Both Doug and Matt had entered the dueling circle as two of the last squires to volunteer. Matt had bruised his arm by overextending and losing his balance. It was no fault of Sir Syndil's. Both tested poorly. However, Sir Syndil had said that they showed promise, a common critique for most of the squires present.

"We'll save you a seat, man," said Chris.

Danny nodded and saw them off. Once the room was cleared, he turned to find Sir Syndil eyeing him.

"I am impressed, Squire Firoth." Danny was about to speak when Sir Syndil held up his hand, commanding silence. After a moment, he said, "The ability you told me about when we first met, you were able to use it in the dueling circle, were you not?"

"Yes."

"Then you have mastered it?"

"No."

"I see," said Sir Syndil, massaging the point of his chin. "And have you told anyone else about it?" he asked, after another few seconds of consideration.

"No, Sir Syndil. I felt that I should listen to what you said. I haven't told anyone."

"Yesterday, after the banquet with the king, defending against Squire Rigil, you used the ability then as well, yes?"

"Yes."

"Has it manifested during any other instance?"

"No."

"Have you attempted to call upon this power and not be able to use it?"

"Yes, I've tried before but it only seems to happen when I get into a fight."

"I see. So, currently, you are unable to use it outside of combative environments, yes?"

"I suppose so, or, rather, yes. I can only use it whenever I have to protect myself."

"However, this day, you used it while on the offensive. How did you manage that?"

"I'm not really sure yet," said Danny, dropping his gaze.

"Do not be ashamed, Danny," said Sir Syndil, placing a steadying hand on Danny's shoulder. "I believe I can help you."

"Really?" Danny asked, his voice jumping up an octave.

"Yes," said Sir Syndil, keeping his own voice calm and even.

"...How?"

"Before you can control this power of yours, you must first be able to control yourself. Tell me, what is the only part of your body that you have complete control of?"

After pondering the question for a short time, Danny said, "My mind?"

"A good answer, but no," said Sir Syndil with a sweeping smile. "The mind is a mysterious machine, partly within one's control, but also working independently of one's own consciousness. There is no way of freely controlling it completely. Try again."

Danny took a deep breath, unsure of the correct answer. After a second breath, it suddenly hit him, as he forced the air from his mouth. "My breathing," he said triumphantly.

"Indeed," said Sir Syndil, his smile widening. "With every breath you take, you sustain your life. With breathing comes the choice between life and death, as well as the key to control. Breathing comes naturally to us and is an automated response. However, if we wish, we are able to assume control at any time."

"What must I do?"

"Simple," said Sir Syndil, readjusting his body, removing his hand from Danny's shoulder. "First and foremost, you must close your eyes and relax. Allow your body to find comfort in any position. Let the tension drain from your limbs like the trickling of a waterfall."

Danny did as the tall Elf instructed and repositioned his feet beneath him. Sagging his shoulders, he realized how tense his body had been as the tightness in his muscles melted away.

"Good, now, breathe," instructed Sir Syndil, taking in a deep breath to model the behavior he wished Danny to mimic. "...Long deep breaths."

Danny allowed his chest to rise and fall in an elongated rhythm, forcing larger breaths in and out.

"No, Danny," said Sir Syndil. "Breathe in through your diaphragm, like this," he said, holding his right hand at the base of his abdomen for emphasis. "If you do it just right, you can feel it rise and fall."

Again, Danny mimicked his teacher, taking deeper breaths. He held his right hand at the base of his belly and felt the rhythmic pulse of life.

"Good," said Sir Syndil, "in and out. Concentrate on your breathing and take the time to feel the difference between this relaxed state and the tense feelings that beguile you. Excellent, just like that... breathe in and out."

Danny felt calm and focused. His mind felt free and the air tasted crisper and cleaner.

"How do you feel now, Danny?"

"This is amazing."

"Good, now open your eyes."

Danny began to slowly open his eyes, but quickly went wide-eyed as the ghostly image of a longsword passed harmlessly through his head. Anticipating the attack, Danny dodged to the right and drew his own blade with a ring of steel just as Sir Syndil's sword swished through the spot in which he'd just been standing.

Sir Syndil's phantom image took two steps to the rear and then vanished as the Elf followed in the predicted path.

