<u> </u>


    “Croí?” I startled awake, nearly attacking Keokin. “Whoa. Good morning to you too.” He said, smiling. “It’s time to get ready.” I nodded.


    “Thanks.” I said simply. I slept in. I should’ve been awake an hour ago. I got ready as fast as I could and grabbed a few things from the pantry before heading into the training room. I noticed a figure standing in the corner with my peripheral vision and looked over to find Edorin standing there. I saluted sharply, dropping my biscuit.


    “Captain.”


    “At ease.” He said quietly. I picked my biscuit up and looked at him awkwardly, unsure of what he wanted and why he was here. Also scared that Sacae would walk in, see us, and get mad. He came close to me, keeping his voice low. “I’m sorry if I startled you Croí. I had a few questions to ask you. As a mentor, not your Captain.” He gave a slight one-sided smile.


    “Ok.” I said, eager to hear what he had to say.


    “How is your relationship with your fellow Guardians?” He asked.


    “Really good. I’m their shield brother. I’ve got their back and they have mine.” I said, glancing up at him with a smile. He nodded.


    “What about with the other Agers?”


    “I get along well with everyone but William.”


    “What happens with William?” He asked.


    “He’s just not very kind, I guess. It’s ok though because Jael and Klintock watch out for me when they need to.” I said, glancing back up at him again.


    “Do they need to often?” He asked.


    “Uh. Not really.”


    “Sacae.” I looked up as he said it. Not at him like I had with the other questions, but around the room to see if Sacae was there. He wasn’t and I was confused as to why Edorin would say his name. I looked at him and saw a slight look of sadness. His eyes darted towards the stairs that led above deck and his expression returned to normal. “You know.” He started, pursing his lips. “Your brother Kixas and me were on the same Aging.”


    “No way! Really?” I was excited by the idea that I might get some stories of Kixas. I missed him and was overjoyed to hear his name again. Edorin chuckled.


    “Yes. Swear on the Sea God Machlír (Mock-leer).”


    “What was he?”


    “A Guardian just like you. He was the one that threw that flaming spear at Bháis.”


    “Really? That was Kixas?” Edorin nodded, smiling at my enthusiasm.


    “It was. After I threw mine and alerted Bháis, he was smart enough to remember its weakness to fire. He wrapped his spear in flammable cloth. Of course, the other Guardian and our Leader suffered in the time it took him to prepare the spear, but it was a brilliant idea. Worked like a charm and saved the rest of us.”


    He patted me on the head and started walking off quickly into the galley, giving a small wave over his shoulder as he went. As soon as he entered the galley, Sacae turned the corner and saw the last of me waving. He looked at me strangely and waved back slightly. I was relieved that he hadn’t seen Edorin, and I was happy having heard a tale of Kixas. Jael and Klintock rushed in as soon as they saw Sacae.


    “I’m planning a fairly light session today. I want you three to show off what I’ve been teaching you. As such, each one of you will be sparring with me for the next four hours. Then we will do our finishing stretches twice.”


    I was worried about Sacae sparring with them. If Edorin had talked to him that morning, there was a possibility he would think me weak and swap me out for Jael. He got into a sparring stance. “Croí. You’re up first.” I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into position. Like usual, I struggled well before Sacae got me into a hold and forced me to tap out. Then was Jael and Klintock’s turn. Sacae allowed them to have much more time, trying out lunges and feints, allowing them to begin a move on him only for him to reverse it and tell them how to do it better. I learned a lot from just standing there and watching, but, admittedly, it wasn’t as good as doing it.


    Four hours passed quickly and for the first time in a while, I left the session with only three or four new bruises. All in all, not too bad a day. We decided to go and see what the others were up to, only to find them on the upper deck sparring with Zanataz. Sable waved when she saw us, then turned back to the match between Zanataz and Keokin.


