Shadow Rider (Vampire Academy Fanfic)

Chapter 20 - Rose

Next day flew by in a flourish. But it was a good day. It was like every guardian at Court was filled with anticipation and excitement - they were more talkative, more...alive. Soon evening was upon us, and everyone was gathering at the gym, dressed in their work-out clothes. Dimitri, Ash and I stood close by Thanatia, who had discarded the cloak today, looking absolutely breathtaking in her outfit. Her hair had been pulled back into a thick french braid, and the leathery material of her outfit clung to her body. She looked so hard-edged, her musculature having a stone-like quality that was unusual for women. With her height, she towered over most of the men as well, who, in private, gazed at her admiringly.

On the floor by her feet stood a large wooden crate. When everyone had gathered, she opened its lid, grabbing something from inside.

It was a sword. A massive sword. It looked way too heavy to wield, but she held it effortlessly, nonetheless.

'Today,' she announced, wielding the sword in slow-motion, demonstratively, 'you are going to familiarise yourselves with swords.' She held up the sword by her side, gazing at it admiringly. 'This here is a claymore, a Scottish two-handed sword. Its blade is 120 centimetres long, and it weighs 2.8 kilograms. This thing could cut off not just one, but five consecutive Strigoi heads in one, heavy swing. I recommend it only for borderline body-builder type guardians, for obvious reasons. She eyed a Russian guardian at the back, who clearly fit her description.

'Maxim, I can sense your longing from up here. Come on up.'

Maxim practically jogged up to the front, jokingly flexing his bicep. Thanatia handed him the sword, and then she reached into the crate for another.

She eyed Dimitri. 'Want to have a go?'

He flashed her a crooked smile. 'Of course.' He went to stand by Maxim's side.

'Alright! We have our first combatants.' She grabbed a remote and flicked on the projector. Its light cast a screen against the whiteboard. 'Okay, I want you all to watch this video. It's from back home. I'm going to show a video for every sword type, and then you'll practice the moves in pairs.' She turned off the lights, and we watched a demonstration with two very big Viking-like Swedes, who duelled like professionals. When the video was finished, she produced two new swords.

'These here are modern remakes of Indian swords. They have a curved blade, and like my katanas, enable for a killer draw cut.'

She waved two more guardians forward and handed them the swords. The video was as illuminating as the last.

Next up were two short swords, or daggers. They were short, sure, but still looked absolutely lethal.

Her gaze flickered in my direction. 'Rose, you're up,' she announced, flashing me a knowing smile.

She pointed at another short and lightweight female guardian, and the both of us stood to grab our swords. My hand curled around the hilt, the sword so light it felt only like an extension to my arm.

The video this time showed the Swedes holding the daggers upside down, attacking with quick, stabbing movements. They jumped, swirled and feinted, not impaired by any long swings. Yup, I could tell already I would like this.

I caught Dimitri's eye and flashed him a cocky grin, and he smiled ruefully back at me. He got my meaning; I would try outdo him for once, now when we were both completely new to something.

When Thanatia had gone through sets of all imaginable types of swords, she faced us all for a final announcement.

'You're going to practice the moves with your partners, and then switch when I say so. Remember, these swords are all induced with silver and magic, and are as effective as stakes, if not more. I'll keep the videos replaying so you can check them regularly. I'll be watching. Just ask if you have any questions.' She went to stand by the wall, close to Maxim and Dimitri.