The Dread Lords Rising by J. David Phillips

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Training

  Davin twirled his sword and spun in time to meet Joachim’s blade. A resounding clack jarred his senses as the Count twisted the angle of his attack by shifting his hips. His riposte connected with Davin’s helm, driving it into his forehead and knocking him back. “You’re dead, Hapwell!” the count said.

  “Fourth time today,” Jolan Kine taunted. “I’ve seen children learn to overcome that move in less time.”

  Davin blinked the remark away. He knew what Kine was up to. After all, they had been driving the three of them mercilessly every day for a month. One man fought with him while another, maybe two, did everything they could to distract him as blows rained down without letup. Kine even went so far as making him strip down into a waist cloth and practice in front of the female staff.

  And that had been fine until a quick reversal of the Hammer’s blade sent the cloth slipping down to the floor. Davin flushed as the women giggled while he stood there fully naked, blushing. No sooner had he bent desperately to retrieve the cloth than the flat of Kine’s blade slapped him across his backside.

  Davin not only suffered the shame of revealing his naked body to the servants, any one of which he most definitely was not betrothed to, he then cried out like a little girl when the sword blade left a flaming welt running from one cheek to another.

  This brought a gale if laughter from his audience. His pretty audience. “At least he’s not throwing horse manure and rotten vegetables at you,” Niam quipped as Davin stormed away.

  “You’re next Maldies!” Joachim shouted.

  When Davin arrived the next day, there was a wheelbarrow of horse manure and a crate of rotting vegetables waiting for him.