‘Where did you get the weapon?’Balor asked.
‘I borrowed it from my older brother,’ Marcas said.‘He won’t mind.’
‘Does he know you borrowed it?’He kept his voice bland, wondering if the brother would come after him for it.
‘He’s visiting our cousins in the west.I’ll return it beforehe returns at Lughnasa.’With a grimace, he added, ‘If I don’t, my sister Gabriella will tell him.’
‘I want to see what you already know,’ he said.‘Unsheathe your sword and show me what you’ve been taught.’
Marcas appeared uneasy, but he obeyed, holding it out.After a little while, his arm began to shake, revealing his physical weakness.
‘Go on,’ Balor said quietly.‘I need to see what you can do.’
The boy made a slashing motion, his feet unsteady as he jabbed at an unseen enemy.Without warning, Balor gave the boy’s shoulder a light shove, and he went sprawling.
Marcas’s face turned startled.‘Why did you do that?’
‘You have no balance or support.It doesn’t matter what kind of weapon your enemy wields if you can’t stay balanced.’He reached out a hand and helped the boy up.‘Stand here with your feet apart like this.’He demonstrated a fighting stance.
Some of the guards nearby took interest and started watching.Balor took the boy’s colc sword away and adjusted Marcas’s posture.This time, when he gave the same slight shove, the boy held his balance better.
‘Good,’ he told the boy.‘During a fight, you have to be prepared to face a strike from anywhere.Keeping your balance is important.’
Marcas gave a nod, and Balor gave him the blade back.‘This time, hold the sword out and keep it steady.’He adjusted the boy’s grip and moved it into a defensive stance.
‘Now what should I do?’Marcas asked.
‘Keep holding it until you can’t hold it upright any longer.’The boy was lacking in physical strength, and he needed to develop his stamina.
‘But what about during a fight?’His expression turned uncertain, even as he continued holding the sword.
‘During a fight, you’ll be holding out a sword for far longer than you’d imagine.And if you lower it, you die.’
The lad’s eyes widened when Balor raised his tunic and revealed a silver scar across his chest and stomach.‘That happened when I wasn’t fast enough.’
Soon, the boy’s arm began shaking, and he struggled to keep the sword up.When he finally could hold it no longer, he lowered the weapon.
‘Now switch hands,’ Balor said.
‘I can’t use my left hand as well as my right.’
‘Not many can,’ he agreed.‘But it could save your life one day.And you’ll also need strength to hold a shield.’
As he continued to work with the boy, he noticed a group of men hauling a stone chair towards the center of the inner bailey.A prickle of awareness caught him, and Marcas turned to look.‘That’s for the morrow.When they choose my father to be the new King of Laochre.’
‘King Patrick is stepping down?’
Marcas nodded, lowering his sword.‘The brehons will arrive today, and they will arrange for the choosing.’There was a solemnity to his voice.‘Papa spent last night at chapel, praying.’
‘So, you’ll become a nobleman, then,’ Balor remarked.
‘Me?No.That’s—No, I can’t.’Color flooded the boy’s face.‘My father will be king, but that’s all.’
It wasn’t, and they both knew it.Once Liam MacEgan took the kingship, the boy’s life would completely change.
Marcas sheathed his sword and turned back to him.‘Thank you for your help this morn.Will you show me more later?’
‘If you like.But you should ask your father for help,’ Balor said gently.