"Are you insane!?" Danny yelled, holding his sword defensively in front of him.

"Insanity is a relative term, Squire Firoth; there are varying degrees of sanity."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked, his sword still leveled at Sir Syndil.

"Simply put, Squire Firoth, it means that since receiving the gift of sight, you have entered into a world that you do not fully understand." Dropping his arms, Sir Syndil allowed the tip of his blade to rest on the floor in a display of harmless intention. "If you had not received the gift of sight, what would you have done this summer?"

Danny shrugged, reluctant to let his guard down. "I don't know, sleep in and play video games, I guess."

"However, you did indeed receive the gift of sight and now you are training to be a Knight of the Light. Instead of choosing to battle digitized monsters on a screen, you have chosen to battle real ones with a blade. I assure you, there are no reset buttons or additional lives in real-life, Squire Firoth. The Shadows are immensely powerful creatures and if you want to survive, your training must match their brutality and hostility."

The sword grew heavy in Danny's hands as the tip sank downward. He wondered if he'd ignored the seriousness of his choice to become a Knight of the Light.

Sir Syndil took a slow step forward. "I tell you this not to discourage you, Danny, but to strengthen your resolve. You made your choice, now you must train to live up to it. At the end of this year, you will be given another choice, to continue your training or return to a life of normalcy. However, this choice is a lie, the gift of sight cannot be reversed. The Shadows will seek you out regardless."

Danny looked up, matching Sir Syndil's intense gaze. "How did you know I'd see your attack and dodge it?"

A wide smile replaced Sir Syndil's neutral expression, "I did not know."

"Then you could've killed me!"

"Abilities that are destined for battle must be forged in battle, Danny. If you are unable to master this part of yourself, death is certain in any case, by my hand or the Shadows, it matters not."

"You assume too much."

"Perhaps, but I base my assumptions on a combined experience that ranges in the hundreds of years." Sir Syndil's expression softened. "I would not ask you to do anything I thought you incapable of. Besides, if I truly wished your life, I could just as easily take it as stop myself," he said, just before bounding forward in a lunge. Quicker than Danny's Human eyes could follow, Sir Syndil's blade flickered through the air without even the faintest of sounds.

Unprepared for the attack, Danny watched helplessly as the tip of the Elf's sword stopped within inches of his nose. Shocked, Danny stood still as a statue.

Sir Syndil's smile widened slightly. "You see, Squire Firoth, if you had failed to dodge the attack, I could have stopped it at any time." Lowering his sword and taking a retreating step, he added, "Over a hundred years' worth of swordplay gives me a good deal of control."

"You could've just said that in the first place."

"True experience is the only way to learn. When you told your friends about your encounter with the Shadow at school, do you really believe they truly understood the desperation you felt or the gravity of the situation?"

"No," said Danny. Since discovering that he wasn't the only one with the gift of sight, Danny felt that almost everyone, except for Chris, treated the knowledge as well as the current training more like a vacation than anything else.

"And if they were to face a Shadow right now, do you think they would be as prepared as you would be, having already faced one?"

"No." Danny shook his head.

"Then do you understand why I could not simply tell you what to do? I had to allow you to learn it on your own."

"Yes, I understand, Sir Syndil." However, he felt the slightest hint of distrust for the Elf. Although his words made sense and seemed logical, there was something about Sir Syndil that bothered Danny.

"Tell me, Squire Firoth, what kind of man was your father?"

Danny hesitated, wondering why Sir Syndil would be asking about his father. "...My father?"

"A swordsman's potential can often be measured by the lineage he comes from."

"As I told you when we first met, my father was a soldier in the military. He died during combat, fighting for his country."

"Yes, Squire Firoth, I remember and I must once again apologize for opening old wounds. However, it is not his past that I am interested in, it is his spirit. Do you consider yourself much like him?"

Danny dropped his gaze and shrugged. He was only five when he had learned of his father's death, but he could still feel the pain of the loss. "I didn't really know him. I was very young when he passed. My mother always told me that Father intended to leave his ring to me. It was a silver band, engraved with an eagle and it's the only thing I remember about him. But... it was lost during his death."

"Do you remember any more details about the ring?"

