A Raire Gift

Chapter 8

Lina and I sat on my bed, it was after lunch and we were finally going to open the many small packages we had found on our desks.
I heard a knock. Flette was on the other side of the door. "Hey, we were al- oh. You guys got them too?" He was looking over my shoulder at the two small piles of packages.
I nodded, "They were on our desks when we got back. Any idea of what they are?"
"No," he shook his head. "There were some on Marc and I's desks too. Tena said they were on he and Herl's as well."
Lina came up to the door, "wanna grab everyone, so we can open them together? That or we can wait for Herl, but I'm too curious to wait either way." She was smiling but I had no doubt she was serious about not waiting.
I would have chided her, but she wasn't alone in her curiosity and lack of patience. I was itching to open them myself.
Flette grinned, "Marc will agree, and I'm sure we can convince Tena." He nodded past us at Nanya, before going off to gather the rest of the team.
Nanya sighed loudly, before squeezing past us and walking toward the kitchen. "I'll make tea. Tea makes everything clearer."
She hurried down the hall, her skirts swishing around her ankles, before disappearing around a corner.
Lina turned away from the door and got down the simple tea set and kettle we had begun keeping in our room. Soon, Nanya returned with a bag of loose tea leaves and a small pitcher of cream.
By the time I heard the knock again, the tea had been brewed, the cream set out, and a small sealed bowl of sugar placed beside them.
When I opened the door, Marc and Flette practically dragged Tena into the room, "We should wait for Herl, he got the same unknown packages." He looked at me, "Back me up here!"
I smiled with what I hoped looked like genuine regret. "But, see, Lina is impatient. We all know her decision is usually the one we accept right? She's just too stubborn."
I heard Lina mumble something under her breath, but I couldn't make out what she said. It sounded almost like she had said "hypocrite," but I dismissed the thought.
Tena scowled, but sat down at the low table, and proceeded to put far too much sugar into his tea. He had a satchel of sorts, where I could see brown paper peeking through the opening. I smiled, he wouldn't have brought them if he wasn't as curious as the rest of us.
Marc was carefully stacking the small packages he carried on the floor next to him. Flette simply dumped his in a pile.
I sat back on my bed beside my own untidy pile of parcels.
Lina joined me, and without preamble began speaking. "So, for the most part, they seem to be the same for each of us. I say we start with the biggest and work our way to the smallest."
Tena put down his too-sweet tea. "I disagree, I think we should open them from smallest to largest."
Lina scowled at him. "Don't be silly, the biggest will be the most exciting."
"That's exactly my point! Start with those we have lower expectations of, and end with the ones that might be more interesting."
They continued to argue for a few minutes.
I managed to finish my tea before we began to open them. Starting with the largest.
The largest parcel was long and thin, familiar. I didn't have one of those, so I watched as my friends unwrapped the simple swords. they were not dulled like our practice weapons, the edge was sharp. The hilt was well fitted, and at the base of the blade was a clear crystal, it reminded me of the ruby on my own blade.
Next was an equally recognizable if less familiar shape. I did have one of these, although oddly, Lina did not. They were shields. Just as simplistic as the swords in appearance, although I could see a string of white, blazing symbols from top to bottom. I recognized a few of them as protective, the others I was unsure of.
I placed the shield to my side, gingerly, before reaching for the next. We all had this one. It was a bow, beautifully carved, with runes of clearsight and accuracy. Soon we had everything unwrapped. They were the same supplies and weapons we had for training, but these were clearly not for mock fights or new exercises. These were sharp, deadly, and beautiful.
The last was the smallest, barely the length of one finger, and shallow. When I touched it I felt a slight jolt, and I noticed my fingers were trembling slightly. As were Lina's. When the paper fell away, a small leather emblem sat in my palm. It was heavy, heavier than I would expect, and had a familiar dear stamped into it, with bright red pinpoints for eyes. I looked at Lina, who held the same image, as did Marc, and Flette and Tena.
They were looking at me, too. Flette grinned, but there was something almost hesitant about it. "You know what these are, right?" He asked.
I shook my head, "No, beyond the fact that this dear resembles those on the box my sword rests in, I don't."
Flette nodded, and Lina broke in. "It's our team's emblem. I thought we'd get it after we finished, but I'm sure that's what they are." She sounded excited, and she talked fast, as though there was only a short span of time in which she could speak. "And, Audrey, I think this makes you our leader. This is your emblem. Even if you never thought about it."
I almost laughed. She was joking, right? I couldn't lead a team, and I had the least amount of experience among us.
I began to shake my head, but Marc interrupted before I could say anything. "I agree. And you are clearly a good choice. Lina would drive us insane, we would resent Herl. Flette would be more worried about us all than he already is. Tena is too timid," he glanced towards Tena. "No offense.
"And I, although the obvious choice due to title, would make a terrible leader. You have a calm outlook, none of us take issue with you, and you stay alert in any situation. Just look at the bandit situation, which everyone at the Academy now knows about." He smiled.
I knew I was blushing, did I really seem so competent? I only ever thought about my mistakes, and how far behind I was in comparison to everyone else. But I could see Tena nodding, and Flette gave me a thumbs up. At some point, Nanya had taken the tea away.
