Arik looked around the campsite and sawKalina doing something at the back of the wagon, safely outside therange of hearing. “Garth,” he began, “you seem to be quite capableof taking care of yourself and you don’t seem to be too fond ofTedi and me. Why would you risk your life to save us and then offerto teach us your tricks? Surely, it is not just because Kalinathinks we are destined for greatness, whatever thatmeans.”
Garth smiled grimly and stared at Arik.“Kalina is a great woman,” he said quietly. “If she sees somethingspecial in you two, then there is something special. Frankly, I seenothing but two fisherboys who have run away from home and wish toplay at the games of men as if they knew the rules.”
“Your compassion isheartwarming,” snipped Tedi. “Perhaps, if you looked, you would seetwo young boys whose mothers were stolen from them and forced toleave their fathers because Dark Riders and bandits won't let themlive in peace. Perhaps if you lost something or someone you love,you wouldn’t be so damn aloof about other people’stroubles.”
Garth’s face grew visibly taut and theveins of his temples and neck bulged considerably. He rose silentlyand walked across the campsite to a clear area well away fromKalina and the boys and whipped his sword out of the sheath on hisback. Slowly he began moving his sword back and forth as iffighting some invisible foe. His arms and feet moved surely likethe fine steps of a choreographed dance. The sword moved high andlow, varying from sweeps to lunges, from checks to severs, slowlypicking up speed until the blade became hard to focuson.
Kalina came out of the wagon with atray of small, dried sweet cakes, which she brought to the boys.She looked over at Garth and sat next to the boys. “What were youtalking about?” she asked.
“I get the feeling that Garthis not real happy about us being here,” remarked Tedi. “I told himthat he should have more compassion for other people instead ofonly thinking about himself.”
Garth was moving faster now. His armsand feet began moving so fast that it appeared he was just jumpingaround at random, but closer inspection revealed that each strokeof his sword was centered on the same invisible foe. At a speedthat Arik thought would make most people dizzy, Garth’s everymovement was sure-footed and precise. While the hit with his swordmight be high, low or in between, they all would have hit theinvisible foe.
“You truly do not understandGarth,” Kalina said softly. “He has lost more than any man I knowand he bears the responsibility for each and every loss. He doesnot dwell long on his own problems because the weight of them wouldcrush him. Instead, he devotes his life to other people’s problems.He helps those who are incapable of helping themselves. Sometimesthey are grateful, sometimes they are not, but always they thinkthat their problems are the worst in the world. None of them haveever thought to ask about his problems, not that he would discussthem if anyone did ask.”
Kalina sighed and looked back at Garth.He was now fighting a circle of invisible foes, twirling round andround and varying the stroke so that no opponent could foretell thestroke that would be aimed at him. Sweat poured down his body inrivers, yet his breath appeared even and measured. Arik and Tedistared at his rippling muscles and sure steps and were amazed atthe variety of strokes he could deliver with the sword. Kalina roseand went back to the wagon.
“Perhaps, you spoke hastily,”Arik chided. “It did not appear to me that the man who killed tenDark Riders that were after us was thinking only ofhimself.”
“He got me mad,” respondedTedi sheepishly. “He was treating us like little boys that hadstolen some candy and gotten caught.”
“Maybe that is how we appear,”commented Arik. “What does he know of us? You tried to sneak intohis camp and he scared you off. One sight of him in town and weboth ran into the woods. Then he overheard me bragging about howquiet I was and I didn’t even know he was there. Finally, we getourselves caught in a trap with no way out and we just ran,mindless of how we were going to escape. Maybe that is what we are,a couple of kids who think we know more than we do. Maybe ourproblems are not so bad after all. It might be that we just don’tknow how to handle them.”
Garth was now fighting an ever biggerforce of imaginary foes. One that was spread out farther apart.Garth would slash and leap towards another member of the attackersor roll across the intervening ground and strike out with his feetas he swung at yet another. It was hard to determine how many foesGarth was facing, but however many there were, Arik would not liketo be one of them.
“I guess I was hasty,”admitted Tedi. “The man did save our lives no matter how ill I feeltowards him. I would have said that he could have died saving ourlives, but in watching him, I don’t think those Dark Riders had achance.”
“It only takes one slash orone arrow to kill the best warrior, Tedi,” Arik reminded. “Any timeyou go into battle, there is a chance you won’t come out. He may bequite capable, but he risked his life to save ours. Not only do weowe him a chance to explain, I want to learn some of what he canteach me. I’m going to stick around for a while, at least until Ifeel a little more comfortable about defending myself.”
“I won’t say that I like thethought of staying,” declared Tedi, “but I will agree to stay ifyou are not stubborn when it comes time to go.”
“Agreed,” Arik stated andturned to watch Garth, who was now using the terrain to aid him indefeating his foes, from backing his foe into stumbling over a rockto swinging from a low hanging branch to disable one foe whileslashing at another. It was a marvelous display to watch until yourealized that it was the dance of a man dealing out death to othermen.
Garth continued on for over half anhour before Kalina emerged from the wagon with a towel and a cleanshirt for Garth. Arik rose and intercepted her before she reachedGarth. “Would it be all right if I took it to him?” Arikasked.
Kalina looked at the boy and finallysmiled. “I think that would be a good idea, Arik. Let him see youapproach, though.”
Arik nodded and took the towel andshirt from Kalina. Slowly, he walked towards Garth and stoodoutside the circle of imaginary foes. Garth gave no indication ofhaving seen Arik, but ended up rolling directly to the boy’s feetwhile sheathing his sword as he rose. Silently he stripped off thesheath strapping and reached for the towel. Arik had expected theman to be gasping for breath after the workout, but Garth was onlypanting slightly. After a quick wipe down, Garth wrapped the towelaround his head and took the shirt from Arik and put it on. Withoutthought, he strapped the sword to his back. “Thank you, fisherboy.That was thoughtful.”
“I would prefer that you callme Arik,” the boy responded, “and I would be pleased if you wouldteach me some things that will help me survive.”
Garth nodded thoughtfully. “I would bepleased to teach you what I can in the time you allot to stay withus, Arik. We will begin in the morning.”
Garth walked past the fire and squattednext to Tedi. “I owe you an apology,” Garth declared. “I should bemore sensitive about other people’s feelings. I sometimes believethat acknowledging a problem as being severe is giving an edge toyour enemies. I refuse to do so with my own problems, but I shouldnot expect others to feel the same way. Still, do not think thatyour problems are so bad that you have no say in your future. Youractions will determine what becomes of you, not the actions ofothers. Always keep faith in yourself and always strive to betteryourself.”
Tedi sat stunned by Garth’s comments asthe man got up and strode out of the campsite. Arik came over andsat next to his friend. Tedi turned to him and shook his head. “Iwonder if he is playing with my mind,” Tedi mumbled to himself.“First, he’s a bad guy, then good, then bad again. Why can’tanything be simple? Why can’t he be one or the other?”