    Keokin was putting up a good fight. He had the top position, somehow looping one of his legs under and around Zanataz’s. It was a move I’d never seen before, but it looked effective. That is until Zanataz made a series of quick and efficient moves that I didn’t fully understand, and then Keokin was in a strange choke hold with Zanataz’s legs, who now had both his arms free. Keokin tapped out and I sat there, stunned.


    “We never learned that one.” Klintock said. Me and Jael nodded.


    “None of them.” Jael agreed. I went over to the foremast and climbed a bit up it to watch. I observed several more moves and effective counters moves.


    “Right then. Time for sparring. You have one hour left, that’s one match each. Then the bell for a one-hour break and then tournament time. Sable and Leola, you’re up.” Zanataz said. The two girls squared off in the center, both dancing back and forth until Leola dove in after Sable’s leg. Sable leapt forward, flipping once and landing behind Leola. My mouth dropped open, but everyone else, including Leola, seemed unphased.


    How did she do that? Sable was quick to counterattack, as soon as she landed, she grabbed and twisted under Leola’s arm, pulling her to the ground. Leola’s foot went behind and locked into Sable’s leg, taking them both down to the ground where they rolled and twisted over each other, grabbing arms and legs, and twisting, constantly vying for a better position. After a minute it was difficult for my eyes to follow, but then I was just looking down at Sable and Leola entwined with each other.


    My heart started pounding. It was amazing to watch their muscles move and flex, then clamp down on each other, and the skill they displayed with their movements. The feeling I got when I first saw Sable in her pants was coming back and I felt a pang of fear. I decided to get up and move to the back of the ship and watch the ocean instead. Whatever that feeling was, it caused uncomfortable and confusing things to happen. It made me feel strange.


    Maybe I should see Leola about it. But what if she doesn’t know what it is? Maybe I should go to Leola’s mentor. That could be a better idea. Maybe I’ll do that while everybody else is resting. I went back to check on the match, only to find it was William and Zanataz. Leola and Sable were off to the side talking. I went down and asked, nearly in a whisper.


    “Leola?” Her ears perked up like she heard something, then Sable noticed me and yelled in surprise.


    “Geez Croí. You’re like a ghost.” She and Leola laughed.


    “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” I said.


    “It’s fine.” Leola said laughing. “What did you need Croí?”


    “I was just wondering, when is the best time to see Lanaea?” I asked.


    “Pretty much anytime really. Why? Are you feeling ok?”


    “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine I just...Never mind.” I started walking away towards the bow of the ship.


    “Wait.” She got up and came up next to me. “What’s wrong?” I shook my head slightly. I can’t talk about it with her. What if she has to examine me? I can’t let her see the bruises.


    “It’s nothing.” I said.


    “It’s not nothing. Come on, I’m the Aid. I’m supposed to take care of you, but I can’t take care of you if I don’t know what’s wrong.” Sable had noticed the conversation and came over to check.


    “What’s wrong with Croí?” I don’t like this. I need to go.


    “He won’t tell me.” Sable put her hands on her hips and leaned forward.


    “Come on Croí, out with it. If you’re hurt, we should know.” Both of them being this close to me made my heart beat fast, and the nervousness more intense, coupled with the potential of them finding my bruises, it was too much, then I looked down at Sable’s pants which made everything worse.


    “I’m fine. Just forget about it!” I yelled, turning to walk away. Leola grabbed high on my right arm. I winced, pulling away and went below deck.


    That was stupid. Even if I went to Lanaea, she might have to inspect me too. I kicked myself mentally for slipping up like that. I waited in the corner of the training room, moving the gear around so I would have something to hide behind in case Leola and Sable came looking, then sat down and took a few breaths to calm myself.


    It’ll be fine. Like Sable said, you’re a ghost. I’ll be fine here for an hour. I couldn’t get comfortable, and after a few minutes, I figured Leola and Sable wouldn’t be looking for me, so I went and grabbed a book. This is always good for passing the time. This time I took out a smaller book labeled ‘Legends.’


