A World Apart (22 page)

"You will have plenty of time to get to know one another."  Helman said brusquely, quickly cutting off the conversation.  "There is work to be done."  He took charge of the little group, setting Dern and Almos to tasks and having Jake continue to bring fuel.

After bringing over the fuel, Helman had Jake work the furnace bellows as Dern, wearing heavy leather gloves, heated a long metal rod.  Helman demonstrated and explained how to keep the furnace a constant temperature, which was critical to ensure the even heating of the metal.  Dern pulled the rod from the furnace, the end cherry-red, and moved over to an anvil.  Under Helman's watchful eye, Dern grabbed a large hammer and began to rhythmically pound the metal, reheating it when it cooled.  The sound of the ringing metal filled the smithy, drowning out all of the other sounds from Jake's hearing.

Working the bellows for Dern and Almos kept Jake busy for the rest of the morning.  Helman called a short break about mid-morning while he went to confer with Norlan, which allowed Jake to talk with Dern and Almos.  Talking with boys his age made Jake feel better and soon they were laughing and joking.  Helman returned and the boys went back to work.

The time seemed to fly and before Jake knew it, Norlan came out to announce it was time for the mid-day meal.  He had Jake take off the smithy gear and put on his armor and sword, which awed Dern and Almos, and led the boys and Helman to a food shop down the street from the smithy, with tables set up under the tall tree in the yard.  Norlan ordered food for all of them, which arrived quickly, served by the plump woman who ran the shop.  The smells coming off the plate of chicken, vegetables and a piece of buttered dark bread set Jake's mouth watering.  After working all morning, Jake was famished and shoveled in the food, washing it down with the sweet fruit punch that came with the meal.  After he cleared his plate, he sat back, feeling content, enjoying the shade of the tree.

The others finished shortly and rose, Norlan going over to pay the proprietress for the meals.  Jake stood as well, adjusting his armor and sword belt slightly.  Helman, Dern and Almos said goodbye to Jake as they headed back to the smithy.

Norlan came back over to Jake.  "I'm going with you today, Jake.  I promised Madalin to speak to Dominic about his conditions regarding your armor and home.  I may as well get that over with."  He blew out a short breath.  "Let's go.  You don't want to be late on your first day."

Norlan and Jake made their way to the training grounds, with Norlan pointing out points of interest as they walked.  Many of the people on the streets greeted Norlan and gave Jake curious looks.

They made their way to the gate that Jake had entered the training grounds.  Two guards were on duty, with Dominic standing a few feet away, talking with another soldier.  As they approached, the guards crossed their spears, blocking their entry.

The guard on the right, a light-haired young man only a couple of years older than Jake, spoke.  "I am sorry, Mastersmith Norlan, but I cannot allow you onto the grounds.  My orders are only to allow Dominic's pupil passage."

"That is fine, young Hadar.  I understand the importance of orders."  Norlan replied, a warm smile on his face.

"So, now you remember your orders, do you?"  Dominic said to the guard, voice hard.  "It would have been better if you remembered them earlier."  The guard stood rigidly, his face flushing bright red at the comment.

Dominic stared at the young man for a moment longer, then turned to Norlan.  "I didn't expect to see you this afternoon, Norlan.  Is something amiss?"

"Actually, may I speak with you privately?" Norlan asked.  "It should only take a minute or two." 

"Of course, Norlan."  Dominic replied, leading him a few paces away.

Jake watched as the two quietly spoke, quiet enough that Jake could not hear.  Norlan suddenly smiled and shook his head.  After Dominic said something else, he let out a laugh.  After a few more words, they shook hands and came back over to Jake, Norlan still smiling.  He reached out to Jake, putting his hand on Jake's shoulder.

"Listen to Dominic, lad, and follow his instructions.  I know that you will do well."  Norlan said.  "I will see you tonight for the evening meal.  Train hard."  With a nod to Dominic, Norlan strode off, seemingly content, heading back to the smithy.

"Let's go, boy.  Daylight is wasting."  Dominic said as he headed back into the training ground, giving Hadar another hard look as he passed, Jake hurrying to catch up.  They made their way down the fence line, into an area that Jake had not been.

"Dominic?  What was that all about at the gate?  I know what Norlan was going to ask you, but why did he laugh?"  Jake asked as they walked.

