Chapter10

"Yup." Said Amnsovn grimy. "I thought so." Two burly men stepped into the road ahead and three came out from behind. One of the ones in front of them stepped forward.

"Well hello gentile ladies." He said with a wide grin bordering on a leer as if he meant more than he said. "And good day to your escort." He nodded towards Jason. "Well, I wonder what a pair like you are doing out here with only one guard. And one so young and inexperience too!" He said in mock shock. "Splendid!" He said as if receiving unexpected guests at a party he had not thought anyone would attend. "Well, that is splendid for us. Rather unfortunate for you." He leered again.

"I have two guards actually." Said Aphei angrily. "I am his majesty the king Ageus's first adviser." The mans eyes widened

"The king's first adviser! I've heard of you! The kings first concubine more like! That's the only way a woman could get so high, they only have one real use." The man retorted with a sneer, "And who's the foreigner, doesn't speak much does she. I'm betting she's some foreign princess. Her hair, eyes and horse are a bit of a give away. Those horses are supposed to be untameable even for the northerners who own them so she's got to be someone important. I also bet those bags of yours are full of foreign gold. I bet we could get a good ransom for you two too! Anyway," he said suspiciously, "where's the second guard you mentioned?" Amonsovn drew Sagiaturiaris.

"I'm right here." She said poisonously. The leader flinched.

"A warrior maiden!" He exclaimed, "I've heard of them too! Well how strong can a woman be?" He snorted incredulously, "At them boys, they don't look like surrender."

"Aphei!" Amonsovn shouted leaping from the Brute, she did not believe in unfair fighting even though logic did not exactly back this as there were five big men against her, Aphei with her small knife and an unseasoned youth, the others also dismounted, though only to follow her example, "You and Jason take two of the ones behind us, I'll deal with the rest." The leader stood back with a smug expression, his right hand man foolishly dropped his bow and charged at Amosovn, he was not a bad swords man though Amonsovn had no problem with him until another of the men stepped up. Amonsovn had to balance the two, holding one off and playing weak while wearing down the other.

The right hand man was beginning to tire and second was growing cocky with her supposed weakness. There, her sword changed direction in the blink of an eye and swept through the second mans guard bringing him down. Amonsovn then stepped up the pace with the already tiered first man. She lunged and struck at his chest, he dodged though Sagiaturiaris gashed his side. He then aimed a strike at her head, she leapt but in his follow through he cut along her right arm. Annoyed with herself Amonsovn made an impossibly quick recovery and leapt at him, Sagiaturiaris passed through his chest. She pulled free from the corps.

Aphei and Jason were battling separately with the other two men. They were quite evenly matched, though Jason was faltering a bit, Aphei was doing splendidly with her knife against the large sword her opponent had. Amosovn ducked just in time at the leaders blade whistled over her head.

Stupid, she chided herself, very stupid letting yourself forget about him. He swung at her and she parried catching his blade and quickly sliding hers along so the hilts were locked together, the leaders eyes widened and wisely he ducked and rolled away, he would have had to give way under her superior strength if he had not done so. Tentatively he circled her, she was much stronger than he thought.

The muscles on his torso gave him away and Amonsovn blocked his sword again easily and returned with a vicious strike of her own which he only just blocked in time. Slyly he swiped out with his boot trying to trip her up, she feigned falling but rolled under his following attack with his sword and she brought her blade around deep into his side as she rose to her feet. The leader was dead.

Amonsovn looked around, Aphei had nearly run her opponent ragged with her small knife and he was covered with numerous cuts, Aphei was dodging all his lumbering blows neatly and then nimbly swiping at him underhand, but Jason was in trouble. He was backed up against a tree and the man was not letting him escape, it did not look good. The attacking man then suddenly curved his blade around Jason's and, catching it by the hilt, sent it flying. Amonsovn's hand snaked out and twisted the blades movement around as it was falling beside her. The blade swept back into the man's back. It went straight thought him and cut Jasons arm with deadly accuracy, making a trickle of blood slither down his wrist. Amonsovn walked over.