Confused, Danny peered up and met Sir Syndil's steady gaze. "Why does that matter?"

"Never mind, Squire Firoth, I did not intend to upset you. I believe that is enough for this day," said Sir Syndil, as if sensing Danny's uneasiness. "I encourage you to practice what you have learned on your own." Sheathing his longsword, placing it back on the wall, he turned and added, "For the Light."

"For the Light, Sir Syndil," said Danny as he slipped his sword into the sheath.

He began the long walk back to the barracks, unsure about what had just happened between them.

Chapter 19 - A Test of Strategy.

fter lunch, Calador led the squires to a large structure overlooking the cresting waves of the northern part of the island. A short man was waiting just inside the building. He had thinning, brown hair, cut short; everyone could see that he brushed it over a small bald spot in the back of his head.

"Greetings, Sir James," said Calador as he entered.

With a slight twitch of the neck, Sir James adjusted his glasses, "Greetings, Calador. You have brought me the new batch of squires, I take it?"

"Indeed I have," said Calador, propping the door open, ushering the squires within.

"Ah, yes, please do come in and find a seat," as he pointed at a large number of short tables that made up the bulk of the large room.

Danny found a seat near the middle of the room. Chris followed and sat down in a chair at the same table, opposite Danny. With only two chairs per table, Matt claimed a seat opposite Doug and Alonso sat across from Anthony at another.

"Good, good," Sir James said with a series of quick nods.

"I will leave them in your hands, Sir James."

"Yes, of course, of course," Sir James said as Calador closed the door behind him.

Danny took the time to look at the table before him.

Made from sturdy wood, the table stood a little over a foot off the stone floor and measured four feet square, on both sides of the table stood a series of crafted miniatures. Molded in the likeness of knights, there was twenty to a set. Examining the small figurines, Danny marveled at the exquisite detail, they almost looked lifelike.

"Careful, Squire," Sir James said, suddenly behind Danny, "some of them don't like to be handled."

"Yes, sir," said Danny, placing the miniature back on the table. Confused by the cryptic statement, he gazed down at the figurine with a squint, almost expecting it to move.

"I am Sir James Wallen," began Sir James, this time addressing the class as a whole, "and I will be your instructor in the art of strategy." His head tilted to the side in a subtle tic. "This course will be one of the most important studies in your training. What you learn in this classroom will help you in the Great Dome once you earn your Bonded and join the ranks of an army. Within this room, you will all compete against each other in mock battles. You will learn to command armies of your own so that, perhaps later in your training, some of you will be able to attain the rank of lieutenant or possibly captain." After another sudden twitch of the head, Sir James continued, "Please take note that you are all sitting two to a table. The squire opposite you will be your opponent for this day."

Danny shot Chris a curious look; Chris returned the gesture with a shrug. Chris, well-known for his strategic mind on the wrestling mat, as well as his quick wit at Knights, would make a worthy adversary. Danny felt nervous, at the same time, he was excited to be facing his friend. However, before Danny could ponder the thought further, Sir James continued.

"The tables in front of you are imbued with the same magic as the Great Dome. For those of you that are not aware, the Great Dome can generate random terrain for every battle that takes place within. Therefore, no battle is ever the same. The miniatures in front of you will be your army. Once the battle begins, you will play the part of captain and tell your army where to go and what to do. Just like real Knights of the Light, every figure has certain strengths and weaknesses. It will be your job as captain to decide how to best use them on the battlefield. Are there any questions so far?"

Sir James waited for a hand that never rose. "Good," he said, with a quick tic of the head and a grunt to clear his throat. "The first round will be a practice round to get used to the controls." After another grunt, he produced a green sphere about the size of a marble that glowed with a soft jade-colored light. Taking the stone in hand, he touched it to the table.

Danny's eyes widened as the surface of the table changed from its original color to a dark brown. The surface grew rough as it turned to soil, thin stalks of grass began to sprout. Next, miniature trees grew slowly, pebbles and boulders popped up like popcorn, populating the surface. Lastly, the middle of the table bulged upward, creating a steep hill.

Gasps of amazement filled the room as Sir James made his way to each table in turn, touching it with the shining stone. Each table formed into its own distinct environment. Some became mountainous; others had valleys, rivers and even ponds.