With the help of the Ghostsight, Danny anticipated the move.

This simple sparring went on for a few minutes as both got into a rhythm of blocks and blows. Then, just as quickly as he'd begun, Sir Syndil retreated, ending in a defensive stance just beyond Danny's striking distance.

"Good," said the Elf. "I believe I am thoroughly warmed up. Are you ready for the true bout?"

Danny couldn't help but return the Elf's smile as he stretched a tight muscle in his right shoulder. Testing the weight of his sword in his hand, he twirled it with a twist of his wrist and readied himself in a defensive stance. "Ready when you are."

Sir Syndil sprang forward, his speed almost matching the ghost that predicted his movements.

Expecting the move, he'd dueled with Sir Syndil now more times than he could remember, Danny stepped to the side and parried his opponent's attack downward. However, just as he felt the pressure of the blades making contact, Danny felt as if he was pushing down nothing but air. Then, in his peripheral vision, he glimpsed a ghostly light.

Moving instinctively, he brought his blade up to block. A forceful clang ensued as Sir Syndil's attack threatened to push Danny off his feet. Taking a few steps in retreat, Danny recovered as Sir Syndil pressed his advantage, the once-present smile upon the Elf's face reduced to an expression of surprising seriousness.

Sir Syndil came at him with a flurry of attacks, his movements coinciding with the ghost that predicted his advances.

Without the advantage of foresight, Sir Syndil forced Danny to fight merely with the instinct learned from the training he'd undergone over the past few months. However, what scared him the most was the grave look upon Sir Syndil's face. It was the first time he'd ever seen the Elf with such an expression, frankly, it frightened him.

Sir Syndil, as if unaware of Danny's fear, fought on with a frenzy of blade work, his attacks growing in a smooth flow of speed and strength.

It was no contest as Danny battled on a purely defensive level.

"Enough!" he yelled, rolling to the right in an attempt to put some distance between him and the crazed Elf. Holding his left hand pleadingly out in front of him, he requested a respite.

Sir Syndil didn't even blink as he turned on Danny, his face a mask of grim conviction. "Is this the extent of your ability?" he asked, twirling Kryssagrim with a blinding speed. However, he left no time for an answer as he surged forward, his Bonded leading the way in a sideways swipe that looked more like a streak of light than solid steel.

Danny barely dodged to the right, parrying the deadly attack away, watching as Kryssagrim passed within inches of his eyes. It was no mere practice blade that Sir Syndil wielded and Danny knew that, should even the faintest attack find its mark, he would take the full brunt of the blade. He wore no armor, only the white robes of a first-year squire. Panicking, Danny danced around the dueling circle, desperate to put as much distance from Sir Syndil as he could.

"Please, stop!"

Sir Syndil's eyes bulged with focus as he pressed the attack. "Show me your true power!"

Danny's concentration left him, the Ghostsight vanished from his vision. His muscles began to burn as his blade became heavy in his hands and his breathing quickened.

Still, Sir Syndil came at him. "Show me more!" the Elf yelled, angling Kryssagrim in a sideways lunge.

Danny limply parried attack after attack, his body failing as he reached his limit.

"There must be more!" Sir Syndil said, taking a quick step forward, twisting Kryssagrim with a flick of his wrist. The blinding sword danced in the light before carving a direct line through the air with a whistle.

With the last bit of strength left within him, Danny brought his blade to bear with two hands. The swords met with a resounding clang, the force nearly knocking Danny off his feet. His grip faltered, causing the sword to slip through his fingers, tumble end over end and embed itself in the brick beside him at a slight angle.

Sir Syndil didn't stop there, he reversed the attack and leveled Kryssagrim for a follow-up.

A ray of light passed within inches of Danny's neck as he fell backward, barely avoiding the tip of Sir Syndil's Bonded. Catching himself with both hands, Danny watched in sheer horror as Sir Syndil took a single step forward and raised Kryssagrim for the final blow, his eyes filled with determination.

Danny suddenly wished he'd listened to his friends. He regretted not being more honest with Sabrina. Wide-eyed, he found himself mesmerized by the speed and beauty of Kryssagrim. Defenseless, Danny closed his eyes to the brilliant light of the blade as it approached him, awaiting the inevitable.

However, the attack never came. Inching his eyes open, Danny discovered the silver sword at a standstill, leveled between his eyes. Looking up, he noticed that the smile had returned to Sir Syndil's face. Letting out a held breath, Danny said, "I thought . . . you were going to kill me."

