A Ranger From Adamnar

Test day finally came. The trainees weren’t supposed to know the exact day of the test because they weren’t supposed to do anything special to prepare for it. This time, though, every trainee knew the exact day of the test. Lord Retak had insisted that, despite the leak, the schedule not change. He said situations like this would arise from time to time and Rangers had to learn to make use of the unexpected good fortune as well as how to deal with the unexpected bad fortune.

Waylan gathered the trainees in their usual sparring arena after breakfast, which most had skipped.

“We will start here and then ride and fight and finally run and fight.”

All the trainees looked back and forth at each other.

“Well don’t just stand there. Pair up.” Alana thought he wasn’t saying who was testing to try to add some mystery back in to it. She was sure he hadn’t told anyone else who was testing.

There were about twenty Rangers around Waylan’s ring. To several students’ obvious discomfort, all Waylan would offer was, “Just be glad you don’t have to protect them.” The spectators laughed at that. As the sparring began, the other Rangers looked on and whispered amongst themselves.

It was hard for Alana to concentrate. Lord Berol was there, as was Lord Cartyet, Lord Chasimar, Lord Herton and Lord Jegeran. She was surprised Lord Retak wasn’t there also. They were all staring at her. She got hit by Grace again.

“Alana focus,” Waylan barked as he walked by them. He moved to jab her in the shoulder with his practice sword and she blocked both his and Grace’s simultaneous attacks. She then crouched to sweep Grace’s leg, but Grace back flipped out of the way, landed on her feet and charged Alana. Waylan walked on to the next pair. Now that Alana’s mind was into the fight, however, Grace was no longer any match. Alana quickly stepped aside and brought her own wooden practice sword down seemingly in three places at the same time: Grace’s sword arm, the back of her neck and the back of her knees. The hits sent Grace’s sword to the ground, head to her chest, legs to the air and Grace flat on her back on the ground.

Applause broke out around the ring. Alana blushed, then frowned, then got irritated. She held out her hand to Grace and helped her back to her feet.

“Switch,” Waylan shouted. Alana was now paired with Sareth. His counter fighting style hadn’t helped him against Alana for the last month. Of all the other trainees, he was the most eager to spar with her despite the fact she bruised him the most. She admired his willingness to build on his regular counter fighting style. In Alana’s opinion he was the best fighter in the class because of it. She always had difficulty at first sparring with him as he switched back and forth from counter fighting to full frontal assault, frequently in mid attack or parry. He really made her think and she appreciated him for that. She knocked him to the ground again. He had almost gotten through that time. She had to stop letting her mind drift.

After an hour of sparring all the trainees were quite tired, except Alana, who looked like she hadn’t been sparring at all. Several of the Rangers standing outside the ring were shouting in, “Come on Waylan, let’s see a fight!” and “Waylan versus Alana! Waylan versus Alana!”

Waylan ordered them to a halt with, “Trainees get your mounts and meet in the northeast ring. Waylan gave several of the Ranger onlookers a baleful glare. Alana thought if Lord Berol hadn’t been there he’d have said a lot.

On foot Alana couldn’t be bested by any of the trainees. On horseback she couldn’t be bested by any three, and Waylan continuously sent three to four other trainees against her. Several times a fight she would see the surprised look on one of her fellow trainees’ faces as a blow they were sure could not possibly miss hit nothing but air, only to have the look frequently replaced by intense pain as Alana would hit them hard from somewhere she couldn’t have been.

Now the crowd around the riding ring was huge. No less than a hundred onlookers watched Alana’s test. Several times Waylan had to stop the test and glare at the crowd to get them to stop cheering every time Alana did some other impossible riding stunt to wriggle her way out of another inescapable three on one defeat.

After an hour, Waylan had clearly had enough. He stopped the trainees and marched over to Lord Berol. He spoke with him in very quiet but very heated tones. Lord Berol stared calmly at him and waited for him to finish.

The worst part about it, Alana thought, was that since most of the spectators were Rangers, she probably wouldn’t even be free of them while running and sparring. She looked at Lord Chasimar for some sign of what was being discussed. Lord Chasimar greeted her silent inquiry with a slight raise in her left eyebrow and nothing more. Alana understood well enough. She was not only being tested on her fighting and riding ability, but also on her ability to handle her powers under these new kinds of stresses.

Waylan stiffened, bowed slightly, turned on his heel and marched back to the center of the ring. “Alana,” he said without looking at her, “You’re done. Walk your horse and stable it then come back here.”

“Yes, Trainer Waylan,” Alana said. She practically galloped out of the ring. She was met with a lot of disappointed looks as she left the ring. As soon as she was clear of the ring she dismounted. The stable hand closed the gate behind her as she walked Starlight towards the stables on the far side of the other riding ring.

