Sorceress Ch 3: Challenge

         The clash of metal rang through the backyard of the Vanguard house as a sword flew into the air and stuck into the ground still ringing with vibrations.  Katherine stood victorious in front of Cole for the third time that day.
         Cole went to retrieve his sword.  “This is exactly why I specialize in archery.  I told you, if you want a real opponent, Kathy, ask my father or my brothers.”  He heaved his sword out of the ground and rested it in front of himself, thinking.  “Of course you would have more luck with Andrew then Salem.  Salem is hardly around these days and he is more suited to a bow like me.  His aim and accuracy is almost as good as mine and you’ve seen what I can do.”  Cole sheathed his sword.  “Actually, you might have to talk with Andrew soon anyway.  He isn’t too happy that you’ve become a Sorcerer… Sorceress?  He even though he passed the Sorcerer’s test the month after you, you still beat him for youngest Sorcerer since he just turned seventeen.”  Cole looked at her with concerned eyes.  “The two of you better work something out because Andrew is trying out for a Knight at the same time you are.  No matter her reason, we can’t have him talking now, can we?”  Katherine opened her mouth to speak but Cole silenced her with a wag of his finger and a shake of his head.  “I can’t get involved in this.  Plus, you’re the one he has a problem with.” 
         Cole walked past her and ruffled her hair.  Katherine turned to watch him walk into the house.  That same caring manner that Cole had reminded Katherine of Alyssa.  Her hand swiftly clutched at her chest as the pain of the memory surfaced.  It was no wonder she was able to get along with Cole so well. 
         The clatter of pots and pans distracted Katherine from her memory and the pain disappeared.  She sheathed Nuri and ran inside to see what happened.  Before she even opened the door to the kitchen, Natalie’s raised voice reached her.  She stopped herself from opening the door, hoping no one would come out.
          “You’ve learned well, Kathy”, Louisa laughed behind her.  “Isn’t that right, Sandy?” she asked the small girl perched on her hip.  The little girl nodded and reached out her arms to Katherine.  Louisa laughed again.  “Oh that’s right, could you watch Sandy for a while?  I have to help Gavin in the clinic and I don’t think Natalie is up to it at the moment.”
          “Of course”, Katherine said as she took Sandria and held her just like Louisa had.  Sandria rested her head against Katherine’s shoulder.  “Before I forget, do you know where Andrew is?”
         Louisa thought for a second.  “Cole is defiantly the one getting Natalie’s torture in there.”  A loud clang sent the girls ducking as a pot slammed into a nearby wall.  “He’ll be fine.  He can hold himself against Natalie, I think.  Andrew, I believe, rode out of town to the beach.”
         Sandria popped her head up.  “Can we go to the beach, Aunty Katty?”
          “It’s Kathy.  Can you say Kathy, Sandy?” Louisa tried to correct her niece.
         Katherine smiled, “Katty is ok.  I haven’t been called Katty in over six years.  It’s a nice change.”  Louisa shrugged and walked off to the clinic in her smooth gait.  Katherine looked at Sandria.  “Shall we go see Uncle Andrew at the beach now?” Sandria nodded enthusiastically.  “Ok then, Aunty Katty just needs to get changed and so do you.”  The little girl chuckled as Katherine took her upstairs to change.  Katherine changed Sandria into old, worn clothes, and for herself, she replaced her sweaty man’s clothes for clean women’s clothes.  Lastly, before leaving she went into the bathroom to change her hair.  Natalie developed a potion for her that would allow her to grow her hair out temporarily.  With her hair now past her shoulders, she tied the sides back to keep it out of her face.  She took Sandria and went down to saddle Willow.
         Once Willow was ready, Katherine placed Sandria on a wooden barrel before mounting and tucking the folds of her skirt under her legs.  She then guided Willow next to the barrel and picked Sandria up and set her in front of her in the saddle.  When Sandria got a good seat in the saddle, Katherine clicked her tongue and Willow trotted the short trip.  The beach was only a five minute ride outside the city wall which made it the perfect getaway.  Katherine nudged Willow into a faster gait and held on tightly to Sandria who only giggled. 
         Katherine slowed Willow down as the beach approached.  The horse walked gently on the sand as Katherine scanned the beach for Andrew.  She saw a person in the distance and guided Willow in that direction.  As they got closer Katherine made a positive identification.  He was staring at the ocean, caught in his own world.  Katherine stopped Willow far enough away as to not startle him.  She dismounted and then lifted Sandria down from the saddle.
