Chapter 17

Leo woke the next morning, an uncomfortable ache in his arm where he'd been taking the strong blows of the Mandorc. He spent a few moments clearing the sleep from his mind, and when he was quite satisfied, eased the Force to dull the pain in his arm. Within seconds it was gone, and he allowed himself to climb out of the bunk.

Ranzel was already up; Leo could feel him bustling around in the cargo bay.

Once he'd dressed, and recovered his lightsaber from under his pillow, he felt ready enough to find the Jedi, so he left the room, stretching as he went.

Just as he passed the doorframe, a swift premonition of danger dashed across his mind. Jump and roll. He did so, narrowly avoiding the attack of the dull grey remote he'd been fighting while they were still on Pentusar.

He'd almost forgotten about it, but it seemed to be on a higher level now. It rolled and dived for him again, and he activated his lightsaber and brought it up, warding off a series of frenzied blows without thinking about them.

So this was Ranzel's version of "Good morning"? He rolled again under the remote, span onto his back and blocked another attack. He'd have to thank him for this one personally. He rolled his eyes and barely deflected the next attack, before another flurry apparently ended the remote's program. It sank to the ground and then deactivated, and Leo turned off his lightsaber and picked up the little droid.

Better to stay alert though, in case Ranzel had something else planned to exhaust him before his battle with the Temple Initiate.

Apparently, that wasn't the intention, because Ranzel met him above the exit of the Renzucon.

"Are you warmed up?" he asked, before Leo could say anything.

Leo shook his head, not thinking he really needed to answer that question. They made their way off the ship and went inside of the Temple once more. Breakfast, Arakaziel had explained, while they ate dinner the previous night. Breakfast, and then, when their food had settled and the Temple was awake, they would go to the hall.

Until that moment, Leo hadn't realised that this would be a spectacle. Now he was aware that a good deal, if not all of the Initiates would be there, and beyond that, any of the other Jedi that happened to be in the Temple at the time.

It was a considerable prospect. All those people watching him for anything that might show his lack of ability. But Ranzel seemed so sure of him – he would risk it for the Jedi.

They stepped into the mess hall which had been so dark and empty the night before. Now there were youngsters at every table, all caught in their own conversations. Some of them were using the Force, practicing levitating small objects. Others were playing with the same cards that Leo had seen being used before. He spotted the youngsters he had spoken with before sitting opposite each other further on down the hall.

Begging a moment from Ranzel, Leo made his way to speak to them. He bowed ever so slightly in greeting. "It's good to see you again. And how is your training going?"

The two grinned up at him, twisting slightly in their seats. The girl was the first to speak. "Thank you for your interest, Padawan Black."

"Oh," Leo said, stunned. "Of course I'm interested. After all, it is merely a friendly enquiry." He let his hand go into his robes, flashing the image of the GanGan bird in their direction.

The two looked at each other again, as in sharing something, and then looked back at Leo. "We never introduced ourselves," said the boy. "We're twins. My name is Ezekiel Nithnar."

"And mine's Ozakiel Nithnar," added the girl.

"Then it is very nice to meet you, Ezekiel and Ozakiel."

They giggled again and then said in perfect harmony, "And you, Padawan Black."

"We hope you do well today," added the boy.

"Thank you," Leo said softly, and then lifted his head. Ranzel was beckoning him to return. "I must go, D'Kar wants me."

The twins nodded solemnly as he slipped back to the Jedi Knight. He sank down in the place next to Ranzel at the Master's table and glanced up the length of the surface. Arakaziel sat at the other end, speaking gently with the Initiate Tehirehtil.

Leo turned to the odd breakfast set out before them, and settled on the most edible looking things, with Ranzel's advice.

The Jedi didn't seem to be passing him any last minute pearls of knowledge – perhaps to Leo's advantage, because he could relax himself and not think about the coming battle.

It took a while for him to eat enough to satisfy his hunger, and without the fear, he realised he had been able to eat better. Breakfast had been a calming beginning to the ordeal. Now, when he rose, the entire hall seemed to be looking at him.

"Come," Ranzel advised, placing his hand on Leo's shoulder and leading him from the hall. Arakaziel watched them leave in silence – Leo could feel the tall alien's eyes on his back.

There were so many people. Almost all the Initiates were there, Leo assumed. They were sitting around on the ground, cross legged, facing the floor at the centre of the arena with excitement.

Beyond them, there must have been twelve Jedi Masters in total, including both Membar and Arakaziel. Several Jedi and their Padawans sat opposite the Masters. Ranzel sat with them alone, watching firmly. There was no help for Leo now.

