Wielder's Awakening (42 page)

Traven let his body fall back on his bed and tried to get comfortable.  He had slept well since joining the army because he was always tired, but he was not sure if he had ever really been comfortable.  That was what he missed about the academy, the comfortable living conditions.  His bed had been so comfortable, and he had had his own room.  In the barracks he shared his room with nineteen other soldiers and only had a small cupboard for his personal space.

When he had joined the army, he had not really thought about the difficult living conditions.  However, he had easily adjusted.  After Blaize had helped him enlist, Traven had been assigned to a squadron of new recruits.  They all had over a month in the army, and at first Traven had been afraid he would have trouble catching up to them.  It turned out almost opposite.  His physical fitness and his skill with the sword were already far past that of the new recruits.  After a couple of weeks when he had learned the basic procedures and drills, he had been moved from the beginning class into a squadron of regular soldiers.

Traven had been excited for the advancement but was saddened by the coldness of the other soldiers who were still in the beginning class.  He hoped for a warmer reception among the normal soldiers and had found it in part.  Some made it a point to let him know that if he thought he was something special he was not, while others actually sought him out to practice against.  Traven found that he got along the best with the older veterans.  They respected his skills and were willing to offer advice and help him.  Many of the younger soldiers seemed to only care about the fun that they could have when they were allotted leave time.

Traven opened his eyes as the first dinner bell rang and closed them again.  He was definitely getting tired of the mess food.  At the academy many of the students had complained about the food they were served, but compared with the barracks’ mess, the academy was fine dining.  The food in the army was to give energy and strength, not to please the palate.  Traven had first thought it strange that the mess served basically the same food the soldiers would eat when traveling and when fighting battles.  However, he had soon realized the wisdom of it with the help of Blaize.  Blaize had explained that if you could learn to go without certain things when they were available, then when they were not available, you would not be affected by a loss.  It helped the soldiers to endure war better and be more disciplined.

Kalia’s royal army prided itself in its discipline.  Traven had learned the truth behind it.  The soldiers had a very structured day and were obligated to show proper manners and obey their officers immediately and without question.  How they spent their nights and their free days was a whole different matter.  All of their disappointment, anger, pride, and rambunctiousness burst forth.  Many soldiers used their deprivations as an excuse to party excessively when they had a chance.

He supposed they weren’t really deprived at all in the royal army.  They had shelter, food, and clothing provided for them and a salary to boot to use as they desired.  The soldiers with families usually sent most of the money home, while the younger soldiers and the older bachelors wasted their money on drinking and gambling.  Traven had saved most of the money he had received.  He really didn’t have any expenses since he didn’t have a family yet and didn’t enjoy drinking or gambling.

“Traven!  Hurry up or you’re going to miss dinner.”

He opened his eyes and sat up with a yawn.

“I’m coming,” Traven replied as he stood up.

“You might be a good swordsman, but if you don’t eat you’ll not last very long against anyone.”

Traven smiled as he followed Luthor to the mess hall.  Luthor was probably one of the oldest soldiers in the army.  He was one of the few that had actually fought in a war before.  He had fought thirty years earlier when Argont tried to separate itself from Kalia.  Traven liked him a lot.  Luthor had taken it upon himself to look out for him.  Traven found it amusing since he didn’t need anyone to look out for him.  However, he enjoyed the friendship.  He liked listening to the older man’s stories.  In him Traven had found someone that reminded him of his grandfather.  Soon they both had their steaming food, and they sat down at a table with some of the other veterans.

“So I heard you beat Captain Kalthor today,” Wenry said.  “He’s a blademaster for those of you who don’t know.”

“Yes, we all know that Kalthor is a blademaster,” Luthor replied.  “When there are only seven in the army it is easy to remember.  Though soon there might be eight!”  Traven smiled as Luthor winked at him.

“Well, I think that Captain Kalthor is getting rusty,” another soldier said.  “I saw the fight, and he didn’t look as quick as he used to be.  No disrespect to you, Traven, but I think I could have beaten him too.”

“If you think you are so good, Tom, why don’t you fight Traven tomorrow?” Luthor returned.  “The Captain only looked slow because Traven’s so fast!”

Traven smiled as the veterans began arguing over who could beat who and who had fought better in actual battles.  He listened as he finished his food.  Luthor and Tom had been friends forever, but sometimes it was hard to believe since they were always arguing.  Someone who didn’t know them might even think the two were actually upset at each other, but Traven knew it was just their way of joking around.

“Did ya all hear about the army in Balthus?” Wenry interrupted.  “They’re moving on Rankdra.”

Traven perked up at the mention of the rogue army.  He had heard many fantastical rumors since being in the army, but after questioning Blaize he had learned that some of what he had heard was actually true.

“The Empress thinks she’s safe in her great city surrounded by her poorly trained soldiers, but she’s in for a surprise.  She’ll realize her mistake soon enough.  When that wielder leading the rogue army starts to throw his-”

“Now you don’t still believe that the rogue army is led by a wielder?” Luthor interjected.  “There’s just no such thing as wielders!”

“Yes there is, and you are going to find that out when Rankdra falls just like Beking did!”

Traven quit paying attention as Tom joined Luthor in trying to convince Wenry that there were no such things as wielders.  Traven kept quiet on what he thought.  He wasn’t sure if all of the stories were true, but he couldn’t dismiss them as easily as Luthor.  Blaize had confirmed certain things from the rumors, and Traven himself possessed two might stones.  There was some truth there.  Time would tell whether or not the rumors were actually true.  As amazing as it would be to see a real wielder in battle, Traven didn’t want to be fighting against him if the rumors that circulated in the barracks were true.

