The Severaine

Chapter Sixteen Kalia-3

“Adom ádumbest!” she warned. “There is ample food, but if you are so concerned, perhaps you should sacrifice your quota. Your girth does you no favours.” He made a grunting sound. Turning on his heels he muttered under his breath gripping the bowl close to his chest as he kicked out at one of the loose stones.

“Is our being here causing problems?” Acha questioned apologetically as Alessia turned to face them.

“Ic georwéne,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I wish it was only your presence here. He has long been discontented with the Grand Master's decision to make me commander. When we were children, it was the father of Adom who was commander. He, unlike his son, was a fine man. Although being sealed within Kalia leaves us little to do, it has always been our way to train diligently. We train as hard as our ancestors. After all, we need to be prepared should our generation be the one who meets the guardian of the tuugolgimm. When this guardian arrives, we must be ready to continue our work. Sorry I digress.

“Adom did not see the need to honour our way of life, yet still thought the mantle of leadership would be presented to him by his father. Had he learnt anything of our ways, he would have known it is the Grand Master, not the Ealdor, who names their successor. So when I was named in his stead, he was outraged. In hope to motivate him, I named him my second, but still he refuses to recognise me.” She paused. “Forgive me, forget my words. Tell me, what brings you to Kalia?”

“Scyldfreca!” Adom stated. He spat on the ground before them as he reappeared from behind one of the small shelters. “They came to eat our food and bed our women. To take all that is ours and brag of their conquests.” He moved himself so close to them that Acha felt his stomach press upon her as he continued to speak. “Perhaps I should bed their woman. We should have killed them when we had the chance, they live only thanks to your poor judgement.”

“I am the commander, not you. The Grand Master wished an audience with them. How dare you disrespect both of us so casually.” She moved herself between Adom and Acha. It was only as she stood between them Acha realised they were of similar height. “If you have an issue with how I run things here, you could always challenge me for that honour.”

“You are no warrior,” he mocked, misreading her posture as just simple anger he continued. “I could defeat you in my sleep.”

“Challenge accepted,” she snapped. He would regret his words. For some time she had ignored his constant gibes, hoping he would quickly adjust to the new hierarchy. Her tolerance for him was at its end and she would not endure this behaviour any longer. He had misjudged his position. “I have endured your attitude for too long. You have shown me nothing but contempt, and now you openly disrespect not only myself but the Grand Master, and in front of our guests no less, þu gedyrstigest. This ends now, we shall settle this once and for all in ánwíg.” It was already too late for Adom to regret his words, he had thoughtlessly issued a challenge, not that it mattered, he could beat a woman any day. “Our guests are neutral; they will act as the judges.” She turned to them to explain. “The victor is determined by surrender or death. Come to the proving grounds.”

The proving grounds, as Alessia had called it, was an area of solid terrain just before a small rocky beach. It was a place commonly used for training, and occasionally rank progression. The Grand Master was ruler of all, and Alessia was the Ealdor, meaning she was the Master and Commander of the Eortháds. She then named a Seneschal, a second in command, in this case Alessia had named Adom in hope to motivate him. She saw in him great potential, but it was well hidden by his attitude and laziness. There were then six Thegnalar, these six excelled in their own area of expertise; wyrm binding, healing, magical, melee, ranged, and stealth. All Eortháds were divided into the area which best suited their skills. The Thegnalar were not necessarily the trainers of their mastered skill, but at the moment they just so happened to be. Those excelling in their class could be named first or second lieutenants. Only lieutenants could challenge Thegnalars for their title, but any in the lower ranks could challenge a lieutenant. Trial by combat was the only way to advance.

The lieutenants gathered, remaining outside the carefully marked boundary. This confrontation had long been expected, the only reason one of them had not challenged Adom themselves for his position was because Alessia's motivations behind naming him were clear. As a unit they were only as strong as their weakest member. They too had hoped Adom would have risen to the task. He had not.

“This is insane,” Eiji whispered. “We should stop them.”

“This is their tradition; as guests we are obliged to respect that,” Daniel answered. Eiji reached out to steady him as he lost his footing. Blinking a few times Daniel gave a shudder, his head felt strange, his blood icy within his veins, sending pins and needles through his arms and legs.

Alessia took a spear from the training rack, and Adom did the same. For a moment they simply circled each other. Alessia leaned backwards slightly into her stance.

Adom glared at her in resentment before a smile turned up the edge of his lips in a sneer. He was confident that this would be her last night as Master and Commander, he would claim her title as he should have done many moons ago. There was no possibility a mere woman could best him. His steps were heavy, betraying his lack of training, yet still his posture was confident as he waited for the signal to begin. Alessia stood opposite him, her eyes narrowed as she watched his every move. She could see impatience getting the better of him, so when he struck out prior to the signal she was prepared.

