly second
nature to Danny. He focused his breathing, causing the familiar
apparition of Sir Syndil's future actions to take a noticeable
form. This was the first time he'd ever seen Sir Syndil draw his
Bonded; Danny was frightened as he slowly moved his hand down to
the hilt of his own blade.

Sir Syndil moved in slow increments as he
gracefully twisted his Bonded back and forth within his hand,
the ghostly image created by the Mageknight's ability showed
nothing more than a soft silhouette.

"Do not be afraid, Squire Firoth," he said,
reading Danny's reaction. "We have dueled countless times and I
only wish to see the extent of your progress."

"This is the first time you've ever drawn
your Bonded," said Danny, taking two steps in retreat, tightening
his grip around the sword at his side. His knuckles turned
bone-white as he prepared to free it from the sheath.

Sir Syndil presented his Bonded before him,
the slick steel of the blade catching the light and reflecting it
in a brilliant rainbow of colors. A collection of runes, in a
language Danny couldn't understand, was inscribed over the length
of the ornate brand, from tip to hilt. However, Danny found its
beauty easily interpreted.

"The name of my Bonded is Kryssagrim, and I
present it as an honor to your hard work over the past few months.
I propose one last duel between us to measure the extent of your
progress. As you have not yet gained the privilege of a Bonded, I
shall not use any of Kryssagrim's Awakenings."

Although Sir Syndil seemed sincere, Danny
never relaxed his grip. "I accept," Danny said, with more
confidence than he felt as he pulled his own sword free with the
familiar singing of steel.

Sir Syndil's ghost flowed elegantly in a
salute and then melded into an offensive stance
, the Elf
following in the exact movement a few moments later. "For the honor
of the Light," added the Elf.

Danny returned the honor with a twist of his
wrist, causing the naked steel of his blade to linger evenly
between his eyes before swiping to the side. "For the Light," he
said, stepping back into a defensive position.

"Are you prepared?" Sir Syndil asked.

"Are you?" Danny said in jest. He took one
final breath to focus his mind, becoming somewhat excited. Despite
Sir Syndil's newly discovered deception, Danny had come to relish
his bouts with the techniques professor. In many ways, he looked up
to the Elf as a mentor. Caught between conflicting feelings of
betrayal and fondness for the Elf, Danny found himself quite
confused.

Sir Syndil responded with a smile, reassuring
the bond that had formed between them over the past few months.
Seconds later, his ghost surged forward with the blade leveled
to the right in an upward attack.
Sir Syndil followed directly
behind.

Anticipating the attack, Danny planted his
right foot behind him, stepping back just at the last second,
allowing Sir Syndil's attack to glide past his upper chest by mere
inches. Danny felt the swift breeze of the blade as it passed
before him. Believing that Sir Syndil had left himself exposed,
Danny followed with an attack of his own, leveling his sword in a
quick swipe.

However, the cunning instructor recovered
faster than Danny had expected, and Sir Syndil's shining silver
brand appeared out of nowhere, the swords meeting with a loud
clang.

Eye to eye, knight and squire lingered a
moment before Sir Syndil smiled and spun to the right, angling a
low attack.

With the help of the Ghostsight, Danny
anticipated the move.

This simple sparring went on for a few
minutes as both got into a rhythm of blocks and blows. Then, just
as quickly as he'd begun, Sir Syndil retreated, ending in a
defensive stance just beyond Danny's striking distance.

"Good," said the Elf. "I believe I am
thoroughly warmed up. Are you ready for the true bout?"

Danny couldn't help but return the Elf's
smile as he stretched a tight muscle in his right shoulder. Testing
the weight of his sword in his hand, he twirled it with a twist of
his wrist and readied himself in a defensive stance. "Ready when
you are."

Sir Syndil sprang forward,
his speed
almost matching the ghost that predicted his movements.

Expecting the move, he'd dueled with Sir
Syndil now more times than he could remember, Danny stepped to the
side and parried his opponent's attack downward. However, just as
he felt the pressure of the blades making contact, Danny felt as if
he was pushing down nothing but air. Then, in his peripheral
vision,
he glimpsed a ghostly light
.

Moving instinctively, he brought his blade up
to block. A forceful clang ensued as Sir Syndil's attack threatened
to push Danny off his feet. Taking a few steps in retreat, Danny
recovered as Sir Syndil pressed his advantage, the once-present
smile upon the Elf's face reduced to an expression of surprising
seriousness.

Sir Syndil came at him with a flurry of
attacks,
his movements coinciding with the ghost that predicted
his advances
.

Without the advantage of foresight, Sir
Syndil forced Danny to fight merely with the instinct learned from
the training he'd undergone over the past few months. However, what
scared him the most was the grave look upon Sir Syndil's face. It
was the first time he'd ever seen the Elf with such an expression,
frankly, it frightened him.

Sir Syndil, as if unaware of Danny's fear,
fought on with a frenzy of blade work, his attacks growing in a
smooth flow of speed and strength.

It was no contest as Danny battled on a
purely defensive level.

"Enough!" he yelled, rolling to the right in
an attempt to put some distance between him and the crazed Elf.
Holding his left hand pleadingly out in front of him, he requested
a respite.

Sir Syndil didn't even blink as he turned on
Danny, his face a mask of grim conviction. "Is this the extent of
your ability?" he asked, twirling Kryssagrim with a blinding speed.
However, he left no time for an answer as he surged forward, his
Bonded leading the way in a sideways swipe that looked more like a
streak of light than solid steel.

