Rhiannon - Dragonrider

Chapter Twenty One - The Cage

I had a surprise after breakfast the next morning. Zalibar didn't announce any training for the day.

"It's Saturday," Carodoc explained. "We don't have any of the normal training. There are sparring duels instead. If you win, you get the rest of the day off, but if you lose, Zalibar can normally think up something entertaining for you to do. Come on, we need to get ready and get on down to the cage.

"The cage?"

"That wooden thing, over in the far corner of the quad. Now, get a move on or all the good kit'll be gone."

Of course the storeroom was total chaos as everyone dashed around, trying to find the best kit. For once, I was grateful for all the time I'd spent in there, cleaning the stuff and putting it away. It meant I knew exactly where everything was and, in particular, how to put my hands straight on my favourite helmet.

The cage was a rectangular wooden structure, the size of a large room, with no roof. It was built against the walls in the corner of the compound and had a simple gateway which led in from the quad. The walls were about six feet high and had planks nailed to the top as benches where there were already a few students, sitting or standing. I clambered up to join them and Carodoc just jumped up - he must have been using his will to give himself a bit of a boost.

Inside, there was an open stretch of level sandy ground. I was about to ask Carodoc about how it was all organised but he gave me this mental nudge thing to tell me to shut up. Zalibar was taking his place on a rough wooden seat at one end. He glanced around the gathered group then looked down to the quad.

"I see Jenko's got more important things to do this morning," he said in a light, almost jolly tone that fooled no one. "Ah, here he comes now. Come along now, Jenko. There's nothing we enjoy more than sitting round waiting for you, but we do need to get on."

"Are you sure you're sitting comfortably?" he went on as Jenko clambered up onto the wall, his face red with exertion and embarrassment. "We'll have to make sure we find some way of reminding you to..."

In an instant, he flipped from jolly to incandescent rage.

"TURN UP ON TIME!"

The laughter of the students was instantly silenced and Jenko sat, almost shaking, fiddling with his breastplate straps.

"Right," Zalibar went on. "Whilst Jenko finishes getting himself dressed, let's get on. Geraint and Kiernonda, why don't you two get on down there and show us what you can do?"

The two lowered themselves down into the pit and stood facing each other across the floor. They both kept their weapons sheathed but their hands hovered close by, obviously waiting for the signal to start.

"If you're both ready, gentlemen?" Zalibar said. He put two fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle.

Their weapons sprang into their hands before the whistle blast had finished. Kiernonda leapt across the gap and launched a crushing blow with his sword. Geraint only just managed to deflect it with his dagger.

Then Kiernonda attacked with a scything blow to the knees which Geraint parried on his sword.

They circled for a few moments before Kiernonda sprang once more to deliver a series of attacks with sword and dagger. Geraint hardly responded. He seemed happy to block blow after blow, mostly on his sword.

"G wants to turn this into a slog fest," Carodoc told me. He can stand there and parry all day if he needs to. Kiernonda is going to have to think of something else.

Kiernonda launched a couple more attacks and suddenly Geraint flicked his dagger towards his face. Kiernonda had over-extended, laying himself open to the counter-attack. Because it was only a wooden training dagger, it didn't do any real damage but it must have hurt.