A Sword Of Wrath, Book I by K. E. MacLeod (best way to read ebooks TXT) 📕

"Is that the new uniform of the Order?"

"It is."

"But, there are no markings? Nothing to say what you are or who you belong to."

He shook his head, "And I don't want there to be. We belong to no one but are in the service of all who fight on the side of the righteous and good."

Tacitus nodded, "Well-well, then I think it's very impressive, Severus. Very intimidating as well!"

The Protector laughed loudly and patted Tacitus on the shoulder, "Very good! As it should be!" He tugged at the high collar, "It is a little on the warm side, though."

"Well, then it will be good for the winter, which is due soon by the looks of things."

"Aye, I’ve noticed the change in the wind over these last few days."

Tacitus indicated the area in the distance beyond his brother, "I see that the border wall is finally up. How are the barracks coming along?"

"I hope to have the first one up by this time next year and then my scouts will send for recruits throughout the land and we will begin training."

Tacitus smiled, "It's all coming together finally, isn't it? Just as you and Father dreamed all those years ago when we were young."

Severus nodded solemnly, "It is, and I will never leave this village nor any of her people unprotected again. That is my vow and, like all vows that I have taken in this life, I stand by it, forever."

* * *

"One!"

Juko forcefully pulled his wooden sword upwards in response to Felix's count and struck it hard against the lower right side of the palus training post before him.

"Two!"

He repeated the same exact movement but this time hitting the thick piece of timber on the other side.

"Three!"

Juko gritted his teeth. His annoyance had been growing all morning and he was having trouble masking it as he lifted the wooden gladius above his head and brought it crashing down onto the upper right side of the palus.

"Four!"

He then struck the left side.

"One!" Felix began again but, this time, Juko made no movement. "One!" he repeated but again, Juko remained still. The trainer stalked closer to the N'bari, "Recruit, I gave you the count of one!"

Still silent, Juko impudently threw the gladius down into the dust beneath him.

"Recruit, what are you-"

"No!" He shouted through gritted teeth as he glared at the heavier built man, "I have had enough of this... training. All that I have learned so far is how to count to four!"

Euric sat up slightly in his seat upon the dais as he watched the scene unfold before him. His assistant, Posides the Spado, stood beside him holding a decorative sun umbrella over his head, "Sir, do you wish me to-"

"No, no," he motioned the exceedingly handsome young man away with a hand. "I will handle this on my own but first," a light smirk emerged, "I wish to see how it plays out."

"But," Posides beautiful face was awash in confusion, "don't you wish for him to fight at the Emperor's munus in one week's time?"

The lanista snickered coyly behind closed lips, "Oh, I very much do but you have to understand, Juko is a different sort of creature."

"How so? He seems incredibly defiant."

"He is defiant, yes, but it is more than just that." He stared out at the new recruit and watched as he began to argue further with the trainer. "You see, I have to make him want to fight and the only way to do that is to tweak him until he explodes. Rote drills, boredom, a constant authoritarian presence looking over his shoulder - all of it a carefully choreographed act to make him want to become the star of the arena. Just you watch, my boy, just you watch."

Felix, dressed only in the loincloth that marked him as a trainer, grabbed Juko by his practice tunic and shoved him roughly into the dirt. "Pick up your weapons, worm, and begin again."

Juko stood back up on his feet immediately. "I am done with this sham. This is not real fighting, this is-"

Felix grabbed the pugio from his side and was about to strike Juko with it when Euric shouted for him to, "Halt!" The Vandal, his gray robes whipping in the wind, stepped down from the dais and walked over to the pair.

"Juko, why do you refuse your training? Did we not reach a deal?"

"That," the N'bari looked down at the wooden sword at his feet, "is no type of training. You wish me to compete in a week's time and yet only provide me with wooden sticks? I am no novicus-"

"But you are no Tiro, either. Only those gladiators who have made certain progressions can be called Tiro and you have done no such thing."

"Then tell me what the progressions are so that I might learn! What is it that I am lacking? Tell me and I will do that very thing!"

Euric looked upon the young N'bari and answered flatly, "You have yet to learn the damnati ad gladium."

"What is that?" He spat out angrily. "What does it mean?"

Euric stared at the sword on the ground as he answered, "That a gladiator must learn to die if the crowd wills it," he looked back up, " ...with honor."

Juko was stunned slightly by his words.

Euric shrugged, "But, you're right, Juko. I admit, I have been lax in your training." He examined the practice arena, hiding the many schemes that stirred behind his dark blue eyes, "Well, maybe not lax but reticent, certainly."

"But, I... I know how to die!" Juko continued in his defiance. "And-and if I am condemned to die, so be it. I will meet my death with honor-"

"No," Euric smiled, this time warmly, "no you won't. Not you, Juko. You will go down fighting, just as your brother did."

Juko's eyes lowered to the ground.

And I wouldn't have it any other way, the Vandal thought to himself.