Danny barely dodged to the right, parrying
the deadly attack away, watching as Kryssagrim passed within inches
of his eyes. It was no mere practice blade that Sir Syndil wielded
and Danny knew that, should even the faintest attack find its mark,
he would take the full brunt of the blade. He wore no armor, only
the white robes of a first-year squire. Panicking, Danny danced
around the dueling circle, desperate to put as much distance from
Sir Syndil as he could.

"Please, stop!"

Sir Syndil's eyes bulged with focus as he
pressed the attack. "Show me your true power!"

Danny's concentration left him, the
Ghostsight vanished from his vision. His muscles began to burn as
his blade became heavy in his hands and his breathing
quickened.

Still, Sir Syndil came at him. "Show me
more!" the Elf yelled, angling Kryssagrim in a sideways lunge.

Danny limply parried attack after attack, his
body failing as he reached his limit.

"There must be more!" Sir Syndil said, taking
a quick step forward, twisting Kryssagrim with a flick of his
wrist. The blinding sword danced in the light before carving a
direct line through the air with a whistle.

With the last bit of strength left within
him, Danny brought his blade to bear with two hands. The swords met
with a resounding clang, the force nearly knocking Danny off his
feet. His grip faltered, causing the sword to slip through his
fingers, tumble end over end and embed itself in the brick beside
him at a slight angle.

Sir Syndil didn't stop there, he reversed the
attack and leveled Kryssagrim for a follow-up.

A ray of light passed within inches of
Danny's neck as he fell backward, barely avoiding the tip of Sir
Syndil's Bonded. Catching himself with both hands, Danny watched in
sheer horror as Sir Syndil took a single step forward and raised
Kryssagrim for the final blow, his eyes filled with
determination.

Danny suddenly wished he'd listened to his
friends. He regretted not being more honest with Sabrina.
Wide-eyed, he found himself mesmerized by the speed and beauty of
Kryssagrim. Defenseless, Danny closed his eyes to the brilliant
light of the blade as it approached him, awaiting the
inevitable.

However, the attack never came. Inching his
eyes open, Danny discovered the silver sword at a standstill,
leveled between his eyes. Looking up, he noticed that the smile had
returned to Sir Syndil's face. Letting out a held breath, Danny
said, "I thought . . . you were going to kill me."

"There is no need, Squire Firoth," said Sir
Syndil, reclaiming his composure as he slipped Kryssagrim back into
the sheath and offered Danny his right hand.

Danny hesitated.

"I offer you no harm, Danny."

Somewhat assured, Danny reached up, took Sir
Syndil's hand in his own and hauled himself up. "What do you mean,
there's no need?"

Sir Syndil's smile widened. "It is simply a
manner of speech. I could have killed you if I so desired, but
there was no need."

The explanation did nothing to comfort Danny
as he retrieved his sword from the stone and hesitated before
returning it to the scabbard. "You almost killed me," he said,
turning on his instructor, his right hand refusing to leave the
hilt of his sword.

"I apologize if I frightened you, Squire
Firoth," said Sir Syndil, both of his arms outstretched in a sign
of innocence. "That was never my intent."

"Then what was your intent?"

"Simply to measure the extent of your
progress, you see. I needed to know the limits of your ability and
now I can safely assume that you have reached the limited best of
your training for this semester."

Danny's hand relaxed ever-so-slightly, it
still remained fixed upon the pommel of his blade. "What else do
you think I, with my ability, am capable of?"

"Truly, I am not exactly sure, thus the
reason for our duel. However, I think I have learned enough from
our sessions together to plan for next year, as well as the years
to come."

"Plan for what?"

Sir Syndil took a few steps forward, standing
just within touching distance.

Danny tensed, his right hand squeezing the
hilt of his sword hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

"I give you my word, Squire Firoth, that I
offer no aggression towards you this day or the following," said
Sir Syndil, his arm outstretched in an offering of peace.

Danny visibly relaxed as the Elf's left hand
lingered in the air, just before settling upon his right
shoulder.

Sir Syndil's smile widened to impossible
lengths, appearing fake and forced. Danny wondered why he'd never
noticed just how phony the Elf's smile seemed, yet he was unable to
process the thought fully as Sir Syndil began to speak.

"Tomorrow is the final duel between Dragon
Army and Lion Army. They compete for the Chalice of Light. This
marks the end of training for this year. For some, the life of a
Knight of the Light awaits them. You, as well as others, must
decide whether you will continue to pursue the path of a knight or
return to your old life. In any case, you have progressed a great
deal since your arrival and I can truly say that I have nothing
else to teach you this year." With a slight squeeze of Danny's
shoulder, Sir Syndil released his grasp. "Go, Squire Firoth, and
rest. You have earned it. On the morrow, you will witness firsthand
what it is to be a Squire of the Light. Should you choose to
continue your training, you will find yourself placed within the
ranks of an army next year."

Danny was confused as Sir Syndil ushered him
toward the exit. For all the time and effort the Elf had spent in
order to gain Danny's trust, he never expected to be let loose so
easily.

"I look forward to seeing your progress in
the years to come, Squire Firoth, should you decide to continue the
path of a Knight of the Light," Sir Syndil said, as he led Danny to
the door and opened it.