Chapter 4

Archery, Daggers, and Magic

"Kel, what's the matter? What happened?" Cleon came over and looked at the letter, "Great merciful mother!" he gasped.

"Kel? Are you all right?" Owen inquired at his friend.

"Does Neal know about any of this?  Or Buri?"  Kel finally managed to say after the long stretch of silence.

"I don't think so, only King Jonathan, Lady Alanna, Lord Wyldon, and now you and Cleon."  Owen answered after thinking for a moment.  "Um, Kel, what does it say?"  He finally asked.

Kel took a deep breath and read,

"Lord Wyldon.

            Can you please send Sir Keladry of Mindelan to River Drell near the Scanra border?  Some of the Kings Own is there.  Lord Raoul of Golden Lake and Malorie's Peak and Sir Domitan of Masbolle have been taken hostage.  We need to get them back as soon as possible.  Keladry has already taken over for the Kings Own so in my opinion she will be best for the job.  We also need back-ups there.  I am leaving it up to you to send at least 10 other knights along with Keladry.

King Jonathan of Conté"

"Well, that's not too jolly." Owen commented after a moments pause, "not jolly at all."

Kel gave him a weak smile.  Baron Piers cleared his throat and everyone jumped, no one remembered him coming into the room soon after Kel.

"Kel, I think that you should go pack.  You too Cleon, I'm sure Wyldon would want all able knights that don't have a post to be there, and Kel will need an escort." He added smiling.

"Papa," Kel said slightly embarrassed, "I do not need an escort.  I'm a knight now, not some little ten year old that goes off fighting spidrens with a stick."

"You fought off a spidren with a stick?  I never heard that one." Cleon said with a grin on his face.

Kel turned on her heel and marched off to her room to pack for her trip to River Drell.

Meanwhile back in the entrance hall Baron Piers was thinking up a punishment for the three boys.

"Well let's see, you broke the law once, and tried to break the law for a second time.  Under normal circumstances a fine would be given to your parents to pay.  But I think you boys need a better punishment."  Baron Piers was looking at boys and sizing them up.  "Can you fight?" he asked suddenly.

"Err, a bit."  Brandon said, "I'm the best archer in the town."

Baron Piers just nodded and turned his gaze to Ross.

"I'm all right with daggers."  Ross mumbled uncertain.

Once again Baron Piers nodded and looked at Jeff, who was mumbling something under his breath.

"Can you fight?"  Baron Piers asked again this time directing the question to Jeff.

His head snapped up and he said, "Well, I'm not that great with physical fighting, but I do know some war magic."

Piers looked interested.  "War magic?  How do you know war magic?"

"My uncle, he is a war mage.  He visited us a while back, and taught me all about the art of war magic, since I'm the only one in my immediate family with the Gift."  Jeff muttered.

Piers nodded and walked out of the hall leaving the three boys standing there scared and uncertain.

"I hope that we're not being sent off to River Drell.  Can you imagine us fighting in the war?"  Ross stated after relaxing a bit.

Jeff and Brandon just gave him an uncertain look and attempted a weak smile in response before turning away and fretting over their punishment.

"Papa, why do they have to come?"  Kel whined at her father.

"Kel you know that Mindelan hasn't done much for the war, so I'm going to send those boys then I'll see if I can muster up any more young boys and possibly girls to come up and help.  It's the least I can do."  Piers argued back.

"But Papa you've done plenty.  All of your children have become knights and they've all helped in wars." 

"Keladry, you will listen to me.  Those boys are going to help you along with Cleon.  So just get Peachblossom and your other horse and get to River Drell as soon as possible."

Kel glared at her father grabbed her things before marching out of the room.   She confronted the three boys in the hall.  "What are your names?" she asked.

Ross stepped forward, "I'm Ross, that is Brandon and he's Jeffery."  He said pointing to his two friends.

"Alright then, what do you do?"  She inquired then as an after thought, "Fighting wise."

"Brandon's the archer, Jeff a war mage, and I'm good with daggers."  Ross replied looking cheerful.

"Okay then, Brandon, I want you to try to best me in archery, just to see how good you are," she added after seeing his face, "Ross you try to best me with knifes.  And Jeff, I'll just put you with the other mages. I hope you're good."   She gestured for them to follow her outside.  They waded through the snow to the archery range.  "Ten arrows each."  Kel said pulling out 20 arrows with different color feathers.  She handed Brandon the pink feathered ones while she took the blue.  "Do you have a bow?" she inquired.

"Err, no."  Brandon mumbled.

"Well get one from the armory."

When Brandon got back they each shot their ten arrows and went to see whose was closest to the center.  Ten blue arrows were clustered around the center along with eight pink ones.

"Not bad," Kel complimented him.  She then turned to Ross, "are you ready now?"  With that she headed in doors to put away the bows and arrows and to warm up for the fight with Ross. 

Ross pulled out his daggers and started his warm ups in the practice room off of Kel's room.  Kel entered shortly after followed by Cleon who looked amused.  She started her stretches and joked around with Cleon before turning to Ross.  "Warmed up?"  She asked him.

"Yeah," Ross replied.  He seamed very calm for a commoner who was about to fight the seconded lady knight in recent history.

Kel started to circle Ross who calmly her every move.  Kel feinted to the left then struck him in his right arm. Ross dodged just in time before pulling a knife from his boot with ease and slashed downwards at Kel.  She blocked his knife with a clang while pulling another knife from her sleeve.  She cut at Ross's wrist while the knives were still locked together.  Ross cursed and dropped his knife just to pull another from the small of his back.  They went on like this for a while.  Finally Kel caught him off guard and her knife snaked its way up to his neck.

"I'm impressed."  Kel said in awe.  "You should have trained to be a knight."  Ross stared at her blankly.  "Go home you three and pack your things.  We set off at dawn tomorrow.  I'm in charge and you must listen to me no 'She's a girl I don't have to listen to her.'  The people that did that to the Lioness are all dead, because they didn't listen.  You are to report here an hour before dawn to get your mounts ready."  Kel lead them to the door and sent them off.