There was still bowmanship to test on before the running. She wasn’t much good with that. After Tulan and she had made up, he had made it his personal mission to make her an excellent marksman with the bow. It seemed a hopeless cause. She never got any better than good. It showed in her test. She was a good archer, but this was Waylan’s class. Only the best third phase trainees got into this class. She was the second worst archer in the class.

They broke for lunch. All the testing was done now except the forest phase. Alana headed for the main dining hall. As soon as she entered, she turned right back around and headed out again. Upon her entry, every head turned to stare at her and most people stopped talking. She walked around to the back of the dining hall and into the kitchen.

She could tell she was all the talk among the kitchens staff as well. They at least, were so busy with preparing the meal for serving that they could only afford her quick glances. She looked around the kitchen for Nessa. She was standing over a large pot of stew, which was probably for two days hence, with a most dissatisfied look on her face.

Alana walked over to her and asked, “Nessa, may I please eat lunch here in the kitchen?”

Nessa held up her hand and continued to breathe in the stew, her eyes closed and brow furrowed. After a moment, she reached into a bowl full of a dark green spice with three fingers, plucked a hefty pinch and threw it into the pot. The kitchen help holding the large wooden spoon stirred it in. Nessa breathed in some more and smiled briefly. She opened her eyes and regarded Alana as if she didn’t know Alana had been standing there.

“May I please...” Alana started.

“I heard ya,” Nessa cut her off. “Help yerself. Just stay outta the way,” she continued. Nessa pointed towards the kitchen help pot near the tables on the far wall.

Alana smiled wearily and said, “Thanks, Nessa—for everything.” Nessa nodded once and headed across the kitchen to two servants who were arguing about who got to carry a silver tray to the head table.

The servant’s pot of stew smelled wonderful. It always did. Maybe just being here in the kitchen in this small world was what made the food so good. She grabbed a bowl and spoon from the shelf, ladled out as much as she could fit and walked over to the tables. She sat a moment with her eyes closed just listening to the sounds of the kitchen. All these people were completely unconcerned with Alana. She smiled another weary smile and opened her eyes. There was no super-being sitting across from her, no Ranger Lord standing next to her and no trainee waiting for her to tell them what to do. She ate her stew as slowly as she thought she could get away with.

All Waylan’s other trainees had already gathered near the North Gate when Alana arrived. She looked around and was quite surprised to see no other Ranger there besides Waylan. Perhaps he had gotten his way with Lord Berol after all.

Waylan began, “You will all be running to a specific place. There are three different places, and each of you will be running to one of them. Along the way you will be tested in all that you have learned in all your phases of training thus far. Along the way you will encounter tricks, traps, ambushes, single and multiple combat. Each encounter will give you some clue that will help you with the next encounter. If you make it to your destination, you pass.” Waylan didn’t ask for questions.

“I will stand over by the North gate,” he continued. “I will call each of you forward one at a time. The rest of you will wait here.” With that, he walked over to the gate and called out for Sareth who checked his weapons and backpack once quickly and jogged over to Waylan.

Waylan turned his back on the other trainees so Sareth ran around to stand in front of him. The trainees could see his face but couldn’t see Waylan’s or hear what he was saying. After a minute of this he bowed slightly, turned, and ran out the North gate and out of sight.

As soon as he was out of sight, Alana looked at Waylan. He stood staring out North gate for about five minutes. Alana stretched, checked all of her weapons.

“Tulan,” Waylan called out. Tulan stood up quickly from where he had been crouching on his heels and jogged over to Waylan. Again Waylan turned around so no one could see his face or hear his words. Tulan nodded a few times. After a minute, he too ran out the North gate. Alana noticed instead of turning right out the gate, though, he turned to the left.

So it went through all of Waylan’s trainees until all that were left were Grace and Alana. When Waylan began to turn around, Grace said, “Well it’s me now,” stopped pacing and started to jog over to Waylan.

“Alana,” Waylan called out. Alana scrambled to her feet from where she had been stretching. As she jogged over to him, he turned his back on her. She checked her weapons for the fourth time. She jogged past him and turned to face him.

“Do you remember where Parsin Cliff is?” he asked.

“Yes, Trainer Waylan,” Alana said, as if she could ever forget.

“Good. Go there.”

“Yes, Trainer Waylan,” Alana answered.

There was a pause of silence.

“Well?” Waylan asked, glaring at her.