"How I wish I could have let that go right through you too," Amonsovn hissed at him in contempt, "instead of saving your life, but I would not betray Aphei's trust. I will spare you although you did not spare my people and therefore no one can say I am alike to such a coward and poor swordsman as you." Amonsovn spun away and remounted the Brute who was looking peeved that he had been left out of the action. He attempted to bite Amonsovn's leg to make up for it, she swatted his nose away firmly. They set off down the trail again.

Amonsovn was amazed although she tried not to show it, the city was vast! She had never seen anything bigger than the little village Mirrendi lived in, she thought that had been big. So many people and horses and carriages, even some really posh ones that must have belonged to some of the nobility. Aphei then took Jason and her to a small gate in the great wall that encircled the inner city the nobles lived in surrounding the Acropolis (The Acropolis was the central, defensively oriented district in Ancient Greek cities. Located at the highest point and containing the chief municipal and religious buildings) The two guards on duty there knew Aphei it seemed and she told them she had new 'recruits' but they needed to be brought before the king and explained first, they were special situations according to her. They let her pass. Aphei then went to the largest, grandest building and entered by a small side door into a shabby back room with a hassled clerk sitting behind a whole mountain range of paperwork, Amonsovn wondered if they should name it, maybe 'the paper piles'. When they came in the clerks small face peeped over the shortest pile which seemed to be taller than him.

"Aphei!" The clerk squeaked rushing around to them, this took awhile, and he dislodged several pieces which created the world's first minature 'paperslide' every single one of which he carefully put back in exactly the same place. "Finally!" The clerk exclaimed again, "The king has been getting most impatient, he says he has a most terribly important case for you." Then the clerk spotted Amonsovn and Jason, "Who are they?" He demanded suspiciously.

"They're new recruits with special situations." Aphei said elusively.

"Special situations!" The clerk said incredulously, "One's no more than a boy with hardy a hair on his chin and the other's a strange foreigner and a woman for crying out loud! I'll give you special situations!" The clerk planted his hands on his hips.

"Well, I think the king should let her have a try and I need to put both their cases to the king." Aphei said defensively.

"Alright." The clerk said dubiously. "He's up in his chambers, he won't mind the interruption since it's you, finally, but those two should stay here." Aphei nodded and went through the door at the back. Amonsovn caught a glimpse of colour before the door banged shut again.

A little while later Aphei came back looking slightly flustered.

"Yes," said Aphei giving the clerk a bit of paper with their funny squigglings on it, "the king says you can and see the commander, he'll probably pass you over to the barracks master who will 'test your metal' with the commander watching." Aphei gave a flustered smile, "That's good, but I can't see you two over there as I'm terribly busy. I can't even go away for a few days with out cases piling up!" She complained, "Wyston," she turned to the clerk, "will you see them over to the military area please?" Wyston sighed and nodded looking mournfully at his pet paper mountains.

"Oh thank you so much." Aphei said and disappeared out the door again dislodging several more 'paperslides' as she left. The clerk scuttled round delicately replacing all his beloved bits of parchment.

"Alright," he said when he had finished, "follow me." With a last look of longing he whisked out the door leaving his paper behind. Amonsovn and Jason followed him. The little clerk scuttled across the ground with his legs whirring in circles, eager to get back to his documents. The clerk led them to a large selection of ratty mostly wooden buildings all very long. They were taken into one of these. The clerk went to the first door and rapped sharply on it with his knuckles. A loud booming voice shouted from within,

"Go away! It's supposed to be my day off, second commander Leaftea is in charge." The clerk coughed politely

"It is Document clerk Wyston, Commander Brousk, with two 'special situation' recruits." Wyston answered, polite as ever. There was aloud grunt and some bangs and a large head with an impressive full beard and moustache under an impressive nose appeared round the door. He glared at the clerk sourly.

"Just my luck." He grumbled as the rest of him was taken around the door, he was wearing a red tunic over his bulging muscles with a gold belt showing that he was the overall commander. He was a big man but still not as tall as Amonsovn, Why did she always seem to be taller than everybody? Amonsovn thought. Wyston wordlessly handed him the bit of paper Aphei had given him. Commander Brousk glared at it to and then interrupted his own grumblings by bellowing down the corridor in his enormous voice,

"CCRRRRRAAAAAAAAFFFFFTTTTTTEEEEEEENNNNNNN! Craften, get your lazy arse over here!"

