“None are above the Law. All are held to its standard and held accountable for their actions according to its writings.”— “Introduction to Dwarven Law”, by Mistress Liola Karisian, archivist

  Tower Castle, Cryptonia, Ground Plane

  The next morning, Jasper awoke to a beautiful sunrise cresting the horizon and was sitting with Harla for an early breakfast when he heard the formation of recruits marching through the courtyard. He went to the window to look down and saw that the veteran sergeants and a handful of officers were leading them through drill as they had the previous day.

  ‘Good,’ he thought to himself, crunching on fresh bread. ‘A regular schedule will help get them accustomed to routine. Once Benn, Delgan, and Titus are satisfied with the more promising recruits' progress, we can start them on proper guard watches in a few weeks instead of the skeleton crews we have now.’ He looked for the Armsmaster but did not see him in the courtyard.

  Jasper recalled the orc’s words about testing him, and he was feeling up to some swordplay. He rose from the table and donned a fresh tunic before belting on his sword and descending the Tower’s spiral stair. He halted in front of the Aviary door and made a thoughtful face. Truth be told, he wanted to know what was in there, but considering that he was alone—and with the thoughts of man-eating hags still plaguing him—Jasper decided he would need to come back another time. What if the harpies were even less controlled than Sue? That thought sped him down the stairs.

  He emerged in the Main Hall and turned left to leave through what had been the throne room. The dais stood empty now, and there were signs that it was being prepared for disassembly as well. Idein clearly did not mess around when a task had been given to him. Jasper smiled. He liked people who did their jobs promptly. He pushed open the back door of the Keep and made his way down the steps towards the salle. At last he saw Benn, standing in the door of the training area, leaning on his stave. The sounds of wood clacking and the grunts of exertion inside spurred Jasper on with an eagerness he had not felt in some time. It was a melody of skills being pushed and honed to a fine edge. He had not been willing to fight since his duel with Lerontis. He had not realized just how much he missed it.

  “Good morning,” he said to the scarred orc. Benn turned and glanced over the young man with the eye of an experienced instructor, not a subordinate.

  “Indeed it was, Lord.” He looked pointedly up at the bright, clear sky.

  “Ah.” Jasper understood his mistake immediately and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. “I’m late. It won’t happen again.”

  “Mm.” Benn said nothing more for a moment, then jerked his braided head towards the noise inside. “I’ll forgive you. I know Miss Harla has you studying. Come in. Titus and the others are well warmed-up, and I’m ready to see your skill.” Sure enough, the knight was standing in the intermediate level ground, sparring alongside several other soldiers Jasper could not recognize underneath their padded helmets. They were using wooden practice swords with simple wood shields.

  Jasper recognized the stance the man across from Titus was using, one more fit for fighting in formation with other soldiers bearing a shield, not so good in a one-on-one duel. Titus was relaxed, keeping his shield held loose in his off hand while probing the other man’s defense. He lunged, but his opponent’s shield deflected the tip. Quick as lightning, Titus redirected his strike into a swift reverse moulinet, using the false edge of his sword to attack the back of his partner’s head. Nearly too late, the stranger ducked, barely escaping the back cut aimed at his helmet. He advanced, locking his shield into Titus’ sword hand to prevent another attack, pressing his advantage. His own sword lashed out. Titus was off balance and too slow to defend against his forceful charge, and the sword swept his leg out from under him before the edge rested under his chin.

  “Good, Jonno!” Benn said, stamping his staff into the ground for emphasis. “Titus, you overreach, and now you’re on your ass. A scion of House Erikeen should know better footwork than that. But you, Jonno,” he said, turning to the other soldier, who was removing his helm. “You move far too slow, even with that lucky charge. On the battlefield, if you had not caught him with bad feet, he would have likely split your skull.” The new man finally managed to wrest the helmet from his head, exposing his face flushed with exertion. He had a close-cropped haircut and short black beard to go with it. His eyes were hazel and dark in the torchlit hall. A small scar marked the left corner of his mouth.

  “Yes, ser,” Jonno nodded, tucking the helmet under his arm. “I’ll work on getting lighter on my feet.”

