Lady Arteris was not so easily swayed. “I know nothing of you, Master Briarblood, save that you have the acquaintance of Sir Flinn and Squire Menhir,” she said coolly.
Madam Astwood nodded to the baroness and said, “With your permission, Your Ladyship?” At Arteris’s nod, she continued, “I have heard of this dwarf. He has led the life of a mercenary for many years, his sword for hire.”
The baroness arched one eyebrow at the dwarf. “Is this so, Master Briarblood?” she asked coldly.
Braddoc glanced at Jo and then bowed again to the baroness. “Yes, what Madam Astwood says is true—to the extent that she thinks it is true.”
The baroness frowned, and several members of the council murmured in confusion. “You speak in riddles, sir?” Arteris asked severely. “Pray explain yourself.”
“It is true that 1 have led the life of a mercenary, Your Ladyship,” Braddoc said simply, “but I am no mercenary. I am the nephew of Everast XV, king of Rockhome, my ancestral lands. He bade me learn of your ways, and it was he who suggested I roam your lands as a mercenary that I might judge your mettle.”
Several members of the council rose to their feet in alarm. Even Sir Graybow stood, though his face was filled with consternation rather than fear. The baroness held up her hands and motioned for silence. When she received it, she said, “This is most extraordinary, sir. And what, may we ask, is the purpose of such subterfuge?”
“To discover if the Estates of Penhaligon are a land that the Dwarves of Rockhome could do business with,” Braddoc said readily. He bowed at the baroness, his movements the graceful and elegant maneuver of a courtier. “And I am pleased to say that, on behalf of King Everast XV, we dwarves would like to open up mutual trade agreements.” Braddoc smiled at the baroness, then at Jo.
The squire had always wondered where Braddoc had gotten his finicky manners—they had seemed out of place in a true mercenary. Jo smiled back at her friend. Now she knew.
The baroness’s expression turned civil, and her brows arched faintly. “I … see no objection then,” she said slowly, looking over her council members. When none was forthcoming from them, she turned back to Braddoc and smiled. “I shall look forward to arranging trade discussions with you and your uncle, Master Briarblood.” Braddoc bowed low, his beard sweeping the floor, and returned silently to his chair. Jo looked expectantly at the baroness, and she gestured at the castellan.
Sir Graybow turned to Jo and said, “Squire Menhir, you are, of course, at liberty here. You may choose to leave the Order of the Three Suns now, if you like.”
Jo’s hands tightened on Wyrmblight, and the thought of Verdilith rose in her mind. Her lips grew grim. She faced Arteris squarely. “What of the status of Wyrmblight—” Jo paused slightly, then added “—Your Ladyship?”
Baroness Penhaligon sighed heavily, then said, “We will honor Sir Flinn’s wish that you receive Wyrmblight, though we have none but your own word that that was his wish. Wyrmblight is yours to keep, Squire Menhir, but only if you remain a squire of this castle.”
Jo nodded at the castellan, then turned to the baroness and said, “Your Ladyship, I would be proud and pleased to remain a squire in the Order of the Three Suns under the care and training of Sir Graybow”
Jo bowed low, holding Wyrmblight to her side. The silver-white blade felt warm to the touch.
Chapter V
Johauna Menhir swung Wyrmblight around her shoulders in a wide, arcing stroke. The edge of the blade was met by Braddoc’s wooden practice shield, and Wyrmblight clove into the oak. The leather sheath around the blade gave way; Wyrmblight’s edge was so keen that it cut through one blade guard after another. Jo wrenched the blade loose and stepped back a pace, holding Wyrmblight before her. She tore away the leather streamers, keeping her eyes fixed on the dwarf, Braddoc shifted his battle-axe and raised his shield a bit higher. The dwarf slowly began circling the young squire.
