NexLord: Dark Prophecies (15 page)

Lor and Dono chose that minute to show
up.  The two street boys landed on one of the outer walls
from above and then hopped down before approaching Gandarel and
Aerin.

"I ought to punch you in the mouth, and I
would
too
if I wasn't afraid of
being arrested," Lor declared to Gandarel.

The future Warlord scowled at Lor, "Go ahead
girly-boy, I won't arrest you, I'll just kick your ass."

"You and what army?" Lor countered, and then
laughed.

It took Gandarel a moment to understand that
Lor had been kidding, and then he too laughed.

At that
moment,
Yearl and Tocor came out of the Inn and also
headed for the stable.

Gandarel looked intently at Yearl and then
shuddered.  "I wasn't sure back at the Seat last night,
but that's a Wiggin, or I’m a Togroth!" Gandarel said, his voice
dripping in disgust.

Now it was Aerin's turn to frown.
"Yearl?  Yes, he is a Willowman, but what has he done to
you to make you sound so disgusted?  He saved your
life!  He's the one that saved the three of us in the
church, which allowed us to sound the alarm.  Then he
saved you from that slimy Malachai." 

Lor spoke up, "Now there is a bastard to
hate."

"Besides," Aerin asked, still puzzled, "what
makes you dislike him?"

"Well, he's a Willowman," Gandarel
stated
as if that was excuse
enough.

"And that is a crime?  Where did
you get a fool idea like that?" Aerin asked.  Then he
looked at Lor and Dono, "You two don't feel that way, do you?"

Dono shrugged, "I don't hate 'em, but they
are unclean."

"Unclean... that’s ridiculous, Yearl is one
of the cleanest people I've ever met!"  Aerin said,
nearly exploding.  "And, he's my friend.  Who
taught you guys this crap anyway?"

Dono and Lor just shrugged, but Gandarel was
thoughtful for a moment before answering.  "Hork, High
Priest of The Hand.  He's always spouting on about the
lower races and how they are spies for the
Dreadmaster.  He says that we can only trust true
humans
and that all others are
just spawn created by the
Skyentim
."

"
Skyentim
?"
Lor repeated in a puzzled tone.

"They’re some kind of angels who fell from
paradise to burn
forever
or
something," Gandarel stated with a shrug.

Aerin shook his head, "I don't know what this
Priest has been feeding you, Gandarel, but have any of you actually
known a Willowman, or a Quarian?”

"Quarian!" Dono shuddered, "Those beast men
who live in the wastelands and feed on the Togroths?  I
heard they are fifteen feet tall and have snakes for hands!"

"I’m appalled, and again I ask, who feeds you
guys this stuff?" Aerin said in disgust.  "My father
taught me about the other races; they aren't evil or monsters, they
are just different! Do you believe this Priest… this Hork?” Aerin
asked Gandarel.

Gandarel smiled. “
Actually,
no; I think he’s full of crap about just about
everything.”

"There, you see?” Aerin said.

"Well maybe I’m wrong about willowmen, but
your father was wrong about Quarians! Anyone who has ever seen a
Quarian has been eaten by them," Dono informed them with terrible
logic.

"You look pretty good for a guy who has been
eaten," Aerin said with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Tocor is a Quarian," Aerin explained, just
as the large man came out of the stable carrying a large
bundle.

"You're a liar!" Dono exclaimed.

"Suit yourself," Aerin said with a smile.

The three other boys looked at the large
hooded man intently.

"Naw," Lor said, denying the truth.

"You're just pulling our leg," Dono
decided.

Aerin raised an eyebrow, "Yearl is a
Willowman, why can't Tocor be a Quarian?"

"I've seen a Willowman before," Dono
explained, "but no one has seen a Quarian."

"You have today," Aerin answered. "Remember,
he is my friend, and I expect him to be treated with
respect.  I don't trust those Priests that taught you,
Gandarel, I would rather trust a snake."

"Or a Willowman?" Gandarel
said
but smiled to take the sting out of his
words.  "All right, I'll give him the benefit of the
doubt. After all, that Priest Hork is more of an evil creature in
my book.  He has always given me the creeps."

Mara returned from the stable and saw Aerin
sitting with the other three boys.  "Aerin, did you
forget that you agreed to begin your lessons today?"

"I didn't forget, Mara," he sighed.