Juko inhaled deeply, "I want to fight but I only want to fight as a Tiro, a true gladiator. I told you that I have fought before, trained by my brother. I will show you if needs be."

Euric put an arm across Juko's shoulder, "That's not a bad idea, actually. I haven't done you justice, my son. Yes, Juko, show me. Show me you are worthy of the title of Tiro and I will grant it to you." He looked over at the other gladiators who had stopped their training and had begun to gather around, "T'tembo, come over here."

The large, well-muscled man stepped from the crowd. He wore the same style of loincloth as the trainers, though his was of a different color denoting his rank of palus primus - the highest rank of all the fighters in Euric's school. He made his way towards the lanista and knelt before him, "I am at your service."

Euric rolled his eyes and tapped T'tembo's shoulder with his flywhisk, "Get up, you fool! I can't stand all that... pretense!"

T'tembo nodded and arose from the ground in a single graceful motion that brought him side-by-side with Juko, who, while quite tall himself, stood only as high as the other man's shoulder. "What do you want of me, lanista?"

He laughed slightly to himself, "What I want of you, T'tembo, is to give me a practice match here with young Juko."

"Sir," he looked unsure, "I-"

"You would defy me?"

He bowed his head quickly, "No, lanista, never."

"Castor, equip our lead fighter with his own lusoria arma. We want to keep it... non-lethal. Juko, what do you choose: sword or-"

"No weapon," Juko answered flatly.

Euric seemed amused by his choice, "If that is what you wish." He leaned in and whispered closely next to Juko's ear, "But, even a wooden sword can do damage to an unprotected scalp. Do you still wish to remain unarmed?"

"I said 'no weapon' - but rarely am I unarmed."

"Your choice," he leaned back, "but if you win this, I will tell you some of what I know about your brother's death."

Juko's eyes flicked over to him, then straight ahead. The lanista took a few steps back and addressed the gladiators, "This will not be a timed match but it will be to the proverbial death. When you are beat, you must yield. Gladiators, ready?"

The two men, so mismatched in size, stood in the center of the training field in an area now ringed by the other gladiatorial recruits. The men began to murmur as they eyed each one and placed bets as to which would be their personal champion.

"We are ready, lanista!" T'tembo shouted out, then indicated to Juko he should repeat the same.

"Ah, yes, we are ready lanista!"

"Face your opponent, then, and take two large steps back."

They did as he commanded.

"Now," Euric raised his arm in the air, then shouted, "begin!" and brought it back down again.

As his arm lowered, T'tembo moved swiftly into action. He lunged for Juko with his heavy wooden sword but the smaller man was faster and spun away to the side quickly. The spin allowed Juko to close the space between him and T'tembo in just half a step. As he did, he then used the gladiator's own substantial leg to launch himself upon the larger man's neck. T'tembo, having experienced the unarmed combat style of his fellow N'bari many times in his youth, knew exactly what was coming. He hastily dropped his sword to the ground in order to throw the smaller man off of him before Juko had a chance to wrap his arms around T'tembo's thick neck.

Juko landed in the dust but rolled back up quickly. He hunched down, hearing Suna's voice in his head, instructing him from when they were training in their younger years, "Juko, listen to me. Imagine your feet are like long talons - like a dragon's! So long that they can grab onto the earth and nothing can move you!" Juko closed his eyes and pictured his feet rooting to the ground as he held his hands out, open before his body.

Meanwhile, T'tembo had retrieved his sword and soon began to charge at him, his footsteps so heavy that Juko could feel the vibrations in the ground beneath his own rooted feet. He opened his eyes as T'tembo lunged at him again and attempted to bring the heavy wooden sword down upon the top of his head. Just as the sword came down, Juko ducked even lower in his stance and wrapped his arms around the other man's legs, linking his hands together behind the thick man's calves as he did. He then suddenly stood up straight and flipped T'tembo onto his back with one smooth motion.

The gladiator fell hard onto the dust and the impact sent both his sword and shield scattering away in the distance as his breath caught in his chest and his eyes looked around wildly. Juko's move had caused T'tembo's brain to shift within his skull and it was taking every bit of the gladiator's strength to stay conscious. T'tembo shouted as best he could in his winded state, "I yield! I yield! Lanista, I yield!"

Juko looked down at the other man as his chest heaved, "I apologize, my friend, it was not personal. Also, very soon you will have quite a headache." He then looked out over the stunned crowd and asked Euric, "Have I shown you enough now?"

The Vandal's feigned disinterested sigh was perfectly deceptive, "Yes, well, I can't say that I'm all that surprised, really."

The N'bari warrior wiped at his forehead and felt the grit of the sand grate against his skin as he did, "So you will keep your promise, then?"

Euric answered, "Yes, you get your wish, Juko. I will tell you some of what I know."

"And you will promote me?"

"And I will promote you," he nodded. "But for now, go wash off, then join me in my office. T'tembo, let the medicus tend you."

Juko left the field, then went into the baths and washed himself. After drying, he changed into a new tunic and pulled on