Legacy of the Defender (The Defender Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

but that did not prepare me in any way for the first day of weapons’ training with Malnuras.  Without a word, he attacked me with his staff and managed to break mine in two.  I attacked with a flurry of blows using the two halves, but it did not matter, for none of them landed.  My surprise was apparent, yet he did not break a smile or show any emotion during the brutal onslaught.
    As we trained, Malnuras finally told me about the hand-to-hand style he had taught me.  He said it was the art taught to many warriors of the ancient world.  The Spartans had mastered it and even changed it to become the root system for all the martial arts back on earth.  They called it pure form .  It was fast, deadly, and beautiful all in one motion.  The Spartans took the grace out of it and made it straight killing.  I had never thought of myself as graceful, but now, after many days of learning, he handed me a staff.
    “Defend yourself.” 
    We sparred for quite a while.  Then he hit me so hard I flew back and landed flat on my back against a jagged rock.  My rib was obviously broken again.  The beating he delivered was brutal, but my state of conditioning could usually take it without breaking too many bones.  Exactly how many times my muscles had been sprained or torn during training was beyond counting.  This time it was severe enough that he stopped and addressed the damage.  To both our surprise, the rib was protruding.  His ability to heal me was still very weird for me.  It took a while to accept that magic existed and that there was more to the world than even the world knew.  Seeing it, as he mended my flesh, was unreal.
    It soon became commonplace to me.  Injuries occurred less and less due to my learning how to fall, roll with a punch or kick, and take a hit properly.  In turn, he healed me less frequently, teaching me to rely on my body to fix itself.  My life had turned into daily damage control because even though my skill was good, his was masterful.  I had to get faster and act, not react.  My strength was building up to be able to hold my own weight in any position, and my reflexes were coming along to the point that falling and losing my balance was rare.  Although they were superior, my teacher’s skills had wisdom and experience behind them.  He always found an opening, and it always hurt.
    Our campfire was still burning hot, providing much needed warmth.  The sun’s rays began to warm the ground, and the mist rose gently, blocking the view of the mountains.  The mist showed no signs of dissipation.  Sometimes it hung thick like a veil cloaking everything in a shroud of moisture.
    Our camp was located in a small valley that had a box end canyon a few hundred yards deep.  It would be difficult for something to traverse the surrounding terrain to get at us.  Without knowing what to look for, there was no real path to the untrained eye.  In the event a random intelligent life form happened to see the carefully concealed pathway, it would not know there was a camp nearby without the aid of other senses.  The fire was not only smokeless but also created by unnatural means unknown to me.
    There was always food ready to go in the morning.  Some meat that tasted like bacon, though a mystery, cooked to perfection every time.  Hard-boiled eggs sat nestled in a bowl covered with a towel made of some strange looking fiber.  It was delicious food and stayed with me for most of the day.  An assortment of different fruits and vegetables always grew near the camp even when we moved it.  With so much plentiful food, the need to snack or eat very much was not there. 
    After breakfast, my first task of the day was to head to a river that was about a mile or two away and wash my clothes from the day before while bathing.  Malnuras told me that staying clean was just as important as eating good meals.  A healthy life style was something I learned at home but had never truly put it to the test