    Apparently, these were accounts of single sightings by single Cianíans, or a group that all saw the same thing. One entry was of a creature called the Spirit Wolf. It was a slightly larger than normal black wolf with red paws, and a grey skull instead of a face. This creature was referred to as a spirit because of a strange mist that permeated the area when it appeared. The description said that the spirit sat and stared at the observer for ten minutes, all the while being described as ‘bleeding’ something that seemed to be a bright red liquid from its eye sockets, that would vaporize into ash as soon as it hit the ground, and the air around it grew cold and stayed that way until it left.


    Apparently, the observer lost his fear of death, or all fear entirely to the point of being reckless. Eventually he regained a healthy amount caution but remained completely fearless.


    There was a sighting of an Antilek, or Wave Breaker. It was a drawing of a man from far away. The notes said that after making the nondescript sketch of the man, the observer attempted to communicate, but the man ran and dove into the water, disappearing beneath the waves. Seconds later a strange looking head popped up from the surf, well away from shore, that observed him for a moment before vanishing.


    The next entry was a terrifying image of a humanoid creature. It was tall and thin, with long clawed hands. Its eyes were small, and the mouth was just a vertical slit beneath a nonexistent nose. It was called the Pale Stranger.


    The observer was scouting the path ahead of her group, still within eye and ear shot, using the light from three full moons at the time. She seemed to not notice the light fading away until she could barely see sixty feet and lost sight of the camp, calling out for her group. She heard noises that sounded like two people walking and talking through the trees but didn’t recognize them as part of her group. She was following the voices, calling to them, then back to her group, then the voices sounded like they were being attacked. She heard the two people die, then she heard large footsteps moving towards her, stopping in front of her. She lit her torch and was met with the image she had drawn.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The creature was completely motionless in the torchlight, standing and staring at her as she yelled out in terror. She claimed that the mouth opened, and she felt the fear leave her. She felt like this creature was completely harmless and reached out to touch its face. It let out a scream that she recognized as her own, then ran away into the darkness with incredible speed. One of her group members arrived shortly after, along with the moonlight and she drew the picture, but forgot about the entire encounter on the short walk back to their camp.


    I closed the book and put it back in its place… Cool… Nightmares. I shivered and went back up onto the upper deck, craving any human interaction and the warmth of Kolob. Thirty minutes later the bell rang, and the entire crew came up onto the upper deck to observe the tournament. Cairen brought up two barrels and slammed a spigot into them, getting many tankards ready to serve what I assumed was the ale. Edorin opened the door to his quarters and stepped out. Zanataz yelled.


    “Captain on deck!” Everybody saluted.


    “At ease. Let’s start the tournament off right away with our first bout. William and Flint.” The crew and Agers cheered as William and Flint made their way into an open circular area made by the crew. “The rules are as follows. Grappling only, wins are by submission, knockout, or decision. We will not interrupt unless things get too heated. This is not a fight to the death, but it is to be a hard fight to test your skills. I don’t want any of you breaking bones. But just for safety’s sake, Lanaea will be available.”


    I looked at the two combatants in the center waiting for Edorin’s next words. “Now. Let’s begin. Combatants face off. When I say ‘go’ you will engage.” William and Flint nodded and squared off against each other. There was a tense silence for a few moments, before Edorin said. “Go.”


    William immediately charged at Flint, spearing his right shoulder into Flint’s stomach, and slamming him onto the ground with a heavy thud. The crowd made an ‘oooh’ sound. Flint looked to be hurt but acted quickly, wrapping his right arm around the back of William’s neck, locking his head in place, then taking hold of Williams right wrist and pulling it behind his back, trapping his arm and putting pressure on his shoulder. He wrapped his legs around William’s torso. William struggled for a moment, trying to free his head, then got irritated and forced himself into a standing position. Flint was caught off guard and struggled to free himself but, before he could, William slammed him down onto the deck.