When dinner was over, the three veterans invited Traven to a game of cards.  He declined the offer so he could get to bed early.  He had been getting up earlier than usual in the mornings so that he could get in extra practice.  With the extra matches at the end of the normal day’s training, he always found himself incredibly tired.  He left the others behind and went to the bunks.  Once there, he quickly washed up and slipped under the thick covers of his bed.  He dropped off to sleep almost immediately.

Morning, as always, came too soon.  Traven got out of bed and quietly put on his clothes in the dark.  All around him he could hear the slow breathing and the snores of the other soldiers who were still fast asleep.  He grabbed his sword and silently left the room.  He continued down the hall and past the sleepy-eyed guard.  The cold air of late winter slammed into him as he left the barracks and made his way to the nearest training field.  He tossed off his cloak and shivered in the morning breeze.  He was always cold when he started his routine, but by the end he was always plenty warm.

Traven stretched and started out slowly, allowing his muscles to warm up.  He soon had his routine in full swing as he calmly went through his exercises.  After about half an hour Blaize made his way out to the field and began to practice alongside him.  Traven enjoyed Blaize’s company.  After they were done working out, they would talk for a while before beginning the day.  It was about the only chance that Traven ever had to speak with Blaize.  As a general, Blaize was always busy doing something.  When he was free it wasn’t really proper for him to associate so much with a regular foot soldier.  Nobody, however, said anything about them practicing early in the morning together.  Almost all of the soldiers were still sleeping, and they could care less about what went on.

Traven finished his routine and watched Blaize finish up while he sheathed his sword.  His routine was now almost the same as the large warrior’s but with one sword instead of two.  Blaize finished his routine almost immediately after Traven and walked over to join him.  The cold breeze was very refreshing as it ran over their sweating bodies.  Traven covered a yawn with the back of his hand.

“You know, Traven, you look wasted.  You shouldn’t be getting up so early.”

“I don’t like to, but I need the extra practice,” Traven replied as he muffled another yawn.  “Did you hear that I beat Captain Kalthor yesterday?  Three down and three to go!”

“Four to go!”

“I’m not going to try to beat you again.  I just want to beat the others.  If I keep on getting up extra early, I think I will be able to beat the others before we march.  And then Luthor says that I will gain the title of blademaster!”

“You spend too much time with Luthor,” Blaize said, rolling his eyes.  “He is too free in his praise for your skills.  You are very good, but you are not a blademaster yet.”  Traven looked down.  “How many times did you have to fight Captain Kalthor before you beat him?”

“Five times,” Traven muttered.

“Exactly!  Four times too many,” Blaize said harshly.  He then took a breath and continued in a friendlier tone.  “You probably don’t realize this, but I watch all of your matches with the blademasters.  That’s how I knew you beat Captain Kalthor yesterday.  I’m usually not in the crowd gathered around you, but I make it a point to watch from somewhere.”

“You’ve seen all of them?” Traven asked, raising his gaze from his feet.

“Yes I have, and I know what your problems are.  You don’t need more practice.  Your muscles know what to do before you do it.  Getting up earlier than me is just robbing you of needed sleep and your muscles of needed rest.  You can only work your muscles so hard.  They need rest.  What you lack is concentration and patience.”  Traven listened intently as Blaize continued.  He knew that it was one of the rare moments when Blaize opened up and passed along special wisdom.  “As far as your form and skill, you already match the blademasters.  One of your shortcomings is that you look so hard for the opportunity to strike and win that you give your opponent an opportunity to strike you.

“You need to be patient and wait for the opportunity to come to you.  Keep your guard up and wait for the right moment to win.  When it presents itself, you must act lightning quick.  If you miss it, patiently wait for another opportunity.  If you are good, you will last long enough to have many opportunities.  Don’t try to rush them.  They will come to you.  You have lost many times because you are being hasty.  You nearly lost again to Captain Kalthor yesterday because you were looking too hard for that moment.  You forgot that he too was watching you for that moment.

“You have to always concentrate, Traven.  If your opponents are inferior, you can make a few mistakes and not have to worry.  But to be a blademaster you cannot make those mistakes.  While your skills match those of the other blademasters, your concentration does not.  When you fight another blademaster, slip out of concentration for a moment and the match is over.  You have to clear your mind and focus.  You shouldn’t feel the desire to win or feel the fear that you will lose.  You shouldn’t feel fatigue or pain.  Your mind must be clear of everything else.  You must focus on your opponent and your goal.  Nothing else matters.  When you learn to do that, then you will truly be a blademaster.  And I shouldn’t say this because you get enough praise from Luthor, but I think you have the potential to be one of the best blademasters.”

“Thanks, Blaize,” Traven said grateful for the criticism and the praise.  Blaize always had a way of finishing on a high note.

“So will you trust me and stop getting up so early in the morning?”

“If you say so,” Traven responded, clapping Blaize on the shoulder.  “You haven’t given me any bad advice yet.”

“You got that right,” Blaize said with a grin.  They then headed back to the barracks to get ready for the day.  “Oh yeah, one more thing,” Blaize said as he headed down an opposite corridor to the officer’s quarters.  “The Commander General and the Princess are going to be stopping by in the afternoon, so be on your best behavior.”  He finished with a wink, “And try to control your emotions if you run into the Princess again.  She’s engaged now!”