Mara smiled, "Good, then come
here.”  When Aerin arrived she added, “Today we'll start
with tactics."  Then she addressed Lor and
Dono.  "Hello boys, I was just going to teach Aerin a
lesson, but I need some help.  Would you two mind lending
me a hand?"

Lor shrugged and then both boys got to their
feet and sauntered over.  "Sure, what is he learning?"
Lor asked with a grin.

"Tactics," Aerin answered dryly.

Mara smiled at Aerin.  "He thinks
this is going to be dull.  Lor, do you have those colored
balls you like to juggle?"

As if out of thin air the red, blue and green
balls suddenly appeared, rotating in a complex pattern above Lor's
moving hands.  "These balls?” he asked innocently.

Mara smiled.  "Yes, but we'll only
need two right now."

The green one disappeared, and Lor kept the
other two in the air with one hand.

"I'm going to let you throw both of them at
Aerin, at once," Mara explained.

Aerin's eyes widened, "Hey!"

Mara shrugged, "Try not to let them hit
you.  Go ahead, Lor."

Almost simultaneously, both balls were flying
toward Aerin.  Aerin swatted one down by sweeping his
hand across, but the other ball hit him squarely in the chest.

"Ow!” he exclaimed, rubbing at the spot of
impact on his chest. The leather balls were soft, but filled with
sand, so the impact had been rather solid.

Lor laughed, "Got ya. I think I’m going to
like this training!"

Mara smiled as well and said, "Indeed.
Now, Aerin, you managed to block one of them, and that was well
done, but what happened with the second ball?"

"I couldn't stop it in time."

Lor retrieved the two balls from the
ground.

Mara kept her eyes on Aerin, "Throw the two
balls at me, Lor."

Again, faster than Aerin could believe, the
two balls were on their way toward Mara.

She simply turned her body so it was out of
their path and the balls
flew
passed
, landing in the dirt behind her.

"Movement, it is the most important part of
any conflict, but the other side to that statement is you should
never react blindly, you must choose your moves, not have them
chosen for you."

Aerin looked puzzled.  "That's the
most important thing?  Isn't strength, like Tocor, or
weapon skill, like Yearl, more important?"

"They have their place, but
movement
is critical," she explained. 

Tocor came over wearing his customary hooded
cloak pulled up over his bald head.  He was cradling some
long polished pieces of wood against his chest, using his black
leather covered hands.  When he placed them on the ground
Aerin saw that there were poles and a few wooden swords.

Mara invited Lor,
Dono,
and Aerin to pick up wooden swords; there were no
sharp edges or points on any of them.

Aerin noted that both boys kept a wary eye on
Tocor and waited for the large man to back up before approaching
the newly deposited pile.

"If I have Dono and Lor attack you who will
win?" Mara asked Aerin.

Aerin shrugged ruefully.  "They
will, since two on one isn't fair."

Mara smiled as he answered, "That's
true, but life is not fair, ever.  How would you survive
it if it happened?"

"Movement?" Aerin asked hopefully, though he
had no idea what he was talking about.

Mara chuckled and then said, "Exactly,
and the first move you would make is to
run
if you could."

"Run, but that would be cowardly!" Aerin
exclaimed.

Dono piped up in a singsong voice, "He who
chooses to run away will live to fight another day."

To which Gandarel countered from his spot in
the shade, "A coward dies a hundred deaths, a hero only one. I’ve
got more old platitudes if you need them," he said with a grin.

Mara caught Aerin's eyes with hers, "That one
hero's death comes
swiftly,
though, yet I do not
counsel
you
to be a coward, only to choose your time.  Picking the
right time to fight is wise; dying because it’s brave is foolish.
When fate deals you a bad selection you can bow to your fate or
attempt to change the situation.  Use your head, not your
heart."

"Tocor would never run," Aerin grumbled.

The Quarian's laugh was a deep rumble in his
chest.  "Not only have I run, I've run with all of my
heart, soul and
mind
concentrating
on saving my hide."

Lor and Dono both stepped back at the sound
of his laugh.

"You!" Aerin exclaimed, "You're the greatest
fighter I've ever seen."

"It was not the proper time to die," he
explained simply.

Mara smiled at her large friend, "It seldom
is, but, Aerin, if you could not run and you were
cornered
and had to fight, what could you do to
help even the odds?"

"I don't know," Aerin said.