    I could sympathize with the expression of pain on Flint’s face as he got into a guarded position and prepared for William’s advance. William paced for a moment, pulling on Flint’s legs, occasionally testing his defense. Eventually William backed off like he was going to let Flint stand up, but as soon as he tried, William charged him. Flint was up enough that he was able to dodge roll to one side and let William run past him. They squared off again in the middle, to the delight of the crowd. This time they stalked around the circle, each feinting and testing the other until William got impatient and rushed in. Flint dodged then lunged, grabbing around William’s torso, and wrapped a leg around to trip him. Flint pushed forward, throwing William off balance and onto the ground.


    They stayed on the ground for a while, nearly at a stalemate, each getting occasional encouragement from the crew. Finally, William dove onto Flint’s arm and pulled it out into an arm bar. Flint wasn’t fast enough to block William from getting the hold. He struggled for a few seconds until William pulled on his arm. I could see a smile on William’s face; he was enjoying the pain it caused Flint. He pulled harder and Flint yelled out, smacking William’s leg, tapping, but William kept going.


    Lanaea stepped in and slapped William in the face. Sable grabbed his arms and pulled them off, then helped Flint up. The two girls took Flint out of the circle and sat him down as Leola and Lanaea checked on him. “The winner of the first match is William.” Edorin proclaimed. The crew cheered for William as he got to his feet, hands in the air, grinning. Lanaea and Leola were bending his arm slowly and moving it, testing its mobility. Flint seemed to only have a mild look of pain as he answered whatever questions she asked him.


    Eventually, Lanaea looked back to Edorin nodded with a slight smile and said. “It’s time for a small break. At the sound of the bell, we will convene for the next match. Cairen if you would.” The crew cheered and swarmed around Cairen as he handed out tankards of ale. I watched Edorin come down to talk to Lanaea and Flint for a moment before rejoining the crowd.


    “That’ll be you someday.” William said from behind me. I turned, surprised to see him smiling with wide eyes.


    “Yeah. I guess.” I replied awkwardly. He seemed confused by my reply for a second then angry as he grabbed my shirt.


    “What do you mean ‘yeah. I guess’?” He growled. I noticed that I didn’t feel as much fear towards William. He wasn’t near as bad as Sacae.


    “I don’t know. It’s possible that you’ll beat me. I might beat you if I get lucky. Who knows?” I replied, disinterested. He seemed both confused and offended.


    “You should know.” He said in an angry whisper.


    “What?” I asked.


    “You should know that you''re going to win. That’s what makes a fighter! If you can’t even see yourself winning, you don’t have the will to fight! You’re useless and you don’t deserve that pack, or the title that comes with it.” At first his words cut like they normally would, but then I thought about what being a Guardian really meant. Why I had chosen to keep it. I straightened up and looked him in the eyes.


    “Being a Guardian isn’t just being a fighter. Being a Guardian is being a shield. Edorin said so himself. I may not be the fastest, strongest, or wisest member of the group, but I can take a hit. So go ahead. Call me names. Beat me. I don’t care. The pack and title of Guardian are mine, and I will be the best shield brother I can possibly manage.” He was surprised by my sudden outburst of courage. Admittedly, so was I. His anger returned, and he shook his head, but just as it looked like he was going to attack, his eyes glanced to the side. I followed to see Cairen heading our way, not looking happy.


    “You’re naive, and when you die, I’ll take your place.” William said as he pushed past me and through the crew to get his tankard of ale. Cairen had what looked like stern words for him and took his ale from him. It looked like he was saying he had to apologize before he could have it. I sighed with relief, almost proud of myself for how I’d handled that. Then the bell rang, and my heart started pounding hard again. Everyone reformed the circle and looked to Edorin.


    “The second match of the tournament is between Croí and Klintock. Combatants, face each other in the circle.” My hands were shaking, and my jaw was chattering, like it did when I was cold, as I slowly pushed my way past the crew into the center where Klintock was jumping up and down, readying himself for the bout. I looked at the faces around me nervously. All cheering and whooping as they drank from their tankards. Klintock’s face was pleasant but serious. I moved to the center.


