• I came staggering in the door, blood dripping from the open wound on my right shoulder. I had tied it off with a piece of my shirt, that was already riddled with slash and stab marks outlined by blood. “You've go to stop with these duals!” Kara spoke with a cretin stern yet soft tone in her voice. She sat me down at the small round wooden table next to the fireplace. “Next it wont be just your shoulder!”

    “I'll win one day. I know I will. I just need to keep trying!” My voice was starting to fill with an, all to familiar, arrogant pride.

    Her green and brown speckled eyes looked angry at first, but they brightened as she spoke. “Why is beating Ember so important to you?”


    I gave her a look like a dog being scolded. Kara cleaned my wound and sighed lightly, she knew what I answer would be , but I could see in her eyes she was hopeful for a reasonable answer. My silence, and my defeated face said it all.

    Ember and I were once lovers. We met one another at a dueling academy and took to each other quickly. However like many romances it was not to last long. Ember let me go, but I could not do that same.

    I was taken by overwhelming sadness. Over time my sadness turned to anger, and my anger turned to wrath. Wrath and a swordsman can never be a harmonious duo. It consumes a fighter, and makes concentration an impossibility. They only fight each other, .If wrath is not controlled a swordsman can do nothing except lead himself to a tomb.

    My duals with Ember always concluded the same way. Through the result of my wrath Ember would quickly gain the upper hand, and inflict a grave injury on me. Like a fool I would curse her and vow to one day be her better.

    I Live on the academies campus with Kara. Kara is the academies pharmacist and can quickly heal any sword mark, and never leave any scars. Around the campus many people could talk of nothing but Kara's beauty. Her green and brown eyes, hay blond hair, and sweet smile captivated the hearts of many men. There were always flowers, and little odd trinkets being left on her front steps. She thought it was nice at first, but after the first year, we burned lots of fresh bouquets in the fire place. Kara spent most of her time at the large black marble table. It had carved in the center, a bizarre circular mark, almost like an equation, that was stained with a dark blue oil. And she was always doing one of two things, mixing medicines for patients reading books on foreign medicine. Being curious I attempted to read them, however they were written in a strange tongue, and my understanding of them was limited at best.

    “So how did she get you this round?” Kara asked rolling her eyes, and starting a stitch shoulder

    “Her parry-repost graced my shoulder.” I said in a defeated voice.

    “I wouldn't call this wound a grace, you were fighting angry again weren't you!?” She growled at me neither looking up from her work, nor missing a single stitch.

    “Yes what of it!!?” I snapped at her, ripping the thread still being woven in to my arm.

    She looked deeply in my eyes for a long time. Then she sighed, picked up new thread ,and started to roughly resew my arm. She quickly finished and with one final hard yank, tied off the thread.

    I arose from the table and looked at the fire. Thoughts of the dual were still fresh in my head. I could see it all as clear as day. Ember. her hair raven black, my blood dripping from her saber, and her face illuminated with the moon's light and a smug grin.
    “Don't fight angry.” She mockingly taunted me.

    “Are you alright?” Kara's voice brought me back to reality. “You usually go right up to your bed after I'm done.”

    “..y..yes” I stammered. I bolted for the stairs, and made it half way up before Kara stopped me.

    “Tomorrow we will talk about this.. okay?” Her voice seemed like it was a whisper in the back of my head. I was still emerged in the dual. My thoughts were cold and calculating. I shut the door softly and the night passed uneventfully.

    I awoke to the sound of Kara grinding blue-blossom in a stone pestle. I sat up grumbling, and rubbing my eye. I stumbled down the stairs, sat the table, and found a cup of bright blue tea waiting for me.

    “What's this?” I asked though a yawn.

    “Its blue blossom tea, It should help your shoulder pain.” When she spoke her eyes shown brightly

    “Isn't blue blossom, an antiseptic, and doesn't it normally taste awful?” I inquired, raising one eyebrow.

    “Not when its mixed with dandelion roots. Like I said it'll help your shoulder, so please drink up.” She walked out in to the front yard, where she kept a small garden.

    The taste was similar to sweetened strong coffee. Wolfing down my cup, I felt the pain in my shoulder subside quickly, and it began to feel numb.

    “Please drink it slow” she said walking back in, her arms filled with a multitude of vegetables.

    “um..what happens if I drink it to fast?” I asked in a quite voice.

    Her eyes when from my cup to my shoulder. The vegetables fell to the floor with a plop. She hurried over to the mantle above the fire place, and retrieved a small blue bottle filled with a golden liquid. Removing the cork she dabbed a few small drops on a cloth and wrapped my shoulder. No sooner had she finished, I started to feel my fingers again.
    “Just sit down and wait for this to work. The feeling should return fully in about a 20 hours. Oh and by the way... for those 20 hours you'll be in a deep coma. Alright! Nighty night!”
    My eyes began to fell like lead curtains, and before I could speak my head met the table with a thud.

    My dream was strange. There was a strange sweet smell on the air. I found my self in a dark, cool room all was dark, all but a large stone paved circle that was glowing pale blue. It reminded me of an indoor courtyard.

    Two figures cloaked appeared from the shadows, and stood upon the glowing stones.

    I glanced out the window, and saw Ember walking down the path towards the river. My wrath suddenly returned with a strong vengeance.

