Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising Read Online Free Page B

chanted,
“Dryden! Dryden! Dryden!”
    “ Ha! Is that all you’ve
got? Please, is there a man who is not here to waste my time?” he
mocked, scanning the crowd.
    Dryden was a formidable opponent, who
reminded Vartan of the muscular build of a stallion. Fighting him
was not going to be easy for anyone, let alone an untrained boy,
but blood pounded in his temples at the challenge.
    Vartan charged toward the crowd,
yelling at the top of his lungs, “Get out of the way!”
    Everybody quickly moved aside, with
the exception of a few unfortunate folk knocked aside by his horse.
Vartan leapt roughly through the crowd, and drew his father’s
sword, pointing it at Dryden’s face. The shine of the sword lit up
the knight’s skin.
    Dryden raised one eyebrow,
not showing any signs of intimidation at Vartan’s actions as he
stared down his new opponent, “My word, what do we have here?”
    The Royal guards in pursuit of Vartan
stopped in their tracks when Dryden slowly raised his hand for them
to halt.
    A guard spat out his words
in Vartan’s direction, “Our apologies Sir Dryden, but he has no
paperwork of nobility to speak of and charged his way through the
gate. This impostor has no right to be here!”
    Resting his hand on the
hilt of his sword, he paced while he spoke softly, “That may be so,
but he did manage to outsmart the two of
you , didn’t he? I do admire his courage
and none of these men were worthy of their entry today.” He pointed
at an injured group of men resting nearby. “Why don’t we have a bit
of amusement? That is a very nice sword you have there, what is
your name boy?”
    “ The name is Vartan, and I
come seeking knighthood.”
    The crowd laughed and began chanting
“Fight, Fight, Fight!”
    Dryden grinned, raising his right hand
to ease the crowd down.
    “ Well Vartan, if you have come here to prove
something you have your chance. If you manage to push me out of
this circle or force me to submission, I will ask our great king to
grant you your knighthood, but I cannot promise you anything more
than my word to request, the decision lies with our king,
Arman.”
    The crowd chanted, “All hail King
Arman!”
    Vartan smiled and the crowd erupted in
cheers.
    Dryden paced around the boy, toying
with him as if he were prey and responded loudly, “However, there
is a price for your entry to this fine event!”
    He spoke through a wide
grin, “If you lose and I manage to push you out of this circle, or
force you to
submission then you shall hand over that big shiny sword of yours
and will be promptly thrown out on your rear. After all, you have
not been granted entry to our fine city, have you? Guards, are you
satisfied with those terms?”
    The guards looked at each other,
excited at the prospect of the battle and shrugged and responded in
unison, “Agreed!”
    “ And you Vartan, do you accept my
terms?”
    Vartan took a deep breath and cocked
his head, contemplating the offer.
    He breathed deep and
demanded bravely, “If I lose then I will leave my sword and get thrown
out on my rear, but my horse and other possessions come with
me.”
    Dryden roared with laughter at the
impertinent young boy. He shrugged as if he cared not,
“Agreed.”
    Vartan rested his own hand on the hilt
of his sword, turning his body to an angle away from the knight
before responding, “Then I also agree to the terms!”
    The crowd went wild with
excitement.
    Above, King Arman Saber took interest
in the gathering and excitement below.
    “ Then let us begin!” yelled
Dryden.
    Both men stared at each other and held
their positions, waiting for the other to move. Vartan’s heart
pounded like a hammer to his chest. He felt as if he was choking
from anticipation and breathed deep in an effort to calm his nerves
and focus.
    Dryden impatiently drew his sword with
a loud metallic ringing sound resonating through the crowd, ran
toward Vartan and swung hard to the right. Spinning to his left,
Vartan avoided the incoming blade