The decision was taken away from him as Niall, a senior trainer, hurried over, oblivious to the underlying tension. The boys parted to let him through. “Apologies for the delay. Fletch was not badly injured, but best to get him seen to. Now, who’s up next?”
He frowned at the pairing. “I see. Are you happy with this?” His question was aimed at Raven, whose confidence resulted in a feral smile and a nod.
“All right. On my horn, you may commence.”
If he had been pitted against one of his clan, Archer would have made his first move at the instant the horn blew. The Warrior boys received far more training than the other two clans, giving them more speed, agility and a pocketful of smart tactics. The rest only spent half the morning on physical training, then they returned to class to specialise in advanced topics related to their clans. The policy of the lehren was that every child should experience the broadest education in all three disciplines.
However, it seemed Raven had paid scant attention to the Warrior training, his tactics were non-existent. He did indeed want nothing more than to smash his meaty fists into Archer’s face. Pulp, here I come!
Except Archer had the temerity – and agility – to remove himself from the spot where Raven’s fist would have landed. Strictly speaking, they were supposed to pull their punches, but the lad had invested so much of his bulk behind the initial blow he was unable to stop himself blundering into the crowd. Luckily, they were mostly Warriors, so they had the strength and speed to halt his charge and return him to the ring.
Niall merely folded his arms, but Archer could tell he was struggling to maintain his composure, smothering a smile. The Warriors betrayed no emotion and, under the trainer’s watchful eyes – and ears – none of the other lads betrayed their obvious disgust at the spectacle.
Again, Archer faced a choice. He could allow the blacksmith’s lad to lumber around the yard, tiring himself out while he merely side-stepped, using less energy than in a light stroll. But that would mean effective humiliation, and no way did he want to do that to anyone. He could allow the great lump to flatten him, but that would not achieve anything useful. The lad would not gain anything by it, and it would not be honourable. There must be a third option, a way of … it came to him.
The skill was in not making it look too easy; he had to ensure people thought it had been a reasonably difficult match so Raven did not lose face.
The one thing Archer knew from his experiences to date was how to fight. He put on a good show, dodging and weaving so it looked as though the bigger lad was pulverising him. Although few were more than glancing blows, they seemed to satisfy the bloodlust of those in the crowd who showed their appreciation with muted grunts and clenched fists.
Finally, he dispatched his opponent with a combination of smart moves which used his weight against him, executed so quickly no one was exactly sure how he did it. As Raven thumped to the ground, Niall stood, hailing the end of the bout with a nod as he set up the next match.
Still not a single one of his clan made a move to acknowledge his victory, let alone his expertise. Although he felt the snub deeply, he would have done anything rather than let it show.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading these stories; I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
I’d really appreciate if you could let others know what was good/bad about it by leaving a comment.
Thank you
Jacky Gray
I would love to hear your suggestions and am happy to answer your questions via the newsletter/Facebook.
Also by Jacky Gray:
Nature’s Tribe – Medieval Fantasy
3Handfastings and a Burial
12 Days of Yule
8 Sabbats of the Year
13 Esbats of the Moon
Hengist – Medieval-alternate-world Fantasy
Archer
Rory
Reagan
Slater
Geraint
Bryant Rockwell – YA Contemporary Romance
New Kid In Town
The Show Must Go On
Leader of the Pack
Edge of the Blade
Music was my First Love
Stand by Me
Coming in 2020
Colour of Light – the final series in the Hengist saga.
Context – Seven short stories of rebellion and redemption.
Chrysalis – Medieval magic meets modern-day mystery.
Captive – Modern-day mystery meets medieval magic.
Catalyst – Modern-day military thriller meets medieval magic.
List of Main Tithings
Each tithing has three roundhouses, so you can see how the main players band together. For the minor characters, only the occupation is shown. Trust me, I’ve been stingy with the number of farmers according to some sources.
Tithing 1.
1st house: Lyran/Eanje (Tryslan & Alysen),
Senna/Jarl (Alex), Shayla/Quinn (Quilla)
2nd house: Lyrelie/Cal, Freya/Verat,
Cora/Alfun (2 children)
3rd house: Bernie/Osman (3 children)
Rielle/Taysen, Ranly
Tithing 2.
