Broken Chains

Chapter 3 – A New Day

Richard woke just before dawn, as was usual when not on last watch. He woke slowly at first shuffling about slightly to find out if he had fallen asleep on any stones as he had the previous 2 nights. He hadn't as he soon discovered he was on a wooden floor of a building

Slowly adjusting to the morning he let his senses tell him more before he woke fully. He could sense many bodies about him but the air was clean and fresh almost sterile which left him puzzle for a moment

It was the sterile nature of his surroundings, which jogged his memory. He was in the infirmary of New Hope. he and his group had made it to the town they had been told would offer them sanctuary as they crossed the border, his people were safe for now and he could relax his guard a bit

He slowly sat up slowly as he discovered in his shuffling that his lower body was pined down by a familiar weight. Shadow had decided to share his small spot In a corner of the infirmary room they had been housed in for the night, and was currently using his body as a pillow

It took him a few moments to ease himself out from under the snoring wolf's head to stand barefoot dressed only in the light pants he had slept in. picking up his sword and short staff that had lain beside him as he slept, he looked round the room the beds were occupied by the injured that had travelled with him. Cal, a dark skinned Catharki, one of the other priests. sat silently awake by the door keeping a watch over everyone as they slept

He nodded at the watching man and Cal waved a few hand signs at him asking where he was off to. Cal's tongue had been removed when a slave in Cathark and had found his way to Kencaris somehow and had appointed himself guardian of the small groups healer, Mara. The very young and vulnerable woman slept curled by his side.

He walked up to the pear and knelt by Mara's sleeping form and brushed his fingers lightly over her for head and the small bit of tension in her sleeping face eased, she sighed lightly, her body relaxing

"i'm off to work the mud out of my joints" he said in a whisper and grinned at Cal's signed reply

"mud and cold rain is all there is in this part of the world, I long for sand and wind" he stood resting a hand on the dark skinned man's shoulder in support and friendship before leaving to finding somewhere to work on his weapons

He left the infirmary building for an open bit of land he had seen when he entered the town the day before, it was within the walls so he wouldn't have to deal with the command he had been given the day before to not leave the walls without an escort

He judged from the archery targets out the previous day that this was a practise and training area and proceeded to set his gear down on a out of the way bench. He sat cross-legged on the ground next to the bench and took a deep breath then closed his eyes as if to meditate and opened his senses

He let the overall feeling of the place fill him, taking in each aura of the people who lived here. the people were comfortable and happy they had pride in there home and them selves and he let that contentment fill him. It reassured and comforted him more than he realised. With a sigh he opened his eyes this place had felt like... well the only word he could think of was home

his metal exploration had told him what he wanted to know at least this was a safe place its only worries were those of any border village, he could relax his guard down a little here. He stood, dusted himself off and proceeded to stretch and warm up

As he moved he fell in to the relaxing rhythm of the work out almost going in to a meditative state as he made his body twist, stretch and leap. He spun almost dancelike as he punched and kicked at imaginary foes, his movements getting faster and more elaborate as his body warmed up to the exercise

*P.O.V Shift*

Kel had woken early from a restless night and had decided to get some much needed advanced practise with her weapons before her young students woke and took her attention. Though her students were moving on in leaps and bounds, she often felt a little lazy when she wasn't pushing her own limits

She sighed and longed for a few days with her Yamani friends so she could practice with those who could test her skill and help her better her skill. she made her way to what she thought would be empty practise grounds, instead she found the Kencaris priest Varden, with the wolf Shadow by his side watching the mercenary Richard perform some of the most amazing hand to hand fighting, she didn't recognise the style but it was almost as if he were dancing not fighting.

She came up and stood beside Varden almost mesmerised by the man's movements as she watched each of his precise movements echo in the muscles of his bear torso. Though she did let out a gasp when he turned his back to her and she saw the mess of scars that covered it

"Amazing isn't it" he smiled at her, made aware of her presence by her gasp "the style was developed by a race of slaves who fooled their masters in to thinking they were dancing not teaching each other to fight"

As they watched with out even breaking his stride he bent down and picked up his short staff, that had been lent against a bench with his sword. He started to twist and swing the staff changing to a different style of fighting but one just as flowing and wondrous to watch

"Ah the Brandal-Tash, the weapon cared by a different race of slaves forbidden to carry blades"

"Is that all he knows" Kel smiled "fighting styles developed by slaves?"

"All the Broken Chain, and us priests as well, are former slaves" he gestured at Richard's scared back which was towards them again "and they teach each other what they know. Yes he can use and caries a sword but he is only a fair swordsman, and honestly I prefer him with the Brandal-Tash which I know he can protect me to his sword with which he 'might' be able to protect me

"then why dose he carry the sword?" she asked puzzled

"its a family heirloom and tradition states the heir must carry it and to save arguments and family war he dose" the older man eased himself down to sit on the bench

Kel watched fascinated leaning on her glave. slowly she realised that their were 2 blades at the ends of the staff that weren't there before and without a second thought she stepped before him and blocked the staff with the blade of her glaive, the metal of both weapons connecting with a clang that echoed in the still morning air

Richard was shocked for a moment but then he grinned broadly at her taking a step back before swinging the staff round to attack with the other blade, and so they started sparing the sound of metal and wood meeting ringing though the morning air. After about fifteen minutes the pair broke apart both panting and dripping sweat

"Marol would like you" Richard said leaning on the short staff, blades once again hidden. "he taught me the Brandal-Tash, he'd call you the challenge he'd lived his life for" he laughed.

