Berserer Child

This is my first submission, hope everyone enjoys it. Votes and Comments are welcome!

Xoxo

Emeraldfae

*

"Hold your back straighter," bellowed a tall, grey haired man, "what are you a cow?"

A young girl was attempting to learn how defend her left side, even after two months training she still wasn't getting her blocks quite right. Her back cracked loudly as she tried to improve her stance. The gleaming, sliver practice sword was heavy in her sweaty hands. A grunt of approval was heard from her instructor. "Alright, now I want you to see if you can try and block my attacks as I switch between your sides."

The woman nodded her head and before she could blink her eyes, her ears picked up a shrill whistle of a sharp-edged blade rushing toward her left leg. She quickly parried the attack but before she could move to block the larger blade again a small dagger was laid in the hollow of her throat. "Olivia, you must concentrate!"

Olivia looked up from the blue-colored steel in her throat into the blue eyes of her instructor and master. She saw disappointment and anger flash in his eyes along with a bone deep weariness at her incapability.

"Master I'm trying...." She sobbed out, her master cut her off, "No your not, I can see distraction in your eyes, wandering around like a rampaging animal."

Olivia hung her head in shame, if she could not fight, then she failed her father and all those people that counted most on her to succeed. "I will try harder and not disappoint you again"

A small smile graced the grizzled warriors' face, "alright then, lets try again."

Olivia took her stance and initiated the attack. The hollowed ringing of swords rang throughout the training arena.

'Block, block, strike.' over and over these words and actions headlined through her head. Sweat matted her ash-brown hair to her head. The salty liquid burned her eyes, like small licks of fire. She pushed her body faster, the muscles clenching and releasing like a coiled snake. Olivia received a small cut in her outer thigh when she failed to see an opening she wasn't defending. The rage of that cut just spurred her on faster, she twirled around striking for her masters head and at the last minute swinging low toward his stomach, the blow would have been fatal but Olivia didn't even notice the look of shock and fear in her masters eyes, a reddish haze descended over her vision as a penetrating screech rang out of her mouth. 'Never again will I be the weakest, never again will I fail, Never Again' she screamed through her head, and with one mighty blow from her sword both her and her master swords cracked down the middle.

Harsh, rapid breathing filled the arena, rivers of sweat dripped to the hard dirt packed floor. Olivia's master was the first to speak, "go rest, wash, and meet me in the council tent in two hours." and without a backward glance left Olivia to her whirling thoughts.

****************************

The old warrior made his way to a large, white washed building in the middle of the village, he raised his scarred fist and knocked twice and then let himself in.

"Thomas! To what do we owe this pleasure?!" spoke a stick, thin woman resting in a dark corner.

"Mistress, my visit today involves my young student Olivia Haroldsdaughter." Thomas stated as he promptly bowed before the older woman. She smiled and showed multiply gaps in her smile as she leaned forward. "How interesting."

Silence greeted her statement as the other fifteen council members took their seats at a large oak table that gleamed in the dim lighted room. "Go on Thomas, has she failed her quest to be the first female warrior of out tribe? A rat-ear man, with oily hair sneered.

Thomas turned his head and met the eyes of the small man and was pleased when he looked slightly uncomfortable, "No my lord, quite the opposite really, she had pasted with flying colors."

The bony woman's eyes glittered in the shadows like a great beast, "Now this is unusual Thomas, do you honestly believe that she passed in little as two months of training?"

A titter of laughter passed through the room and he tightened his great fist on his sword's hilt. He started to draw the blade out when a loud, nasal voice screeched from the end of the long table, "Hold, Thomas Sidhe-Slayer, do you honestly believe that you can attack us?!"

"No my lady, that was not my intentions. I was merely going to show the intelligent people of the council my proof that Olivia passed her trails." Thomas smirked.

"That's not what it looked like......" the woman started but was quickly interrupted by a harsh voice, "Woman if you wish to stay on the council, I advise you to shut your damn harpy mouth."

Thomas turned toward the door and a grin brightened the room, "Darius how nice to see you.....again."

Darius chuckled loudly, "I trust you've stayed out of trouble my friend?"

"Oh mostly, there was this one orc female I had..." a cough interrupted his beginning narration. Thomas turned back toward the table, and caught the offended looks on the faces of the council members. "Show us the proof" one dark hair man growled.

"Aye my proof is this." he stated as he delicately pulled his sword out of his sheath. As he laid it on the table in front of the elders that blade cracked the rest of the way down and separated from the hilt. The pop made several people jump as they look closely at the sword.

"What caused this?" Darius asked quietly.

"Olivia did, she was screaming like the banshees outside of town, and then swung hard enough that she broke her sword and mine." Thomas spoke as the entire building went quiet. The thin woman from the corner spoke up, "What was she screaming?"

Thomas faced her with a confused look, "I'm not sure..." The old woman growled, "Come on man! Think! Can you repeat any of it?"

"The warrior glowered at the tone of the woman's voice, he didn't really want to tell this old witch what the child had said but could see no way out so he decided to tell her, "yes I remember this one word she said, mind you she said it more precisely , but here it is, the word was nuuruhuine."

As the word slipped out of his mouth a goblet of wine hit the floor with a loud crash, spilling blood red drops across the dark wooden floor where they glittered in the light.

All eyes were on the large, black headed man standing beside a small table. Darius was just standing there shivering in the heat of the room. "Are you alright my friend?" asked a concerned Thomas.

"Oh yes I'm fine, though your student isn't going to be when people hear this." he muttered

"Come man, what did that word mean?" asked the small, oily man from before, but now instead of fear in his eyes, he had a look of glee. Thomas really hated this man, he wanted Olivia for his own gains and if she was shamed then he could do what he wanted to her, and nobody would be able to protect her.

Darius looked around the room at the room at the faces surrounding him. Some look afraid, others look happy, even boredom on others. He cleared his throat and looked at his old friend, "She said 'death-shadow" in Elvish, and you my fellow council members have got a very young, very dangerous, berserker on your hands."

To be continued...