Space Knights: The Arrival by Gregory Samuelson (buy e reader .TXT) 📕

he knew it wouldn’t last forever. Somebody would defeat him before the season ended.

And then another thought floated in. Many of his teammates had lady’s favors, a silk scarf that their girlfriend had given them to inspire them, make them anxious to fight more valiantly for their lady love. Yet Trance did not have one. He had fought as valiantly as he could to make a good showing of himself. He wanted to prove he could be a great knight and had done so rather well. Neklon was so impressed with him already that he promised to really make a strong recommendation for Trance to get into the Golden Griffins. However, all his success and victories would be sweeter if he had a lady’s favor to take into battle with him. Oh well, he’d have to continue as he was and show that he was even braver and lead his team without a favor.

Chapter 15

Enter the White Dinosaur

As is expected at school, romances bloomed in the halls. Couples formed and broke up to find new loves. The usual couples that were apparently permanent renewed their love to one another while others started to become that way. Already most of the boys in the knight class had girlfriends and openly displayed their lady’s favor, a silk scarf that they wore around their left arm.

Trance watched the couples as he walked down the halls to his classes. He noticed the girls that didn’t have a boyfriend and checked them out, yet as always he felt that there was something missing. As he passed them he sometimes got the impression that some of them had gone out with him because of his high profile in school. Maybe they thought that part of his fame would rub off on them. In his heart he knew the girl he wanted to go out with, Corena, but she was taken.

From rumors he’d heard since he started school he’d developed a pretty good impression of Rex, Corena’s boyfriend and suitor. Now that he’d seen and met him in their battle, he knew that his impression was fairly accurate.

Rex had an imposing six foot two inch well muscled build with golden blonde hair, ice cold gray blue eyes and a very handsome face, almost to handsome. Despite his good looks, there was an air of menace about him and something else. That something Trance could not put into words but made the hair on his neck respond negatively.

Trance had seen for himself how ruthless Rex could be as captain. Rex’s behavior on the battlefield seemed to show how jealous he was. Trance remembered watching Rex after Corena had congratulated him. Rex had grabbed Corena’s arm and pulled her away from the crowd, and although Trance could not hear what was said, had seen that he talked rather roughly and loudly to her.

Trance could also tell that Corena wasn’t very happy with him and had jerked her arm away from him, and had just as loudly shouted back and had stormed away from him. Rex had then turned and glared menacingly at Trance. When Trance got to school the following week, he was warned that anyone in the past four years that had tried to date Corena had been beaten up and one in particular had even needed to go to the hospital.

As Trance was leading his team to victories Corena was also leading the Gray Mountain Lady Warriors, who were also having a very good season. They had also gone undefeated despite the fact that most of their opposing teams outnumbered them. Corena was a very good team captain and had truly earned the respect of not only all of the ladies on her team, but also of the majority of the girls in the other schools. She was a very noble and cunning warrior. She was primarily an archer, but she was also a very accomplished swordswoman. She also had a rather elegant looking hatchet for a third weapon and it was obvious that she was going to join the Lady Griffins.

Up to this point Rex had also led his team to a good start. But they had now lost twice in a row; something that had never happened while Rex was captain. Rex was completely outraged that the Earth boy had beaten him. How could this happen? He had led his team to back-to-back championships and they had led in every competition so far. His record in individual weapon competitions and in Gladiator Circle matches was remarkable. No one could match his tenacity or viciousness. He had proven that he was very skilled with every weapon, and many people thought that he was nearly unstoppable in battle. There were many people that were sure he was going to be a Golden Griffin. He was also planning to increase his position by marrying the princess.

Rex had occasions when he was able to visit Corena in school. He always seemed to have some logical excuse to travel to see her. Trance spotted him with Corena halfway through that week and observed how Rex really treated her. Rex seemed to be a real brute being rather rough when he took her hand or kissed her at lunch, pulling her close and holding her very tightly. At times though, it seemed that when they were seen together Corena acted like she really didn’t like him very much.

As Trance saw all this he had a thought cross his mind. He decided that he would make an effort to be friendlier to the princess and see what would happen. To his amazement she seemed to let him get a little friendlier with her. They got together and talked as often as they could during breaks. But she wouldn’t let him get too intimate with her for fear that Rex would arrange for something terrible to happen to him.

***

Weeks passed and the individual competitions came around. Trance entered the competitions for swordsmen, ax men, and archers. In the skill categories