His overconfidence was his undoing, as he launched out prematurely with his strike Alessia ducked, bringing her own spear in an arc to knock him from his feet. It was such a smooth fluid motion it drew a parallel to dance as she adjusted her footing, using the strikes twisting momentum to rise to her feet. Approaching the fallen figure, she kicked the spear from his grasp and placed her own weapon's tip to his throat.

“Cringa,” she commanded. “Yield,” she commanded again, “or I will kill you.” Adom said nothing, the silence seeming indicative of his answer. “If I kill you, you will not live to challenge me again. Dying is just a more permanent form of losing.” Still not a sound left his twisted lips. She lifted her spear, bringing it down with speed.

“Ic cringae!” he screamed, and the spear hit the ground with a thud as its tip pierced the earth. “I yield,” he repeated. The lieutenants who had been watching, satisfied of the victor, dispersed as Alessia informed him of his punishment.

“I accept your surrender. For your acts however, from this day forth you shall no longer be Seneschal, I shall appoint another in your stead, and you will return to training with the cadets.” He nodded in agreement, seeing this she stepped away.

Adom's fists balled tightly in the dirt, his sweat darkening the ground beneath him. This was unacceptable; how dare she publicly shame him in this manner? He knew then what must be done. Her back was to him as she spoke to her guests. She would never expect it, and by her death he would not only be restored to rank but would take hers; it was meant to be his anyway. He moved slowly, his hand finding the cool handle of the knife tucked into the back of his trousers. He had not expected to have to use this, he had expected her to fall to his skill. Adom leapt to his feet with an agility his size should not have allowed and in one smooth movement had pulled the knife from its concealed holder, pushing all his weight forward as he lunged to strike.

Eiji moved quickly, grabbing his wrist as Alessia, also aware of his intentions, had turned to block the strike. Eiji's grip tightened, sending searing pains through Adom's twisted arm forcing him to drop the knife.

“Swícest! What do you think you are doing!” she demanded, her voice filled with such outrage it made Eiji falter, releasing his grip on Adom.

“Sorry, I didn't mean t'offend.” It was only as she reached forwards to grab Adom that Eiji realised her anger was not towards him for his intervention. It was something he was grateful for, especially when the force of her punch knocked Adom from his feet, a man easily twice, perhaps three times her own weight. She reached down, grabbing his pendant in her hand before tearing it from his neck. The Lieutenants, who had not strayed far, returned at speed on hearing their commander's angered tones.

“You are a disgrace,” Adom snarled as two of the lieutenants dragged him to his feet. “We all know the real reason the Grand Master chose you is because you have a section of the blasted tuugolgimm. It is because you hold part of the prophecy, do not fool yourself into believing otherwise.” He spat in her direction as he was dragged away.

“Thancas.” She turned to Eiji as he picked the knife up from the ground. “My thanks to you.”

“What just happened, was that our doin'?” Eiji questioned. Alessia gave a sigh, lifting the knife from his grasp.

“No, I have been waiting for him to issue a challenge for some time now, ever since I was appointed Ealdor. Adom has always ridden on the success of his father. The former Master and Commander told me he thought his son may surprise me if I gave him incentive. I am just pleased he did not live to see his child become a traitor. When the Grand Master announced my succession, I saw the opportunity to act on Adom's father's wishes. Adom believed I had stolen the mantle from him, and that I was only given command because I held part of an ancient prophecy. He has never liked me, but since I was named and granted his position, he has been far worse. I warned him just a few moons back that the next time he sought to challenge my leadership, my requests, it would be the last.”

“What did he mean by you have a section of the erm…” Daniel grasped for the name and failed. His mind was quickly clouding with the need for a rest he would not permit.

“Tuugolgimm?” He nodded as she spoke the unfamiliar word. “I am sorry, forgive me, the slip into our native tongues must be confusing. We only use your language to commune with the wyrms normally. I am afraid we are not as fluent as they are. Although we were asked by our Grand Master to speak only in your tongue while you are here, it sometimes proves difficult. I can't think of a word that would explain. Perhaps gem? If you are interested I could show you, and tell you of the prophecy.” She led them back towards her home, requesting they sit by the warm embers of the fire she had built earlier that day. Once they had all been seated, she spoke again. “The prophecy dates back to the ancestors of our ancestors. It was said a hero would come bearing a piece of the heavens. They would release the curse of binding, giving new dawn to the time of the Eortháds. It is also written that before great victory comes great disaster.