          “Aunty Katty needs to talk to Uncle Andrew for a little bit, ok?  Would you like to play with Faolan?”  Sandria nodded enthusiastically, a large smile covering her face.  “Alright, watch her Faolan and have fun.”  The white wolf trotted up behind Willow to Sandria.  Willow tensed up before catching Faolan’s scent on the breeze and relaxing again.  Sandria wrapped an arm around the wolf’s neck and walked her down towards the water’s edge.
         Katherine left Willow where she was and walked over to Andrew.  He heard her footsteps and looked at her.  He gazed at her for a few seconds before he realized who she was.  “You really are a woman”, he spat mockingly as he gave her the cold expression he always used when she was around.
         She glared at him, “And you really are an ass.”  She sighed and her expression softened in defeat.  “Can we talk?”  Andrew didn’t voice an objection but she didn’t know how to start.  They stood in silence and Katherine peeked every once in a while at Sandria playing. 
         Andrew noticed this, “So you brought Sandria with you?”
          “When I found out you were here, she insisted on coming with.”  Katherine bit her lower lip, pondering.  She finally gave up and stood in front of him.  “What is your problem with me?”
         Andrew flinched at the tone of her voice.  “Why do you think I have a problem with you?  I don’t have a problem with you.”
          “You do to!  Whenever you’re around me, you hardly look me in the eye and when you do it’s just to glare at me.  You have a problem with me and I want to know what it is.  I need to know if you hate me…”
          “I don’t hate you…” he interrupted.
         Katherine kept going, “Enough that you would rat me out as a woman.”
          “I’m not going to rat you out to anyone.”  He met her eyes briefly before turning away quickly.
         She gave half a smile.  “Then, if you don’t hate me, what’s with the attitude?”
         Andrew blushed as he sensed her eyes on him.  “I’m jealous of you.  I never wanted my father to teach me.  My father too kind with me and I had a hard time learning like that.  Then, I saw how he was with you and he was able to balance the teacher and father roles perfectly and I got mad.  You also beat me for youngest Sorcerer and I know how much more powerful you are then me.  I can’t even use elemental magic.  When I look at you, I see everything I want to be.  You have everything that I dreamed about when I was a child.”
          “To tell the truth, I’ve been jealous of you.  Plus, you don’t want to be me.”  She inhaled deeply and sat on a piece of driftwood nearby.  Andrew sat next to her.  “I grew up a normal girl.  Then, when I was ten years old, my village was attacked by bandits.  My brother and I tried to hide.  My brother got taken by the bandits while trying to protect me.  I was knocked unconscious and by the time I got back to the village, my parents were dead and my sister missing.  A passing family from the nearby village helped me find Cronos.  Ever since, Cronos and your siblings have been the closest I have to a family.  You don’t know just how lucky you are.”
         A hand gently rested on Katherine’s shoulder and Andrew slowly pulled her to him.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know”, Andrew’s voice was soft and warm and it comforted Katherine.  “You lived in Kalia, didn’t you?”  Katherine nodded slightly.  His hand gave her a small reassuring squeeze as she began to calm down.  The two of them sat there in reflecting silence watching Sandria and Faolan play in the sand.  Sandria looked up from her play and waved at Katherine and Andrew. 
         Katherine sat up straight immediately and Andrew’s arm dropped from around her shoulder as if it were a rock.  She scrambled to her feet and faced Andrew.  “I’m glad we got to talk and good luck on the assessment.”
         He nodded, “Good luck to you too.  You’re going to need it more than me.”
         Katherine smiled and hurried over to Sandria.  Katherine, Sandria, and Faolan played in the sand and in the water for a while before Andrew came to join them.  He picked the girl up and tossed her on his shoulders.  Sandria giggled as he spun her around and ran with her.  Faolan chased after the two barking joyfully causing Sandria to laugh more.  Katherine smiled at her adoptive family and joined in the chase.
         It didn’t take too long before Sandria tired out.  Andrew carried her in his arms back to the road as Katherine lead Willow.  Andrew had his chestnut stallion, Blitz, tied at the beginning of the beach.  Katherine took Sandria from him while he mounted and then helped Sandria up in the saddle in front of Andrew.  After the little girl was settled in, Katherine mounted Willow and the two horses started the walk back to Gaerwn. 
         Katherine cleared her throat to get Andrew’s attention.  “If you don’t mind, could you practice with me?  Salem’s never around, Cronos is busy, and Cole isn’t very good…” she trailed off, waiting for his reaction.
         He snorted, “I’ll see but I have to warn you, you may be good at magic but you’ll never beat me with a sword.”
         Katherine smiled at his challenge, “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
         Back at the house, Katherine dismounted and took the waking Sandria from Andrew and took her inside while Andrew took care of the horses.
         Katherine walked into the kitchen and was not met with pleasantries.  “Where in the world have you been?” Natalie demanded with a voice thick with venom.  Cole and Louisa were standing behind her.
