�Good. Lets get on with it then.� Gray, who had remained silent until now, wobbled her torch as she spoke. Violet next to her nodded and the hooded figure with a flesh colored torch shifted fluidly form one foot to the other.
�Right.� Red said angrily. Silu could tell she was anxious to get on with the violence. She spoke quickly, obviously frustrated by all the small talk. �You have come here to be tested and judged according to your nature, skill and heart. Tan U Tae means Warriors of Nature. Your �Tae is you natural talent, your element. Your test will determine the element you are to serve under in the Tan U Tae. The elements are Human soul and body.� The tan torch was extinguished in the shallow water.
�Fire.� Red thrust her red flame into the water.
�Wisdom.� Orange followed suit.
�Spirit.� The yellow flame was gone.
�Wind.� Green.
�Water.� Blue.
�Sky.� Violet.
�Earth.� Brown.
�War and Battle.� Gray dropped her torch lazily.
�These are not the only forces of nature.� The one who had once been Tan said regally. �There are two more.� She raised her right arm and pointed to the place next to her. Gray did the same with her left arm. There was an odd silence. They were hesitating. �Light.� Tan finally whispered shakily. �The power of light is the purest power, the strongest.�
Gray shouted in protest. �Many believe Darkness is more than a rival to light.� Her posture was challenging and almost threatening towards Tan.
�You must defend yourself Sianosilu. Be warned you will die this night. Your wound and its source will determine your place. Fight to the best of your ability to succeed.� When Red was finished all nine women turned their backs to her. Silu no longer felt the need for modesty and lowered herself into a crouching position of defense. Now they were speaking her language. It was a battle they wanted. She focused absorbing all that was around her and blocked out the distractions. But her fear she let flow free. This was no time to ignore that vital sense.
From each cloaked figure a weapon was brandished. Each was unique and amazing. Silu waited, her breath heavy and thick, made clouds of moisture as it passed through her pink lips. The wind blew a strand of her short, dark brown hair into her eyes. All nine women were ready. They were waiting, too. The air around the assemblage of women warmed and thickened.
Silence.
Then, a crack of thunder.
All nine Bala-Shyra whirled at her at once, cloaks flying, weapons glinting in the moonlight.
The sword reacted almost of its own accord.
The first attack from a wickedly curled sickle nearly took her head off. She bent backwards to dodge the sickle and parried a thrust from an odd looking staff with red flags all over it. She had no idea how the other nine women had failed in their attacks, and she was certain they had all attacked.
There were too many.
Each defense took all her energy to execute. The attacks were full force; she was fighting the nine strongest Shyra in the Tan U Tae. There was a sudden snap in the back of her mind when she realized the futility in her plight.
A spear grazed her shoulder just close enough to sting her skin. The golden sword flickered up and made contact with a six bladed mace the size of her fist that had been heading for her knee. Sparks flew and Silu heard a gasp followed by something plunking into the shallow water. The Bala-Shyra holding the mace screamed in pain and fell back.
One down. She thought.
The pause in her concentration almost cost her dearly. Luckily the cloaked attacker made a sharp scream of victory giving Silu just enough time to twist her body away from the set of daggers. She put all her weight into her movements knowing there would be someone behind her waiting to strike.
Her elbow slammed into a woman�s chest, knocking her off her feet. She threw her right fist and used the large, heavy guard of the sparkling sword to catch another Shyra in the chin.
She was making amazing progress. But still they advanced.
A blazing sword of red flames jabbed at her.
Red.
Silu quickly retreated measuring each step backwards, making sure her strides of defense were longer than the attackers advancing steps. Every detail is imperative. She reminded herself mentally of her guardian�s advice. Shyra Mallia was a wise woman; she had fought many battles against worse odds.
Red advanced, but not fast enough to keep up with Silu�s strides. They had left the group and were now charging through the shallow waters.
Silu�s sword lithely swept through the air in front of her deflecting the flaming blade�s swipes. The movements became so fast that both fighters lost track of their own movements. Pure instinct guided their blades. Or maybe it was something else�
Silu didn�t stop to think before she performed the nearly impossible attack that took down the red Shyra. She barely had time to notice her victory before the next Shyra was upon her.
Although a few times she was able to press an attack, most of her energy was used trying to defend herself. She didn�t know when they would stop, or if they would stop at all. She didn�t even know if their plan was to kill her. Silu�s perception of the situation augmented grossly as the heat of battle drove her body further than she knew she was capable of going. They were so fast, so experienced. She had no chance. This was impossible. Someone must have tricked her into coming here. She knew she was restraining herself too. She didn�t want anyone to die. But there was no other way to escape.
No. She would rather die than kill these women. She continued to fight, not really conscious of her actions. She had known this would be difficult, but she had no idea�.
A woman�s shriek brought her back to reality.
Silu�s eyes saw from the first time, in what seemed like forever, what she was doing.
The attack was over. She looked around. She was no longer in the center of the lake where she had started. Over her shoulder she could see of trail of panting bodies lying in the shallow seawater. In front of her were two women.
