Eleanora signaled to the guards outside Freya’s hut and they stepped aside. Showing good faith, King Hannu had assigned two men from his personal guard to protect Freya. In fact, had they not lived on one of the minor islands, both men would have been good competition to become a Champion.
Eleanora found Freya sitting in the middle of the hut with her legs crossed. Her eyes were closed and she was humming. She did not seem to notice Eleanora’s entry.
“If that is Sinanju music, then I beg of you…mercy!” Eleanora said, covering her heart with both hands. “I see now how you defeat countless foes!”
Freya opened her eyes and grinned. She had been meditating to calm herself.
“Nevermore shall any mock the Sinanju, for their weapons are mighty and none shall stand in their way!”
Freya laughed. “I was meditating,” she explained.
“It looked like you were sleeping sitting up. What were you doing with your legs?”
“That is how Sunny Joe taught me. You try it.”
Eleanora sat down next to Freya and pulled her foot over her opposing knee. The battle practice she had undergone had made her extremely limber.
“Now we are supposed to just sing badly?”
“Shush, sister,” Freya said, suppressing a grin. “Close your eyes and think of peace.”
“In Lakluun, we are taught that the only peace is death,” Eleanora said.
“Then don’t think of that,” Freya said. “Think of a pleasant meadow, with a small creek. Butterflies are scattering across the field as the sun warms the land.”
“Heat? Now that sounds good,” Eleanora said. “Okay, it looks absolutely lovely. Now what?”
“Just think of yourself sitting in the field. Feel the air, listen to the wind.”
Eleanora opened her eyes. “This is Sinanju training?”
“This is part of Sinanju conditioning,” Freya said.
Eleanora cocked one eyebrow. “Sitting down while imagining yourself sitting down is considered time well spent?”
“Among other things,” Freya said. “You would be surprised what we are taught.”
“Butterflies, eh?” Eleanora said, standing. “Pah! Come! Let us have some real fun! Are you ready for the game?”
“I thought I was confined to my hut,” Freya said.
“That is one of the good things about being a candidate. I personally vouched for you.”
“Will Mistivir be there?” Freya asked cautiously. “I will not allow him to abuse me further.”
“I hope not,” Eleanora said. “I will be on your team this time and I won’t go easy on him if he tries to cheat.”
Freya considered her offer for a moment. She had been told not to leave Lakluun until the King’s investigation was finished and sitting alone in her hut had made her feel like a prisoner.
“Fine,” Freya said, standing. “Let’s go.”
The girls arrived in the middle of the game and stood to the side. Eleanora counted the teams, noting that Mistivir was on the West team, taking advantage of the East team being short one player.
“Looks like we will be fighting with the East,” she said. “After the next team scores, we can enter. Just follow my lead.”
Freya scanned the field and looked at Mistivir. She watched him bully the smaller players on the other team, ‘accidentally’ lashing their heads.
He ran past the last two guards with a trick leap.
“Point!” he screamed.
“Jumping is not technically against the rules, but is frowned upon,” Eleanora said. “Mistivir will do whatever he can to win.”
Mistivir’s smile disappeared as he saw Eleanora and Freya take positions on the opposing team. He waited to see where Freya stood and lined up against her.
Eleanora noted the move, but took her place in the middle of the eastern line.
The horn blew and each team raced toward the center of the field, each trying to find a weakness in the opposing team’s line. Freya used her long sticks to her advantage, keeping the opposing team members back with lashes to the legs and arms. Mistivir advanced on her quickly, but Freya was ready. She struck his right knee with both sticks, dropping him to the ground.
Frustrated, Mistivir turned and advanced on Freya, only to find two well-placed sticks between his legs. He tripped and rolled before catching a face full of cold mud.
Eleanora smiled at Mistivir before chasing after Freya. She had managed to pass all but the last few players. They delayed her lone enough for Mistivir to run along the edge of the forest and come from behind his teammates.
Freya saw the boys blocking her advance. Two of them were quite young and she did not want to harm them. One of the boys was burly and large, so she chose him as a target. He was fast for his size, so she had to stop and dodge his swirling sticks to avoid lashes on her arms. The two younger boys took advantage of her being off-balance and one of them managed to lash her leg. As she stumbled, she saw Mistivir.
He was charging her, swirling his sticks in a manner that she was not sure she could dodge. His sticks were long and very thin at the ends, and Freya did not want to feel their bite. At the last possible instant, she planted her sticks and used them as pole vaults, lifting her above and over the west defensive line. She stumbled upon landing, but quickly found her footing and reached the other side.
“Point!” Eleanora yelled.
“That’s cheating!” Mistivir yelled. “She cheated!”
The game captain ran to the argument.
“Candidate!” he yelled.
“She cheated!” Mistivir yelled. “I call penalty!”
“Candidate, if leaping were illegal, you would have been ejected years ago!”
“But…” Mistivir sputtered as the game captain returned to the side of the field. He raised the horn, which was the sign that everyone was to return to their home line.