Leo's heart was pumping frantically, and he had to use all of his ability with the Force to quell the sudden flutter of nausea that grew within him. If he failed, all these people would see it. It would be a particular dishonour, considering the Jedi he faced was not even a Padawan.

He was okay…he would be fine so long as he didn't let fear rule him, and didn't let the Initiate anger him. He took a steady breath, set his hands by his side and closed his eyes, letting himself focus on the Force, blocking out everything around him. Within the powers he felt he sought Tehirehtil, and when he found her he concentrated on nothing but her, even though they were not yet together.

A familiar chill fluttered through his bones. There was something not quite right about her, an odd darkness that seemed to be intended towards him. He wondered whether anyone else could see it when they concentrated on her. Perhaps it was simply because he was to be her opponent, but the feeling was the same as the Dark Side had been, slipping up towards him in an attempt to conquer his heart.

It was certainly becoming easier to hold that force at bay without expending too much energy on it, and Leo marked it for later reference. Perhaps in battle, tempting out that hidden desire could make the battle end faster. He thought about it even without realising it, the strategy becoming a part of his formula instantly.

Leo opened his eyes and someone approached his vicinity. He knew it was a Master before he saw him, and he stepped forwards. "Membar," he said warmly.

"Yes, it is I," Membar said, smiling at the Padawan. "You feel so much stronger since last we met, Padawan Black. Pentusar was good for you?"

Shaking his head, Leo explained shortly. "I was attacked by Gnorlashes. I spent a good deal of my time on Pentusar in a state of meditation."

"D'Kar didn't mention that," Membar admitted. "Are you sure you shall be okay fighting so soon after that?"

"I spent almost all afternoon and evening yesterday training with holograms," Leo said. "If fighting was too much for my body, I wouldn't be on my feet today."

Membar nodded, slowly. "Perhaps you are right, Padawan Black."

"I wanted to ask you, Master Membar…you're Tesizan, aren't you? On of the students gave me a card, and I wanted to know more about it…"

"The GanGan bird?" Membar asked. Leo hadn't even shown him the card, but he'd known none the less. "It represents Marniani, the Goddess of Eternal Friendship. It's suggested that she gave it its special abilities, and so sometimes masquerades as the GanGan bird itself. It uses cloaking abilities to blend into its environments and is very shy…so it is very lucky to see it in its natural form. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes. Thank you very much." Leo was filled with warmth at the knowledge that he had gained, and suddenly the fight seemed like so much fodder. There were more important things than just winning.

"Now then," Membar said, seriously. "I am to assure that you cannot see." He brought his clumsy hands up, tying a blindfold about Leo's eyes and then leant back to examine it. "Can you see anything?"

Leo shook his head, and Membar smiled warmly. "Then listen for the bell. I wish you luck, Padawan Black."

It wasn't long after Membar had gone that the bell actually went. It sounded more like a gong though, with a slight, echoing shimmer rounding off the sound. He took in a steady breath. It was time then…

Reaching out with his mind, Leo could make his way very carefully between the Initiates who were sat before him. He stepped between them, flinching in his blindness. He didn't want to start off the experience by inadvertently kicking anyone. He kept one hand on his lightsaber and the other by his side, feeling very defenceless, except for the weapon, and the Force.

He could feel Tehirehtil across from him, her darkness towards him making her slightly more tangible to him. He narrowed his eyes behind the blindfold in concentration and stepped silently to stand opposite Tehirehtil on the large arena mat. There was a hush around him.

"Bow to your opponent," came the voice of a Master Leo had not yet met.

None the less, he bowed. Tehirehtil did too

"Take up your lightsabers," the voice went on, satisfied.

Leo took his lightsaber from where he had been holding it cautiously. He ignited it, and the protective power of the weapon soothed any turbulence his nerves might have been experiencing.

"You may begin on the ring of the bell."

Waiting for the sound again was agony. There was only the hush, the steady breathing of two hundred Force-knowing beings, and the buzz of the two lightsabers. The bell seemed loud in comparison when it finally sang out over the room – and the battle began.

They circled like dogs, waiting for the battle. All be it, if they were dogs, they were reserved, and not rabid. Matching, Leo and Tehirehtil kept their lightsabers in defensive positions. Neither seemed to want to strike – showing just how well trained they were.

Leo could feel the desire to win flowing off Tehirehtil. She wanted so badly to impress Master Arakaziel, he mused. He continued to circle, using as little energy as possible – and then he simply stopped moving, and she stopped too.

Keeping his patience, Leo remained on his toes. The darkness that gripped at him that seemed to be flowing from Tehirehtil just to him continued to break in waves around the protective barrier of his heart. She would strike first – that edge of darkness proved it to him. All he had to do was continue to wait patiently and the attack would come.