         Sandria rubbed her eyes as she adjusted to the light.  “Mommy!” She reached out to her mother and Katherine handed her over.
         Natalie glared at Katherine a warning not to move.  She took Sandria into the other room for Gavin to watch before coming back to start her inquiry.  “Do you know what time it is?  The sun is setting and you know better than to be out for so long without letting us know.  Do you have any idea how worried I was when you and Sandria didn’t show up for dinner?”  Katherine evaded Natalie’s eyes at all cost.  “Then I find out you left without taking any kind of weapon.  I know how amazing you are with magic but dressed as a woman you know you can’t use it.  How would you have been able to protect Sandria or yourself from the foul men of the city?  What would you have done then?”
          “I would have to take responsibility for it then since they were with me.”  Katherine looked to her side to see Andrew standing beside her.  “If you want someone to yell at for staying out late then it should be me.  Katherine was watching Sandria but I stole her away to play with.  But if you don’t mind I’m going to bed and you can yell at me tomorrow.”  Andrew walked to the kitchen door and paused.  He looked back over his shoulder, “Katherine, tomorrow morning, got it?”
          “Alright”, she replied to his back as he exited the room.  She turned back and realized everyone was gaping at her before they all started speaking at once.
          “Andrew has never taken the blame for anyone”, Cole said in shock. 
          “What was that about tomorrow morning?” Louisa inquired.
          “What the hell did you say to him?!” Cole continued.
         Natalie smiled at her.  Her eyes expressed her gratitude for a reason unknown to Katherine before she left to go see her daughter and husband.
         Cole and Louisa crowded in around her.  “So what did the two of you do?”
         Katherine tried to back away to get some space.  “We didn’t do anything.”  She held up her hands in defense.  They looked at her prying for more.  “I swear all we did was talk.”
         Cole leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest.  “That must have been one hell of a talk.”
          “Aw! Look at her, she’s blushing.  I’m sure all you did was talk now”, Louisa snickered.  “But I don’t think you’re going to tell us anything else so we might as well get ready for bed so you don’t wake up too late.”  Louisa threw an arm around Katherine’s shoulders and guided her upstairs.
         The following morning a light knock sounded on the bedroom door.  Louisa peeked her head in.  “Katherine, I’m sorry to have to wake you but Andrew told me to tell you that you’ve got five minutes to get downstairs or else.”
         Katherine jolted up in bed.  “Damn him, don’t you people ever sleep?!”  She leapt out of bed and raced to the closet. “I can’t even fix my hair”, she ran her fingers through her still long hair.  “Lou, tell that untimely bastard I’ll be right down.”  Louisa quickly left as Katherine yelled out in frustration.  She quickly bound her chest and threw on some practice clothes.  Lastly, she attached Nuri to her belt and tied her hair back as she ran down the stairs.  She ran into the kitchen and skidded to a stop in front of Andrew.  She bent over and rested her hands on her knees breathing heavily.  “I…. hate….you…” she agonized between breaths.
         He gave her a cocky smile, “Don’t blame me if you sleep in too late.  That’s your own fault.  Now, there’s a place I know of in the forest where we won’t be disturbed.  You should be thankful that I already saddled Willow for you.  Let’s go before you waste anymore of my time.”
         Katherine followed Andrew out cursing his attitude with every word she had learned in the city streets.  They left the west city gate and galloped into the forest.  Katherine paid close attention to where they were going in case Andrew decided to play a dirty trick on her.  Just because they had gotten over their problems the previous night did not mean that she trusted him completely.  The road winded through the trees as they continued their pace.
          “Are we almost there?” Katherine tried to yell at Andrew.  He didn’t seem to hear her but she got her answer as he slowed to a trot.  Willow naturally slowed down as well.  He turned into a brief gap between the trees and continued at a trot down the narrow path.  Katherine complained to herself as she dodged another branch.  She soon lost track of where the road was as they climbed up a small hill and Andrew stopped at the top.  Katherine was welcomed by a plateau filled with wild flowers at the top as she brought Willow next to Blitz.
          “I found this place when I was younger.  I use to come here and bring flowers for my mother and sisters.  Now, I use it as a practice area.  No one will disturb us here since it’s so far in the forest.”  They dismounted and let the horses graze.  “First, I want to know if you have bested my father before.”
          “A few times”, Katherine confessed.
          “Good, now I have some idea of what you are capable of.”  He drew his sword and Katherine did the same.  “Come at me”, he challenged.
         She took the first move which Andrew easily defended.  She tried again and again to get past his guard but he stopped all of her attacks.  “You’re mocking me!  You’re not even trying!” she accused him.
