Fruits of the Garden, Volume 3

Fruits of the Garden

by Indoril Karath

Sandil and Salvu Fight with Sticks

It was on an overcast and stormy day, when the air was as a turbulent pool which cast the clouds as dark reflections of the rugged peaks below, and the rain fell, and the rivers swelled and roared, that the Indoril Karath led his young wards to a wide and empty room with a large mat of dried and flattened marshmerrow reeds at its centre, and he gestured to the racks on the walls which held a vast and formidable variety of weapons, and he bade them choose.

Sandil and Salvu clamored immediately to be permitted the weapons of ebony and of glass, but this Indoril Karath forbade them, and gestured again to the rack which contained the practice weapons which were shaped of corkbulb and blunted chitin.

It was the first time that the two were to spar, for though they had long trained with all manner of armaments, it had been in drilling the forms of martial art, or being schooled by a much superior opponent. Both wards were thus eager to prove their diligent application to their education, and so Sandil took the axe, which he favored from long years of practice. After no longer consideration, Salvu hefted a club which was little more than a shaft of corkbulb.

"Poor Salvu," Sandil thought, "He has chosen nothing but a whipping reed, and I do not fear the lash."

At four paces they stood from each other, which is the distance of conflict, and the Indoril Karath said, "Fight now until the draw of blood, for to give that which is most precious to the earth is a most grievous loss; or until a bruise is raised, for to show to your enemy that you are harmed is a most grievous loss; or until surrender, for to show neither dull bruise nor bright blood and yet yield is the most grievous loss of all." And they began to spar.

Sandil's form was perfect, and even the Indoril Karath's mute eyes did awaken with a bright surprise, for it was as if the forms illustrated in the pages of the Indoril's most ancient manuals of arms were being brought to life before him; and he was quick, for he knew that Salvu's greater size would be to his foe's advantage and so sought to close the distance with alacrity.

Thus they fought, and though he was a master of every sequence he had learned in the chambers of Aamul, and many more besides, Sandil could not once touch his weapon to his foe. And though Salvu found himself behind and around and under his opponent many times, he did not lash forward to punish the opening of Sandil's guard, and used the shaft of corkbulb which was his weapon only for defence.

At last, after the chamber had rung out with many footfalls, and many clashes of wood and chitin, and many sharp breaths, did Sandil cry out "My opponent thinks to toy with me! He is stronger of arm, and so we are not evenly matched. This is not a fair contest." And thus did Salvu transfer the corkbulb club from his right hand to his left, and moved again to the distance of conflict.

"Arrogant Salvu," Sandil thought, "He thinks to best me with his insincere hand, but I will not let him."

And so they clashed again, and it was as before, and Sandil could not land a hit on his foe, and Salvu would not.

Again exasperated, Sandil cried "My foe is taller than I and has greater reach, and I would not ever be so foolish as to face a taller foe. This is no test of skill, but of body!"

Then Salvu slipped off his sandals and knelt to the marshmerrow mat, and thus walking on his knees returned to the distance of conflict.

"Cruel Salvu," Sandil thought, "He desires to shame me, for he seeks to show me as no more than a beater of the lame." But Salvu was at the distance of conflict, and so they fought, and Sandil did not make his assault easy, for so great was his anger and pride.

Yet the battle did not go differently, even with Salvu fighting on his knees and with his left hand, and at last, after much time had passed and the thunder no longer shouted beyond the walls and the rain no longer beat its fists against the rooftops, Salvu began to speak in his low voice, and he said "Do you recall when first we met at this chapel?"

And Sandil looked back into his memory, and saw that they had met before the great gate, and that Salvu had asked him whence he came. And when Sandil declared he had come from Gorne, Salvu mocked him, saying that the clerics of the island know only books and peace and do not know the arts of war, and Sandil had protested and said that he had learned many arts of war from books and Gorne was host to a great master of the axe besides, and Sandil had been his pupil since the earliest days of his youth. Disbelieving, Salvu again mocked Sandil, and goaded him to show off the form of his art, and so Sandil did, but yet Salvu goaded him again, proclaiming that Sandil's form could not hope to defend against this approach, or against that technique, and so Sandil demonstrated to Salvu the whole collection of his arts of war in that first meeting.

And seeing in his eye that he did recall, Salvu said to Sandil, "From that day I have developed sequences and moves to defeat your arts, and while you were resting abed or talking to your books, I was practising them, for I knew the day would come when we would walk into this room and step onto this mat of marshmerrow reeds and stand at the distance of four paces, and that I would defeat you."

The flame of Sandil's rage now burned blue with despair, but he schooled his face to be the lifeless ash, and he said "But I am not the boy I was, and I am the master of a great many forms of combat now, and I am not defeated, for you have drawn neither blood nor bruise to my skin."

And then Salvu said, "Like you I have practiced the arts of war of this chapel, and like you I have delved its libraries for the arts which even its masters have forgotten, and like you I have practiced them to perfection, just as you perfected the arts of your first master. Yet in this place you thought you had no enemy, but I knew we were destined foes, and so while you perfected the arts that were given to you, I made moves and sequences which would defeat all those arts, and many more besides which you have not yet learned nor perfected. And you are defeated, for I have fought you with my left hand and on my knees and you have not drawn bruise or blood, and you know you cannot best me."

And then Sandil said, "I cannot best you," and he threw down his axe of wood and chitin, which he saw now that his foe had battered until the chitin was all gone away, and it was not unlike the corkbulb club which Salvu carried, and he sat on the floor, and tears roared like the rivers through the ash of his face.

Then Salvu proffered his mighty arm and said "I will teach you the forms."

Then Sandil took his offered hand of friendship, and permitted himself to be drawn to his feet, but he asked, "Will you teach me the forms to defeat those forms?"

And Salvu said, "No. Those you must discover for yourself."