Prologue
He could hardly believe it. Here it was! The moment he had been training for his whole life! He waited, as he watched his opponent stepping toward him. All he needed was one moment, and it would all be over. He counted the steps his opponent was taking. His opponent was now directly in front of him. He saw as a huge arm rose, carrying with it, his opponent’s heavy mace. The other arm had to rise, as well, to get a better hold on the mace. Now! He struck at the undefended underarm; his eyes closed tight in anticipation of what await him, should he fail. The seconds passed. Everything went quiet. Then, suddenly, he heard the crowd cheering. He opened his eyes. His opponent lay on the ground before him. He had won! As he helped his foe to his feet, he heard the king’s herald call him to the circle where the other victors of the royal tournament stood, waiting. A brawny, giant of a man stood beside him. He recognized this man as the warrior who had won his final match just before him. The victory just won, had marked the end of the tournament. “That was a fairly unfair match,” the giant man laughed. “Congratulations.” He held out a monstrous hand. “My name’s Geoff, and don’t you forget it!” He laughed again. “My name is,” the young warrior began. Just then, horns blew as the king and his royal entourage approached the victor’s circle. His Majesty was greeting the five champions. The other young man introduced himself as Drakenarius, or Draken, for short. The king then approached the two women who had won their final match, as a pair.
They were as beautiful, as they were deadly. “I am Sakura, my lord. This is Ami. I’m afraid she doesn’t speak.” “That is quite alright,” His Majesty replied, with a smile. He approached Geoff, next. “Ahh, Geoffrey! I was wondering when you would be following your brother’s footsteps! How is Sir Vantrius?” “He is well, your majesty. He regrets that he could not be here, today. He’s on a hunt.” “Oh, good. Perhaps, he will finally uncover those foul creatures, which he has sought for so long.” Then the king turned to the youngest in the group, a warrior he had not recognized. “And, who might you be?”