         He raised an eyebrow at her observation.  “Very well then, I’ll try this time.”  Katherine instantly recognized the metallic clash as her sword got tossed out of her hand.  She stood there awestruck at Andrew.  He gave her his cocky smile.  “Recently, my father has never been able to defeat me and either will you, just like I told you yesterday.  You need to tighten your grip and keep wrist straighter.”
         Katherine retrieved her sword and took her stance.  “Let’s try it again, then.”
         The day went by and by the afternoon, both of them are exhausted.
         Andrew wiped the sweat from his brow.  “You’ve got a lot of strength and endurance and since this morning, I’ve noticed you’ve improved quickly.”
         Katherine was sitting on the ground and looked up at him.  “But not good enough to beat you.”
         He laughed, “That’s still a long way away for you.  Let’s call it a day and head back.”  They sheathed their swords and walked over to the horses.
          “Can we do this again before the test?” Katherine asked before mounting.
         Andrew hopped onto Blitz’s back and thought.  “I think that can be arranged.  Now let’s go before Natalie yells at us again.”  He kicked Blitz into a trot and called out, “Catch me if you can, slowpoke.”
         As soon as Katherine’s feet were off the ground an eager Willow took off.  Katherine got her seat quickly and joined Willow’s enthusiasm.  Before long, they had caught up with Andrew and Blitz and were on the main road going full speed all the way to the city gates before slowing down to a walk.
          “Not bad, you’re a good rider.”
         Katherine laughed in amusement, “I’m a good rider?  Do you think that’s all I can do?  Boy, you haven’t seen anything yet.  My mother taught me how to ride when I was four years old.  She was one of the best riders I have ever known and I learned more tricks from her then you can imagine.”  Willow snorted and shook her head as if confirming what Katherine was saying.  Katherine chuckled and nudged Willow into a trot.  Andrew sighed and followed Katherine.
         When they arrived at the house, Natalie was there waiting for them.  “Katherine, I need you to do an errand for me.  I need you to go get some herbs from Madam Valentina.  She knows you’re coming.”
         Katherine sighed, “I’ll go get changed then.  I guess it’s a good thing I haven’t fixed my hair yet.”  In public Katherine was supposed to be Katherine, Kale was only the Sorcerer persona.  Katherine untacked Willow before going up to her room.  She changed her chest binds for a corset and her pants for a simple dress.  She then went to find Natalie to get the list of herbs.
          “Wait”, Natalie called as Katherine was about to leave.  Katherine turned around and walked back to Natalie.  “Turn”, she commanded.  Katherine did as she was told.  “You can’t go out looking like that.  You’ll have to get Louisa to show you how to do your hair properly.”  Natalie untied Katherine’s windblown messy hair and retied just the sides back.  She then turned Katherine to face her and smiled.  “You look much more like who you really are now.  Now, get going and come back quickly.”  Katherine smiled and waved back at Natalie as she hurried off.
         The market wasn’t too far away from the Vanguard’s house and Katherine now knew all the short cuts to get there quicker.  She soon emerged from an alley onto the main market street.  She turned down the street and went past a couple stalls before she reached Madam Valentina’s stall.  Herbs covered the entire stall in jars, baskets, and hanging upside down from the rafters.  A woman stood behind the counter, wrinkles around her emerald eyes.  Her black hair was pulled back in a bun and was accented by a couple streaks of grey.
         The woman saw Katherine coming and smiled.  “Miss. Katherine, didn’t I tell you that you shouldn’t take the alleys to get here?  Goodness knows what goes on in some of these alleys.”
          “I know which alleys to stay away from.  I would never do anything dangerous”, Katherine lied.
          “I know what the problem is.  We don’t have enough security around here, I tell you.  I sent in a request to King Brendon to get more Knights to patrol these markets but who knows when that will happen.  I’m just glad to have business from such a prominent family as the Vanguards.  They are one of the very few nobler families who do their shopping themselves.  Bless them”, Madam Valentina ranted.
          “Do you have the herbs ready?”
         Madam Valentina placed her fists on her hips.  “Girly, don’t insult me by pulling out that list.  There’s no need for that.”  Madam Valentina handed Katherine a small brown parcel.  “Tell Natalie and the family I say ‘hello’ and that I’ll add it to her tab.”
          “Of course”, Katherine grinned.
          “Don’t be taking those alleys, child.  You’ll give me more grey hair.”
         Katherine laughed and turned to wave goodbye.  When she turned around she crashed directly into someone and fell backwards to the ground.
          “I’m sorry about that”, a familiar voice said offering her a hand.  She looked up to the owner of the hand.  Her shocked face was met by that of Pierce.  He gaped at her.
