you listen to him.’
The miners looked at each other this time.
‘Sounds fair,’ the red-faced man said cautiously.
‘Good. Pick your five and then be ready,’ Sendatsu told him, taking Cadel’s shoulder. The young Velshman lacked the sheer size of Sendatsu because he had not worked with a bow for twenty years, but he was a head taller and battle-hardened.
‘Is this a good idea?’ Cadel asked levelly.
‘It’s perfect. If I beat them, then it’s elven skill that won the day. When you beat them, they’ll believe and listen to you,’ Sendatsu whispered. ‘They’ve done just what I wanted them to.’
‘Did I do something to annoy you?’ Cadel half smiled. ‘You want five of them to attack me?’
‘They’re slow and untrained, you’re fast and skilled. What you did back at Patcham and Dokuzen is nothing compared to this. Take them down fast and don’t give them a chance.’
Cadel grinned down at him. ‘So this is the famous Elvish arrogance?’
‘No, it’s the start of the famous Velsh arrogance. Do it.’
Sendatsu stepped back as the five miners, led by the red-faced man, stepped forwards. Cadel waited for them, left hip forwards, perfectly balanced, bokken held in both hands angled across his right shoulder.
‘Don’t let fear stop you,’ he told them.
With a roar, the five sprang forwards.
Cadel darted to his right, away from their sword arms and whipped his bokken low in a tiger-claw stroke that blasted the wind out of the man on the far left of their group. He collapsed but Cadel continued to circle, forcing the men to turn back on themselves. He used the winded man as a diversion and attacked left and right, smashing his bokken onto the wrist of one man, then whipping it back up under the chin of the next. One went down; the other dropped his practice sword.
The red-faced man and his last companion spread out, trying to come at Cadel from different sides, but the young dragon had trained too hard at this manoeuvre to be caught so simply. He circled back to his right and made the two of them get in each other’s way, before using the cartwheel stroke on the back of one man’s knee, sending him tumbling to the ground and recovering in time to block a wild swing from the remaining man.
‘Wait!’ the red-faced man called but Cadel was already moving, using the zigzag style to land blows on his ribs and chest, before finishing off with the waterwheel stroke to knock his feet out and send him crashing to the ground.
Cadel bowed to the five groaning men before bowing again to Sendatsu, who could not keep the broad smile off his face. He looked around the field. While everyone else was supposed to be training, it was obvious every pair of eyes had been firmly fixed on the little bout.
‘Anyone else think your trainers are too young and don’t know anything?’ he roared.
The silence was deafening as the Velshmen hurriedly got back to following the instructions of the dragon who was training them.
‘Make those five sweat for the rest of the afternoon,’ he told Cadel quietly.
The young dragon leader grinned. ‘With pleasure.’
‘I need to find some plums,’ Sendatsu said, walking back towards his children.
‘What in the name of the stars above happened to you?’ Edmund demanded.
Oroku scraped an ant out of his ear with a shudder. ‘We have enemies in Dokuzen. One of them attacked me but I was able to escape.’
‘How can I know you did not reveal everything to them?’ Edmund accused.
Oroku sighed, his swollen face almost obscuring one of his eyes. ‘Because I am still alive,’ he said shortly.
‘What did they do to you?’
‘Set insects and spiders on me. Luckily none of them were truly poisonous and my magic is enough to keep me out of pain, if not out of discomfort. Now, where is King Ward?’
Edmund reluctantly led Oroku into the king’s tent. Ward was in there with a handful of the captains, as well as his sons, Uffa and Wilfrid. Edmund found that a
The miners looked at each other this time.
‘Sounds fair,’ the red-faced man said cautiously.
‘Good. Pick your five and then be ready,’ Sendatsu told him, taking Cadel’s shoulder. The young Velshman lacked the sheer size of Sendatsu because he had not worked with a bow for twenty years, but he was a head taller and battle-hardened.
‘Is this a good idea?’ Cadel asked levelly.
‘It’s perfect. If I beat them, then it’s elven skill that won the day. When you beat them, they’ll believe and listen to you,’ Sendatsu whispered. ‘They’ve done just what I wanted them to.’
‘Did I do something to annoy you?’ Cadel half smiled. ‘You want five of them to attack me?’
‘They’re slow and untrained, you’re fast and skilled. What you did back at Patcham and Dokuzen is nothing compared to this. Take them down fast and don’t give them a chance.’
Cadel grinned down at him. ‘So this is the famous Elvish arrogance?’
‘No, it’s the start of the famous Velsh arrogance. Do it.’
Sendatsu stepped back as the five miners, led by the red-faced man, stepped forwards. Cadel waited for them, left hip forwards, perfectly balanced, bokken held in both hands angled across his right shoulder.
‘Don’t let fear stop you,’ he told them.
With a roar, the five sprang forwards.
Cadel darted to his right, away from their sword arms and whipped his bokken low in a tiger-claw stroke that blasted the wind out of the man on the far left of their group. He collapsed but Cadel continued to circle, forcing the men to turn back on themselves. He used the winded man as a diversion and attacked left and right, smashing his bokken onto the wrist of one man, then whipping it back up under the chin of the next. One went down; the other dropped his practice sword.
The red-faced man and his last companion spread out, trying to come at Cadel from different sides, but the young dragon had trained too hard at this manoeuvre to be caught so simply. He circled back to his right and made the two of them get in each other’s way, before using the cartwheel stroke on the back of one man’s knee, sending him tumbling to the ground and recovering in time to block a wild swing from the remaining man.
‘Wait!’ the red-faced man called but Cadel was already moving, using the zigzag style to land blows on his ribs and chest, before finishing off with the waterwheel stroke to knock his feet out and send him crashing to the ground.
Cadel bowed to the five groaning men before bowing again to Sendatsu, who could not keep the broad smile off his face. He looked around the field. While everyone else was supposed to be training, it was obvious every pair of eyes had been firmly fixed on the little bout.
‘Anyone else think your trainers are too young and don’t know anything?’ he roared.
The silence was deafening as the Velshmen hurriedly got back to following the instructions of the dragon who was training them.
‘Make those five sweat for the rest of the afternoon,’ he told Cadel quietly.
The young dragon leader grinned. ‘With pleasure.’
‘I need to find some plums,’ Sendatsu said, walking back towards his children.
‘What in the name of the stars above happened to you?’ Edmund demanded.
Oroku scraped an ant out of his ear with a shudder. ‘We have enemies in Dokuzen. One of them attacked me but I was able to escape.’
‘How can I know you did not reveal everything to them?’ Edmund accused.
Oroku sighed, his swollen face almost obscuring one of his eyes. ‘Because I am still alive,’ he said shortly.
‘What did they do to you?’
‘Set insects and spiders on me. Luckily none of them were truly poisonous and my magic is enough to keep me out of pain, if not out of discomfort. Now, where is King Ward?’
Edmund reluctantly led Oroku into the king’s tent. Ward was in there with a handful of the captains, as well as his sons, Uffa and Wilfrid. Edmund found that a
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