Monday, September 5, 2005

   Chapter 4: The Sword Song (part 2)
Another guard greeted them there, letting them pass through the open doors without any more than a bow. Inside was a bright, golden hall that connected the entrance to the rest of the castle with huge, marble stairs. Although it was definitely breathtaking, Pen was slightly disappointed. He had expected the inside of the castle to be a little more fancy. Instead, everything looked very practical and not overdone at all.
“Miss—“
“Sasheeta,” the dragon put in.
“Yes. Come with me for a moment.” Sasheeta flew off Pen’s shoulder and landed skillfully on Panda’s. Even after she had left, Pen thought he could still feel those little pointy claws against his skin.
Panda ran half-way up their nearest stairway to the left. “Contra” he yelled. “I’ve got a dragon for ya!”
“The missing one?” another voice yelled from above.
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Pen heard the footsteps of someone running down, but he didn’t see whom it was.
“Throw her up!!”
Sasheeta squeaked as Panda rolled her up neatly into a ball with his hand. “Catch!” he yelled, tossing her gently up the remaining steps to whoever was there to catch her. Pen heard her squeal in delight a story above.
“Well, got that taken care of!” Panda rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go!”
Panda led Pen down a smaller flight of stairs and out a well-worn wooden door. It opened to a stretch of green, like a courtyard, with a small covered area where there was a shelf filled with all kinds of training equipment. Pen waited as the angel dug through a pile of unorganized armor, all of it made unique by assortments of dents and scratches.
“We don’t usually have people as little as you come here to train,” Panda said as he searched. “But we might just… ah.” From the back of one of the bottom shelves, he pulled out a dusty, forgotten-looking pair of child chest plates. The leather straps keeping it together were stiff and dry from age. “I guess that this will have to do.”
Pen took the armor and slipped it over his head. It was surprisingly light, and it fit well. Before he pulled the sides tight, he took off his belt and balanced his two swords against the wall.
“By the way, I want an even fight,” Panda added, watching him. “So choose a sword and stick with it.”
The boy nodded. He hadn’t planned on using both his swords; he didn’t have much practice with using two at once. Besides, he wanted to test out his new one first. He hopped in place a couple times to test that his armor was secure, then turned to his swords and drew out the longer. Simultaneously, he kicked off his leather shoes. They were too slippery against the grass.
Panda had backed away, so that he was standing away from the walls. As Pen approached him, he drew his sword.
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