"May I?" he asked nodding towards her weapon. he held his hand out and Kel gave him the glaive.

He lent the short staff against himself and examined the glaive from its blade down its teak length to its iron shod end, holding it horizontal for a moment to admire its balance

"an amazing but unusual weapon to find on a Knight but then again you Are an unusual Knight" he smiled as he handed the glaive back

"i was taught how to use it along with the other court ladies when I lived in the yamani isles"

"I have a lot of respect for the Yamanis, honour, pride and dedication, an amazing people" he handed over his staff when she held out her hand

*P.O.V Shift*

As he did, his hand brushed hers for just a second and he felt a surprising amount of power jump though the connection. caught completely unaware his body reacted instinctively and shoved the power back.

He had only a second to utter a curse tossing the staff aside to catch the lady knight as she fell unconscious into his arms

"What by the blade's edge happened" he muttered to himself as he lay Kel down on her side and examined her for any injury

"Power feedback" a familiar voice said behind him

He spun to face a clocked female figure that had appeared from nowhere

"Our chosen can give us power in their touch as well as their deeds" the cloaked woman, the Great Mother moved to kneel on the other side of the prone knight

"So every time, we touch this will happen?" Richard rubbed his hand on the back of his neck as he knelt at Kel's side looking at the goddess who has become his mentor

"not if you are ready for it, it was your fault pushing the power back" the goddess reached to his neck and removed a pendant on a leather thong that now hung there. she held the pendant in her clasped hands for a moment then passed it and a duplicated pendant back to him

he looked at the 2 simple disks depicting the knot work design that was the symbol of Kencaris

"place that on the chain round her neck it should help shield her and absorb some of the excesses power if you make the same mistake again" she touched the unconscious young woman lightly on the forehead "she wake shortly with the signs she is just suffering exhaustion"

"Thank you, I had wondered how to explain it" he lent forward and placed the pendant on the same chain that also held another charm, and slipped them both back beneath her tunic

"by the way, who gets the excess power?" he asked curious

The goddess just looked at him as she stood and disappeared with a knowing smile

Sighing he looked down at kel with a smile, then gathering her in to his arms stood up and carried her over to the bench

"Varden, she's gone, you can come out now" he called out

the sheepish priest stuck his head out from behind an archery target where he had hidden as soon as the Great goddess had appeared

"I'm not as used to dealing with the Great Gods as you are" he said in a fearful whisper "i will fetch Mara" with that he hurried off

Moments later he returned with the Kencaris priestess, who had loaded him down with a large cloth bag. she reached out with a hand softly glowing aqua and touched it to Kel's forehead, held it there for a moment and sighed as Kel started to open her eyes

"Exhaustion nothing more, she will be ok with rest" she sat back on her heels "hello My Lady" she smiled at the blinking knight

"what happened?" Kel asked groggily

before she could be answered there was a commotion and, one of the other Knights stationed at the town rushed at the small group sword drawn,. Richard had been introduced to this Knight the evening before he was the towns currant healer Sir Nealan .

"Out of my way Woman. He pushed the priestess out of the way.

She had been staring at his face with shock and at his barked order fell to the ground with a fearful cry curling herself up protectively whimpering

"How Dare you" Richard demanded of the Knight, furiously standing protectively over the terrified woman pushing the knight back

"Don't, please" a hand touched his leg as Mara uncurled and knelt behind him "its not him I thought it was but the eyes are not the same, see" her hand touched the bear skin of his back

a vision filed his mind of the face of the man who had attacked and abused Mara in the past, he bore a resemblance to the furious knight before him but the build was different and the eyes the wrong colour

"How Dare I, What have you done to the lady Knight? Speak truth mercenary or you die here and now" the knight demanded his word point at Richards throat

"what's going on" Kel ordered weekly as Varden helped her to sit up

"Nothing!" he stated trying to rein in his anger "I have done nothing Sir Nealan" he said calming down "we were sparing and she collapsed. Mara, our healer," he indicated the woman behind him who was still on her knees "says its only exhaustion, if you would only calm down and examine her for yourself"

"I will, and mercenary" he stepped up to him chest ti chest so their faces were only a centimetre apart "If you are proved wrong, you and those with you are dead" Neal helped Kel stand shooing off Varden with a glare and helped her to walk to the infirmary

The guards who had followed Sir Nealan blocked the way so he couldn't follow them, so he turned and knelt by the priestess who was quietly sobbing and stroked her hair

"Easy girl, it wasn't you his anger was aimed at, easy" her sobs slowly eased "you weren't ready to leave and face the world again were you Mara?" he wiped the tears from her cheeksd with his fingers using a bit of his power to southe her

She stood as he did helping her up , she stepped up to him and hugged him close burying her face in his shoulder as he held her tight comforting her

"but you needed a healer and I owe you so much" she said into his skin

"Not so much to risk your sanity at the hands of an angry arrogant noble" he sighed with relief when a dark skinned figure in priests robes approached from the direction of the latrines "Cal's here he will look after you

He watched as she was helped back to their group by Cal. Who walked her back tucked under his arm and glaring at any one who looked at the pair

He looked towards the infirmary more puzzled now everything had cooled down, just what had he done to make the Healer Knight so angry at him

Afterword – I procrastinated on getting this chapter re worked but finally I sat down to work on it and at 1am the next day it is Done (was 1585 Words now 2570 Words)

Now to start on the all new Chapter 4!