"There is no need, Squire Firoth," said Sir Syndil, reclaiming his composure as he slipped Kryssagrim back into the sheath and offered Danny his right hand.

Danny hesitated.

"I offer you no harm, Danny."

Somewhat assured, Danny reached up, took Sir Syndil's hand in his own and hauled himself up. "What do you mean, there's no need?"

Sir Syndil's smile widened. "It is simply a manner of speech. I could have killed you if I so desired, but there was no need."

The explanation did nothing to comfort Danny as he retrieved his sword from the stone and hesitated before returning it to the scabbard. "You almost killed me," he said, turning on his instructor, his right hand refusing to leave the hilt of his sword.

"I apologize if I frightened you, Squire Firoth," said Sir Syndil, both of his arms outstretched in a sign of innocence. "That was never my intent."

"Then what was your intent?"

"Simply to measure the extent of your progress, you see. I needed to know the limits of your ability and now I can safely assume that you have reached the limited best of your training for this semester."

Danny's hand relaxed ever-so-slightly, it still remained fixed upon the pommel of his blade. "What else do you think I, with my ability, am capable of?"

"Truly, I am not exactly sure, thus the reason for our duel. However, I think I have learned enough from our sessions together to plan for next year, as well as the years to come."

"Plan for what?"

Sir Syndil took a few steps forward, standing just within touching distance.

Danny tensed, his right hand squeezing the hilt of his sword hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

"I give you my word, Squire Firoth, that I offer no aggression towards you this day or the following," said Sir Syndil, his arm outstretched in an offering of peace.

Danny visibly relaxed as the Elf's left hand lingered in the air, just before settling upon his right shoulder.

Sir Syndil's smile widened to impossible lengths, appearing fake and forced. Danny wondered why he'd never noticed just how phony the Elf's smile seemed, yet he was unable to process the thought fully as Sir Syndil began to speak.

"Tomorrow is the final duel between Dragon Army and Lion Army. They compete for the Chalice of Light. This marks the end of training for this year. For some, the life of a Knight of the Light awaits them. You, as well as others, must decide whether you will continue to pursue the path of a knight or return to your old life. In any case, you have progressed a great deal since your arrival and I can truly say that I have nothing else to teach you this year." With a slight squeeze of Danny's shoulder, Sir Syndil released his grasp. "Go, Squire Firoth, and rest. You have earned it. On the morrow, you will witness firsthand what it is to be a Squire of the Light. Should you choose to continue your training, you will find yourself placed within the ranks of an army next year."

Danny was confused as Sir Syndil ushered him toward the exit. For all the time and effort the Elf had spent in order to gain Danny's trust, he never expected to be let loose so easily.

"I look forward to seeing your progress in the years to come, Squire Firoth, should you decide to continue the path of a Knight of the Light," Sir Syndil said, as he led Danny to the door and opened it.

"Thank you, Sir Syndil."

"No, Danny, thank you," said the Elf, his smile almost appearing genuine.

Danny stepped clear as Sir Syndil closed the door softly behind him. Standing in the cool night air, Danny's confusion remained. However, more than anything else, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread. He had the feeling like he'd just failed a very important test.

Chapter 33 - Betrayal.

anny woke up to the first ringing of the seventeenth bell. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stepped, bare-footed, onto the cool stone floor. He knew that he didn't have to be up for another hour but he knew he would be unable to go back to sleep; his training had conditioned him to waking at this time. Besides, jumbled thoughts and feelings still haunted him from the night before, his encounter with Sir Syndil had unnerved him.

Chris stirred, sat up and nodded in Danny's direction.

Danny filled him in, giving Chris every confusing detail about his last training session with Sir Syndil. While he was telling Chris the story, his friends began to wake up as well.

"Why can't I go back to sleep," groaned Doug, shifting in the sheets.

By the time the final toll of the seventeenth bell had come and gone, everyone, except for Matt, appeared to be wide-awake.

"Somebody, please wake Matt up," Alonso groaned, as he rubbed his eyes. "If I have to be awake, so does he."

Anthony shrugged and moved over to the edge of Matt's bed. Gripping the side of the mattress, he lifted it upward, overturning both bed and boy, spilling him somewhere beneath in a mound of sheets and blankets.

"What the... what's happening," mumbled Matt from somewhere beneath the heap, causing laughter to erupt from those in the room. The pile of sheets shifted as Matt peeked through, pushing the mattress aside. Still half-asleep, he wiped his eyes, slipped his glasses over his face and reached for his sword. Pulling the blade halfway out, he said, "Who's the newb that did it?"

