Legon Awakening: Book One in the Legon Series (45 page)

“Don’t we need guards on the blades?” Sasha asked
timidly.

“No. I don’t plan on hurting you, nor do I plan on
you hurting me, but if you like I will guard the blades with
magic.”

There was the telltale flicker of pink. Sasha had
fought before; it was necessary when Kovos was killed. But she was
using the Mahann then and she had to fight. Now that Sasha was
among friends, Iselin could see that Sasha was not really able to
handle it. No, it was Legon that had gotten her through the
violence. Just as Sasha affected him, he gave her strength; he had
a strong connection with her at all times.

Sasha was holding the Faloon in a ready position. A
human wouldn’t have seen the slight tremble, but Iselin did.

“Are you connected with your brother?” Iselin
asked.

“Well no, not really. Why, should I be?”

“Yes, open the connection just a bit.” The trembling
stopped. Iselin breathed in deeply, fighting back anger.

“Iselin, I’m sorry. What did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Let’s begin.”

* * * * *

Legon stood across from Sydin, covered in sweat. They
had been going at it with the fenrra for close to an hour, and he
was finally starting to get tired. To his great pleasure, so was
Sydin. He bested Sydin about half the time, which also made him
happy. Sydin was six thousand years old and had a lot more
experience.

“I can’t believe I’ve beaten you as much as I
have.”

Sydin laughed. “Don’t be too proud, Un Prosa. I’ve
been ascended for thousands of years, and we dragons don’t use
swords as much as you might think.” He winked at him.

“Thank you for the motivational talk. That makes me
feel all warm on the inside.”

“That’s why I’m here. Now, I have something new to
show you.”

Legon walked over to Sydin, who was picking up a
blade in a sheath. The definition of broadsword was like its name:
broad. There were small ones for close combat. These only needed
one hand and were short. The most common in Airmelia was the hand
and a half like Kovos used, and now Keither, but there were still
more. Some were six or seven feet long and used like an axe. Sydin
was holding a sheathed blade that looked to be along the same lines
as the fenrra, but it wasn’t.

“Take it out and have a look.”

The sheath showed that the blade, whatever it was
called, was just slightly longer than a hand and a half, but it was
significantly wider. Legon gripped the overly long handle and
pulled. Like the fenrra, the sword slid out silently. He held it
vertically in front of his face, examining it. It was a match to
the fenrra in all but the width, which was close to six inches. He
instantly felt the balance. Like the fenrra, the handle was a
counter weight, but why so wide? It was also very light for a
weapon this size.

“Is it hollow?” Legon asked, stunned.

“Very astute of you. In a way, it is. This is a
fenna, or a Venefica Battle Sword, as some like to call them,”
Sydin explained.

“A what?” Legon asked.

“You see, crystals break; they’re brittle, so you
can’t make the core of a sword out of them. But there are some
metals that hold magic, and those can form the core of a sword.
Although the metals lose power much faster than crystals, you can
still see the potential.”

“So you can use these to do magic. But I still don’t
see what makes that so special. Can you kill easier with them or
something?” Legon asked.

“Well, yes and no. They give you a certain edge. What
most do is imbue the blade with wards that affect only the blade.
Then if, say, a ball of fire is shot at you, then you can deflect
it with the blade and not tax your own wards. They are impractical
for offensive magic.”

“Why is that?” Legon asked

“You know that magic is affected by space, so a ward
only has to protect the surface of the blade, which is very close.
Never does it have to affect anything that’s not itself. If it does
it takes much more energy.”

“But you could still do it?” Legon asked.

“Yes, you could. you may try and kill a dragon, for
example. They have wards that help against swords and claws, so you
could use the energy to get past those wards and more important,
the wards that help the dragon heal after getting hurt. But I make
this warning to you now, Un Prosa: if you used the fenna in that
way it will take all of the blade’s energy, then you are stuck with
an oversize fenna against a dragon. So pick your attack well or
don’t try it at all,” Sydin said.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Now, did Arkin teach you how to fill objects with
magic?” Sydin asked.

“Yes, he did.”

“Good. Fill the sword as much as you can over the
next few hours as we have lunch.”

