Read Online Arm Of Galemar (Book 2) by Damien Lake - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Damien Lake
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impassive as before.
“You see what comes of this?” he asked.
What sense did that make? “Comes of what?” Marik
snarled.
The scout squatted to crouch on his ankles. “These
mercenaries take the strongest they find, according to them. They put them in
this town with a sword in their hand and say ‘Now get better. But we won’t
teach you how.’ And these men spend an entire winter hacking at straw,
learning nothing.”
“What are you talking about?” The comment attacked
Marik’s pride after all the effort he had put forth.
Colbey glared at him. “No one learns how to wield a
sword simply by holding it. You may get stronger, yet strength and skill are
not the same.”
“The Kings don’t take anyone who doesn’t know how to
use a sword already!”
“Learning the basics does not make you advanced. Look
at you. After years in this band, you still don’t know anything beyond what
you did when you joined, I’m certain.”
Furious heat rose to Marik’s face. “I’ve improved
tenfold since I joined!”
“Oh? How so?”
“I’m stronger! Faster! My endurance is higher! My
precision better!”
Colbey nodded. “The basics, in other words. You may
have improved your body, yet you have not improved your knowledge. This town
of sheep suffers from the illusion of power.”
“We’re the best in the kingdom!”
“A kingdom full of sheep breeds only strong sheep.
Unsupervised training will never allow you to be more than that.”
Marik surged to his feet, his knuckles white around
the hilt. Colbey stopped him with a strange smile.
“I think you might be capable of more than
that.” He raised his sword to a guard position. “You say you want to be a
swordsman rather than a mage? Then come at me. We will practice everyday
until I leave.”
That brought Marik up short. “Leave? Are you
quitting the band?”
“Do not concern yourself with other matters!” Colbey
barked. “Concentrate on the present! If you want to become capable, then we
start now!” And with that, Colbey descended on him.
Chapter 03
On a steep, treacherously loose scree-covered slope,
men swung ironwood swords at one another. Exerting all their effort, they
strove to overcome their foes, striking hard, slamming into sharp rock
outcrops. Injuries abounded while twelve stony-faced men sat impassively atop
the slope, watching the controlled chaos rage bare yards away.
“Time!” shouted Janus, and the six men below stopped
to claw their way uphill.
“I say,” Dietrik commented. “There look to be several
strong fellows giving it a go this year.”
“Mmm,” Marik grunted. Exhaustion sapped him, the
result of spending dawn to dusk either with Natalie’s book or being beaten by
Colbey. He paid the proceedings no attention. He’d only escaped to the town
walls for half a mark of rest and fresh air.
“Ah, here we go,” Dietrik exclaimed. He peered down
from atop the north wall, watching the second day’s trial for applicants
wishing to enter the band. “I’ve been waiting to see him.”
“Who?”
“I saw him yesterday while you were buried in your
tome. See him down there, next to the judges’ table?”
The sun shone brightly as ever despite withholding its
usual warmth. Marik shaded his eyes to see a large man dwarfing those he
waited with. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Indeed! Look over there a mite. You’ll see Beld
cheering him on.”
He followed Dietrik’s finger to find his old nemesis
shouting with both his cronies by the slope’s edge. “I haven’t seen much of
him since our last go-around.”
“I still like to keep a close watch. He will cause
trouble if he ever gets the opportunity.”
Marik blew that away with a phssew . “Why waste
your time? He can’t do anything to us, much as he probably wants to. He would
have kept coming after us if he could.”
“Caution is the wise man’s
“You see what comes of this?” he asked.
What sense did that make? “Comes of what?” Marik
snarled.
The scout squatted to crouch on his ankles. “These
mercenaries take the strongest they find, according to them. They put them in
this town with a sword in their hand and say ‘Now get better. But we won’t
teach you how.’ And these men spend an entire winter hacking at straw,
learning nothing.”
“What are you talking about?” The comment attacked
Marik’s pride after all the effort he had put forth.
Colbey glared at him. “No one learns how to wield a
sword simply by holding it. You may get stronger, yet strength and skill are
not the same.”
“The Kings don’t take anyone who doesn’t know how to
use a sword already!”
“Learning the basics does not make you advanced. Look
at you. After years in this band, you still don’t know anything beyond what
you did when you joined, I’m certain.”
Furious heat rose to Marik’s face. “I’ve improved
tenfold since I joined!”
“Oh? How so?”
“I’m stronger! Faster! My endurance is higher! My
precision better!”
Colbey nodded. “The basics, in other words. You may
have improved your body, yet you have not improved your knowledge. This town
of sheep suffers from the illusion of power.”
“We’re the best in the kingdom!”
“A kingdom full of sheep breeds only strong sheep.
Unsupervised training will never allow you to be more than that.”
Marik surged to his feet, his knuckles white around
the hilt. Colbey stopped him with a strange smile.
“I think you might be capable of more than
that.” He raised his sword to a guard position. “You say you want to be a
swordsman rather than a mage? Then come at me. We will practice everyday
until I leave.”
That brought Marik up short. “Leave? Are you
quitting the band?”
“Do not concern yourself with other matters!” Colbey
barked. “Concentrate on the present! If you want to become capable, then we
start now!” And with that, Colbey descended on him.
Chapter 03
On a steep, treacherously loose scree-covered slope,
men swung ironwood swords at one another. Exerting all their effort, they
strove to overcome their foes, striking hard, slamming into sharp rock
outcrops. Injuries abounded while twelve stony-faced men sat impassively atop
the slope, watching the controlled chaos rage bare yards away.
“Time!” shouted Janus, and the six men below stopped
to claw their way uphill.
“I say,” Dietrik commented. “There look to be several
strong fellows giving it a go this year.”
“Mmm,” Marik grunted. Exhaustion sapped him, the
result of spending dawn to dusk either with Natalie’s book or being beaten by
Colbey. He paid the proceedings no attention. He’d only escaped to the town
walls for half a mark of rest and fresh air.
“Ah, here we go,” Dietrik exclaimed. He peered down
from atop the north wall, watching the second day’s trial for applicants
wishing to enter the band. “I’ve been waiting to see him.”
“Who?”
“I saw him yesterday while you were buried in your
tome. See him down there, next to the judges’ table?”
The sun shone brightly as ever despite withholding its
usual warmth. Marik shaded his eyes to see a large man dwarfing those he
waited with. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Indeed! Look over there a mite. You’ll see Beld
cheering him on.”
He followed Dietrik’s finger to find his old nemesis
shouting with both his cronies by the slope’s edge. “I haven’t seen much of
him since our last go-around.”
“I still like to keep a close watch. He will cause
trouble if he ever gets the opportunity.”
Marik blew that away with a phssew . “Why waste
your time? He can’t do anything to us, much as he probably wants to. He would
have kept coming after us if he could.”
“Caution is the wise man’s
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