    “Don’t worry Croí. It’s just a sparring match. We’ve done this dozens of times.” Klintock reassured. We squared off, and I couldn’t stop myself from shaking, even by making fists.


    “Go.” Klintock feinted several times in quick succession. Each one making me flinch in reaction until his real attack came. Instead of reacting, I just flinched. He slammed into my midsection. I was barely able to react by pulling my legs off the ground and just letting him push me for a bit before twisting out of his hold.


    I knew Klintock’s style. After first contact he would rush constantly until a grapple was engaged. I dropped to the ground, causing him to trip over me. I took hold of his leg and put my right calf behind his right thigh, then sat on his right ankle, putting pressure on his leg as I went in for a choke hold. What I didn’t remember was that with this particular move, if your shin bone isn’t facing the opponent’s calf, the pain isn’t as severe. Klintock quickly turned and grabbed my arm, keeping our legs entwined as he forced me to the ground and pulled my arm behind my back.


    I felt stupid having messed up such a prime opportunity. I freed my legs and rolled forward out of the shoulder trap, but Klintock kept hold of my arm, bending my wrist. I rolled and pulled like I had done with Sacae to free myself, but was caught mid roll by Klintock, who took hold of my leg and dropped down, trying for a heel hook. I kicked out and rolled away.


    We both stood and squared off with each other again. I felt tired, wanting the fight to be over, but wanting to win to show off Sacae’s training and make him look good. Klintock feigned high, and this time I reacted, but he went low, wrapping around my bruised ribs, then pushing out my leg and forcing me down onto my bruised back. The pain was intense enough that I barely reacted when Klintock pulled me into a leg bar. I sat for a moment, feeling the pain he was applying. I resisted for a few seconds but eventually tapped out.


    Tired and embarrassed, I pushed myself to my feet and limped out through the crew heading below deck, but I was halted by the sight of Sacae standing by the door, talking with another crewman.


    “The winner of the second match is Klintock. Well done.” One of the crewmen slapped me on the back, and I winced.


    “Well done boy, that was a good match.” Said a bearded, burly crewman I recognized from our first day with Sacae, he was the one I tackled. No, it wasn’t. I’m pathetic.


    “Thank you sir.” I smiled wryly and headed off threw the crowd. I found my spot on the foremast where I could still watch all the matches to come, happy that there weren’t so many eyes on me anymore. Good match? My technique was terrible, my bruises were constantly hindering my reaction time, and I was too worried about all the eyes on me to do anything but freeze.


    “The third match will be between Jael and Céírde. Please make your way to the center.” Both squared off. “Go.” They were still for a moment, each one looking like they didn’t want to make the first move. Céírde lunged and Jael moved to one side, clamping onto her wrist, and spinning her. I recognized the move. Jael lightly tossed Céírde across the circle, she landed awkwardly at the feet of the crewmen, who backed up in surprise.


    Jael waited for Céírde to get back up and square off again. The next two attempts Céírde made ended similarly, with Jael throwing her to the ground in different ways. Céírde stretched the third time, smiling at Jael, partly impressed, partly annoyed. This time Jael took the initiative, rushing in and testing Céírde’s defenses before grabbing around her waist, lifting her up, turning around, and dropping to the floor, landing on top of her. Céírde tried to recover, but it was too late. Jael grabbed her ankle and twisted it up. Céírde struggled for a few seconds but tapped out from the pain.


    Jael helped her up and they hugged, putting their hands in the air to the sound of cheers. “The winner is Jael. Well done Jael, head over to Cairen for your prize. The next bout, will resume after a short break to refill.” Break? That’s a good idea. I need to calm down, take a break. I took a deep breath, trying to relax and calm myself. Then another, and another. My hands were shaking less, and I didn’t feel like my heart was trying to claw itself out of my chest.


