“What brings you here to Finarth? Oh, never mind, a story for another time. I see that you are busy. I need to get back to work anyway. Good day, Sal. Boys, I will see you tomorrow.” Lars picked up his bag of grain and made his way to the feeding bins.
Sal brought them out of the stables, taking them around the outer wall. He explained to them that the inner castle had two walls. Behind the outer wall, the knights lived, trained, and kept their horses. The inner wall surrounded the king’s palace and housed the royal family, servants, and guests. Sal explained that the inner castle was huge with large dining halls and many spacious rooms. Fil and Jonas didn’t tell him that they had already seen several of those rooms.
Sal brought them to another barrack, this one much larger and more elegant than theirs. Vines of bright green with purple flowers climbed ornate pergolas that lined the outside courtyard.
In the clearing outside the barracks was a group of warriors, wearing only leggings and boots, their bare skin wet with perspiration. As they neared the group they noticed that two men were circling each other, while a handful watched and cheered. The sweat on their muscular bodies glistened in the sun. Each combatant bore several cuts and dirt streaked their bodies where the dust had mingled with their sweat.
“This is third lance Lathrin’s barracks. He has five hundred knights under his command and they are spread out over three different buildings,” explained Sal.
“What are these men doing?” asked Fil.
“They are training in hand-to-hand combat,” Sal replied matter of factly.
Fil and Jonas stared at the bruises and cuts on the faces of the two warriors as their blood was dripping down their bodies, mingling with their sweat. One man was tall and lean and moved like a dancer. The other man was also tall, but much thicker, and looked like a gigantic walking oak tree. Jonas had never seen a man so large, and he was amazed at how quick he could move for a man so thick of muscle.
The burly man moved in quickly trying to grab the smaller man in a powerful bear hug, but the other man, just as quickly, struck him twice with two lighting quick jabs to the face.
The huge man faltered but did not stop. He, too, swung his large right hand towards his opponent, hoping to land a glancing blow at least. The thinner man, sidestepping the punch, grabbed his arm, and using the big man’s momentum, he threw him through the air. The man landed hard on his back, forcing the air from his lungs.
“That is enough, Graggis. Let us both get some water,” said the tall wiry man, wiping the sweat from his face.
Graggis slowly got up, brushing off the dirt from his sweat covered body. “I hate that throw,” Graggis growled.
“You would think you’d see it coming by now,” the man laughed good naturedly.
“Who are they?” asked Fil, mesmerized by the warriors.
“That is Graggis, a man you do not want as an enemy.”
“But he was defeated by that other man,” said Jonas.
“He was not defeated, young apprentice, merely thrown. It would take much more than that to defeat Graggis. The throw angered Graggis and I suspect that is why Dagrinal ended the fight,” Sal said, smiling for the first time. “And when Graggis has his axe in hand and he is fighting for his life, it is something to behold. It is like he is possessed.”
“The other man is Dagrinal?” asked Fil.
“Yes, fourth lance of Lathrin’s ludas,” Sal said, looking at them both. In seeing their expressions he added, “A ludas is what we call a group of five hundred men. Dagrinal and another fourth lance split the ludas with Lathrin as their commander. He is working for his sword mark, and he is almost there. He is amazing with a long sword, almost as good as Prince Nelstrom.”
Jonas remembered his conversation earlier with Landon and he quickly worked out the numbers in his head. “So, Dagrinal leads his own modrig.”
“That is correct, apprentice. He leads two hundred and fifty men,” replied Sal.
They spent the better part of the next several hours exploring the castle’s inner grounds. Finally they neared the training field, which was located on the northeast section, between the outer and inner walls. It wasn’t really a field, noted Jonas, but more like a small circular road. Grass grew in the middle of the dirt road