An Aimless War (Greatest Thief 2)

Chapter Seven

Tannix dueled all six of his knights. Acen and Jalor fared best against him, and Mandell's brute strength almost won him his duel. The twins and Evrik didn't hold their own nearly as long. Tannix was an incredible fighter. It quickly dawned on me that the only time I had actually seen him fight was against the pair of assassins that had attacked him in the Order. A fight he only won because I threw myself at the second attacker, pushing him over the edge of a wall and almost killing myself in the process. Even then, in the dark, my untrained eye had seen his skill. Now, as I watched him fight each of his knights, his raw talent was even more apparent.

After they had both dueled against him and lost, the brothers challenged Tannix to a shooting competition. It became very clear that Tannix was no archer. The twins arrows hit the centre of every target they shot at. Tannix always managed to hit the target, if barely. After their contest, Evrik eagerly challenged Tannix to another duel, this time with axes and dented wooden shields. Evrik won effortlessly.

I sat cross-legged at the side of the courtyard, on top of a small half-wall. Watching the fights was fascinating. Not only for the actual fight, but for what I was learning by watching them all interact and listening to them talk. The knights were very informal, joking and laughing in such a natural way that I often found myself joining it. Tannix was clearly one of them. They treated him with respect, but at the same time just like another knight. The men were obviously Tannix's friends. He was so comfortable with them, even after five years apart.

During another round of friendly fighting between Tannix and Acen, Evrik sat beside me. I tried to ignore him and watch the duel, but he nudged me lightly with his elbow. The twins were leaning against the wall not too far off, clearly watching. Obviously, Evrik had been sent to talk to me.

"Yes, sir?" I asked politely.

"The twins and I were wondering... you're from Zianna, yes? The streets?"

I nodded warily. "Yes."

"So how did you meet Tannix?"

I had no idea what we were going to tell everyone, Tannix and I hadn't discussed it. "I, uh... I'm not sure if I can tell you."

Evrik ran a hand through his scruffy hair. "All right, well, that's certainly suspicious. How's this. You can ask me some questions first."

That wasn't going to help with my dilemma, but I was curious about him. "Can you explain the whole trial thing?"

He laughed. "Oh, that's easy. So when a Tandran turns ten, contests are held to find their personal guard. Different units in the army can put forth candidates. Noble families often make their sons try out. As long as you can prove you're capable of fighting, you're allowed to enter. The goal is to get a group of six fighters with various talents, who are also fairly close in age."

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Twenty-three," Evrik replied. Then, having anticipated my next question, gestured at every other knight in turn. "The twins are twenty-two, Acen's twenty-four, Mandell's twenty-six and Jalor's twenty-eight. Actually, Jalor was a bit old to try out."

"But if you were only fourteen at the tryouts, how could you possibly be one of the best there?"

"Well, my friend, keep in mind I wasn't fighting grown men. I was fighting other fourteen-year-olds. And I have a trick."

"Show him," one of the twins called over, proving that they were eavesdropping.

"All right. Watch this." Evrik got to his feet and turned to face one of the straw archery targets. He unhooked a small axe from his belt and held it lightly in his right hand. He went still for a moment, then he held up his hand and threw the axe.