Dominic snorted.  "Norlan was amused because his wife already cornered me this morning about you wearing your armor and sword at their house, as well as your training in general."  He gave his head a short shake.  "I will say that you have made quite an impression on that woman.  You would have thought I was having you kicking children the way she came at me.  The end result is that you can take off your armor and sword at the house, as long as you are not leaving for anything other than the baths."

"What about the stuff with the guard?"  Jake asked, relieved to know that he can relax at Norlan's.

"Apparently, he lived down the street from Norlan's."  Dominic replied.  "Madalin has known him all of his life and used to watch him when he was young.  Because of his familiarity with her, the young idiot allowed her in to harangue me."  His face creased into a small smile.  "I made it clear to him what I thought of that."

Dominic led him past a couple of small buildings to a small open area near the fence, covered by short cut grass.  The area had a couple of trees nearby for shade and a small wooden rail on the far edge, set up with pegs, clearly to hang equipment on.  Dominic took Jake to the center of the grassy area.

"I want to make a few things clear before we start."  Dominic said, turning to face Jake.  His blue eyes, staring intently from that scarred face, seemed made of sapphires, bright and hard.  "First, I plan to be hard on you, harder than most trainees.  We do not know how much time you have to train or where your fate will take you.  So, I assume that we have to maximize the training time we do have.  I can't make you a master with the blade in a week, but I hope to get you to the point where you can at least defend yourself."  He let the words sink in for a moment.  "Do you understand what I am saying?"

Jake nodded.  "I understand."

"Will you agree to follow my instructions, even if you don't understand the purpose?"  Dominic asked.

"Yes."

"Good.  Let me see your blade."  Jake reached over and drew his sword.  Dominic stepped close and inspected the blade, nodding his approval of its condition.  He had Jake sheathe it again and inspected his armor, pulling on the straps and checking the fit.  Satisfied, he stepped back.

"Remember that you must find time to maintain your equipment.  I will not tolerate anything less."  Dominic said.  "Now, the first thing I want to work on is your stance."

Following Dominic's instructions, Jake set himself in a stance, with his right leg slightly forward, body slightly turned.  Using his feet to make small corrections to Jake's stance, Dominic finally seemed satisfied.

"This is the basic stance for learning the sword."  Dominic said.  "As we progress, I will teach you how to fight no matter how your body is positioned."  He stepped back a couple of paces.  "Your first lesson seems simple, but it could be the one thing that saves your life.  Draw your sword."

Jake reached across his body and drew his sword.  "Faster next time.  Do it again."  Dominic stated, voice even.  Jake did it again multiple times over the next hour.  With every draw, Dominic seemed to have a new critique and had Jake try again.  Standing, sitting and even lying down, Jake was made to draw his sword again and again.

After Jake's arm began to tire, Dominic had him start drawing it with his left hand.  When he complained about the awkwardness, Dominic simply asked.  "If you cannot use your right arm for some reason, are you just going to lay down and die?"  Clearly not expecting an answer, he had Jake continue.

When Dominic seemed satisfied, he had Jake stop.  His eyes remained hard as ever.  "You may believe that this is a meaningless exercise, but the person who can get their sword out first usually lives to see another day.  I will have you practice this every day until drawing your sword is second nature."

After a short rest break, Dominic had Jake go hang his sword belt on a peg while he produced two practice swords.  The practice swords were similar in size and weight as Jake's sword, but the edges were blunted, with the point squared off.  Dominic handed one sword to Jake and had him assume his stance.

"First, we will learn some defense."  Dominic said as he instructed Jake on some basic parries.

After having Jake practice them a few times, Dominic assumed a stance opposite Jake.  Using the other practice sword, he thrust and slashed at Jake, calmly telling him which parry to use.  Watching Jake's movements, Dominic kept a running critique as he continued to come at Jake, his sword moving slightly faster in every attack.

"You are parrying too far, boy."  Dominic said after attempting a thrust, holding up a hand.  "Move your feet and body as well.  You don't need to knock the sword away completely.  You need to keep your sword as near to centerline as possible, to allow for counterattacks.  Here, let me show you.  Thrust at me."

