grounds until Master Enmar tells him to stop and wash up for lunch.
Δ
The afternoon consists of weapons practice. He and Master Enmar primarily work with long swords and sabers. They spend a little time reviewing finer points of fighting from horseback. Much of it depends on the horse’s condition and training. At the end of the afternoon, Enmar shows Jalan a long hollow tube he calls a blowpipe. Jalan learns that an object which looks like a large pointed needle with down or a bit of feather affixed to one end is called a dart. The dart is placed in one open end of the blowpipe and when one blows into that end the dart is supposed to fly out the other end and strike a target.
The idea of it seems so humorous Jalan can hardly suppress his laughter when Master Enmar explains the weapon. After his teacher demonstrates the blowpipe and Jalan sees how well the needle penetrates into a tree trunk, he admits it could be painful.
“But,” says Jalan, “it could never stop an attacker like a bow or a sling could.”
“That is true. The use of a blowpipe is more subtle. It can be a good weapon for hunting small birds and animals. In a tight spot you might be able to spook an enemy’s mount with it.” Holding up the dart he retrieves from the tree trunk Enmar says, “Imagine how that would feel in a horse’s thigh.”
Jalan is unconvinced. “What if the horse is armored?” he says.
His teacher waves his hand in a sweeping gesture to indicate the estate grounds. “How many armored horses do you see? For that matter, how many armored men?”
“None,” is Jalan’s grudging reply.
“Why is that?”
“Because no one wears armor unless they think they need it.”
Enmar nods. “And if all you have is a blowpipe, how will you use it?”
“Attack when the enemy is not ready and retreat when they are,” says Jalan.
“Very good. When there is no advantage in victory, it is better to deny your enemy the battle. Even if you win, the cost of victory is likely to destroy you anyway.”
Jalan is a little annoyed at not realizing the blowpipe discussion would become a lecture on tactics. Master Enmar has been hammering him with four ideas for the last two weeks. Denying the battle is the first of them. The second is that if battle cannot be avoided then be the one to choose the battleground. Third, if you cannot choose the battleground then control the conditions of the battle. And, forth, if you cannot control the conditions of the battle, change the conditions.
He is not sure if Master Enmar means these ideas to apply to more than fighting, but Jalan finds that they also work well for some other things. He is able to get more food out of Mistress Dahlia if he asks when she is busy. When she is organized and things are running smoothly in the kitchen, she allows him a small morsel. But, if several things are happening at once and her attention is scattered, Jalan often gets a larger portion.
He notices a pattern in his own training as well. Captain Erida, Master Hern and Master Enmar all teach him things in stages. It is not obvious at the start, only as the training progresses it becomes possible to look back over the progression. Jalan is certain that once the new training hall Master Enmar is building is complete, all the physical strength, stamina and coordination training will become the beginning of something greater.
It is as if his training is like a battle. In the beginning he had no chance. But, the training, like the battle, has to be done. It could not be avoided. Retreat is not possible. His trainers changed the condition of the battle by making the steps to the goal small enough for Jalan to take. A plan was made to take him forward in stages. And when conditions change, as in Master Enmar taking over, the plan is modified, but the goal never changes. Jalan knows he is being made ready. But, ready for what?
Chapter IX
Darla steps through the opening in the stone wall that surrounds Lady Shara’s
Δ
The afternoon consists of weapons practice. He and Master Enmar primarily work with long swords and sabers. They spend a little time reviewing finer points of fighting from horseback. Much of it depends on the horse’s condition and training. At the end of the afternoon, Enmar shows Jalan a long hollow tube he calls a blowpipe. Jalan learns that an object which looks like a large pointed needle with down or a bit of feather affixed to one end is called a dart. The dart is placed in one open end of the blowpipe and when one blows into that end the dart is supposed to fly out the other end and strike a target.
The idea of it seems so humorous Jalan can hardly suppress his laughter when Master Enmar explains the weapon. After his teacher demonstrates the blowpipe and Jalan sees how well the needle penetrates into a tree trunk, he admits it could be painful.
“But,” says Jalan, “it could never stop an attacker like a bow or a sling could.”
“That is true. The use of a blowpipe is more subtle. It can be a good weapon for hunting small birds and animals. In a tight spot you might be able to spook an enemy’s mount with it.” Holding up the dart he retrieves from the tree trunk Enmar says, “Imagine how that would feel in a horse’s thigh.”
Jalan is unconvinced. “What if the horse is armored?” he says.
His teacher waves his hand in a sweeping gesture to indicate the estate grounds. “How many armored horses do you see? For that matter, how many armored men?”
“None,” is Jalan’s grudging reply.
“Why is that?”
“Because no one wears armor unless they think they need it.”
Enmar nods. “And if all you have is a blowpipe, how will you use it?”
“Attack when the enemy is not ready and retreat when they are,” says Jalan.
“Very good. When there is no advantage in victory, it is better to deny your enemy the battle. Even if you win, the cost of victory is likely to destroy you anyway.”
Jalan is a little annoyed at not realizing the blowpipe discussion would become a lecture on tactics. Master Enmar has been hammering him with four ideas for the last two weeks. Denying the battle is the first of them. The second is that if battle cannot be avoided then be the one to choose the battleground. Third, if you cannot choose the battleground then control the conditions of the battle. And, forth, if you cannot control the conditions of the battle, change the conditions.
He is not sure if Master Enmar means these ideas to apply to more than fighting, but Jalan finds that they also work well for some other things. He is able to get more food out of Mistress Dahlia if he asks when she is busy. When she is organized and things are running smoothly in the kitchen, she allows him a small morsel. But, if several things are happening at once and her attention is scattered, Jalan often gets a larger portion.
He notices a pattern in his own training as well. Captain Erida, Master Hern and Master Enmar all teach him things in stages. It is not obvious at the start, only as the training progresses it becomes possible to look back over the progression. Jalan is certain that once the new training hall Master Enmar is building is complete, all the physical strength, stamina and coordination training will become the beginning of something greater.
It is as if his training is like a battle. In the beginning he had no chance. But, the training, like the battle, has to be done. It could not be avoided. Retreat is not possible. His trainers changed the condition of the battle by making the steps to the goal small enough for Jalan to take. A plan was made to take him forward in stages. And when conditions change, as in Master Enmar taking over, the plan is modified, but the goal never changes. Jalan knows he is being made ready. But, ready for what?
Chapter IX
Darla steps through the opening in the stone wall that surrounds Lady Shara’s
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