That was it? That couldn’t be it. Was she supposed to ask questions? No one else had, not at least so as she could hear them. Now what was she supposed to do? What had he said to all the others? Without another word, she bowed slightly to him and ran right back towards Grace, who looked for all the world like she thought Alana was about to attack her. Alana ran right by her. Parsin cliff was due south. As such, the most prudent course would be to go out the main gate.

Just as she was running through the main gate, a Ranger stepped out in front of her. She could see he wasn’t armed. Probably, she thought, he just didn’t see her. She darted quickly to the side and back again when she was past him. She thought to chance a glance backwards, but decided better of it. This was probably part of the test.

Her choice to keep looking ahead was instantly rewarded. A Ranger came at her with a quarterstaff and swept it slowly towards her knees. She hurdled it easily and continued to run. After a few more minutes running south unabated she began to wonder how far she would have to run before fighting. She could sense that she wasn’t alone. There were several Rangers and other trainees tracking her from a distance, a few from a great distance. As Alana ran she tried to concentrate both on the way ahead as well as try to identify those Rangers that were pacing her. She wanted to be ready if they came in to attack. She knew many trainees and some Rangers by reputation. She hoped to learn who was approaching her in time to prepare the best defense against them.

She sensed the path straight south was barren of small fauna. She steered to the west until she could sense the path south was again populated normally for a forest. Possibly it was an ambush, but she would just have to wonder. She tried not to get lost in it. The next challenge would no doubt move to meet her in her new path. Her unseen observers were still with her, dogging her every stride, and keeping up with her, but always just at the edge of her perception.

She darted around a few small traps. They weren’t really anything to think about. They were poorly made and easily spotted. Three small traps in a row, two rope and one pit trap. She nearly missed the fourth. It was a much better pit trap. It was very well disguised to look like the poorly hidden dig out of the previous pit. As her left foot was just about to make contact with what she originally thought had been a mound of dirt, she sprang up hard using her back leg and grabbed a branch. The branch broke. It had been cut.

As she fell back towards the second pit she threw her rope up to another, higher, branch and dangled a foot or two into the pit, the covering falling to the floor of the pit some fifteen feet below. She quickly climbed hand over hand back up the rope to the good branch, climbed on to the branch and loosed her rope from it. She leapt off the branch to the far side of the pit and continued to run south.

A Ranger tried to throw a net onto her, but she dodged it easily. A second Ranger pretended to try to throw a net on to her. She flinched at first and readied to change her course. When she saw he wasn’t really going to throw it she turned her head quickly to look straight ahead again. Another decoy had nearly gotten her. In the path ahead of her, too close to avoid now was another young Ranger, or possibly a fourth phase trainee.

The Ranger had a quarterstaff out and was already swinging to take Alana’s head off, well, at least knock her out. Alana ducked and plowed in to him. He was not so easily knocked over, however. He used the quarterstaff as a lever and hoisted Alana off of him, sending her skittering off to her right. She quickly regained her balance, stopped for a moment to see if there were any other Rangers nearby ready to join the attack, and then drew her practice sword. She focused now on the Ranger in front of her. With two quick swipes, jabs and a well placed boot heel, the Ranger was on the ground and Alana was running south again.

Arrows were coming in. She had to spin hard to miss the first of them. The tips were flat, but she knew well from experience that they still hurt. A very badly placed practice arrow could even injure. The flat tips of these arrows, she could see, were painted red. First one, then two at a time then, three. She was forced to ground. The Rangers stopped firing, waiting, she thought, for her to poke up her head again. She drew her bow and silently knocked a flat tipped practice arrow. She peered above the log for an instant and was given another arrow for her trouble. The arrow was already to her when she stuck her head up. She had to lean and spin to the right to avoid this one. She did, however, in the brief instant she looked at the Rangers firing at her, get a glimpse of one of them.

She crawled along the ground behind the log, her bow in one hand and arrow in the other. She was not being very quiet. She was pinned down. How could she get this Ranger? She crawled to a tree and stood up behind it. Just for good measure, the Ranger sent another arrow her way. It scraped the edge of the tree. Would he let up if he hit her? Could she let herself get hit once and keep running? It was a stupid thought and she berated herself for it. No, she said to herself, there has to be a way around this. She was pinned down. She couldn’t move away from the tree without getting hit. She couldn’t get a shot off on him without moving away from the tree. This Ranger could obviously guess her movements, Alana surmised. Perhaps he would eventually run out of arrows. Alana guessed she wouldn’t have that long to wait before the test would end.

