A/N The inscription on the knife is in Greek, I wanted to use the actual Greek letters (they look cooler) but they wouldn't upload so I had to transliterate it into letters it would understand (grr) (you will know what I'm talking about once you read). Magix Pawn, thank you. That makes me very happy. Kathryn, here is the next chappie. Ivy Dragon, the reason that she doesn't think of It every minute of her life is because she has been there for six years, that is a long time for her to be thinking of only one thing. She is living her life there, and though It is in the back of her mind at all times she doesn't let this thought shine through. It would be kind of obsessive if she thought of it every waking minute (like I do with Star Wars, only three days left until I can see it Yeah (ahem, attempts to look dignified)). Dark Lady, you'll just have to wait and see who she ends up with. If I wanted to I could make it a Reese/Zira (hehe the power). Hyrarky, here's the story with the training masters (well the actual deal is that I forgot but I don't like to admit it so I have a cover story). Padraig HaMinch died in the Antithean Wars so Lord Wyldon was called in to train a couple of years and a new training master (I mentioned he had an apprentice, Timothy of Filds). Well Timothy is the new training master now, but for the in between period Wyldon returned. M'cha, I'm glad you like all my characters, even the "bad guys" I don't want any of my characters to be only hateful or only loveable, no one in this world is purely evil or purely good so I try to make everyone a mixture of both. That is why I make Jasson be jealous, Falkin be prejudiced, Reese be kind of pathetic, Liam, when with Tobit, a little sympathetic. I'm glad you want all of them to be happy. I do too. Golden Goddess, This one is REALLY long by my standards, I hope it is by yours too. Blue Eyes and Lady Redbird, your reviews made me smile. Ani, I'm glad you like it, and I'm so happy you think the characters are realistic! That is great. Thank you to everyone. I hope you all read and review, and of course most of all ENJOY!
Chapter XX: Knives and Claws
Zira wiped her forehead, and grinned at Shae across from her. It was a blazing hot summer day, a week after the ball. Zira and Shae had taken their knife practice to the usually deserted outside practice courts, but as it was extremely hot they had shed their shirts and were fighting in their breast bands. This created a steady trickle of people taking the long way round to the stables or the archery courts. They had dived for their shirts with the first few passers by, but in the end the heat won over their modesty and they decided that comfort was well worth the gawkers and the imminent scandal they would create.
"Totall's fashions are too hot anyway," Shae said after yet another squire passed them. "I miss Antithean clothes." They both smiled thinking of the light airy fabrics and slightly more revealing styles. They circled each other looking for an opening in the other's defenses. Shae arm moved to strike, but in one swift movement Zira's knife blocked hers, and swung into her own attack. Shae smiled as she easily blocked it; nimbly she switched to her left hand swooping the knife in an arch. Zira blocked it, then feinting to the right, made a move for the ribbon tied around Shae's neck. Shae's knife moved dangerously close to her own neck, but Zira's strike glanced harmlessly to the side.
"You'll have to do better than that," Shae said breathlessly. Zira grinned, and feinted for Shae's head, then quickly she switched hands, and her knife sliced through the ribbon. Shae shook her head. "You're too fast." The sound of clapping reached their ears. They turned quickly and saw, leaning on the fence, Lady Alanna. Both Shae's and Zira's eyes hardened, and they suddenly wanted to be covered by their shirts. They didn't like standing there exposed for their enemy to see. They pulled their shirts on, and nodded civilly towards Alanna.
"I don't believe I have ever seen better skill with a knife," Alanna said walking towards them.
"Thank you," Zira said stiffly. Alanna reached out for her knife.
"May I?" she asked with an easy smile. Zira's grip tightened on the hilt, unwilling to give anything to the woman who had killed her mother. Slowly she loosened her grip finger by finger and handed the slender knife over to Alanna's patient hand. Alanna's eyes opened wide when she felt the slight weight of the knife, and the razor sharp edge. "I don't believe even the Raven Armory has anything this fine," she said wonderingly.
"No Tortallian blacksmith could make its equal," Zira said coldly. "Only the metalsmiths of the Aietos Mountains can produce weaponry that fine." Alanna tested it, striking out quickly.
"It is remarkably light and strong," she said looking at the blade. "Where are the Aietos Mountains," she asked.
"They are on the northern border of Antitheos, where it meets the roof of the world. They mine the metal there, some of the best iron in the world is found there." Alanna looked at the knife.
"Really," she said. She turned it to look at the hilt. "What does this mean?" she asked pointing to a spidery gold inscription winding round the amber hilt. It read
eimi diké, xifos kreiontos Antitheou.
Zira grabbed the knife; its sharp blade left a long red line across her palm.
"It means that the dagger is mine," she said defiantly. Alanna shook her head. Zira, taking the opportunity while Alanna wasn't looking, swiftly slipped her vial of tears out of her pocket and put a few drops on her cut. It closed leaving another white scar to add to her collection. Alanna turned reached out her hand.
"I'm a healer let me see the cut," she said gently. Zira looked a Shae.
"What cut?" she asked.
"The one you just got when you grabbed that knife," Alanna said calmly. She picked up Zira's hand and stared, the palm was crisscrossed with scars but no recent wound was there. She let the hand fall, puzzled. Shae and Zira looked at her coolly. "So," she said stretching. "Do you want to test your skills against an old woman?" Zira stared at Alanna.
"You want to knife fight me?" she said. "You aren't afraid that I will kill you or something?" Alanna shook her head.