As Jake thrusted his sword, Dominic twisted his body slightly as he allowed Jake's sword to run along his blade, just deflecting it an inch or so away from his body.  With a twist of his wrist, the blunt point of Dominic's blade was suddenly at Jake's throat.  "You see?"  Dominic asked.

Jake nodded, but asked.  "Isn't the blade awfully close to your body?

"That's why you wear armor."  Dominic simply stated.  "Now you try it."

For the next couple of hours, Dominic ran Jake through drill after drill, always correcting him and demonstrating the proper technique.  With the afternoon sun angling towards the horizon, the thrill of learning swords was wearing off when Dominic finally called a halt.  Jake was sweating profusely, his arms feeling like rubber.

"That's enough for today, boy.  I need to go see the commander before it get too late and you need to go to the stables and see Captain Armartas.  You have some responsibilities over there as well."  Dominic gathered the practice swords as Jake went over to recover and belt back on his sword.  "We will meet here tomorrow at the same time.  Make sure you are getting some rest, the training is only going to get harder."  With that, he strode off back towards the buildings.

Rubbing his sore arms, Jake made his way through the training areas, watching the various groups of soldiers practicing different drills.  As always, he got some curious looks in return as he made his way to the stables.  Once there, he went to Captain Armartas' office, finding him writing in a journal.  Jake knocked at the door, causing Armartas to look up.

"Welcome, Jake."  Armartas said quietly.  He stood up and came over to the door.  "Dominic said you would be by today."  Grabbing a set of keys, he led Jake back towards Dontas' stable.

As they walked, Armartas asked.  "How was your first day of training, Jake?"

"Fine, but I'm a bit tired."  Jake replied.

Armartas laughed.  "That is a common reaction to Dominic's training style, but you truly have the best teacher around.  You may find many envious of you."

When they were near Dontas' stall, Armartas stopped near a closed door situated between stalls.  He pulled out his keys and opened the door.  Inside were four stations set up along the walls, two on each side.  Each station contained a bridle and saddle, as well as brushes and other tack.  Armartas pointed to the one on the right, closest to the door.  "This is yours, Jake.  Grab the saddle."

Jake lifted the saddle off its stand, groaning a bit from the weight, arms protesting.  Armartas took the bridle and went over to Dontas' stall, Jake following.  Gently stroking Dontas' head, Armartas showed Jake how to set the bridle and led Dontas into the hallway. Under Armartas' guidance, Jake practiced putting on and removing the saddle from Dontas several times.  Once he was satisfied with Jake's progress, Armartas had him put the saddle back in the tack room and showed him where the feed was kept, as well as the straw.

Armartas handed Jake a key off his key ring.  "This is your key for the tack room.  Always remember to lock it after you are done."  He lightly gripped one of Jake's arms.  "We will take Dontas out on your next visit.  Now, you need to brush down Dontas and clean out his stall.  You should also make sure that he is fed and watered before you leave."

"By the way, Dominic told me that you would clean out Shadow's stall and feed him as well.  You remember where he is stalled?"  Jake nodded slowly, inwardly groaning.  Armartas gave him a knowing smile and left.

Jake headed back to Dontas, grabbed a brush and set to work.  Dontas was a bit skittish at first, but relaxed after a few minutes, allowing Jake to complete the brushing quickly.  He found a shovel and wheelbarrow and cleaned out the stall, laying down some fresh straw.  He grabbed some feed and hay, refilled the water trough and led Dontas back into the stall.  He removed the bridle and stroked Dontas' head for a few moments, then left, closing the stall and locking up the tack room.

He made his way over to Shadow's stall and repeated the process.  He was a little afraid of the big stallion, but surprisingly, Shadow was compliant.  By the time he led Shadow back into his stall and left the stables, he felt exhausted and the sun was close to setting in the west.  He made his way through the training grounds and back towards Norlan's.  He ignored the early evening crowds, not really paying attention as he focused on getting back and going to sleep.

When he arrived at Norlan's house, he was surprised to see Jonas and Hailyn standing in the yard, talking with Norlan while Cherise and Maxis ran around.  Maxis gave a bark as Jake reached the gate, charging over to him.  Jake tiredly reached down and petted him as the dog bounced around excitedly while the others looked in his direction.  He made his way over to them.