Then it hit her. This Ranger loosed his arrows in time to meet her moves. She put her arrow in her teeth and drew one of her daggers and drove it with all her strength into the tree above and behind her head. She tried so hard to bury it to the hilt she wondered if she had asked the tree to give way. No telling whether or not it heard her, but it didn’t matter. The dagger was in to the hilt. She put her bow string into her teeth as well, grabbed the dagger with both hands, fingers interlaced, and pulled herself up to a handstand on the dagger. She flipped out to the left side of the tree.

She could see the arrow pass under her, between her and the ground. She spit out her bowstring and arrow. As she tumbled through the air she grabbed her bow and arrow, nocked the arrow, sighted the Ranger and fired. She hit him square in the chest and landed on the ground running. He stood there mouth agape, bow arm slack at his side. She afforded him no more than a quick glance as she ran past him, looking instead for the next challenge. She thought to herself she would have to thank Tulan for all the extra archery practice.

“Well, that’s a first,” Lord Cartyet said to Lord Berol. “I don’t think even you made it by Lord Crenda without getting hit at least once.

“Hmm,” was all Lord Berol said.

A few hundred yards further and another trainee attacked her. He was standing in the middle of the path, his practice sword drawn. Alana wasn’t sure whether to fight him or just go around him. As she ran up to him, she decided to fight. He was in a good defensive stance, ready to receive her charge.

As he started to move to his left to try to let her momentum carry her beyond him, she ran her practice sword along the length of his, as Waylan had done to her so many times, locked hilts and threw his sword away. She kicked out to the side hard, hitting him squarely in the chest, and sent him sprawling backwards onto the ground. She chanced a glance back as she ran on, to make sure his fall had not hurt him. He was lying on the ground looking up at her in surprise.

Another Ranger was running away from her on the path. She sped up to catch her, but the woman sped up as well. Alana, sword still drawn, let out a burst of speed and began to overtake the woman. Just as she was closing in, two Rangers attacked her from either side. She tried to just run past them but the woman she was chasing stopped suddenly and wheeled about, drawing her practice sword and crouching low below Alana’s swing at her head. The female Ranger thrust upward with her sword towards Alana’s stomach at the same time the Ranger on the left slashed down hard on her sword arm and the Ranger on the right, with a quarterstaff, moved to trip her. He swung his quarterstaff hard and fast at her right knee.

Alana somersaulted over the female Ranger crouched in front of her. The Ranger on the left knocked the practice sword out of the female Ranger’s hands, and the other Ranger whacked him in the knees.

While in the air, Alana checked to make sure none of the Rangers were attacking her anymore. Seeing it was safe to land, she twisted in midair to land facing them, a trick she had done many times on horseback. As she landed she sheathed her practice sword and pulled two daggers. She threw them, blade first, at the two male Rangers, each dagger hilt hitting each of them in the head hard, but not hard enough to incapacitate. While the daggers were flying, she drew her practice sword again and rested the tip on the female Ranger’s back and said, “Yield.” The female Ranger nodded and smacked the dirt with her fist.

Alana retrieved her daggers, one from the outstretched hand of one of the other Rangers, who was still rubbing his forehead, and ran on. She went through four more Rangers without them getting so much as a second attack. She tried to berate herself mentally for getting too cocky, but she couldn’t help feeling the exhilaration of getting past all those Rangers without even having to stop for a long fight.

As she continued to run south towards Parsin Cliff, she sensed Priests nearby. She sheathed her practice sword and drew her long sword and a short sword. Ahead of her on the path was Laren, also brandishing a long sword and short sword. Laren’s head was slightly bowed and she looked at Alana out of the tops of her eyes. Her mouth was set in a grim smile.

As Alana ran towards her, Laren said, “You won’t get past me, rat.”

Alana stopped a good ten feet from her and stood still, weapons at the ready. She didn’t respond to Laren’s taunt. She took deep breath, planted her feet firmly shoulder width apart and said, “Well, here I am.”

“Ha, not so fast, rat,” Laren chucked. “All I have to do is keep you from getting to the cliff.”

They stood staring at each other. The minutes dragged on. Neither moved. Alana knew she had to attack. A better test, she thought. Take away her number one form of attack. She tried a few quick feints, but Laren was unmoved. She tried a few partial attacks in an attempt to get Laren to commit, but still she was unmoved. She defended herself as quickly as Alana was attacking, but still did not extend herself or leave an opening for Alana to attack.

The half attacks became real attacks. Sword clashed on sword. As Alana accelerated, so did Laren. Alana began fighting with her legs as well as her two blades. Laren moved and curved and ducked and gave no target for Alana to hit. As fast as Alana’s attacks reached a point, Laren was no longer there. Alana had only seen Novadi move faster than Laren was moving now.