    Now that I was calm and able to think somewhat clearly, I did feel guilty for yelling at Leola and Sable earlier. They were trying to help me, and I asked them for help, then I yelled at them. I wanted to apologize, but also worried that if I did, I would have to explain what it was about.


    Of course, I could tell her that it was a personal matter. Technically accurate. I’ll go with that. I searched for her, finding her leaning on the deck’s railing with Sable. I took a few deep breaths to muster the courage and made my way down towards them. The bell rang and they rushed back into the circle. I sighed. Another time then. I climbed a bit up the foremast to watch. “Keokin and Leola to the center.” The two squared off. “Go.”


    They circled each other, Keokin would reach out and tap her hands, like he was going to grab them but then retreat. Leola seemed to be hesitant at first, flinching at his hands. Then suddenly she seemed to focus and snatch his wrist, pulling him towards her and trying to wrap him in a hold. Keokin resisted, blocking her from tripping him or looping an arm around his neck creating a stalemate.


    Finally, Leola, grabbed his right wrist and pushed hard, sneaking her leg behind him to trip him. As they fell, she managed to get her right arm looped around his neck, with his right arm jutting awkwardly out the top, but she landed off to the side, making the hold awkward. Keokin twisted towards her, loosening her hold. He struggled on top of her, forcing her arms open and slipping through them. She bucked him off to the side, but he had hold of her left arm and tried to pin it. She was quick and escaped the hold, taking hold of Keokin’s arm, then going for his neck, eventually maneuvering behind him, putting him in a choke.


    They swapped positions back and forth like this for the next three minutes until they were both breathing heavily. Finally, Keokin was able to pin her facedown, and pull her arm back and up. She struggled and twisted, but he adjusted, keeping her from escaping and put more pressure on her arm. She groaned, thought about what to do, but couldn’t see a way out and tapped.


    Edorin congratulated them and called for the last match between Lánn and Sable. It was fun to note the size difference between them and the rest of the crew. As soon as Edorin said go, Sable was on the move.


    She sprinted at Lánn, then at the last second, slid on the floor while taking hold of Lánn’s leg and pulled it up, forcing Lánn to start falling over. Sable kept hold of her leg and stood up, pulling the leg into a strange hold, and putting pressure on it before Lánn hit the ground. She struggled but was forced to tap out.


    All of us were stunned. It had happened within seconds. Lánn didn’t even have time to fight back. The crowd cheered as the two girls stood. Lánn looked sad but also happy for Sable. “There you have it. Sable is the winner of the final match of the evening.” They cheered again. Sable waved to get Edorin’s attention and he nodded.


    “Can I share my ale with Lánn?” Sable asked.


    “Couldn’t hurt.” He replied.


    “Yes!” She exclaimed. They both hugged each other and ran off to claim their tankard of ale.


    “That’s it then. One more round of ale for the lot of you and then it’s down to the galley for a feast.” Maybe I should look for Lanaea now. Maybe she could help me figure out what’s wrong. I spotted Leola talking with Sable, Lánn, and Lanaea heading below deck. I jumped down the last three steps from the upper deck, as soon as I hit the ground my left knee and calf muscles gave out, sending me to my hands and knees. I groaned from the pain for a moment then stood, slowly. I looked up to find them already vanishing below deck. I sighed. Tomorrow then. Gods I’m weak.


    “You alright Croí?” Edorin asked from behind me. I turned to face him, putting on a blank face.


    “I’m… fine, Captain. No need to worry about me.”


    “Are you sure? That’s not a very great height, it shouldn’t be affecting your young legs.”


    “Yeah. I just… I don’t know what happened. Landed wrong or something.” Not the whole truth, but not entirely a lie. He nodded.


    “I suggest you get some rest, and something to eat.” I nodded and rushed below deck. I didn’t spot the girls, so I followed Edorin’s advice and got something to eat and went to bed.