    I grabbed my sword from the hooks on the wall. And ran after her with all hast, my right arm dangling as I ran and dragging the sword in the scabbard behind me. I caught Ember in the middle of the small stone bridge over the river. Her eyes went from my eyes, to my dangling arm, and down to my sword with freshly ground dirt covering the sheath.

    “Are you serious about this? I mean, look at you.” She laughed mildly as she spoke.
    “Shut up and draw you sword Ember!” I shouted. The feeling up to my elbow was returning, and I could now bend it. I drew my sword, lined my feet, and stood up straight.

    Ember drew her sword and at the same time slashed at my chest. I parried her slash, and felt my entire arm vibrate. Steadying myself I lunged forward at her and grazed her left cheek.

    The lunge was too much too soon, I felt my sword fall from my grasp. She slashed my right ankle, bringing me to a kneel. Looking up at her I felt powerless.. I shut my eyes ready for the cretin death the next blow would bring. I heard the sword cut the air above my head, a was read for it's cold steel embrace.

    Instead of feeling her sword slicing my brain, I heard a clash of steel above my head. I opened my eyes to find Kara grasping my sword holding back Ember. Kara pushed up on Ember's blade with a circular parry, and with one swift movement of my sword disarmed her. As Embers sword hit the water with a splash Kara raised my sword to Ember's throat.

    “I could kill you right here, right now.” Kara said with such a cold conviction that it gave my spine chills.

    “Why did you save him?” Ember asked, trying not to move her neck as she spoke.

    “No one should die over a stupid mistake like this one, sure he can be very stupid a lot of the time, But he shouldn't die for it” Kara said, glancing in my direction.

    “So are you going to kill me now?” Ember asked coldly.

    “No” Kara spoke with her normal soft voice now. “But if you are going to kill him, you have to dual me first. Is that understood?” Ember shook her head yes. “Also I could use another hand, around the my cabin. Romeo over there...” She pointed to me “... isn't all that helpful since all he thinks about is dueling. In exchange for sparing your life you will work for me, is that understood?”

    Ember gained a look of disgust. I chuckled. She glared at me, and the chuckles stopped. “Yes thats fine with me.”

    Needless to say I wasn't entirely happy with the day's result.

    Over the next few weeks Ember lived in back of the cabin in a large canvas tent. We suggested she stay in the spare bedroom, but she refused. She claimed that a tent and bed roll was all she needed. I must admit the cabin looked much cleaner than it used to. I no longer hated Ember, but I wouldn't call us friends. although they had to be supervised by Kara, my dueling practice became more entertaining. I found that when I was calm and fought with intelligence Ember and I were even. At dinner she would try and stab my hand with forks, or steak knives I would parry and small duals with kitchen utensils would ensue before Kara would disarm both of us with a sugar spoon.

    One afternoon while I was sitting on the bottom cabin steps. Kara was sitting at the table grinding some strange pink plant in her pestle, without looking up or even stopping her work, she says: “you need to get a job.”
    “What do you mean A job?” I asked “Im a swordsman I don't need one.”

    “Being a swordsmen never stopped Ember, shes been great helping me find herbs and roots for medicines.” By mentioning this Kara knew she would get me. “And I just know how you love swords...” She began “... and academies smithy could always use extra help”

    I gave a heavy exaggerated sigh. “Fine.”

    “Oh and by the way...” She started as I stood up. “...Ember is leaving the country and heading east to start her own dueling classes. She was asked by the head of the state, to train men for the military. Since it was a great opportunity for her, I let her go.”

    I tried to hold back my joy, but was to much. “Awesome!” I began” So does that mean I don't have to...”

    “Go to the smithy now!” Kara said holding her pestle and making threatening gestures toward my throat. With out another word I started off down the road.

    The academies campus was 38 acres in total. Kara's cabin was on one end of it, the smithy was on the other. Most of it was oak forest except for the nurses station, the dueling house, and 25 small wood cabins for the 85 duelers who attended the academy.

    In short t he smithy was quick to get me to work when I asked for a job. This consisted of cutting the coal, pumping bellows and drawing water for empty wine barrels that held the smith's water. The day was long and hot, and by the end I was dead on my feet. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was turning a faint red.

    Upon returning to the cabin Kara was waiting out side., and she looked rather flustered She had 2 nap-sacks over her shoulder, they looked full and as if they had been packed quickly.

    “We need to leave now! ...before whole campus is consumed.”

    “What did you do?...” I asked weekly

    “No time! Start running now!”

    So we ran. 1 mile away from the campus. We stopped

    I saw the torch light glow of the academy in the distance. I thought it looked still and peaceful, and for a moment I forgot I was tired, my legs ached from running, and Kara (contrary to her nature) was being extremely frantic.

    I blinked, and the torch glow of the campus began to dim. Slowing and quietly like an ominous sunset, that was devoid of all light. Not even the light for the full moon was strong enough to break the darkness. I couldn't blink now, watching the darkness dissipate I could see nothing but a hole, no smoke, no dust there was just a hole. I heard Kara shutter behind me. I turned to see a single tear, reflecting the moon light, on her cheek.

    “Keep going...” She said weakly “...we still have to get father away, all explain on the way.”
    “On the way to were?” I asked

    “The desert, to one of the the eastern cities” She spoke her voice strengthened, but it was not without a cretin sadness again. “of course we'll have quite a trip, my guess is that it should take not more than 4 weeks, but, we can start tomorrow. We are both fairly worn down lets go to sleep. We had the tent finished quickly. After that I passed out the ground, out faster than a candle in the wind.