The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,40

Let us fight.”

Zadaya led a delighted Ben and a horrified Charlie into one of the glass boxes. Lining the back was a rack filled with all sorts of weapons and armour. Ben couldn't believe his luck. He had expected hours of lectures and rather dull practice sessions before they let him anywhere near a real combat scenario.

“Here are your weapons,” Zadaya said.

Ben's excitement took a little knock when he accepted the plain wooden sword Zadaya offered. He had been eyeing up the shiny red ones near the end of the rack.

“This is all you need,” Zadaya said. “It will be enough – trust me.”

“What are we facing?” Ben asked, testing the sword in his hand.

“More importantly, can we get hurt?” Charlie asked, with a look of anxiety.

“Do not worry. You will feel impact, but little pain,” Zadaya said. He grinned, showing a set of clean white teeth to rival Joshua's. “Ready for fight?”

“No,” Charlie said, his voice rising as panic started to set in. He was shifting left and right, looking as though he was ready to bolt. “What am I supposed to do with this?” Charlie asked, indicating the sword. “I haven't the faintest clue how to sword fight.”

“Do not worry, my friend,” Zadaya said. “Just do your best.”

Before Charlie could reply, Zadaya lifted his spellshooter and fired a pellet into the centre of the box.

Ben had been expecting a fairly straightforward opponent for their first fight – a child goblin or a clumsy swordsman perhaps. What he didn't expect was an old-fashioned broomstick, complete with slender arms and a brush of bristles for legs. It had no face, but it did have a small wooden sword in its right hand.

“What is that?” Ben asked.

“Isn't it obvious?” Charlie replied. Some of his anxiety had dissipated on seeing their opponent. “It's a magical sword-fighting broomstick.”

“Do not underestimate your enemy,” Zadaya said. “Now, fight!”

He fired another spell into the broomstick and it suddenly came to life, lifting its sword and turning this way and that, until it identified its opponents.

The broomstick shuffled forwards.

“What should we do?” Charlie said, holding his sword a little unsteadily.

“Surround it,” Ben said immediately.

That proved easier said than done. Every time Ben shifted to his left, the broomstick shuffled with surprising speed, managing to keep both Ben and Charlie in front of it.

It soon became clear the broomstick wasn't about to charge into them, and after a few minutes of careful dancing around the floor without a sword being swung, Ben started to lose patience.

“I'm going in,” he said. “Back me up if I'm in trouble.”

As soon as Ben approached, the broomstick turned his way. Ben swung his sword, aiming for the middle of the handle, hoping perhaps to snap it in half. The broomstick lifted its sword and blocked. Ben struck again, and again. Twice more the broomstick blocked, with what seemed like relative ease, though it was difficult to judge as it had no face. Ben was about to strike again when the broomstick launched a counterattack. Ben got his sword up just in time for the first two blows, but the third one rapped him on the shoulder, and he felt a dull sting. Before he knew it, he was backpedalling fast, frantically blocking and occasionally dodging.

“Charlie!”

Backup arrived just in time. Charlie came in from the side, sword swinging. The broomstick was forced to block its new attack, giving Ben a bit of breathing space. But he had no time to recover, for Charlie was instantly on the retreat, barely blocking each attack.

“A little help!” Charlie cried. “Ow!” The broomstick had caught him on the side.

Ben ran in to help, aiming for the broomstick's unprotected “back”. But somehow the broomstick spun and parried.

“Together!” Ben said.

From the corner of his eye Ben could see that Charlie was exhausted, but to his credit he launched himself at the broomstick with a cry. For a moment, Ben thought they were about to win; the broomstick was on the defensive and slowly shuffling backwards. It stumbled, and Charlie went in for the kill. But it turned out to be a feint, and the broomstick deflected Charlie's sword easily. With a surprisingly graceful pirouette, given that it was a broomstick, it spun and stabbed Charlie in the stomach. Then it was on to Ben, with renewed ferocity. Ben managed to block it twice before he too was stabbed.

A spell fired into the broomstick and it vanished in a puff of wood chips.

“You are both dead!” Zadaya said.

Ben was bent