1st house: Dagda/Sawyer, Paulina/Bryce (Andrew), Farmer/Wife (2 children)
2nd house: Chalette/Farmon (Goran),
Barthel, Chars, Milkmaid
3rd house: Marena/Dennon (3 children)
Femany/Aleksi (2 children)
Tithing 3.
1st house: Lareeta/Taron (Christian & Yul),
Cedany/Baxter (Hope), Dimia
2nd house: Thatcher/Wife, Baker/Wife
Chandler/Wife (2 children)
3rd house: Cobbler/Wife (2 children)
Farmer/Wife (2 children)
Tithing 4.
1st house: Brom/Elspeth (Bren & Elise),
Tasker, Farmer/Wife (2 children)
2nd house: Farmer/Wife (Tol+2 children)
Mason/Wife (Ran+2 children)
3rd house: Mason/Wife (3 children)
Quarryman/Wife (3 children)
Tithing 5.
1st house: Woodward/Linden (Wilona),
Granger/Wife (George, Fabia), Zane
2nd house: Farmer/Wife (4 children)
Farmer/Wife (2 children)
3rd house: Farmer/Wife (3 children)
Plumber/Wife (parents)
Tithing 6.
1st house: Smith/Wife (2 children),
Smith/Wife (2 children),
2nd house: Woodsman/Wife (Willow & sister),
Farmer/Wife (2 children), Milkmaid
3rd house: Cooper/Wife (parents)
Farmer/Wife (2 children)
Tithing 7.
Thatcher/Wife (3 children),
2nd house: Tanner/Wife (3 children),
Brick-maker/Wife (2 children),
3rd house: Farmer/Wife (2 children)
Farmer/Wife (parents)
Glossary
Altar cake
Cakes to ground energies after ceremony
Archdruid
Chief Druid who leads rituals
Auberge
French inn
Beltane
Mayday – celebration on 1st May
Caitiff
Knave, rascal, reprobate, rogue, scoundrel
Chemise
Loose cotton (under) shirt
Connexion
Romantic connection
Dais
Raised platform or stage
Daub
Mud/clay applied to wattles to form walls
Esbat
Celebration of the Moon
Handfasting
Marriage ceremony
Herfest
Autumn Equinox (Harvest) – 21st Sept
Imbolc
Candlemas – 1st Februar
y
Lehren
School
Litha
Midsummer Solstice – 21st June
Lughnasadh
Lammas – harvest festival – 1st August
Magister
An official with training in the law
Michael line
Ley line which runs across the country
Moon flux
A woman’s monthly bleed (menses)
Mummer
Travelling actor
Ostara
Spring Equinox (Easter) – 21st March
Perruque
A wig
Poultice
Mixture of herbs in a bread-based paste
Sabbat
Celebration of the Sun
Samhain
Halloween –31st October
Solstice
When the sun is at its extreme
Sunwise
Clockwise (aka Deosil)
Swaddling
Thin sheet used to wrap new-born babies
Tabard
Sleeveless jacket, worn over a tunic
Tithe
Charitable donation to poor/church
Tithing
Band of ten men (families) responsible for local law & order; report to the constable.
Tunic
Like a shirt or jumper
Wassailing
Wassail (also Waes Hael) is a spiced cider
Widdershins
Anticlockwise
Yule
Winter Solstice – 21st December
Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone who has helped me to believe in myself – without you, my stories would never have lived outside of my imagination and my computer’s hard drive.
Special thanks to the following – you know the part you played and words cannot express my gratitude: Icy, Kate, Sheila, Joanne, Jean, Karen, Emily, Janice, Kim, Veronica and Alice. Even when you think it’s good, there’s always room for improvement – grateful thanks for your excellent wisdom and advice to my awesome Beta readers, Avis, Nadine, Norma, Bernie and Corine. And a huge thanks to the lovely World Wise Writers and 10K Angels for their constant support and encouragement.
But the biggest thanks have to go to you, dear reader.
Thank You