          “Pie….Please forgive me.  I wasn’t looking where I was going”, she recovered as she remembered what she was wearing.  She took his offered hand and he snapped out of his trance to helped her up.
          “I’m sorry.  It’s just that you look exactly like someone I know.”
          “Or really?” Katherine played along being careful of what she said as she started to walk back home.
         Pierce walked along side her keeping up the conversation.  “Yes, his name is Kale Cohen.  Do you know him?”
         There was no way she could deny the similarities between Katherine and Kale.  “It would be hard for me not to considering he’s my brother.”
          “Your brother?” Pierce was astonished by this information.
          “Yes, we’re twins”, Katherine said confidently. 
         Pierce laughed, “This is quite a coincidence.  I’ve been looking for Kale.  I took the Sorcerer’s test with him and he told me to look him up when I got in town.  Are you staying with the Vanguards like him?”
         Katherine nodded, “Yes, I have been under the Vanguard’s care as well.”
          “Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to ask your name.  I am Pierce Kinsley.”
         She smiled, “Katherine Philena.”
          “Philena?  Isn’t your brother’s last name Cohen?”
         Katherine sighed.  “It’s a long story.”
          “Do you know if Kale’s around?  There are only a few days left before the test and I was hoping to practice with him.  I’ve been in town for a couple days and have been at the training grounds but he hasn’t shown up there yet.”
          “No, he hasn’t.  Kale started practicing with Andrew Vanguard.”
         Pierce sulked slightly, “Now that’s a name I’ve heard a lot recently.  He took the Sorcerers test after Kale and I.  I heard he’s not as powerful with magic as you’d think because of Cronos but its rumored there is no one who can match his sword skills.”
          “Don’t I know it”, Katherine mumbled to herself.
          “Did you say something?”
         Katherine shook her head.  “No, I didn’t say anything.”  She looked straight ahead to try and keep herself from making another such comment.
         Pierce didn’t say anything more but continued to walk with Katherine.  Before she could dismiss herself, she saw the house.  She bit her lower lip. “This is my stop.  It was nice to meet you.  I’ll make sure to tell Kale when he gets back to find you at the training grounds.”
         Pierce looked slightly upset but smiled anyway.  “Thank you.  It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Katherine.”
         She watched as he continued down the street and waited before he was out of sight before going inside.  She shut the door and leaned against it sighing.
         Gavin, Natalie, and Louisa were all in the clinic and looked up at her strangely. 
                    “Did anything happen at the market?” Natalie asked even though she knew something had.
                   Katherine dragged her feet across the floor and flopped down onto a cot.  There were no patients in the clinic at the moment and Gavin also know of Katherine’s situation.  It was impossible to hide it from him considering they currently lived together and he was already accepting of Natalie using magic.
                    “I ran into Pierce Kinsley, one of the other Sorcerers I passed the Sorcerer’s test with.”  There was no response.  They just wanted more information.  “He was surprised but he had no doubts.  He just wants me to pass a message onto Kale.”
                   Everyone sighed.  The first challenge of Katherine and Kale was successful.
         Natalie went over to Katherine and took the package.  “You might as well wait until tomorrow to change back to Kale.  I’m going to need some help in the kitchen soon.”  Natalie never gave hints or comments about what needed to be done, she gave commands.
         Katherine nodded, “I’ll just go wash up quickly then.”  She left for the wash room.
         The next few days went by quickly.  Andrew continued their practice every morning and she showed him some of her trick riding.  She did go to the training grounds to practice with Pierce.  With her increasing skills from practicing with Andrew, Pierce was no match for her.  She also learned that Tobias had just passed the Sorcerer’s test just days prior and had also joined Pierce for the Knight assessment.  Soon the week passed and the day approached for the Knight assessment.
         Andrew and Katherine left early the morning of the assessment.  Blitz and Willow could sense tension and anxiety in the air as they marched to the training grounds.  Nuri was secured tightly to Katherine’s belt.  She had done a little extra work that morning to look more boyish.  She was glad for her age.  Normal boys her age were going through the stage where their voices were changing so no one would think twice if Katherine let her voice slip some.
         Knights were an elite group of soldiers.  They had to be the best of the best in swordsmanship and riding.  Becoming a Knight was available to anyone but were mainly those who could afford years of training or were extremely gifted.  Katherine had been lucky enough to get her training for free from Cronos.  Because Cronos was her private teacher, she was not required to be a page or squire.  If she passed the test today, she would be sworn in as a Sorcerer Knight of the King.  Those who didn’t pass could retrain and retry or join the guard.  Katherine would keep trying to become a Knight until she passed or they kicked her out.  Knights were given specific assignments by the Duke or the King himself and could be anything from city or road patrol, investigations across the country, or confronting specific enemies of Lyssaria. 