"Why ever would I be afraid of that?" she asked.
"Well I'm afraid you might kill me," Zira said her voice quiet but mocking.
"Do you think I would want to start a war?" Alanna replied with a laugh.
"I don't know. Watching you from the towers, you seemed to enjoy killing innocent Antitheans. Why wou " Alanna's hand lashed out striking Zira's cheek.
"Don't ever say that I enjoy killing," she said her voice quivering with rage. "I hate war. You have never been down there, fighting for your life, knowing that it is either you or the other person. Get some experience before you judge me." Zira stood very still, her cheek was burning from the slap, it contrasted with her deep tan. Her voice was a hiss when she replied.
"You have never had to stand and watch as both your mother and your brother are killed before your very eyes, by the same person. A person who you must now stand and be civil to. A person who is so high in favor that even if you wanted to you couldn't harm her. A person that whenever something goes wrong for everyone huddles round, pitying and cajoling. A person who you hate with all your soul but can do nothing to so you must stand there and let the hatred consume you until you have no room even for the love of your people." Alanna turned, leaving, but Zira's voice rang out clear. "Lioness, I challenge you to a battle of knives and wits, may Eimar grace this fight." Alanna turned back violet eyes burning. Zira turned to Shae, who handed Alanna her knife. Alanna entered the circle, knife gripped in her white knuckled hand.
Zira's cold amber eyes were like ice. They circled each other, not as humans but with a more bestial quality. A lioness and a tigress eyed the other warily. Alanna was the first to strike, but it was the clumsy move of one used to a longer weapon. Zira blocked it and struck swiftly out, Alanna barely parried in time. Her strike was easier this time, she was getting more of a feel for the weapon. Zira smiled to herself, she wasn't even as good as Shae. Her block moved smoothly into a feint, which Alanna stopped before it got into its second phase. Zira's easy movements flowed, less with strength than with practice and grace. Alanna's style had more strength and power, each movement of the knife was separate, but always with purpose. Zira's light shirt stuck to her sweaty skin, how she wished she didn't have it on, but she knew she wouldn't be able to face Alanna exposed. Alanna's hair was slicked back and sweaty, and her tunic clung to her skin, it was hot. The passers by began to stay and watch, amazed by what they were seeing. Zira became more and more her cat self. Her knife grew into an extension of herself, it was her claws, sharp and fast. She slashed out with it, bringing it back in just as fast. Sweat was pouring down her face, but she was intent on her adversary. She was getting tired, her tactic was always to end these fights early, but even Shae never lasted this long. She looked at Alanna's set grim lips and knew that she was still fresh. Zira desperately blocked strike after strike. She suddenly saw an opening, her knife snaked in, the tip was touching the ribbon. Alanna leapt backwards, sidestepping the blade. Alanna's knife never faltered, it sprang forward and its razor sharp point grazed the white ribbon round Zira's neck. Zira felt a loosening, and the sensation of the severed ribbon falling to the earth. She felt naked, more naked than she had felt while fighting Shae in their breast bands. It was a complete exposure, as if someone had removed her skin for everyone to look inside her soul. Her hand reached up covering her bare throat. The onlookers stared. Alanna glared at her.
"Never," she said, "tell me I enjoy killing." She threw Shae's knife into the ground, and strode out of the circle, leaving Zira standing there. One by one the spectators left.
Zira stood tall, hand clenched onto her knife. Shae looked at her, knowing not to speak, not to move. Finally Zira turned and walked up to the palace. Shae remained on the courts, watching her best friend walking slowly up the slope. She bent down to retrieve her knife, but then looked at it. It was stuck into the ground at an angle. She could still see the sweaty handprint of Alanna's palm. She stood leaving it there; she didn't want it anymore. She had another.
Zira reached her room. It was there that she exploded. Cursing wildly in Antithean, she picked up a book and threw it against the wall.
"Why!" she shouted. "Why couldn't I defend your honor Mama, Abi. Why! Eimar why couldn't I why!" She screamed, tearing her hair down from battle style, not noticing when she pulled hairs out by their roots. Tears flowed down her face. "Abi, you would have died for me! And yet I can't even uphold your reputation! Mama, you were everything to me, you would have lived for me! And I couldn't even defend you!" She collapsed to the floor sobbing. A small voice in her head began whispering, "I can do it now. I can take It before anyone knows what happened. If I take It from Alanna it would be she that is disrespected." Zira smiled. She stood. "If I take It now she would be humiliated. She would know how it feels." She reached out, and felt It, throbbing, wanting to become one with her. She began pulling, It came easily. She pulled harder, and as she did her mind went black. She tumbled to the floor.
"Zira!" the usually gentle voice of Eimar was hard. "Did you know what you were doing?" Zira felt like she was floating, she looked at the ever shifting Eimar, all the faces, though, were turned away from her. She felt alone.
"I was trying to restore It to Antitheos, you said yourself that It belongs there," she said defiantly, but it was the defiance of one who knows they are guilty.
"If you had taken It then there would never had been peace," Eimar said quietly. "Do you remember why you were taking It?" Eimar's question hung in the air between them. Zira's head bowed. "If you had taken It in the act of revenge It would not bring peace."
"But," Zira said, "I needed to prove myself to Mama and Abi. To Antitheos." Eimar's laugh filled her, she looked at the amber light.
"When have you ever needed to prove yourself to them. You were trying to prove yourself to you." Zira nodded, ashamed.
"But when should I take It?" she asked desperately.
"You will know. You will know."