Talin and the Tree by Stephanie DosSantos

Author:Stephanie DosSantos [DosSantos, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-73515-903-4
Publisher: BlackDog BrownDog Press

13

There was much to do.

After a hearty lunch in the Grove, including a surprise variety of breads, greens, vegetables and rice, Papa ushered Talin into the Sphere.

Whoa.

The training area had been transformed over lunch, without a sound or Papa leaving his place during the meal.

“How do you do this?!” Talin asked.

All the elements Talin had trained on before filled the space—the boulders of ascending heights, the life-sized spider web, ropes and vines hanging from the full expanse of the ceiling. Talin’s lunch dropped in his gut as he imagined what was coming next.

“It’s nothing, really. Choose your weapon.” Papa instructed.

“But I just ate.”

“Choose your weapon!”

Talin went to the wall and inspected all the blades, but he didn’t take anything. Instead, he turned to Papa Bois and said, “I choose mine,” and pulled his great-grandfather’s dagger from its sheath. If he was going to be threatened by Dewain at his Induction, he would only be armed with his own weapon. It was time to ensure he was skilled enough to use it.

Papa Bois pulled an even larger dagger from the wall and advanced toward Talin. Talin deflected Papa’s blade with his own, side-stepping and then advancing on his challenger. The two exchanged blows with their daggers, circling each other in the grass, dodging the hanging jungle vines, and moving between the boulders. Sparks bounced off their blades as the metal struck the boulders from missed blows at their opponents.

“Climb!” Papa yelled, moving swiftly toward Talin.

Talin placed his weapon’s handle in his mouth, freeing up both hands, and climbed up the nearest vine faster than he ever had. Below, Papa swapped his dagger for a machete then went to the vine Talin had escaped on, making a swift cut of the greenery. Talin was stuck above the old man on a much shorter vine than when he’d started.

“Wha you do at or?” Talin asked, still gripping his weapon in his teeth, garbling the words.

“Are you going to ask that of everyone who challenges you?” Papa cut another nearby vine shorter, then another.

Talin adjusted, securing his grip on the vine. He sheathed his weapon with one hand. “Well, no.”

“If you must draw your weapon, you will keep it in hand at all times until the danger has passed.”

When a fireball came flying at Talin, he tucked his head behind the too-small vine. The flame struck his shoulder. “Ouch!”

Taking hold of the dagger again, he was able to deflect the next fireball with it. And the next. “Stop!”

The fireballs did not stop. Talin was having a difficult time hanging onto his swaying vine and swiping fireballs away with his blade. There had to be a better way.

After another fireball, Talin knew he would fall if he didn’t get away from the barrage. He gripped the dagger between his teeth again and began swinging on the vine. A moving target was harder to hit, but Papa had a sniper’s aim.

Talin swung toward the closest boulder, leapt off the vine and onto the top of the stone.

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