Xanum

Chapter 12

Six Weeks Later

I pushed the blanket off my body and jumped down from the bed. I grabbed my axe and exited the room, I was headed for the balcony. Fayne and Omayre were waiting, and I was eager to continue my training with them. In a few days, Amplov was going to have us leave the palace and go out into the kingdom. He had said something about an opposing army was gathering in the mountains, but I wasn't listening. The most I'd gotten from my conversation with Amplov was that I was going to battle. I was excited for that.

I pushed open the doors and stepped onto the balcony, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin as I pushed my robe off. I stretched my toned muscles and got ready to spar with Omayre. I had fought her several times, and each time, I was surprised by how agile she was. She rarely ever spoke, but she beat me in the fights every time. I was getting more familiar with my axe and how to use it, and that was exciting, but she still managed to beat me, armed or unarmed.

I finished my stretches and approached Fayne, who was at the edge of the balcony, deep in meditation. I set my axe down as quietly as I could, then joined him. The air was cool and there was a soft, subtle breeze rolling through. It was a gorgeous day, and I secretly was stalling. Today, I was going to fight Tony. Every few days, our masters had us spar to test how much we had learnt.

"Jax," Omayre said. I sighed and opened my eyes. It appeared that my rest was short-lived. I pushed myself to my feet and grabbed my axe from the ground.

"Yes, master?" I asked. I turned to face the bird.

"Are you prepared for your test?" she asked.

"Yes, master," I said. She whipped me with her staff.

"You are not ready. Don your armor," she said.

"Okay, jeez," I said. I chuckled as I walked away, she hit me with her staff quite a bit. I was starting to think that she didn't like me. I entered the room we'd been assigned, and saw Tony putting on his helmet.

"Hey man. Are you ready for today?" he asked when he saw me. I nodded. His staff was leaning against the wall, and I took the time to examine it. The staff was long and thin, made specifically from the same tree my axe handle was from. From each end of the staff protruded a leaf shaped blade that glinted viciously in the candlelight. I stopped looking at his staff and walked to my armor stand. I swung my axe at the wall, lodging it in place. As I put on the various pieces of the armor, I examined the room. The overwhelming number of places I'd lodged my axe in the walls was starting to show. There were marks every few feet, and I wondered if I was going to get in trouble for it. I didn't care, anyone that could survive touching my armor or my axe could boss me around, anyone else could go fuck themselves.

I donned my helmet, completing the set, then took my axe from the wall. Tony and I walked outside to where our masters were waiting. I was surprised to see Amplov standing like a statue behind them. As we stepped into the center of the balcony, Omayre supplied us our blunt weapons. She substituted our Iodam weapons with blunt edged weapons because the first time we'd used the Iodam weapons, the blades sliced straight through the metal of our armor with little resistance. Normal metal didn't even leave a scratch on our armor. Luckily, our enemies wouldn't have any Iodam at their disposal.

"Begin." Omayre said. I nodded, keeping my eyes focused on Tony. He twisted his staff in his hands and walked in a slow curve to my left. He knew I was right hand dominant, so he must have been trying to catch me off guard. I moved to his right, watching his footing. If he made a single mistake, I would strike. He jumped forward, jabbing his staff blade at me. I dodged it and swung my axe at his side. He twisted the staff through the air and smacked the axe away. The staff swung up and slammed into my helmet, stunning me for a moment. I stepped back in surprise, and he rushed forward.