         The assessment took place in the larger field to give the participants room to show off their riding skills as well.  The training grounds looked different this morning even though Katherine had spent a majority of her time here.  The sun departed from the horizon and sparkled on the dew coated grass and fog.  Katherine noticed her breath and secretly wished that she had dressed warmer.
         Andrew and Katherine pulled their horses to a stop in front of the other candidates.  There were not as many candidates as Katherine first thought there was going to be.  Pierce was there, Tobias as well.  The rest Katherine all knew were squires who had gone through all the training necessary to be a Knight.  She saw them during her training all the time. 
         A horse neighed and pawed at the ground, the only sound that broke the morning air.  Ten unspoken minutes later, three men arrived.
          “I welcome you all here”, said the tall man with broad, muscular shoulders.  His salt and pepper hair and beard were cut short.  Katherine recognized him as Duke, the man in charge of the Knights.  No one called him by his name, only his title.  “I know most of you already and those I don’t know, I hope I will soon enough.” 
         He turned to the man on his right.  The man was about the same height as Duke.  His long, shaggy, dark blonde hair and goatee were flecked with white as proof of his age.  “This is Count Wallace Eckhart, a Knight of fifteen years.  He will be helping me rank you today.  First, we’ll start with your riding skills, which is why we have the Royal Stable hand, Taye, here.”  Duke gestured to the man on his left.  Taye had ebony skin, was well built, and the sun shined off of his bald head.  Taye nodded to everyone. 
         Duke explained what was required of them.  “You will start your mounts down at that end of the field.  One at a time, you will make your way back this way over the three jumps.  At this end, you will round that post and make your way back.  Halfway back there are several poles stuck in the ground.  You will grab one and make your way to the finish line.  There is a flag at the end to mark the finish line.  Are there any questions?  Line up at the start and I’ll call you down one at a time.  Lastly, remember, Taye will also be judging you on how fast you complete the course.”
         All of the contestants rode down to the start as the three men took their place in the middle of the course, far enough away to remain close yet out of the way.
          “Hugh Donovan”, Duke called out the first name.  “You may start when you are ready.”
         Hugh spurred his horse into a gallop as they made their way down the course.  Katherine didn’t pay attention to horse and rider but Taye.  She kept Hugh in her peripheral view as she checked Taye’s expressions to everything Hugh did.  It didn’t take long before Hugh was back again.  Taye conferred with the other two men for a few brief seconds before Duke called the next name.  A few riders later, Katherine’s name was called.
         Katherine leaned over next to Willow’s ear to whisper, “Are you ready?”  The horse shook her head and pawed at the ground.  Katherine inhaled deeply and exhaled.  She shifted her weight forward and whispered, “Go.”
         Willow lurched forward with all of her energy as she raced for the first jump.  She cleared it easily and landed on the other side with ease.  The next two jumps went just as smoothly.  As they approached the barrel, Katherine tightened the reigns and Willow slowed her speed slightly.  Willow dug in close to the barrel in a sharp turn and repositioned her balance as she picked her speed back up to run back to the finish line.  Unlike the other riders, Katherine kept Willow at the same speed as they approached the poles.  Katherine grabbed hold of the reins and part of Willow’s mane with her right hand as she leaned almost horizontally to the left.  She stretched out her left hand and seized the pole firmly and used the pole to give her some momentum as she heaved herself upright in the saddle again.  Willow neared the flag at the end and Katherine leaned forward, egging Willow on.  As soon as they pass the flag, Katherine tightened the reins and shifted her weight back for Willow to slow down to a stop.
         Katherine leaned forward and patted Willow for a job well done.  The last of the riders finished the course and everyone gathered around Duke, Wallace, and Taye.  The three men conferred for a few minutes before Duke addressed them.  “Congratulations, everyone, on your fine riding.  We have two more major tasks left to do, hand to hand combat and swordsmanship.  Both of these will be done together.  There is a fence just behind me where you can tie your horses and then we’ll get started.”
         The group rode over to the fence and tied their horses to it and walked back with their swords.  Taye said his goodbyes to Duke and Wallace before leaving for the royal stables.  With everyone gathered round, Duke explained the last part of the test.  “You will be paired up.  Your objective is to disarm your opponent, only to disarm them.  Based on the training you’ve had, you should know what to do.  Sounds simple, right, but there’s a catch.  Your partner will be either Wallace or me.  After that, you will be paired up amongst yourselves for the hand to hand fight.  It will end at first point.  Let’s begin.”
