I glanced back, seeing the Lauphai trapped by Vulwind. My hero, but not my champion. My champion answered my ever prayer, with yes and sometimes with no. My champion fought until the end, pointing me to this moment, giving me the words to say to the one closest to me. I whispered into her ear. “No, never. I’m the victor of your heart. I am your champion, my Seerxi. The war was fought long ago and we won.”
Chapter 17: Champion
I leaned back, looking over the forge. Everything was new. The entire temple, not to mention friends in town, had helped set it, our house, and the workhouse-barn up. Now, this was much better. The forge was much closer to town, so that we weren’t completely isolated. I made my Seerxi stay at our old place for the past few days, so it would be a surprise. For all she knew, I was doing something at the temples, perhaps the after effects of our marriage. I replayed the memories of our wedding just two weeks ago, over in my mind. I had my initiation at dawn, and in the evening, we had our wedding.
Oh, our wedding. The entire town was celebrating with lights, drinks, dancing, and other disruptive human activities. The Seerxi elder who always prayed so hard for Reepida cried equally hard. And, most importantly, we had no unwanted guests.
Luckily, we sent away our intruders with their Lauphai prize and the Seerxi project was officially and permanently shutdown. The Seerxi Council publicly renounced Reepida’s exile. I smirked to myself. She still agreed to marry me and stay here, in the middle of nowhere. The world was once more at peace. Or, at least, we had peace in our part of the world.
I looked up at the clear skies. God, I won’t say I have one last request. After all, we all know that isn’t true. But my most earnest request is that, no matter what, stay the champion that conquers. A champion that can bend swords into tools. A champion who answers the pleas of a petty dragon. A champion that watches out for a dull-witted, body-switching Lauphai.
The elder Seerxi walked a blindfolded Reepida to me. I put my arm around her, whispering into her ear. “I have a surprise for you.”
She growled angrily back. “When you flew me here two hours ago, you said you would be gone a minute. You left me with the Elder, and I got lessons on baby making I never wanted to think about. This better be good.”
Grinning, I undid her blindfold. I savored her look of absolute shock. I spoke up after a minute. “Our house has three more rooms, you know, for kids. I was thinking, if we have a daughter, which I think we should really try for, we should name her Makui.”
My Seerxi nodded absentminded. “That sounds great, my champion.”
– The End –
Blurb
Hey, y'all! LoiTar and Reepida were amazing to write for! LoiTar simply loves sharing, so I'm hope y'all had as much fun! It's always a challenge to try to produce art for stories, so for any fan art wonders out there, feel free to create some of your own and share it for everyone to enjoy! Thank you so much and I hope to see y'all again soon!
About the Author
R.R. Turock has two cats and a spherical fish. One cat is a fat short-hair named Jobby and the other is a beautiful but quirky long-hair named Annamarie. (And the fish is Micky) Aside of spending time with her idiosyncratic family, RR enjoys adventures. She sculpts, draws, learning about history and science, and is studying to become a CPA.
Other Books
*Note: the links will take you to my site, which shows some place you can check them out at
Fox and the Flute Series:
The Fox and the Flute (Book #1)
Drum City (Book #2)
Matchlock Series:
City of Warriors (Book #1)
Glassman (Book #2)
Charter Web Series:
The Place without Eyes (Book #1)
Other Novellas:
Three Turns Champion
Time before the Wolf
Blog Series:
Blood Black Orange (Part 1)
Coming Soon
Matchlock Series #3: Spectrum (2016)
Fox and the Flute Series #3: Playful Piano (2016)
Red as Rubies (2016)
Connect with Me
(I have pictures, comics, and updates for my old, new, and upcoming books!)
Site: rrturock.com
Facebook Page: Matchlock Page
Facebook: RR Turock
Excerpt: Time before the Wolf:
His voice rose to warn the caravan. “Raiders!”
My mind raced a thousand miles as I mounted his horse after Father, riding away from the group. Malec and the crew angled from us, intending to split the raiders.
Wait, raiders? So close to the city? Since when had that ever happened? How come I hadn’t seen them earlier? Braiding my fingers tighter together around Father’s waist, I summoned up the little courage in me to look over my shoulder.
I blinked several times. I couldn’t believe it. Fear surged my mind even as a buried my face in the safety of Father’s back. The bulk of the raiders were swarming after us. Just the two of us.
Not even Malec’s ploy to split the group had worked. I feel the exhaustion of the desert air slowing my sweet, show-performing mare. The sound of thundering, arid-weathered hooves pounded closer to us. What do we have that they want? What?
A heavy, fully muscled, sweaty body crashed into us, pushing all of us off the horse and into the sand. We quickly recovered, jumping sorely to our feet. The raiders trampled in circles around us, forcing us back-to-back, preventing escape.
Having a closer look at them, I noted the dark clothing and veils. Father carefully unsheathed his heavy iron sword. Swallowing nervously, I spun my twin daggers out of my leg bindings and into hand. Customarily, I juggled or balanced the pair on my fingertips, and on some occasions, I tossed them with well-practiced accuracy at targets, but today I reserved to tightly holding them.
The raider who had tumbled into us now stood, sword ready, facing Father. Like an alpha wolf going for the throat, the raider charged. Father easily parried the attack with his lighter blade, returning it with a dual swings attack, one swinging emptily at the legs to scare the raider into a lower defense and then slicing up the suddenly unprotected chest. The attacker collapsed backwards as two fresh raiders replaced him.
Working as a team, the fighters moved simultaneously, unanimously, and symmetrically. Swords clashed and Father spun just barely out of the way. The duo sliced from opposite directions. He stopped one blade as the other slid over Father’s forearm. That was my signal. I scoffed. “It’s time I change.”
Moving in a fluid motion, I took the vanguard position in front of Father and slipped between the duo. In equal motion, they swung their blades at my legs. Using their shoulders as stilts, I heaved myself up to safety. Maintaining my momentum, I pulled myself around the attacker to my right, hooking my leg over his head with a grappling technique. My weight, not as light as I’d like, overturned him.
Taking the opportunity, Father reentered the fight, flipping the partner over his shoulder and onto the raiders’ back, out of breath. We returned to being back to back. More confident, I lifted my chin.
Fatigue licked my lips, leaving me dry and weak. The long day was taking its toll at an unpleasant time. The labored breaths of Father worried me, as the raiders smirk. This was a well-orchestrated fight with well-practiced men, advantageous for them. This time all the men closed on us with their spears.
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