Space Knights: The Arrival Gregory Samuelson (superbooks4u .txt) 📖

had his archers divided up into two groups, with one group launching a volley shortly followed by the second group launching another, with the goal of catching their opponents off guard. The Black Knights were very able to block the first volley, but they lowered their defenses and several went down with the second set of oncoming arrows. As the Black Knights tried to plan for the next set of volleys Trance also started having random archers pick out individual targets and just zero in on them and try to shoot them down. Both teams tried to drop the number of opponents while still marching toward each other.

The distance closed and soon both sides would be too close for arrows. Trance signaled his team to draw their weapons. He put his bow over his shoulder on its carrier on his back next to his practically empty quiver and in the same motion grabbed his shield and put it on his left arm. With his right hand he drew his sword and raised it, ready for the last phase of his strategy. He carefully watched as the remainder of his team drew their weapons then raised them. Across the field the Black Knights had also drawn their weapons. Trance took a very deep breath and waited for the right moment.

The teams had sped up, but Trance waited until they were just five feet apart and then yelled a signal and his team split in two. Trance led one group out and around and then straight into the right side of the Black Knights, and Zam led the other half of the team out and around to attack the left side of their opponents. The Black Knights were completely taken by surprise and uncertain how to react. They had never had another team split like this and attack them from two sides. Both teams battled each other bravely. In the end the Gray Mountain Warriors won. Lamden, the captain of the Black Knights came over and shook Trance’s hand. The two talked for a few moments and then shook hands again.

The Gray Mountain Warriors celebrated all week and planned for their next opponents, the Harmon Hawks. The Hawks were also taken by surprise and were defeated. Trance was feeling pretty good about his team and his chance on traveling to their next opponents’ home field, that of the Azarians.

Orazior had really prepared his team and they were ready for Trance and the Gray Mountain Warriors. Trance had earned Orazior’s respect and both met and visited for a few minutes before they went off to their separate locker rooms. Being that the Azarians were so similar to what Trance remembered of the ancient Romans of Earth, they all had fairly large rectangular shields and were a lot harder to bring down with volleys of arrows. Also when Trance divided his team the Azarians seemed ready to meet the challenge and keep the Gray Mountain Warriors from breaking them up. Trance found himself and his team now on the defensive. It was a humbling experience as the Gray Mountain Warriors lost.

Trance went over and offered his hand and congratulations to Orazior. Orazior accepted the congratulations and wished Trance the best of luck for the rest of the season and went off to celebrate with his team. Trance turned to his own team and they humbly went back home.

The mood was more depressed the following week as Trance tried to encourage his team to get ready to go to the next school they had to visit on their schedule of battlefield events. The team went on to win the next three battles. While Trance was helping Neklon get the team ready for their next battle he had begun bringing Odin to school and training for the jousting events.

He found that he could qualify for the archery events as well as the ax and swordsmen events. It was taking Trance a lot of practice to learn to use his bow from horseback. Odin was a good horse to ride and shoot from. The robot horse had a very steady gate, yet Trance had to really concentrate to shoot an arrow from horseback, let alone hit a target.

There were a couple of archer events from horseback. There were two target shooting events and then there was the event where you had to shoot at an opponent who was shooting at you. Whoever landed three good shots first would win. The ax and sword events were similar. To win you had to either defeat your opponent on his horse or unseat him from his horse. If both competitors were knocked off their horses then they battled till one opponent defeated the other.

Trance was more skilled with his ax, yet his real talent was with the sword. The first jousting invitational was held at the Amorites. Trance took Odin to the school and found that there was a special coach waiting to take the robot horses to the event. Trance boarded the smaller carriage with the other boys and girls, along with Neklon and Sorvana, the girl’s knight class teacher.

Corena sat next to Trance and told him about Sorvana who was a very good teacher. She had trained a vast number of ladies to be very able lady knights that served in many elite divisions protecting the kingdom and planet. Trance was amazed to learn that Sorvana had also served as a Lady Golden Griffin and was in the most elite ladies division. She had retired and became a teacher twenty-two years ago.

Once they got to the school, Neklon and Sorvana helped their students get their horses out of the special coach and then directed them to the locker rooms. Everyone went and changed and then came back to the field to join their teammates and teachers. They looked around at the stadium seats as they were being filled and checked out their competition. Neklon and Sorvana had their students park their horses in a secure area on the