Divided Kingdom

The whistling of a dagger piercing through the air had Keeva ducking just as she jumped to avoid the sword slicing toward her leg. Before her feet touched the grass again, she parried with her own sword, blocking an attack and striking out against the opponent to her right. She wasn’t sure which one of her attackers had thrown the dagger and she certainly wasn’t happy about her skull nearly getting punctured.

With a quick jab toward his middle, the guy to her right blocked but left himself open to a different attack. Keeva swung her left arm around while summoning a dagger into her hand and sliced the guy’s neck with ease. He barely saw it coming. Only when his blood spattered across her face did he register what happened. By then, he was already falling to the ground.

Keeva spun around to face her two remaining opponents, ignoring the dead man behind her that vanished into thin air. That was the perk of Senor’s magical men, there was no clean up after she beat all of them. It made sparring quite efficient. It also made it more real. The slice of flesh and resistance when her blade met bone were all realistic. Better to prepare her for when she had to do it to a real person.

Unfortunately, Keeva couldn’t harm imaginary men, but they could hurt her. Every cut she got from them was as real as the blood that leaked from her wounds.

Dispatching the last two easily, Keeva walked over to the old mage reclined against the side of their quaint cottage in the shade. Sitting on the wooden barrel beside him, she wiped the sweat from her face. Even with a cool sea breeze coming off the coast, the summer day was still hotter than the fires they cooked with.

Senor passed over the jug of water without a word. Keeva gulped down the fresh water greedily.

“I will create more opponents next time. You are getting too comfortable with just four,” Senor explained, his deep voice rumbling over the crashing of the waves just beyond the cliff their cottage stood on.

Keeva scoffed. “Just four. You say that like it was easy to fight off four of your creations.” She wasn’t offended though. After thirty years of training with the old bat, Keeva was used to his challenges.

Gray eyes stared out at the rolling plains beyond their home. His white beard hung down to his chest, blowing gently in the wind. “I did not say it was easy. I said you were getting comfortable with four opponents. It is time to advance you to the next level. We shall start with five opponents next time.”

Keeva refrained from smiling as she interpreted the hidden compliment in there. “Of course, Wise One. Whatever you say, Wise One,” she intoned smartly.

Senor glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. One white brow raised at her, he jested, “Smartass.” Keeva chuckled at him.

“Get back out there. We start with five,” he instructed, content to sit in the shade and challenge her. The powerful mage could do as he pleased though. He earned it. Keeva didn’t know much about her guardian’s past but what she did know was enough to not question him. When she was little, he told her tales of battles and wars that she couldn’t even imagine. He was a formidable opponent with extensive experience which made him the best teacher she could have ever asked for.

Senor was powerful for sure, but not quite merciful. Although he controlled every single one of the people he conjured for Keeva to fight against, he never held back. It was either learn or get hurt trying. It had been like that for thirty years though, for as long as Keeva could remember.

Senor always said someone left Keeva at his door when she was just barely walking as a child. He sensed her strong magic and decided to keep her, to train her. She didn’t dwell on the abandonment; Senor wouldn’t let her. He gave her a purpose, a reason to live for. And despite being her mentor, she looked to Senor as a father. A really ancient and powerful father that was also her commander and tutor.

With one last swig of water, Keeva pushed to her feet with a heavy sigh. Swinging her sword around lazily, she walked into the center of the worn patch of dirt among the grass and readied herself for the onslaught of whatever Senor had in store for her.

The old mage didn’t disappoint. Five unique, burly men appeared in a circle around her. Each wore plain clothes and held a sword. Keeva smirked; she was going to have fun with this. Making the first move, she lunged backward, plunging her sword into the man behind her without ever looking back. He disappeared in a second, leaving her with the four she’d always practiced with. It was a cheap move, but Senor wasn’t exactly keen on the whole clean fighting mantra. He was more of the, use what you’ve got and hold nothing back kind of mentality.

She still had two opponents left when they both disintegrated into dust. Panting heavily, she looked to Senor.

“What the hell was that?” she asked incredulously. “I was about to take them both down.”

Senor didn’t bother looking at her. Already on his feet, hurrying past her, his eyes were on the lone rider sprinting toward them as fast as the horse could go.

Keeva’s heart skipped a beat when she realized it was the Lord’s errand boy. The Lord of their town only sent that particular boy back and forth between the capital city, which was a month’s ride away so, why would he be coming to their little cottage?

Senor walked far too fast and far too smoothly for someone that looked so ancient. He met the errand boy far from Keeva and took a scrap of paper from him. The boy and his horse waited as Senor read the paper, waiting for a reply. When Senor simply walked away, the errand boy turned his horse back the way he came and trotted at a much slower pace.

With furrowed brows, Keeva stood waiting as Senor walked back, his eyes glued to the scrap of paper. He came to a stop in front of her before raising his eyes to her emerald ones. Wonder and fear warred in his eyes. Keeva blanked her features when a spike of fear caught her.

“What is happening, Senor?”

So many emotions flittered across his face before it settled into acceptance. “The King was murdered. Your time has come to win the throne.”