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the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. It was a powerful blow and the boisterous crowd replied with awe, clearly not approving of the hit.
    Enid muttered quietly to herself, “Oh my.”
    Urso took a step back and looked down at Avryn, apparently equally shocked by his actions. The trainer then glanced at the crowd, aware of the lack of applause. He reached out a hand to his fallen opponent.
    Avryn grimaced a bit while he regained his bearings. He then smiled and accepted Urso’s hand and climbed to his feet. When they separated Avryn surprisingly clapped his hands in approval of the strike. The crowd responded with a cheer.
    Enid breathed a sigh of relief while the men backed away in preparation for the final round. “I don’t think he meant to do that,” she assured quietly. “Certainly not.”
    Avryn backed up a few steps when Urso transferred the staff to his right and again approached with his left outstretched. Without warning, Avryn suddenly charged forward.
    As they drew near, Urso struck at Avryn with his staff but the King quickly countered by deflecting the weapon upward with a mighty blow. The power of the impact sent the staff high and quickly Avryn tossed his sword forward where it landed behind Urso. In one spectacular instant, Avryn transformed into a sturdy brown ram with large coiled horns, jumped forward and struck Urso squarely in the chest, sending the trainer flying back several feet where he landed with a thud.
    The powerful ram then leapt forward, transformed mid-flight back into Avryn and quickly reached for the blade. Within an instant he was standing above Urso, holding the blade to his throat.
    A thunderous applause rang forth from the crowd. Thane yelled proudly while Avryn stood up and offered his hand to help Urso to his feet.
    Ignoring the gesture, Urso suddenly transformed into a massive brown bear and emitted a deafening roar that forced Avryn to back away. An awkward stillness fell over the arena as the beast and Avryn stared at one another, frozen.
    Seconds later Urso transformed back into his human form and relief washed over the crowd. He shook his head and bowed to Avryn, clearly ashamed by his lack of control. Avryn paused and then walked up and patted Urso on the shoulder while whispering something that only the trainer could hear. The men then shared a jovial handshake.
    “Come on now,” Enid said to Thane before motioning toward the men. “Let’s go keep the peace.”
    ***
    The morning hours passed by quickly and the sights that had filled Thane’s eyes were more than his imagination could have predicted. He had hardly spoken a word to his father since the fight, only listened as Avryn introduced him to new friends and taught him about an aspect of his world that he was destined to explore.
    They sat alone at a table in the dimly lit tavern of the training grounds while they anxiously awaited the afternoon meal. The building was small and capable of holding twenty or so aside from the kitchen staff, and the air was filled with appetizing smells that made his stomach growl. It had been an exciting morning but he was starved.
    “Having fun?” Avryn asked with a smile.
    “Oh yes!” Thane replied after a brief delay, his attention captivated by his surroundings. “This is much better than schoolwork.”
    “Well, tomorrow it’s back to class for you I’m afraid. We can’t make this a routine. Not yet anyway.”
    “I don’t think Urso likes you very much father,” Thane said, quickly changing the subject.
    Avryn took a slow slip from a mug. “No, I don’t suppose he does.”
    “Why not?”
    “Your mother taught you to ask lots of questions. I will have to thank her for that.”
    “Do you like him?” Thane asked.
    “I do actually. I respect him very much.” Avryn’s eyes darted toward the doorway that led to the kitchen. “Our food should be here soon.”
    “So if you like him why does he not like you?”
    Avryn, clearly agitated, replied in a