Davis and the Trail of the Sword Lords

Davis and the Trail of the Sword Lords
From the Diaries of James Purcell
Copyright James Purcell 2012
All rights reserved.

The combination of cold air from the coast mixed with the warm air around the hill Corfe Castle had been built on blanketed the area in fog resulting in the castle being the only visible structure. Not much existed of the old castle except for a few walls that had survived the attempt to blow it up. Davis Swiftblade looked up the path that lead from the surviving keep up to the castle gate, Davis was the latest in the swiftblade household to undertake the trail and was determined to undo the damage to his families reputation caused by his brother when he was discovered to be working with the resistance.

Taking a deep breath, he walked the path to the gate. The sixteen ruling lords were already in the ruins waiting for him and as he entered the gateway a sword flashed out causing him to stumble back out of its way. The sword crashed into the stone beside him and he realised that if he hadn’t ducked, he would have lost his head.

He drew his sword and his first opponent and owner of the sword stepped out from behind the wall to the side of the arch.

“Your the latest Swiftblade to enter the circle? I hope your not a disappointment like your brother was.” His first challanger said in a female voice.

She was small of stature and held her sword in a loose grip that allowed her to spin the sword by its hand guard.

“I hope your going to fight with everything you have otherwise this will be tough on you. This trial is about being the best of the best.” She said continuing to spin the sword, “Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to attack me?”

“Ladies first.” Davis said, bowing towards her.

She reached behind her back and pulled out a knife, “Oh, by the way, I know that your sword is actually two swords, honestly, the truth is that we all know that your sword is two swords. Your little secret was passed around, the minute one of us learnt about it.” She said with a smile. Her sword stops its swing at its apex at the same moment she launched her attack. She held her sword in a two handed grip with the blade pointed up. Just before there swords came together, she rotated it bringing it around in an upward direction. the sword came up under his defences and Davis was barely able to block the strike from hitting him. She pulled her sword back and stepped away ducking as his own sword came at her, aimed at her own neck height.

Guessing that she would try the same move again, he pulled out his own knife that lived in the swords scabbard, and just as she made her move, Davis pressed in with his own attack. His sword swung in an arch that impacted her sword with a jarring ring, but before he could think of pressing on with his attack, her knife shoot out. Davis ducked falling low to the ground, his own knife flashed out deflecting the strike and he rolled around coming back to his feet behind her.

As she turned, someone shouted enough, and she froze as her eye’s focused on Davis’s sword and knife crossed at her throat. She sheathed her weapons, turned on her heal and walked off down the path heading back towards the gate house. “Congratulation on your first win Davis, prove that your better then you traitorous brother.”

The mist that had surrounded the castle ruins had started to lift and as Davis Watch, shadowy objects started to be revealed, and with astonishment he realised he was looking out over a camp that had been set up in the valley below the castle.