Mistivir would not take his gaze away from Freya.
The horn blew and both teams advanced toward the center, trying to establish control of the field. Freya advanced on a trio of tall boys and a young girl when she felt a lash on the side of her leg. She turned her attention to her attacker, and that was all that Mistivir needed.
He dropped his sticks.
“Murderer!” he yelled.
Mistivir reached Freya just as she turned her attention to him. He slammed into Freya with his shoulder, tossing her backward. Freya tried to balance herself, but landed on her left foot in a pothole. Her body went one way and her foot another, and Freya shrieked out in pain.
“Freya!” Eleanora yelled, dropping her sticks. She cast a glare at the gloating Mistivir, who quickly backed away. Eleanora dropped to the ground to see Freya doubled over in agony, clutching her left ankle. The horn blew and the captain called a halt to the game. Players from both teams gathered around Freya.
“I think I broke my ankle,” she said.
Eleanora looked at her ankle. It was dark and beginning to swell. “Can you manage to walk on your right foot?”
“Yes,” Freya said.
If she cursed like Stone, she would have used up her entire vocabulary to mask the pain.
Eleanora helped Freya stand.
“The Sinanju are weak!” one small boy taunted as they left. The group around him laughed loudly.
“Ignore them,” Eleanora said.
“I’m used to it,” Freya said. “Please, get me to Mother.”
The pair reached Eleanora’s canoe and Eleanora paddled with purpose, carefully keeping an eye on Freya.
“Mistivir will not get away with it this time. The King will have to punish him for such a public violation of his orders,” Eleanora said. “I should have pointed out that the terrain is sometimes just as dangerous as any opponent.”
“No excuses,” Freya said. “I can tell that the game is designed to help you with multiple scenarios at the same time. How often does someone get injured?”
“Except for the younglings, hardly anyone gets more than some lashes.”
The pair hobbled back to Mother’s house as the sun began to set. They approached the door and knocked.
“Mother!” Eleanora called. “Freya needs you!”
There was no response.
“Mother!” Eleanora yelled.
“What happened?” a voice from behind asked.
Eleanora turned to see Mother, returning with various plants in her hands.
“I think I broke my ankle,” Freya said.
“Take her inside,” Mother said, opening the door.
Freya laid on the small couch with her left leg propped on a small footstool.
“You must really like my magics,” Mother said. “Treated twice in one day!”
“I was not familiar with the footing,” Freya admitted.
Mother poked at Freya’s ankle, which had already swollen enormously. Freya jerked back in response and Mother slapped her knee. Freya closed her eyes to escape the pain.
“There will be none of that, child. Hold your leg still.”
Freya tried to remain still as Mother continued prodding various places on her leg.
“Good thing you have strong bones,” Mother said. “It is just a fracture. You’re not going to be very mobile for a few days.”
“Another poultice?” Freya asked weakly.
“No. You have a choice to make, child,” Mother said. “Magics are already at work in your body, fixing your ribs. I can take away from those to help heal your ankle, or I can stop the pain in your ankle so your ribs can continue to heal. I cannot do both.”
“Then stop the pain,” Freya said. “I don’t want to slow down the healing of my ribs.”
“No magic then,” Mother said, returning her pouches to the shelves and reaching for various vines from the east wall. “And this won’t smell good, either.”
“How bad is it?” Eleanora asked.
“The bone is not broken, but it will take time to heal,” Mother said, shaking her fingers up and down, enchanting the leaves in front of her.
“How long until I am back on my feet again?” Freya asked.
“Hold still. Magics aren’t as fluid as you might think,” Mother warned as she applied the leaves to Freya’s ankle and began moving her hands over Freya’s body. “You should be able to walk by morning if you are careful.”
Freya thought back to what happened and smiled, despite the pain and the smell.
It is a good thing for Mistivir that I cannot center, was all she could think. Then she felt a pinprick in the center of her being and the world around her dimmed into a hazy gray. The sounds around her slowed to a dull roar and it became hard to think. Her eyelids felt heavy and it became hard to concentrate.
Mother motioned for Eleanora to come closer.
“Take her to her hut. She will need to rest.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Eleanora said, taking Freya’s arm and placing it over her shoulder.
“This is what I do, child. After you take her back, you need to get back to your training. I overheard Dofri speaking of your next training cycles and if you do not catch up, he said that I will be treating you next!”
Eleanora smiled and led Freya out of Mother’s hut. Mother was right. She had been putting practice off for far too long, but she had found a kindred spirit in Freya. It felt like they had known each other their entire lives.
If circumstances were different, Eleanora thought, Freya would have made a worthy Champion.
Eleanora led Freya past the guards to the guest hut and laid her on the bedding. Freya rolled to her side and began mumbling. Eleanora pulled a few wools over her and then ran home. She would see Freya again tomorrow. For now, she had to find Dofri and get in some late-night training.