The Last of the Sea Elves Page 21

  I should have practiced more.

  “Exactly, dear, so why are you lounging on my couch?” Serenne called to her, obviously exasperated, “We have got a lot of work to do!”

  He hobbled to the couch and tugged her arm until she sat upright. “We have to get you to the arena!” he said, tugging her arm more forcefully until she stood completely.

  “The what?” Rolin asked.

  “The arena,” Serenne repeated, out of breath from pulling Kamo. “It’ll be the perfect place for her to practice and refine her skills.”

  He hurriedly gathered some books from the bookshelf and pulled what looked like small wooden plates from every nook in the room.

  “Follow me!” he called, waddling back up the stairs.

  Kamo, Rolin, and Gobi followed him as he rushed through the shop at a surprising speed and onto the town's main street.

  “Wait!” Kamo called, “where are we going?”

  Serenne didn’t yell back, only waved a target in the air like a beacon, and continued to weave through the crowds on the street.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  They tried to keep up with him, but he seemed to weave his way through holes in the crowd that disappeared as soon as he went through them. Kamo kept track of him by watching his head bob back and forth between the crowds. At one intersection, he turned left, and Kamo, Gobi, and Rolin were almost able to catch up with him as the crowds down their alley started to thin.

  Though still shaded with a fabric ceiling, this particular alley didn’t seem to reflect the same light as before. Its red fabric seemed to absorb the light rather than reflect it.

  As they rounded another left turn, Kamo saw a sandstone dome just ahead of her. It was large enough to hold three of Sheelo’s ships. Windows were spaced evenly along the perimeter, about halfway up the side.

  “Wow,” Kamo breathed, startled by its sheer magnitude. “Is that the arena?”

  As the crowds thinned, they weaved their way closer to Serenne. When they reached the dome, the red stone seemed to shimmer in the sun. There was a giant archway leading into the dome, and Kamo read the words engraved above and around it.

  “‘Courage and light to all who enter here,’” she spoke.

  “Huh?” Gobi said.

  Kamo turned to him and caught Rolin’s smile.

  “I told you that you would pick it up,” Rolin said.

  “You mean, that was Fershi?”

  “Well, I didn’t understand most of what you said, and unless there’s another language you don’t know you can speak, I think that’s a pretty safe bet,” Gobi said with a laugh.

  Kamo looked back at the archway. The words were clear, and she felt comfort and peace as she read them again.

  “Hurry, hurry,” Serenne shouted, waving them on.

  As Kamo walked into the dome, she felt a gust of hot, dry air. Serenne didn’t seem to notice it, but Gobi and Rolin stopped in their tracks.

  “Do you feel that, Kamo? It’s like an oven in here,” Gobi complained, grabbing his shirt and pulling it in and out, away from his body.

  “It’s just a little warmer,” Kamo replied, trying not to show any concern. If Rolin and Gobi were to convince the Fire elves that they shared their race, they’d have to learn to stand the heat, and fast.

  The “arena,” as Serenne had called it, was aptly named. As they entered the dome structure, Kamo saw rows of seats lining the walls at all different levels. The entrance they had taken led them straight onto the arena floor, a sandy ground with fences and gates surrounded them, housing training equipment most likely.

  “Welcome to the arena,” Serenne said, opening his arms to the giant space. His voice echoed from the walls and bounced off the ceiling to reflect back to them dully. “Why don’t you meditate for a moment, and I’ll just run and get a few practice objects.”

  He strolled through one of the nearest gates, leaving Kamo, Gobi, and Rolin to stand alone in the center of the spacious room.

  “Well,” Rolin said, “I think Gobi and I will just take a seat in the audience. I don’t see how we’d be much use to you here.”

  Kamo nodded, and Rolin and Gobi headed for another door that appeared to take them to the stadium seating above.

  Kamo closed her eyes. She breathed in and out. The bustle of the streets died away, and the empty silence of the dome seemed almost oppressive. She focused on her thoughts and the rhythm of her pulse.

  Serenne knew Mara. He knew my mother, and now he’s here, willing to help me.