Lina leaned against my shoulder, and all I could do was nod. If I really thought about it, I knew Marc was right, although I still felt I wasn't ready for the role.
I tried to shake it off and changed the subject. "So, when do you guys suppose Gabriel will give us new schedules? I'm getting antsy with no guidelines to my day."
Lina snorted, "And just think, at the start of this you were always tired and complaining, wishing you had free time. Now that you do have free time, you don't know what to do with yourself, do you."
I winced slightly, she was right.
Flette stood up, wrapping his new weapons up, sheathing the sword, and walked toward the door. He paused before he reached it, and turned to me. "You coming?"
I looked at him, a little confused.
He rolled his eyes, "You said you're feeling antsy, right? So let's spar. I was too tired when I got here, but I'm better rested now."
I nodded and stood. I gathered all of my own new weapons and followed him out the door, Lina and Marc followed. Tena hesitated, before gathering up his own supplies and following with a quiet sigh of resignation.
We entered the small fenced-in area for sparring. After some discussion, we decided to use our dulled weapons for the actual sparring, but go through the usual exercises beforehand with our sharp blades.
The movements of warming up, blade against blade, were familiar, habit. The weight in my hand seemed a part of me.
When we switched from swords that could kill to those that at most could bruise. The weight was the same, but the hilt was shaped almost awkwardly in comparison. And I felt strangely bereft by setting aside my ruby blade, which felt true to me.
I shook off the almost sad feeling.
Flette and I stood across from each other, starting with our blades crossed. After a few moments, we stepped back from each other. And then we began. He lunged towards me, and I stepped back lightly, skipping out of the way and turning my body to the side. He came at me again, and again I stepped back.
Ducking slightly, I let him slide past me and turned to face his back. I lunged but he dropped, rolling until he faced me, and sweeping a leg out toward my ankle. I moved, but not in time. I felt the hit to my ankle connect, hard, but dull.
I stood my ground and again danced out of the way. He continued to come at me, quick, without flourish. Effective. Still, I kept out of his reach, dodging, moving steadily back, ducking when necessary. Until I saw the fence out of the corner of my eye. I darted out to the side, again moving behind him.
He turned quickly, but I lunged. Quick, striking fast and repeatedly. I drove him back until there was no more space to move back. He was against the fence, not quite in the corner but close.
Soon I had him on the defensive. I moved faster and faster, striking primarily to his left side. Again I swung left, but at the last moment, I swung my body around, driving the sword right until it pressed hard to the side of his neck.
He raised his hands and dropped his practice blade. He was breathing hard and smiling. I realized I was also smiling, so broadly it almost hurt my face. My breathing was quick, but it didn't come fast like his.
After a moment I relaxed my sword arm, letting it drop to my side. The fight had been quick, no more than half an hour. My blood was thrumming in my veins, but I still wanted to fight.
Lina passed me a waterskin. Marc handed one to Flette, smiling at him. Had I ever seen such a tender smile on Marc's face before? I shook my head, it didn't matter.
Next, Marc and Lina fought, giving Flette and me time to rest, although I felt I didn't need to rest. I was itching to feel steel against steel again already.
Tena was watching me curiously. "Audrey," he hesitated. "I'm not sure how to ask this, but is something different in your eyes?"
I blinked, surprised. Marc had mentioned something similar before. "No. So far as I know they're the same old gray they've always been." I know I sounded short. But my eyes were the same, and I didn't want to think about them changing. After all, if the windows to your soul changed, what did that say about your soul?
He cleared his throat and looked away.
It felt like forever before Marc finished the fight, holding Lina at sword point. Their match had taken a couple of hours. I was practically bouncing where I sat.
Finally, I offered the two skins of water, helping Lina to her feet. She was flushed from the fight and grumbling about her loss. She was a good sport though and congratulated him on his win.
Finally, Tena and I stood across from each other. He looked wary, which was odd. But now that I thought about it, it wasn't really so odd. He often looked at me this way, as though there were something over my shoulder just out of sight.
I shook my head slightly, why?
But there was no more time to think, he stood there, waiting. I knew he was drawing me to make the first move. I obliged. I ran toward him, I could see him bracing for the attack, I could see it in sharp focus. As though my perception of the world was split. There was a part of me completely focused on his movements, while the other part processed those movements and reacted. Somehow, the strange, two-toned way my mind was working didn't seem strange at all.
Before I reached him I ducked down, sweeping my sword toward his knees. I could see his eyes widen in surprise. Or what looked to me like surprise when he met my eyes. He staggered out of the way, just barely in time. His reaction time was fast, and he swung a foot toward my shoulder. I knew he would by the tensing of his muscles. I twisted my torso out of the way before rolling backward several times.
I got to my feet quickly, now a few paces from him. He stepped toward me, moving fast. He swung at my right but his wrist was twisting slightly, I guarded my left. My block was true, and again he looked surprised. He wouldn't meet my eyes.
On and on it seemed to go. I blocked each hit directed at me and landed every blow I directed to him. I could barely see the sword in my hands, it moved so quickly. But I didn't need to see it. I could feel it, like an extension of my arm. I could feel it thrumming like the blood in my veins.
It couldn't have taken long, I knew that. The fight was won quickly, with him on the ground and my sword to his throat. And yet it had felt like it took a while. As though time had been slowed, causing my quick movements to move quicker...