A fat, nasty looking man wearing a brown tunic with a gold belt came rushing down the corridor trying to see it his ears were still working, Amonsovn was wondering the same thing, she noticed that Wyston had diplomatically found two nasty itches in both ears just in time to save them from probable damage.

"I take it I'm not needed anymore." Wyston said hurriedly and scuttled out, back to his paper pile mountains.

"Couple of 'special situation' recruits," Commander Brousk rumbled, "It says that for pot-icky-al reasons it would be wiz, no sorry, wise to include them in our racks, no sorry, ranks. It says he under-stands if they are re-ect-ed but if we could find a spase, no sorry, space for them it would be very much ob-vise-ed. Whatever that mean." Brousk finished blundering through the writing.

"It means," Craftn explained, "that we should try and find a space for them even if their not that good."

"Oh." Said Brousk. "Well why didn't he just say so?" He grumbled and stomped off towards the door at the other end of the corridor. They followed at Barracks master Craftens gesture. The door led outside into a large open area surrounded by the same type of buildings as she had seen from the outside. There were large groups and small groups all doing different things and there were many different uniforms. Sometimes groups would swap over or another group of people would come out of the buildings and another would go off, the grounds were flat but there was a steep grass bank between the grounds and the buildings so you had a good view. Brousk stomped down the slope into the nearest vacant small court. In several of these there were pairs of people fencing with each other, fencing courts. They went in. Brousk turned and glared at them. He grunted.

"Where's the other recruit? Run away did he?" Brousk demanded. Amonsovn realised that he thought she was just tagging along with Jason.

"It's me." She said stepping forward. Brousk stared.

"You?" He said incredulously. He pulled the bit of paper back out of his belt. She watched his lips move as he read. His eyes widened at a word.

"Alright." He said dubiously. He stomped off to a small well kept wooden building on the same level as the grounds. He came back out with two blunt practise blades. He tossed one at Jason, who almost dropped it, and the other at barracks master Craften. Craften caught his easily.

"Right boy," Said Brousk, "Since you already know some of the art of sword fighting you can just show me what you can do against old fatty Craften here, he's quicker than he looks though, so don't get cocky."

Jason and Craften circled each other. Jason then made a quick strike at him, Craften parried easily and followed with an attack of his own. Jason parried then dodged and just managed to avoid getting hit. Jason then sprang and managed just to catch Craften on the arm. The fight did not last long but Jason did not do badly even if he did finish on the floor with Craftens practise blade at his throat. Craften smugly helped Jason to his feet. They turned to Brousk.

"Huh, maybe we can do something with him. Put him in the novice barracks and maybe he'll manage." Brousk gestured. "While you're taking him there I'll finish the girl." Brousk tossed her Jason's practise sword and took Craften's. "Can you use that blade on your back?" He asked sceptically. "You've got height to your advantage though."

"I can fight well enough, but not enough." She sighed and looked vacant for a moment than her attention snapped back to him. "Let's get this over with." Brousk circled her. They both circled for a while.

Good, at least she has plenty of patience Brousk thought.

Amonsovn feinted to her left, Brousk moved to block the strike when her blade changed direction, not one but twice. He could deal with the first change but not the second and she fetched him a blow to his side. Amonsovn studied his face, he was at last beginning to take her seriously, good. Brousk lashed out at her chest, she dropped into a roll and came up behind him throwing a blow to his back which, catching him off balance, knocked him over. She spun and put her sword point to his throat.

"Well I'll be damed!" Brousk exclaimed. She held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. Brousk turned to see Craften staring in open disbelief. Brousk's face split in a broad grin. "Look at this Craften, Chief Commander beaten by a girl! She's going to train with the blade dancers, she'll make the elite king's body guard in no time!" Brousk clapped her across the back making her stumble slightly. Craften, forgetting to shut his mouth, took her off to one of the buildings.

AN. Plez rev? It wuld mk my day!