The Darke King

The Raven

In Agamori's hand, he grasped the leather and wood sheath housing the gift his father had made for his newest guardsman. "This is a bastard sword. It's long enough to keep your enemy at a distance and short enough to be worked with ease in battle. This blade is to be your shadow now. It is part of you, like your arm or your leg."

Presenting the newly forged steel to Daniel, Agamori unsheathed the sword and showed him the spell inscribed on the broadside. "This is Elven steel. There is no better metal for a sword, I assure you. It is blessed with the spell of glory, and through this enchantment, you will conquer all that stands against you. Father does not give a gift like this haphazardly, Daniel. This is a rare offering, and I hope you appreciate what that means."

Daniel nodded his head at the elder warlock. "I do."

Nicholas took Daniel under his wing over the last few months and treated him as one of his own. For the first time in his life, Daniel felt like he was part of something special and that he was loved.

As he wrapped his fingers around the hilt, a surge rushed through his veins, and Daniel shuddered as his hand found a new purpose.

He'd never used a sword before, but the weapon felt right in his hand as he swung it around in a figure-eight motion in front of him, then around his head. When he balanced it in the palm of his hand, Daniel nodded while he studied every curve and line of the only gift he had ever received from anyone. "I like the way it feels."

The ancient Agamori smiled at him, impressed with how he already handled his blade. Daniel didn't yet know much about sword fighting, but he was about to get a crash course in sparring from the battle seasoned warlock.

They circled each other in the clearing in the woods outside the city, and Agamori grinned his tight-lipped, superior smile before lunging forward with an overhand strike. Daniel instinctively blocked and spun away with the grace of a world-class ballet dancer performing their most perfect move.

Agamori pushed out his lips and nodded as he prepared for the next blow. "Well done. That's a good start, but let's find out what else you have in you." With a step backward, Agamori spun around and lunged his sword toward Daniel's chest.

Daniel deflected the blade with the new extension of his arm as the sword tangled with Agamori's, and they stood face to face. A devious grin curled up on Daniel's lips, and he quickly landed a sidekick to the ancient wizard's gut.

The old man stumbled backward and tried to regain footing as he wagged his finger at the young man. "You tricky, tricky witch. If that's how you want to play, I won't take it easy on you anymore."

Moving and spinning and striking their way across the meadow surrounded by the grass and trees of the world beyond the gates' safety, Daniel and Agamori sparred under the warm Autumn sun. As the fading light flashed against their blades, beams of blinding colors pinged across the surrounding land.

When they finally had their fill of the thrill of fighting, the men slumped down breathless by the creekside and recovered. Daniel licked his lips and glanced at Agamori as he whittled a piece of wood with his knife. "The woman from my vision. Who is she?"

Agamori smiled to himself because he didn't figure it would be long before Daniel asked again, and he supposed he'd suffered enough. "She's my sister. The youngest of all Father's children."

Daniel wiped his mouth with his hand. From the way everyone avoided answering questions about her all this time, he feared he had already missed his chance to help her. "What's her name?"

A tuft of white hair sprang up from his face as Agamori blew it away, then dropped his bit of wood to the ground and faced Daniel. She may be a grown woman now with her own ideas about life, but she was still his little sister, and he didn't like a man asking him questions about her.