After that they went and ate lunch with Iselin and
Sasha. Iselin seemed to be irritated about something, but she
wasn’t letting on. Sasha told him about her test with Iselin. She
went on to say just how fast and graceful Iselin was and how
powerful she was when using magic.

“You fought with magic?” Legon asked.

“Yes, and your sister did very well,” Iselin
said.

Ise wrapped her arm around Sasha and squeezed.

“Did her minor help her at all?” Legon wondered.

“Yes, it did. She is very good with elements like
metal, fire, and water. I want to start working with her on
crystals as soon as we can. I think that she will show promise in
that area.”

Sasha beamed at Legon. He was happy to see her doing
well. No one other than family had ever told Sasha she was good at
something or doing well, or at least they didn’t to her face. He
knew just how much Iselin’s praise meant to her.

“That’s good. We need as many people as we can
working with them,” Sydin said.

After lunch Legon was to have his test with the
fenrra and magic. Sydin said that because Iselin saw him fight with
magic once before, they would go straight to working with the blade
and magic together. Sasha and Iselin were to join them for this.
Sydin explained how to activate spells in the fenrra.

Legon gripped the handle. There were four gold bars
that moved down it and into the blade, providing a faster
connection. It felt odd in his hand. Once charged, it moved
differently. It was connected with him, and as such it felt like a
small extension of his arm, but an extension that almost seemed to
think for itself.

Sydin pulled out a fenrra of his own and stood
opposite Legon. Iselin had been giving Legon new spells to learn,
ones that were more advanced than what he had learned on their
journey.

“Legon, you need to put a stop-all ward on me, and I
will put one on you. Think of this as a guard,” Sydin said.

“But if we get through each other’s wards, won’t it
hurt the attacker and the defender?” Legon was talking about
draining his own ward if he made it through Sydin’s.

“No. If you ward me, you can produce the most
powerful spell in history and it will stop harmlessly against your
own wards, no matter how weak. That’s why you can have fire in your
hand and it won’t hurt you. Now stop stalling,” Sydin said with a
smile.

Legon raised his wards, seeing little flickers of
light, and then on the other side he saw black flickers indicating
Sydin’s wards. Last, he placed a stop all around Sydin. These were
crude wards and could be broken by amateurs, but apparently not by
oneself.

He saw the flicker of black around himself. Sydin’s
eyes seemed to glitter more than usual and they walked in a circle.
Who would attack first? Legon noted the flickers of color around
Sasha and Iselin; no doubt Iselin was protecting them from any
stray spells. Sydin nodded and they added their own.

Sydin thrust his hand forward and a great flash of
gray-black magic shot from his hand. Sydin had the same minor as
Sasha; so this would be an element of sorts.

The Jezeer had taught Legon to use his muscles like
he was playing a fine instrument, and play he did, pivoting out of
the way as the dark blur shot past him. Legon sent a cutting curse
flying at Sydin, but the first attack had been a feint. Before the
curse left Legon’s hand, Sydin’s flame curse hit him hard. He felt
a jolt of energy leave him. There was another curse right behind
it. This time he swung the blade, deflecting the magic without
effort. He understood now.

The fight progressed quickly. Soon Legon was jumping
off walls and benches, sending magic in all directions. Sydin
followed suit, but Legon was much too strong for him. Legon came in
close, slashing with the blade and forcing Sydin to stop and fight
hand to hand. He did this a few times until he learned the more
powerful Venefica’s style. Sydin broke the encounter by coating the
floor with ice at Legon’s feet. Legon came in close again, and this
time when an ice spell came at him he deflected it down in front of
them. At the same time he feinted back, tricking Sydin into moving
forward without thinking.

It worked. Sydin slipped on the ice and landed hard
on his back, at the same moment flicking up his blade to block
Legon. Soon Legon was anticipating Sydin’s moves and he changing
his style frequently to keep his opponent off balance. Finally,
Sydin called a stop, which was a good thing. Legon could feel that
the sword was almost spent and then he would have definitely been
in trouble. His own magical reserves were all but gone as well, but
Sydin looked as though he hadn’t done anything.

“Good, Legon. You are good at changing styles and
learning your opponent. Even very old and experienced class fives
will have a challenge with you in one-on-one combat,” Sydin
remarked.