  She breathed in and out.

  “Miss Rana, if you’re ready,” she heard Serenne’s voice in the arena.

  She opened her eyes, and a bladed, whirling disk was spinning toward her face.

  She ducked, dropping to her knees in a heartbeat. The blades barely missed her bun, but she had no time to stand still, as Serenne had lobbed another disk at her, aimed lower this time. She dropped to her stomach and rolled out of its path. She spotted Serenne higher up in one of the seats, launching another sharp disk at the ground where she had rolled.

  She jumped to her feet and ran toward him.

  “How is fire going to help me with these?” she yelled.

  “I didn’t say it was,” Serenne called, “Mara called this dodge training. She became rather fond of it.”

  Kamo arched back as far as she could, her hands touching the ground behind her, to avoid a spear aimed for her chest.

  She couldn’t see where Serenne was hiding the weapons or how much ammunition he had left.

  She ran to the center of the floor and put both hands in front of her, expertly dodging the spear and knife Serenne threw as his latest weapons.

  Fire sprang from her palms, and she beckoned it to the ground in front of her. The sand didn’t burn willingly, but she persisted. She built a ring of fire, higher and higher around her. It sputtered and danced unevenly around her. She tried to concentrate, so the ring created an even shield around her, but she could never fully complete the sphere. She moved within the ring, walking slowly and deliberately away from Serenne’s side of the arena.

  “Clever,” she heard him call, “very clever. If you cannot outrun the foe, at least make sure he cannot see you. Though your shield never fully developed, you had a reasonable plan. Well done, madame.”

  Kamo dropped her arms, and the flame extinguished with them.

  Kamo spotted Rolin and Gobi in the stands. Gobi looked terrified and excited, and Rolin looked equally impressed and concerned.

  “I’m alright,” she yelled to reassure him, “It’s just a bit warm down here.”

  Rolin nodded, gripping the seat in front of him.

  “Perhaps, Kamo, we should try a different skill,” Serenne said. He left his seat and walked down the steps.

  When he entered the ground floor, he held the targets that he had gathered throughout his office.

  “Close your eyes,” he ordered, and Kamo obeyed. “I will throw one of these into the air, and you will try to ignite it.”

  Kamo opened her eyes. “You what?”

  “Eyes closed.”

  Kamo closed her eyes with a scoff and took a deep breath.

  She heard the target whizz into the air somewhere to her left. She reached her left palm into the air and felt the flames shoot from her palm.

  “Close,” Serenne said, “listen more carefully this time.”

  Trying to keep her frustration at bay, she breathed in the warm air, waiting for Serenne to pull.

  This time she heard Serenne whip the target off to her right. She traced its path in the air with her hand, her palm following its movement until it was nearer to the ground. She shot the flame from her hand.

  “Not quite,” Serenne said.

  Kamo opened her eyes. Both targets remained intact, but she could see scorch marks near their landing sites.

  “Again.”

  She closed her eyes and heard Serenne toss a target in the air to her right. She breathed and aimed.

  “Close
r!”

  She opened her eyes to see the target still intact. “Again.”

  Serenne released another target, and she took her aim. “You’re quite close!”

  She could feel the flames tingling in her fingers. She tried to breathe deeply, but each missed target frustrated her more. The fire spread to her wrists. “Again.”

  Serenne threw a target somewhere to her right. Flames blasted from all the way up her shoulder.

  “Well, that’s one way to do it. It’s adequate,” Serenne said, “open your eyes.”

  Kamo looked to her right and saw the target, now a pile of ash and a massive black ring on the wall behind it.

  “Not exactly a show of finesse, but you accomplished the task,” Serenne said. “There isn’t much time before the rest of the competitors show up for their training, but if you’d like, we can duel.”

  She turned to Serenne.

  “At least I’ll be better at that. But I thought you couldn’t use magic,” she said, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

  “I can’t,” Serenne assured her, “I meant an old-fashioned duel. Sword against sword.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for it?” she asked Serenne.