  “Good. Take a break, both of you, while I see what strokes our young lord knows.” Benn gestured with his chin at a nearby table where the steel swords had been deposited. “Blades go over there while we train. Loosen up, then collect a heavy gambeson and practice sword that will do for your size.”

  Jasper obeyed and went through the various stretches to limber up he had used before fights and football when he was still just an average guy. The soldiers on the other mats continued their drills and sparring, but Jasper felt like all of their eyes bored into him. At last, he finished his warmup and looked through the extra-thick quilted shirts until he found one that fit. It looked like any ordinary gambeson. The garment hung to mid-thigh. The sleeves were long and there was a small overlap at the breastbone to allow the simple brass buckles to hold it closed. All of the soldiers wore one. Jasper shrugged into the light armor and fastened the buckles.

  With a shake and a hop, it adjusted to his movements, and he felt comfortable enough to proceed to the practice sword racks. He tried a few and finally found one that felt about the same as his own blade. When he returned to where Benn stood, the Armsmaster nodded and waved Titus over from where he had been refreshing himself with a mug of cool water.

  “Keep it simple, Titus. No shields just yet, and nothing too complicated. Let’s see where the bout takes you both.”

  “Understood,” the knight nodded. He gave Jasper a salute with his sword and a smile before settling into his stance. “Ready?” Jasper returned his tribute and brought his weapon around in a few strokes to gain a feel for it.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I am not, based on what I’ve seen, but as ready as I’ll ever be.” He nodded.

  “Begin,” Benn commanded. Jasper held his sword loosely in front of him, wrist just above waist height, the point of his weapon centered on Titus’ breastbone. From that guard, Jasper could conceivably parry or attack from numerous angles, granting him a stable position. Titus began circling counterclockwise, and Jasper mirrored him in the opposite direction, keeping an eye on the distance between them.

  If Titus’ arc drew him closer without Jasper noticing, the knight would be within striking distance. Titus’ eyebrow went up, and he flashed a grin before jabbing at Jasper’s left shoulder. Jasper countered, bringing the hilt of his sword up to deflect the thrust before delivering his riposte. Titus easily blocked him. They separated before engaging once again with a similar result. Titus began using more complicated strokes, truly testing Jasper’s knowledge and reactions. The pair circled and sparred for some time. Bruises quickly began building up on Jasper’s ribs, arms, and shoulders.

  “That’s enough, Titus,” Benn finally said, holding up his hand. Jasper bent over, bracing his hands on his knees to catch his breath. It had been too long since his last thorough training session, and he was paying for it. “Are you well, Lord?”

  “Yes,” he gasped, panting. He forced himself back up, using his sleeve to wipe away sweat. “I’m alright, I just need to catch my breath. Well, what’s your diagnosis?”

  “Your guard is sloppy and you waste energy with too much movement,” said Benn, making big sweeping motions with his arm to demonstrate. “A simple lift of the blade would suffice to have stopped that first strike at your upper body, but you used the hilt. Not a bad plan, since you opted to try a return thrust, but it would have been better to wait for Titus to overextend or open himself up.”

  “I’m not used to fighting with an arming sword and no shield,” Jasper explained. “Not that I’m terribly better with one,” he chuckled wryly.

  “And in the field, you will likely have access to one, so let’s see how you fair with it,” Titus said, heading back to the table for water. “After a break though.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Jasper grinned and joined him.

  Titus gave him some pointers on footwork and minimizing his overexertion while they drank. Benn scolded the rest of the fighters on whatever shortcomings he could uncover. Given a moment's rest, Jasper noticed that Delgan and a few of his veterans were not present and assumed they were out drilling in the fields. Titus picked up the shield he had discarded earlier and showed Jasper how to utilize the various straps on the back. The wielder could fasten his arm in different positions depending on how he wanted to use the shield or grip them in his fist to hold it more like a center-bossed Viking or Roman shield from Earth. In addition to the arm straps, there was a long belt that could loosen to a desired length and slung over the shoulder to carry the defensive weapon when not in battle or support the weight when engaged.