Mara had Lor and Dono stand side by side and
face Aerin with their raised swords.  "All right, no
blows to the head, just to the body.  I want you two to
touch Aerin on his body somewhere before he touches
you.  If anyone has a sword touch their body, they are
out and must fall back... go!"

Aerin unskillfully tried to block their
somewhat wild thrusts and swings. He stayed completely on defense,
retreating swiftly.  By making them advance he was able
to stop them for a few moments, but his back came up
against
the hitching post and Dono's dull sword
tip poked him in the stomach.

"I win!" Dono exclaimed.

"All right, now attack Tocor," Mara told the
two victors.

Tocor picked up one of the practice swords
with his black-gloved hand and held it casually at his side.

The two boys looked at the massive mountain
fearfully.  "But that's not fair, he is a... a...
warrior, a very BIG warrior," Lor finally said, though it wasn't
the word he had started to say, then he added, “and he is far
larger and stronger than we are!"

"You didn't complain about two on one against
Aerin, but I'll concede your point, for now.  Let's have
you attack me instead," she ordered.  Mara stood leaning
on her wooden cane.

Dono looked sheepish and said, "I can't fight
an old woman."

Tocor's face was unreadable.

Lor looked at Dono in disgust.

Mara stepped over near the red headed boy and
rapped him sharply on the shin with her cane. 

"Ow!" Dono yelped, leaning over and rubbing
at his
shin
.

Mara swung her cane sideways and whacked his
protruding rear end.

"Stop it!” he exclaimed, standing
swiftly.

"All you have to do is touch me with your
practice sword, little boy, and I'll stop,” explained Mara with a
sly smile on her lips.

Lor picked up Dono's fallen practice sword
and handed it to his friend.  "Come, she wants us to do
this, so let’s get her!"

Dono nodded, and they advanced, side by
side.

Mara waited until they were fairly close, and
then just before they could engage, she took a swift step to Dono's
left, away from Lor.  She swung her cane up and toward
Dono's left arm, but he managed to block the
swing.  However, by extending his wooden sword up to
block Mara's cane he effectively stopped Lor from rotating around
so that they could both
face
Mara.  She completed her movement and had Dono between
her and Lor.

Then her cane smote his sword and it swung
wide
while her cane tip licked in
and touched him on the heart lightly.

"You're out," she explained.

Dono scowled but stepped aside.

Mara lowered her cane as she
said, "Enough, Lor, there is no need for us to battle, the
point is made."

"Yeah, you're better than they are," Aerin
exclaimed.

"Yes, but that is not the point of the
exercise. Who knows what happened here?" Mara asked.

It surprised the three boys when Gandarel
spoke up from the shade of his tree, but Mara smiled slightly,
though her back was to him so he didn't see it.

"She used her movement to cut down the odds
so she only had to face one of you at a time, and she made Dono use
his sword to block out his own companion," Gandarel explained.

"In other words," Mara noted, “I moved to
make things better for me, and I caused someone else to 'react'
in
their movement in such a way
that it helped me and hindered them.  Movement, he who
controls the movement of himself and his opponents controls the
outcome of the battle."

Gandarel got up and came over.  "I
thought you were going to teach discipline?"

"Discipline is a concept; I AM teaching them
discipline, the discipline of how to survive by using your wits,
talents and brain, instead of reacting with animal instinct,
panic,
and
stupidity.  That takes discipline.  Now, would
you care to join us?” she asked.

But Gandarel was still
stubborn.  "No, I'll watch."

Mara smiled, but shrugged as she
said, "Suit yourself."

Each day Mara taught Aerin, and almost every
day Dono and Lor showed up and were roped in as well.  It
took two weeks before Gandarel could swallow his pride and ask Mara
to teach him, but when he did she made no point of it. She didn't
act surprised or smug, she just added him into the group and it was
soon forgotten. Mara rented a house with its own courtyard and the
lessons were moved there. Over
time,
the boys lost most of their fear and prejudice
against the Quarian and Willowman. The more they got to know them,
the less mysterious and evil they seemed.  Gandarel was
just careful to never mention the Quarian or the Willowman to his
teachers in the Seat, particularly the High Priest of The
Hand.  Tocor or Yearl did the actual fighting with the
boys, with Mara acting as a
mentor
.  Sometimes the day’s lesson did not
involve fighting and confused the boys, but eventually her lessons
all made sense in the grand scheme of things.