She followed the pattern just as he had thought she would. Her movement was sudden, he suspected to her, but for a fraction of a second Leo could sense her body readying for the motion, and that, combined with the sudden burst of darkness that swept at him and almost knocked him off balance was warning enough. He brought his lightsaber up instinctively to block parallel to his head, and Tehirehtil's blade clashed harmlessly against it.

Quickly she moved straight for another attack, turning her weapon to one side and trying to come up under Leo's guard. He was too fast for her though. He caught that one too, and with speed and precision blocked an attack spun off his defence that was aimed directly for his other side.

They fell apart again - their strengths tested with those few strikes. It would be a moment longer as they considered each other, Leo thought, and then she would strike again.

Once more she was quick to do just as Leo expected her to. She rolled to his right side, corrected her position and plunged at a right angle towards his legs, sending her lightsaber in an upwards strike.

Leo was already gone though. With a surge of energy, combined with the Force he had grown to be quite content with, he sent himself into a forward flip that avoided the total range of her lightsaber. The Force carried him further and higher than he had expected it to, and he was quite stunned with what he'd achieved. No time to be proud though, he knew he needed to concentrate on his defence…

Using a move he'd learnt from the Sith hologram, he turned his wrist, pretending to drop the lightsaber, but rescuing it before gravity could carry it downwards. He turned it into his palm, where it could once more be used and plunged forwards, the edge of his blade briefly touching against the fluttering edge of Tehirehtil's robes as she barely managed to move out the way and brought her lightsaber against Leo's to keep it back.

With a burst of energy she threw her weight into it their combined lightsabers, shoving the opposing blade in an overhead move that left Leo open and trying to move into the space before he could recover.

Again, Leo proved too quick. As soon as she began, he lifted his other hand to join the first, helping to keep his lightsaber from being thrown away by the force of the movement, and evenly he shifted his strength, turning the weapon back almost against his chest to block her attack.

They fell away from each other again.

Tehirehtil's anger was rising. With every blocked move, and especially with Ranzel's near miss, she had become steadily more frustrated. Leo in return was concentrating. His gentle calmness rolled off him in waves, crushing the rising darkness before it.

If this was the best the Temple had to offer…Leo shook his head. Perhaps Arakaziel had known about her connection to the Dark Side – but at the time, Leo had still been too easily affected by the darkness.

He concentrated again. There was no time to consider the corruption of Jedi Masters. All he knew was that Tehirehtil was more dangerous like this – but the angrier she got, the more likely he may be to defeat her.

The Initiate plunged at him again, and Leo lifted his lightsaber once more to block another useless overhead attack, and then the same two moves she had used after it last time. A useless waste of energy in that attack, and then to follow it she tried a crude swing of the lightsaber, which only ended up in her being blocked and pushed aside with a rough, spinning shove from the combined strength of Leo's arms.

Even though he saw his opening in that move, Leo didn't take it. He could have ended the battle there, taking her out after he'd spun her away. He could feel Ranzel's approval, dull on the edge of his senses. He was good to not take advantage of her first weakness, and he knew that if Ranzel had seen it, the Jedi Masters had too.

Leo became more relaxed, and as he did so, the Force seemed to sing its power within him. It made it almost easy to predict Tehirehtil's moves.

And then she made her second error: She charged at him, in the same blind way that he had charged the Gnorlashes.

Leo sidestepped, and she predicted that, bringing her weapon up to try and catch him by surprise. But Leo had known she would try just that. He brought his lightsaber up to catch hers as she passed, flicked it away with a flourish and then wheeled at her defenceless back, bringing the weapon down lightly towards her, but stopping short

The bell rang, and for a second, Leo thought she was about to attack again. Her shoulders were shaking with her anger. But suddenly Arakaziel was there, his massive power showing only a hidden disappointment, and perhaps a very distant touch of fury all his own. Leo deactivated his lightsaber, feeling the tenseness ease away.

Arakaziel had chosen her, and not only had she failed, but disgraced herself with her anger. But she was still young – for her there was still hope. For a moment, Leo had to think of how she must feel in that situation, and then Membar and Ranzel were with him, and he forgot all about empathy.

"Congratulations, Padawan Black," Membar said warmly.

"Congratulations indeed," echoed Ranzel, the warmth and pride in his voice once more.

Leo straightened up as Arakaziel appeared over the shoulders of the two Jedi. "You have certainly earned my respect," the grey haired Master intoned, bowing a little. He motioned a timid Tehirehtil before Leo, and they bowed to each other.

"You fought well, Padawan Black," Tehirehtil said. Her voice was soft, but her words echoed with bitterness she didn't show.

"And you," Leo said, though he didn't really believe his words…she had been so angry, so dark…

None the less, the ordeal was over. What could possibly top this?