         Everyone was divided into two groups.  The groups were placed far away from each other for the fights.  Katherine was paired up with Duke and had the pleasure of going up against him first.  The other members of Duke’s group stood back away from the upcoming fight at attention to watch incase a disarmed sword came flying at them.
         Duke extracted his sword from its sheath and faced Katherine.  “Whenever you are ready.”  Katherine smoothly took out Nuri.  The sun caught on the ruby and it glistened.  Duke was slightly awed.  “I haven’t seen a sword like that in a while.  It’s well crafted.”
         Katherine smiled, “It’s a family heirloom.”  She took her stance and watched Duke, judging and analyzing him.  A few seconds later, she started the attack.  Duke swiftly deflected her attack with an appeasing grin on his face.  She kept her offence, putting more effort into each swing of her sword as she forced Duke to take the defense.  Duke quickly changed his strategies and started his own attack.  He watched her closely as she easily blocked him and maintained her ground.
         Duke backed away saying, “Show me everything you have.  Force me to give it all I have.”  He stepped forward again and continued his attack on Katherine.  Katherine blocked him and did as he asked and used both hands doubling her strength.  This change had an overwhelming effect on Duke as he parried all of her strikes.  Remembering her fights with Andrew, she used some of the moves she learned and switched back to using one hand to maintain her position.
         Katherine and Duke went back and forth taking the offence.  The fight drew out for a long time.  After twenty minutes of this, Duke called for a halt.
          “It’s not the objective of this task but I think that will do just fine”, he smiled at her clearly pleased with her results.
         Katherine sighed and wiped the sweat dripping down her face.  She was at least happy that she maintained herself against Duke and had gotten him to sweat even if it was just a little.  She went to stand with the others in her group and watch the next fight.  She glanced over at the other group to see their progress.  It looked as if half of their group was done already.
          “You came here with Andrew Vanguard, didn’t you?” the man named Hugh asked.  “I was watching him earlier.  He is something else.  He went all out on Count Eckhart and actually won.  You did a wonderful job as well.  You’re name is Kale Cohen, right?  I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced.  I’m Hugh Donovan.”  Katherine shook his extended hand.  His grip was extremely strong.  His short red hair, copper eyes, and round face made him look incredibly childish.  “I remember seeing you here when you were training.  Pierce has said that you are a gifted Sorcerer but that should be expected from a student of Cronos Vanguard’s.  I honestly can’t wait to see what kind of magic you can do.  I wish that I was able to be a Sorcerer as well but I don’t have any magic at all so I have to make do with my sword.”  At this time, Duke called Hugh as his next opponent.  “Well, I’m up.  I hope I have as much luck as you did.”  He grinned widely at her before jogging over to Duke.
         None of the other fights lasted as long as Katherine’s had.  When both groups finished, they reassemble into one group.  Duke told them to remove their swords and paired them off.  Katherine never saw her partner before and she felt uneasy about trying to hurt the guy.  He smiled at her, clearly not having any problems with that fact, he was looking forward to it.  Katherine shuttered in revulsion.  Now, she had a little more motivation.
         Pairs were called up one at a time.  Katherine and her partner were called toward the end.  They faced each other and he cracked his knuckles.  She put her fists up in front of her protectively.  He came at her first.  He was stronger but Katherine was quicker.  She dodged his punches and avoided almost all of them but he managed to swipe her a few times.  Finally, she threw a punch of her own.  He grabbed her fist and pulled her past him so he was behind her.  He wrapped his arm around her throat and held her there.  She swore silently at herself not wanting to end it here.  Instead of just hanging onto her and gaining the point, he started to squeeze her neck.  Her initial response should have been panic, but she got mad at not being able to get free.  She cried out as much she was able to and slammed her elbow into his gut.  His hold loosened and she twisted to thrust the heel of her palm into his nose, breaking it.  She would have to thank Natalie later for teacher her that.  He backed away from her clutching his bleeding nose.  Her adrenaline picking up made her want to do more damage to him but Duke called the end of their fight.  She turned away from the bleeding man and walked away.  She bit her lower lip as she touched her sore throat now that he couldn’t see her.  It could have been worse.
         Once the matches were through, Duke and Wallace conferred while everyone else gathered their belongings.  When they were done, Duke called people forward.  “Kale Cohen, Hugh Donovan, Pierce Kinsley, Lemuel Rosenstiehl, Tobias Trovato, Andrew Vanguard.”  The six stepped ahead of the rest.  “Congratulations to the six of you for passing.  Everyone else, thank you for coming and you are dismissed.”  He continued once only the six remained.  “I believe we have a very promising group this time.  You are not officially Knights yet.  In the next few days you will receive an invitation that will contain the date for your accolade.  You will start with partner patrols in the city and country with an experienced Knight.  It might not be the same man every time.  This way, you can see how different Knights conduct themselves differently.  You can think of your partner more like a shadow, only getting involved when needed.  You have to gain experience and demonstrate your knowledge of the law before we let you out on your own.  I also suggest that you spend some extra time today getting to know one another.  All of you will spend a lot of time together from now on.  That is all for today.”  Duke dismissed himself and started to leave with Wallace.