  He raised an eyebrow and searched the stands. “Yes, perhaps we should start you off with more of a novice, I suppose,” he said quietly. Then he shouted, “You, sir! Remind me your name.”

  Rolin jabbed his chest with his index finger.

  “Me, sir?” he shouted in surprise, “I’m Rolin, Rolin Ankor.”

  “Rolin, have you been taught the sword?”

  “Yes, sir, why?”

  “Come join Miss Rana, will you please?”

  Rolin jogged down to the main level of the arena and joined Kamo in the sand. Serenne retrieved two swords from a nearby closet and handed one to each of them.

  “You want me to fight her?” Rolin asked hesitantly.

  “Indeed,” Serenne said.

  “With all due respect, I don’t think I can, sir.”

  “Why not?” Kamo asked.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Kamo,” Rolin said.

  Kamo swished the sword through the air in front of her.

  “Did I ever tell you that Sheelo taught me how to duel?” she asked, her eyes on her blade as she tossed it from hand to hand. “He felt like every member of his crew should be able to defend the ship to the best of their ability, including me.”

  “Still, I don’t think it’s wise,” Rolin said.

  “Did I also mention that Sheelo never lost a duel to any man? Not once?”

  A flicker of intrigue shined in Rolin’s eyes, and Kamo knew he wouldn’t be able to say no to such a blatant challenge.

  “Well then, Miss Rana,” he said with a bow, “let us match your teacher’s skills against mine.”

  Kamo bowed in return and readied her weapon in her left hand as she moved across from Rolin. Serenne got between them and pulled their swords together at a cross. Kamo bent her knees and aimed her left foot toward Rolin. He mirrored her, weapon in his right hand.

  “The task will be to disarm,” he said coolly. “The last thing we need is human and Sea elf blood smeared across the sand. On the count of three then. One, two, three!”

  He dodged out of the way as Kamo and Rolin started to cross swords. Rolin fought fiercely and aggressively. His thrusts were quick and succinct. A few times, Kamo lost her footing, and he pressed in on her, but she held him off. Sheelo had told her that in order to fight a taller opponent, she would have to be quicker and close the distance between them. So, as Rolin retreated to ready for another lunge, she slid her left foot forward, jumped into the air, and lunged at him, knocking the sword out of his hand.

  Kamo picked Rolin’s sword up off the ground and handed it back to him. Gobi cheered in the stands, whistling loudly with two fingers in his mouth.

  “Well played, Miss Rana, Sheelo’s record stands,” he said. “If no man could beat him, there are few who have a chance against you.”

  “No man, indeed,” Kamo said smugly.

  Rolin eyed her.

  “You beat him, didn’t you?” he asked as she leaned on the sword, resting its tip in the sand.

  “Once or twice,” she grinned.

  “Why didn’t you ask Pacha for a sword?” Rolin asked, admiration still glowing in his eyes.

  “I was always more comfortable with a spear,” Kamo explained, “Sheelo and I dueled for sport after he taught me, but not often. I used a spear at least a few times a week, fishing or hunting. The movement has always come more naturally.”

  “In any case, well done, Miss Rana,” Serenne joined their conversation, “but I think now it is time for you to face a more skilled opponent. No offense intended, Mr. Ankor,” he bowed.

  “By all means, sir,” Rolin gestured to the line where they had dueled, “I am no formidable foe when it comes to the sword. I trust you will fare better than myself.”

  Rolin winked at Kamo and joined Gobi again in the stands.

  “A long time ago, I was trained by masters who had studied the human traditions. En garde, Miss Rana,” Serenne said, taking a low stance.

  “Pret,” Kamo replied.

  “Allez.”

  Kamo had taken one lunge when she heard a crowd approaching the entrance to the floor. She turned, distracted, and Serenne took the opportunity to pry the blade from her hand, narrowly avoiding slashing her wrist.

  “You are easily distracted, Kamo,” he said, picking up the sword.

  “I don’t mean to be,” Kamo said, her eyes still searching for the noisy crowd approaching the entrance.