“Are you sure? You don’t look tired at all,” Legon
said.

Iselin laughed. He started. He had forgotten she and
Sasha were there. “Legon, when are you going to learn that we are
not like you two? We are Ascended. I’m a class six and Sydin a
seven. Our skills are far beyond your own.”

“I’m sorry, you’re right. That was…” Legon said.

“Look, I’m not mad. You’re new to this. It will take
you a while to overcome this perception. But hear this: if you see
a Venefica with flecks in their eyes, you run and run fast, you got
me? I’m not going to your funeral,” Iselin said firmly.

“Yes we understand Iselin. Thank you,” Sasha
said.

“What about in combat? Haven’t people ever attacked a
Dragon, I mean an Ascended, before?” Legon asked.

“That is a good question. Yes, if you are in combat
and there are two dragons fighting on the ground you may assist,
but likely the Iumenta will be doing the same. In that case it
would be wisest to attack the Iumenta. But be careful. You may be
strong, but you can still be crushed,” Sydin said.

The point was made. Abruptly, Sydin’s eyes slid out
of focus. He was receiving a message.

“What was it?” Legon asked.

“Our trick worked. The Iumenta are only coming with
three legions of humans and half a Legion of Iumenta,” Sydin
said.

“How many Ascended?” Iselin asked.

“Twenty-four.”

“Twenty-four? That’s twice as much as-” Legon
started.

“No, there are others in the mountains. They’re in
case the Iumenta try guerilla tactics,” Sydin assured them.

“So we need to get moving then, I take it?” Legon
said.

“Yes. You will have to make do with what training you
have. We will teach you more on the go. Now we need to get you
armor, and Sasha, we need to get you a store,” Sydin said.

“A what?” Sasha asked.

“It’s a large crystal you wear on your back. During
the battle you will be connected with Legon, giving him a broad
perspective of the fight. you will wear the crystal so that he may
get more energy for magic. you will see. Now let’s go,” Iselin
explained.

* * * * *

Barnin let the kid finish buckling his armor. The
empire was making its move, so they would be heading out as soon as
possible. Unfortunately, most of their troops had to be sent back
to Manton due to the difficulties of keeping an army fed. They
would be too far away to help, but initial intelligence said that
the Cona forces were comparable to their own.

Barnin moved his arms around, feeling the confinement
of the armor. It would loosen up in a little while. The cavalry was
considered to be a specialty unit, so they got better equipment
than the other units. Even so, most of his men didn’t have plate
armor and chainmail. Legon had fixed that problem. House Evindass
made a donation to his unit, and now all twenty men and horses were
fully armed. Barnin looked them over. They looked more confident
now that they shone like mirrors and the horses looked better too.
They would be an intimidating force.

“I am truly sorry, my old friend.” He heard Legon’s
voice coming from the entrance. All of the faces in the room turned
to see Legon and Sasha walking in.

“For what?” Barnin asked.

Legon walked up to him, inspecting his new armor.
“Even with all of this, you can’t fix ugly, but I promise we are
working on a way to fix your ailment.”

“Blow me,” Barnin said.

“But seriously, how is it working for you guys?”
Legon asked.

“It’s great. Everything fits nicely and we’re a lot
more protected. Don’t worry, we’ll earn it,” Barnin said.

“We know you will,” Sasha said with a grim smile.

“Sash, you’re not sticking around, are you?” Barnin
asked.

“Yes, of course I am. I have to—I’m a Venefica,” she
responded.

Barnin turned curiously to Legon. “You’re going to
let her go into combat? Are…”

“She’s not going into combat, but she will be there
connected with me and helping me out. It’s common enough, and she
will be safe,” Legon said.

Barnin didn’t want to push the subject. If Legon said
that Sasha was safe then she was.

Legon was in armor as well, but his was extremely
lightweight, like all Elven armor. With their speed and the use of
fenna, heavy armor was impractical and ineffective, so they went
for the light, fast-moving type. This armor was just for stray
arrows, and as such it did almost nothing for the fenna. Barnin
noticed a large shield-looking plate on Legon’s left shoulder. He
nodded to it, not wanting to move and disturb the kid finishing up
with his armor.