Bartholomew Nelson and the World of Zathya: The Prince and The Heir

Chapter 11

Jason didn't seem like much of a fighter by the looks of him. He was a little bit taller than Bart and he had short black hair. His goatee was also black and his eyes were green. The fact that he looked like he was at least fifty also made it hard to believe this guy could do the things that he did earlier. Regardless, Bart was thankful that he could do them. There was a scar on the side of his face that seemed rather fresh.

"So how do you know Demetrius so well," Bart asked as the group walked through the woods.

"Master Demetrius was one of my closest friends as I got older. I learned a great deal from him and his grandfather." Bart tried to think back to what he had heard about Demetrius and his family. It wasn't much. All he knew was Demetrius was the master of wielding and that his grandfather was the master before him. He also knew that Demetrius was in some group called the Five. Bart wondered if this guy knew them just like Victoria did.

"So this Master Demetrius is really good then? I mean considering you learned a lot from him. What you did back there was amazing." Jason just laughed at this question. Bart did feel kind of stupid asking a question with such an obvious answer.

"Yes, Demetrius is a very skilled wielder, one of the best of his time but he is not the one who taught me how to do what you saw back there." Bart was a little confused but he was more so intrigued. What Jason seemed to be implying was that there was another great teacher besides Demetrius. Bart assumed it to be his grandfather.

"So then it was his grandfather?" Bart asked calmly.

"No, not even Grandmaster Turin was my teacher in those arts," Jason replied with a smile. Now Bart was really confused. If it wasn't one of the two Masters of wielding then who could it be? Again Jason seemed to be reading his mind because before Bart could ask, Jason answered. "It was my father who taught me to yield and redirect. Even though he was no Master of wielding, he was an amazing wielder and even better defense wielder. Many even say he was as good as grandmaster Turin but that's hard to say since it was the grandmaster who taught him." Bart never even thought that someone else was allowed to teach. He was even more shocked to find out that some guy who was as good as Master Turin wasn't chosen to become the next master of wielding.

"If he was so good, why did Demetrius get the gig?" Bart asked. Again Jason just laughed at the question. Bart knew he didn't ask the greatest questions in the world; Charlotte let him know it on a regular basis, but he was starting to get tired of feeling so stupid every time he was curious.

"My father chose the path of the knight instead of the teacher. He loved to defend the Kingdom more than anything and so he became the first knight. He did, however, still teach. You already know one of his other students, Victoria Bloodworthy." Bart didn't know that Victoria was trained by such a brilliant wielder, but the thought alone made him a little more hopeful for her survival. Then something caught Bart's attention. When Bart had talked to Victoria earlier, she had said that Angelo's father was one of her teachers. Bart wanted to know if Jason's father knew Angelo's father. Maybe that was the connection they had. Maybe that's why Jason had that face earlier. He could be Angelo's best friend or even family member.

"Who is your dad anyway?" asked Bart, trying to play it cool.

"My dad was Vance Phinnly," he said quickly.

"So he defended the kingdom, too?"

"Yes," Jason said with a smile. "Alongside some of the greatest wielders of our time. It's because of them that he became such an amazing wielder."