Jo smiled impishly at her friend. During this last month at the castle, she’d come to enjoy these practice sessions. Braddoc’s constant camaraderie had kept the pain of Karleah’s and Dayin’s departure to a minimum. Indeed, between Braddoc’s sparring and the castellan’s lessons, Jo had had little time to think of anything else. And a recent note from the old wizardess had assured Jo that all was well.
The young squire and Braddoc were in one of the castle’s many smaller courtyards. Three other sparring partners practiced their maneuvers, two of the squires using swords, and one young half-elf wielding a polearm. At the far wall, an archery range had been set up. Two squires were there, shooting arrow after arrow. Before Jo and Braddoc had fallen to, Jo had watched the archers. One was quite good; the other was far less skilled than Jo, despite her inexperience. Flinn had started teaching her archery only the past winter. She was hoping to practice a bit today after her bout with Braddoc.
A sudden gust of spring wind blew a trailing lock of hair into Jo’s mouth, and she spat it out immediately. The momentary distraction allowed Braddoc an advantage, however, and the dwarf leaped forward. His battle-axe—the edges dulled by a boiled leather sheath—sliced through the air in a stroke parallel to the granite courtyard. Jo, unable to bring the unwieldy Wyrmblight up fast enough to block the blow, leaped backward. The axe whistled by, just touching the leather practice jerkin Jo wore.
Braddoc grunted. “It’s a good thing they make fighters put guards on their weapons.”
Jo responded by swinging Wyrmblight in an upstroke. The blade sank into Braddoc’s shield again. “Yes,” Jo said as she worked the blade free. “I wish I could get a guard to stay on Wyrmblight. I could hurt you, Braddoc.”
The dwarf chortled as he and Jo stepped apart and began circling again. “Don’t worry about it, Johauna. If you can nick me with Wyrmblight, then I deserve it! Yow!” Braddoc jumped in pain as Wyrmblight just glanced across his shoulder. The dwarf touched the wound and then pulled his hand away. It was red. Braddoc grimaced and said wryly, “Or maybe not!”
Jo lowered Wyrmblight and stepped forward in concern. “Did I hurt you, Braddoc?”
The next thing Jo knew, the pommel of Braddoc’s battle-axe was in her stomach. She doubled over, but didn’t fall to the ground. “Why, you—” she said through teeth clenched in pain and anger.
Braddoc raised one mocking finger. “Uh, uh, uh!” he admonished. “Flinn taught you the rudiments of fighting—fighting honorably, that is. I intend to teach you how to really fight!” Braddoc grinned suddenly. “I may be the nephew of King Everast, but even I know how to fight dirty. You, Johauna Menhir, are bound to meet people who don’t fight fair—and I want you to be prepared!”
Jo’s eyes narrowed as she slowly closed the gap between her and Braddoc. “If that’s the case, my friend” Jo said smoothly, “then try this!” Jo swung Wyrmblight over her head and leaped forward, bringing the shining great sword down in a crashing blow. The metal tip rang off the granite stones, not the wooden shield Jo had expected. To her side laughed the dwarf, suddenly, maddeningly, nimble.
“You’ll have to do better than that, Jo,” Braddoc said mockingly. “That little love bite earlier was a lucky stroke—took no skill at all.”
Angered, Jo swung the heavy sword in a horizontal arc, twisting it so the flat of the blade would hit Braddoc in the small of the back. She hoped to knock the wind—and the pride—out of the little man. She didn’t want to hurt him. Not much. But Jo’s stroke went awry. Braddoc simply crouched, and there was no way Jo could halt the sword’s stroke. The weight of the swinging blade dragged her off balance, making her twirl around without control.
Thump! The flat of Braddoc’s battle-axe smashed into Jo’s unprotected thigh. Already off balance, she spun from the impact and sprawled heavily to the granite stones. Wyrmblight fell beside her, the harsh clang of metal ringing throughout the small courtyard. Two of the sparring couples and both archers turned to stare at her. Jo felt her face flush crimson, and her panting turned even more ragged. She’d met a few of her colleagues, but she had never been the center of their attention before.