          “Excuse me, my lord?”  Katherine came up behind him.  Duke and Wallace turned back around to face her.  “I was wondering if you had heard my request I made prior?”
         Duke held his left wrist with his right hand.  “Ah, yes, you requested help with housing accommodations, correct?”
                   Katherine nodded and blushed slightly.  Before Duke could say anything more, Wallace interrupted him.  “If it’s no problem, you’re welcome to stay with me.  I live all alone in a house that’s way too big.  I’d appreciate the company.”
                    “Well, there you go, Sir Cohen.  Unless you have any objections?”  Katherine didn’t.  “When you leave today, stop by my office to get the location.”  The two men left and Katherine went back to the group.
                    “It’s ‘bout time.  We’ve bin waitin’.” Tobias complained.  Now that the more prominent people were gone, Tobias went back to his dialect.
                    “Sorry”, Katherine retorted.
         Pierce cleared his throat.  “I guess I’ll start with the introductions.  I am Pierce Kinsley.  I am a Sorcerer and am, or rather, was the apprentice of Lord Beauregard.  Let’s see, I am twenty years old and I am originally from Seafar.”  Based on Pierce’s personality, the fact that he was from Seafar surprised her.  Seafar was a city on the ocean bay south of Gaerwn that served as a getaway for the rich and noble.  Pierce nodded to the man to his right.
          “Hello everyone, I’m Hugh Donovan.  I was a squire for Sir Holds.  I am seventeen years old and am from Gaerwn here.”
         Introductions continued around the circle.  “Lemuel Rosenstiehl, eighteen years old, Port Travarius.”  Lemuel was a tall, proud man with his head held high.  He was what Katherine thought nobles were supposed to look like.  His dark blue eyes reminded her of the deep ocean around Ramsay Island.  His hair was combed back with not a single hair out of place, even after fighting and riding.  Katherine could easily imagine him with a small ribbon tied at the end of his hair which was the latest fashion with the upper class at the time.
          “I’m Andrew Vanguard, a Sorcerer who apprenticed under Lord Quiall.  I’m now seventeen, and am from Gaerwn.”
         Katherine took her turn.  “Um… I am Kale Cohen.  I am a Sorcerer apprenticed under Sir Vanguard.  Um… I am sixteen years old.”  They waited for her to add where she hailed from but when she kept her silence Tobias started.
          “Tobias Trovato, also a Sorcerer under Lord Beauregard.  I’m nineteen and from Calman.”  Calman was the farthest south city on the ocean and southern border.  It explained Tobias’s dialect.
         The group went silent then.  Everyone looked around but never looking at anyone else.  Hugh was the first to speak again.  “What do we do now?  Are we supposed to talk more or do an activity together?”
          “I don’ know ‘bout ya’ll”, Tobias said.  “But I prefer ta leave.  G’day.”
         Tobias turned and went to his horse.  Pierce tried to say something to him but said good bye to the group before catching up with Tobias.  Lemuel nodded to everyone before leaving as well. 
         Hugh stared at the three men leaving.  “Well bugger, I guess we won’t be doing anything else.  Although… I’ll see you two around soon.”  He waved as he left.
         Andrew looked at Katherine.  “I don’t know about you, but I am beat.  I’m sure Natalie’s waiting for us with some hot milk cakes and who knows what else.  There’ll be no end to her all day.  She knows how to throw a celebration like no other.”
          “My mouth is watering just thinking about it”, Katherine smiled then remembered.  “I just have to stop by Duke’s office first.”
         Andrew was a little forlorn.  “You really are going to move out, aren’t you?”
         She nodded, “I think it is for the best.  Don’t get me wrong, I love your family but I need to start establishing myself by myself.  I thought you out of everyone would understand that the most.  Plus, it’s not as if I’ll be moving very far.”
         Andrew nodded and sighed, “You’re right.  I don’t think I would have any respect for you if you relied on my family all the time for help.  I guess we can’t get rid of you that easily.”  She laughed.  He continued, “You’ll constantly have to be aware of your surroundings and hiding your gender.”
          “I know.  I figured this is my last test to prove that I am capable of doing it, that I can be Katherine and Kale.  Who knows, I just might make more allies in the process.”
         He waited for her by the main gate while she got the information she needed before they rode off together to the party awaiting them.

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