These Old Bones

9-1

9

He awoke to the sound of laughter and excited chattering from Tiera and Viriili. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, he stretched, thankful that the girl's unconscious healing powers were continuing to give him respite from the ailments of ageing. He didn't feel as strong as he once had been, but each day one more twinge, one more ache felt less and less painful. He felt ten years younger.

As he rose from his position by the tree, he saw Viriili and Tiera practicing with swords a few feet away and he became enraged. Grabbing Notch, leaning against the tree, he stormed over to the two young women. Upon reaching them, he thrust Notch between them, catching both their swords upon his own, old and pitted blade.

"No! No, no, no!" Twisting Notch, he pushed Tiera's blade aside and then flicked his wrist, catching Viriili's blade near the cross-guard, sending shivers through its entire length and sending it crashing from Viriili's hand.

"Hey!" Tiera shouted, spinning around, bringing her sword back up, her face changing from smiles and grins to annoyance in a flash. "What's your problem, Grey."

"Leave it where it is!" Brorzjav growled at Viriili as she bent her knees to pick up the sword knocked from her hand. He turned to Tiera, furious. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We're just doing a bit of sparring. Why? What's wrong? It's just a bit of fun." Tiera pursed her lips, annoyed at his attitude. "I thought you wanted her to practice? This is practice."

"No, this will get her killed!" He bent down and picked up Viriili's sword, ignoring the girl's icy glare. He pointed Notch at Viriili. "You stick to the patterns I showed you and nowt but those patterns. You hear?"

"Tiera was just ..." Brorzjav turned away as Viriili tried to speak, returning to the tree.

"Wait there, Vee." He heard Tiera say behind him. Reaching the campfire, the embers dwindling in the morning light, he threw Viriili's sword to the ground. Tiera caught up with him, grabbing his arm. "And just what was that all about? Are you saying I'm not good enough to teach her? That only you can?"

"Don't be bloody stupid!" He saw the raised eyebrows of the Pony Rider and realised he needed to be more persuasive than that. "Of course you're good enough, but what you were showing her will get her killed. I'm not joking. Look, a strong lass, like you, yes, that style will work. You can use your strength and power through your opponents."

"So? She'll gain strength, eventually. Teach her that kind of stuff now means she doesn't have to learn it later." She scowled as he shook his head, sighing. "What? So, it's not me, just my style of fighting you don't approve of?"

"Look at her!" He nodded his head towards Viriili, who had picked up a thin twig, slashing it through the air in mock sword patterns. "She's nowt but a strip of a girl. She needs to be taught stuff that works with her strengths. She'd never be able to block and parry a decent blow and she'd never put enough power behind a strike to even scratch someone's armour."

"She'll grow into it. She'll ..." Tiera followed his eyes as he watched Viriili.

"She'll never grow much bigger than she is. She's a little one and there's nowt wrong with that." His anger fading, he started feeling old again. It was far too late for him to learn how to talk to women old enough to be his granddaughters. "She needs to use speed and precision. Circle her opponents, strike vulnerable places like under their arms, the joints, the spaces between armour. She needs to move and thrust, not stand and trade blows."

"Like those patterns?" Tiera began to nod, seeing his point. "But, it can't hurt to show her some other techniques, can it?"

"She needs to get good at one thing. Adding other things she'll never use'll just complicate things that don't need complicating." He rubbed his face, smoothing his beard. He bent down and picked up the sword by the blade and handed it to Tiera. "She'll learn concentration better if she focusses on that one thing, those patterns. Circles and thrusts. Circles and thrusts. It's concentration and focus she needs, not a well-rounded understanding of sword fighting."