  Jasper opted to forego the shoulder belt as he had never used one before and tied the shield with his forearm positioned at a forty-five-degree angle, his hand gripping the handle at the upper right corner of the shield. This allowed him to bear a great deal of the weight quite easily but reduced the ease with which he could use it offensively. Jasper preferred some versatility with his shields, but he had never used a small kite shield with the same strap configuration, so he stuck with what he knew.

  Titus took up his own shield and quickly settled into position across from him. At Benn’s command, they began again. Jasper was more confident and initiated contact more readily with his shield in place. He was more used to having the barrier to ward away his opponent’s attacks and was more ready to deal out some punishment of his own. Titus tested his defenses again, moving them back and forth across the salle floor. Jasper took less knocks but still grunted in pain when the knight managed a skilled strike. They were avoiding contact with the head, but Titus would still make a half-speed pass at his head to make him think twice and check his guard. As soon as Jasper shrugged behind the shield, he delivered a flat snap of his own at Titus’ exposed left thigh. The impact up his sword arm made Jasper grin through the sweat.

  “Good!” Benn said. “You don’t have to kill your enemy outright to claim victory,” he told the entire room as they continued. Jasper tried to listen while Titus recovered and came at him again. “Even simply putting your man off balance could be enough to end him. In a pitched battle, you are like to kill more foes already on the ground as you are standing in front of you. Keep your wits about you and look for the opportune moment. Yes, that was it, Lord, his head was open,” he scolded, shaking his long braids so the bones in it clinked. Jasper gritted his teeth and jabbed a feint at Titus’ side before trying a back cut at the knight’s open shoulder. Too slow, it clacked against his partner’s shield. Something bumped into Jasper’s left leg. He looked down to see Benn’s staff tripping him up.

  “Hey!” He objected, but Titus took advantage and swept his leg, much as Jonno had done earlier, tumbling Jasper onto the ground. The young man managed not to slam his head into the hard floor, but he was still disoriented. Titus’ sword nudged him in the chest and Jasper growled in frustration.

  “Don’t be easily distracted, or it will be your last mistake,” Benn continued, not missing a beat. “Keep your eyes open, move with purpose, and push through to better ground.”

  “Yes, Armsmaster,” Jasper grunted, taking the hand Titus offered. The knight grinned understandingly at him and gestured for him to go again.

  “He does it to everyone,” he said. “Kind of a rite of passage to new trainees.”

  “A lesson I doubt I’ll forget,” Jasper snorted, smacking his sword against his friend’s in a salute before starting their dance once more.

  “That’s the idea!” Titus laughed, performing a swift feint and double feint. Jasper ignored the first, blocked the second, and barely managed to deflect the true attack Titus sent at his back. When he countered with a thrust at the knight’s midsection, Titus caught the length of Jasper’s sword between his side and arm, bringing the edge of his shield around to twist it out of Jasper’s grip. A moment later, the weapon clattered to the ground, and all the young man had left was his shield.

  There was a moment of panic before Jasper dropped low, batting aside Titus’ sword with his shield and shooting inside the knight’s guard. Jasper grabbed Titus’ back leg with his now empty hand before driving his weight up through his shoulder into Titus’ midsection, dumping the knight onto his back. Titus’ arms flew wide with the force of his fall, completely exposing himself. Jasper was on top of the knight, shield raised, ready to bring the point down on Titus’ face.

  “Good!” Benn said again, a hint of admiration in his voice. “Very good, my Lord! Initiative and creativity. You will be quite an interesting pupil.” Jasper grinned up at the orc and stood, holding out his hand to Titus. The knight took it and shook his head to clear it. He chuckled and clapped Jasper on the back.

  “That was quite a move. I was certainly not expecting you to launch into a grapple on your first day.”

  “At home—in my world—I played a sport called ‘football’,” Jasper explained, smiling at the memory. “Two teams of players take turns trying to advance a leather ball from one side of the field to the other. One team carries the ball, the other tries to stop them.” Jasper grinned broadly. “I was a good defender. Tackling was one of my favorite parts of the game.”

  “I can see that,” Titus laughed heartily. “You might have to tell me more about that game. Football sounds interesting.”

  “It could be a fun team-building exercise,” Jasper said, scratching his jaw thoughtfully. “We’ll see if anyone else is interested. I’d have to find or make a ball first…”