Everyone pointed accusing fingers at Anthony. Matt followed their gestures and turned an angry eye toward the larger boy.

Anthony stood up straight as if he couldn't care less being the target of Matt's anger. Still dressed in the thin white fabric of his sleeping robes, his massive chest and sizable biceps stretched the cloth taut across his muscular build.

"You guys are such newbs," said Matt, thinking it best that he not confront Anthony as he slipped his sword back into the scabbard.

A resounding fit of laughter ensued in Matt's honor.

All Matt could do was shake his head as he went to work gathering the sheets and straightening his bedding. "Newbs," was all he managed to say in his own defense.

After a good laugh, Danny felt better. It had been some time since he was able to feel free enough to do that, to laugh.

"I'm hungry," said Anthony, a fact that never seemed to amaze anyone.

"Breakfast does sound good right now," agreed Danny.

With that, everyone seemed to agree as they made their way down to the main hall. Finding a long table, they sat down next to the huge fireplace at the far end of the hall. The flames were fresh and toiling, licking the bark of newly-placed wood. A feast awaited them, food stacked high on the table. Anthony filled his plate and then his mouth. Chris followed him, as did the others. A few minutes later, Briza joined the group, finding a seat next to Doug.

"Morning," Doug greeted her, his voice somewhat muffled from the muffin in his mouth.

"If you ever visit Elsmelda, your manners are going to have to improve most drastically," said the she Elf.

Doug swallowed hard, embarrassed.

"Whipped already," said Matt, before finishing off a forkful of eggs.

"What does he mean by whipped?" Briza asked, unfamiliar with the Human expression.

"He is suggesting that, because we've become close, I'm sort of your slave," explained Doug.

"My race does not allow slavery!" Briza said, taking to her feet, motioning toward the hilt of her sword.

Matt allowed himself a slight chuckle as he held his hands before him in a sign of peace. "For living such a long time, you Elves really aren't that bright."

"She hasn't had very much experience interacting with Humans," Doug told him, placing a reassuring hand over Briza's and navigating her away from the sword at her side.

"What does he mean, clarify?" Briza asked, now confused more than angered.

"He's just being stupid, I'll explain later," said Doug before turning on Matt. "Most Elves will never set foot beyond the boundaries of their own borders and are not familiar with Human slang."

"Good to know," said Matt, adjusting his glasses, shrugging.

"Should I be informed that you have slighted me, Squire Mickler, I shall uphold my honor with my blade," said Briza.

"Truly, I meant no offense," Matt said, now a little concerned. "Tell her, Doug."

"I'll explain it to her like you meant it. How she interprets it is completely up to her."

"Speaking of my race, how did your last session with Sir Syndil fare, Squire Firoth?" Briza asked Danny.

Danny suddenly realized that it had been very late when he returned to the barracks the night before. He realized that Briza had yet to hear the tale. However, still somewhat confused by what had transpired, Danny felt more than comfortable recounting the details, if not for Briza, then for his own understanding.

"We dueled," began Danny, "and Sir Syndil tested my progress to the point that I thought he might actually kill me. Yet, I have a feeling that he discovered whatever it was that he sought as far as my... ability is concerned."

"Perhaps, he merely wanted to challenge the Mageknight," said Briza. "Sir Syndil's legendary ability with the blade is always the talk of Elsmelda. A good swordsman strives to pit themselves against stronger opponents, hoping the one to follow will be more skilled than the previous opponent. Maybe, he wanted to face the legend of the Mageknight in order to prove something to himself."

"Perhaps," said Danny, more for everyone else than himself, he still had his doubts.

"What'll you do now, man, knowing that Sir Syndil doesn't have some evil plan in store for you?" Chris asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to make yourself known to the King of the Light?" Doug asked.

"I don't think I have much of a choice there. Calador told me that when this was over, he'd see to it firsthand that I did just that."

"You're going to be famous," said Anthony.

"Just don't forget about us, man," joked Chris, thudding his fist lightly against Danny's right shoulder.

Danny's tone turned serious. "I'll still be me. Being the Mageknight won't change who I am. Besides, I still have to pass the true test. The Bonded blade of the Mageknight still remains at the bottom of its resting pool. If you remember, I failed to pull it from the water, just as you did."

"That's true," agreed Alonso. "For all you newbs know, I might be the Mageknight. I think I'll give it another shot. Maybe I'll be able to pull the sword out on my second try."

"Still," interrupted Danny before Alonso could continue any further, "Alamber has yet to return from Elsmelda."