  “Let us join Mr. Ankor in the stands,” Serenne suggested, guiding her by the elbow to the seats above, “I have a feeling that you will not want to miss this.”

  Kamo had just taken her seat when the crowd came into view.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A group of young Fire elves about Kamo’s age hustled to the center of the arena floor. There were nine altogether, four men and five women. The men were clean-shaven, and Kamo guessed the youngest had only just turned eighteen. His hair was powdery red, and his muscles were leaner than Gobi’s. The biggest man among them was as tall as Rolin, and he had jagged scars along both arms, disappearing onto his back. The female elves looked much like Kamo, though their muscles seemed more well defined. One among them appeared to be the leader, as the others flitted around her.

  “Elesun said I’m a shoo-in this year,” the leader said, “He said that my training will have been most beneficial.”

  “Did Elesun train you himself?” another girl asked. Her scales had a yellow tint, and her nose scrunched when she spoke.

  “Yes,” she answered, “but he was away a lot. Eliad took over when he couldn’t attend.”

  “He is just as impressive a tutor,” the girl with yellow-tinted scales replied. “What should we practice today, then, Fiona?”

  “I would start with sprints,” the scarred man answered as if he had been in on the conversation the whole time.

  “Come on, Phabian,” Fiona replied, “you’re just saying that because, you know, that’s what every tutor would have us do. Think outside the box. We’re our own supervision today.”

  “Maybe not,” Phabian replied. Then, he yelled to Serenne, “Excuse me, sir, are you here for the training?”

  “No, no,” Serenne shouted pleasantly, standing from his chair, “just a spectator today.”

  “Who’s with you?” Fiona shouted.

  Kamo cleared her throat.

  “My name is Kia Linema,” she stood and called back. “I am going to enter the competition this year.” Her voice was steady, but her knees felt weak.

  “Wonderful,” Phabian called, “you can practice with us tonight.”

  “Oh, I just finished my practice for the day,” Kamo said casually.

  “Really?” Fiona called, “I’m sure you must have more work to do. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  With a wicked grin, she snapped h
er fingers and tossed a ball of fire above Kamo’s head. Kamo ducked, covering Serenne’s head as she pulled him down with her.

  “I don’t think they’re going to take no for an answer,” he whispered, bent into a bow.

  “I got that,” Kamo whispered back.

  She stood, and Serenne took a seat next to Rolin.

  “Yeah, I guess I can do a few more exercises,” Kamo said, heading for the stairs. When she reached the other Fire elves, they greeted her in turn. Fiona went first, extending a hot hand.

  “I’m Fiona,” she said proudly, “House of Alessi. This is Gilna, house of Vojte, Romi, house of Albin, Rhyalin, house of Nanya, and Secora, house of Brejan.”

  As Fiona introduced each elf, they curtsied to Kamo or extended a hand as Fiona had. Romi had a small scar above her left eyebrow and seemed shy and quiet. Gilna was the one with yellow-tinted scales. Rhyalin shook Kamo’s hand, and her arm muscles bulged. Kamo felt as if her arm would fall off because of the strength of her grip. Secora had beautiful, strawberry blonde hair and only came to Kamo’s shoulders in height.

  “I’m Phabian,” the man with the scars walked over and introduced himself, shaking her hand. “This is Razmus, we call him Raz, Amiris, and Nadav.”

  Kamo couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between the introductions.

  “Phabian, she should know your house,” Fiona said.

  “Why? It’s not as if everyone doesn’t already know,” he said to her, rolling his eyes. “Formal introductions are just another reason traditions should die.”

  “He’s right. I don’t need them,” Kamo said.

  Fiona scoffed and pouted. “Still, you should use your title,” she said, “if you meet the king after the challenge, you don’t want to be the one to forget your manners.”

  “If I meet the king, I have other business I plan to discuss,” Phabian said. Kamo noticed his eyes sparkle with the same determination that she had seen in Rolin’s the day they met.

  “Would you let it go?” Raz said, putting an arm around his shoulder, “Ferena is safe from invaders and always has been. The security we enjoy is because of the barrier.”