Alana was still attacking conservatively. She couldn’t afford to give Laren an opening. All Laren had to do was stop her. Alana had to defeat Laren. However, this half attack—half defense style of fighting was getting her nowhere but tired. Alana tried gymnastics while fighting. Each flip, somersault and spin was greeted with another steel blade waiting for her at her intended destination. More than once Alana had to change body posture in mid air to avoid getting cut. Alana was getting frustrated. Perhaps she could just work her way around Laren and then run on. Perhaps fighting was not necessary.

As Alana changed her movement to work around Laren, Laren retreated, keeping herself between Alana and the path on towards the cliff. Alana was getting angry. She noticed this and tried to refocus her anger into determination without hatred.

You’re stronger when you’re angry, a voice said in her head.

No! she thought back to it. I will not let my anger control me.

You will lose without your anger, it chided. She’s a better fighter. She’s beating you and she’s only defending. She’s not even trying.

Alana began to doubt. Was Laren just too good? Where did she learn to move as quickly as Alana? She thought she had a glimpse of an answer but it faded as soon as she tried to focus on it. The swords clashed as they fought onward, sparks flying now with each strike.

I must focus, Alana thought. With all her strength of will she focused on moving as fast as she could imagine she could move. I am not angry, she thought at the other voice in her head. You are wrong and I am faster than this. As if to prove it, Alana accelerated again. Laren accelerated as well, but began to fall behind.

In no more than a few seconds, Alana was beginning to strike two blows for each of Laren’s. Alana was beating her back hard. Kick after kick was landing on her chest, on her ribs and in her stomach. Finally, Alana disarmed Laren of her long sword by cutting off her hand.

Immediately, the fighting stopped. Laren groaned in pain and fell to her knees. Alana dropped her weapons and knelt down and picked up Laren’s hand as the Priests ran in from the sides. Several other Rangers were running in as well, but all Alana could see was Laren and her hand. Laren was cradling her right wrist in her left armpit. Alana reached for Laren’s right arm but Laren pulled away.

Laren, Alana thought at her. She could tell by the sudden horrified look on Laren’s face that she had indeed heard Alana’s thought. Laren started to fall backwards and scrabble away.

Laren, be still! Alana commanded her. Laren complied, wide eyed with fear. Alana was deeply shaken by what she had done to Laren. She knew in her heart it was because she still didn’t have full control over her fighting abilities. Alana reached again for Laren’s right arm. This time Laren didn’t recoil but held out her arm. Blood began pouring out of the stump again. An image of the sanctuary in the castle suddenly came to Alana’s mind. She saw the four Noble gods standing there around her, but her mind focused on the calm figure of the green-robed god Diasamon. This gave her the knowledge of what to do. Alana put the hand on the stump and began praying to Diasamon.

As the Priests moved in to help, Lord Retak said, “Wait. Let her try.” Brother Bruny nodded but still moved to stand next to Alana, staring at Laren’s wrist, but glancing occasionally at Laren’s face and Alana’s.

Alana felt a pair of warm hands on her shoulders. The presence of the healer god nearly overwhelmed her. “My healing hands are yours, my child.” Laren’s wrist glowed slightly and stopped bleeding. The hand was on and the body was whole. When Alana was finished she looked at Laren to make sure she hadn’t gone into shock.

“Unbelievable,” Bruny whispered and then said to Alana, “A Warrior Priest is what you were meant to be.”

Alana smiled weakly. She tried to stand but nearly fell over. Bruny and the other priest caught her under her arms.

“I’m all right,” Alana said. Bruny raised an eyebrow. They two Priests slowly let her go. The second Priest knelt next to Laren and asked if she was all right. Laren nodded, still staring at Alana.

“I think that’s quite enough testing,” Lord Retak said. Ten other Rangers came out of the woods when he said that. Alana guessed by the way they were looking at her and looking at him they were probably trainees and he was probably now her trainer. Alana smiled. She had made it to fourth phase and gotten the head trainer.

“We’ll go back to the stronghold for one day while Laren regains her strength,” Lord Retak said, “and then we will head south.” He began running back to the stronghold. Most of the other trainees began running after him. The two priests helped Laren stand and another Ranger came to take her weight.

The last trainee stopped briefly and said to Alana, “Welcome to fourth phase. Keep up.” At that, he ran after the other trainees who had already run out of sight.

It had been more than a year since he first felt the power of his adversary surge through the forest. Since that time, the Mage felt the forest strengthen in its resistance against him. He reached out with his power to try to find the intruder, but the source of the energy was too far away for him to get a sense of where in the vast Great Forest his enemy might be hiding. Every once in a while he would feel a quick pulse of power flow through the forest, but it was gone too quickly to be of any use to him—until today.