Bound in Spirals

Chapter 17 - Fulfillment

——Sam——

Mask of varied colors waits above. Shield of stone coaxes gold waters. Silver foam frothed from burbling waves.

—

"Aughh..." The thumping against the inside of his skull told him he was still alive. Sam opened his eyes and blinked when he saw only darkness. 'The sky...' He realized, seeing the bright pinpricks of light.

Suddenly, Darrel's face appeared in his vision, lit from beneath by the blue light of the lantern. "Do you see?" He asked.

"Yeah, I can see again..." Sam replied, slowly pushing himself up.

"No." The man said, face still as emotionless as he'd been when he'd skewered Sam minutes before. "Do you understand?"

'Was that meant to be vague...?' Sam wondered groggily as he dragged his sword off the ground. "You were making a point. I understand."

Darrel nodded, stepping back. "I had to make several decisions this day." The sword captain said, resting his left hand on his sword as he handed the lantern over. He twisted his palm over the strange thin-beaked bird shaped from the pommel. "I will use my blade in our training. I will make you stronger than I am. If you refuse, you will not be allowed to remain at the princess's side. I will only hold back enough not to kill you."

Sam nodded without hesitation. This was what he had been wanting. "I will do it."

"We will train now for a half hour. That is all you will be able to handle. Strip to your undergarments unless you wish to spend tomorrow repairing your clothes." He said, taking a step back.

Sam handed the lantern to Vielchena who was shuffling her feet by the staircase. "Master..." She said, the smallest hint of anxiety in her voice.

"It is fine." He said, pulling off everything but his boxer briefs. 'I probably need to wash these again anyway...'

Darrel drew his sword smoothly, making no noise. The pale pink lines on the gray metal moved slowly, seeming to wrap around themselves. Sam readied himself, shifting his feet slightly. A grin slipped onto his face. He let some magic trickle into him and set a bind on his sword. Darrel struck without warning. Time seemed to shift suddenly, and everything was clear for a moment. He realized his first mistake as he made it.

Sam's sword rose to block, and Darrel's struck the flat. He felt his wrist twist and break. The skin tore as his blade spun around. The felnn blade was at his throat before he could heal himself. He stood there, hand hanging from his arm by a few tendons.

"You can't block a felnn sword unless you have one." Darrel said as he stepped back.

Sam took his sword in his left hand as pulled out more magic. His hand spun rapidly, then snapped back into position. Blood streamed in as the skin sealed, and he took the sword back in his right hand.

"I don't like those swords." He admitted, shaking his head. "They don't make any sense, they defy the laws of physics."

Darrel looked at him blankly for a moment. "I don't understand what you mean by physics, but halfling work doesn't often make sense."

'Strange. He seems... more expressive maybe?' Sam thought, not quite able to pick out what felt strange about the man's behavior. 'No...'

Sam leapt forward, taking initiative this time. He swung his sword at Darrel's neck, then twisted downward as the man brought up his sword to defend. 'Damn...' A flash of metal danced across his vision and he felt his blade skitter off Darrel's as he fell forward, his legs cut from beneath him. With a painful crunch, his face smacked into the hard ground. Gold and silver flooded him and his broken nose mended, and his legs reattached themselves. 'This is going to be a long 30 minutes...'