Salle Du Lion, Book 1

The cool autumn air was cold, smelling thickly of crisp leaves.

Listening to old time radio as my mother drove down the crowded interstate. The sun glared across the window. Prisms shot across the window like lightening bolts from the glare.

By the time we pulled up to the old blue church where the Salle Du Lion operated from, the sky was a deep purple. The trees looked more like black cardboard cartoon cutouts against the sky then real trees. Mom pulled in to our usual spot next to the stairs. I am not sure why we always got this spot, but it was a good spot just the same. Mom pressed to trunk release on the key fob, with a few gentle dings it began to open. It always reminded me of a space ship, the gentle ding as the hatch opens slowly, if it had a ramp I could imagine a little metal robot beeping and chirping its way down the ramp. Grabbing my equipment bag I closed the chirping trunk signaled off to my mom who nodded acknowledgement as she chatted away with my dad on her cell phone. Dad traveled extensively for his job every week a new account, a different town, a different state.

I walked up the crumbly old cement steps, opening the ancient heavy metal door. It squeaked and creaked as I opened it, a warm blast of air rushed passed me, as if it was a force alive grabbing the cold air and dragging it outside against its will.

The fencing warm up room was empty except for Vincent, he was the same age as me just taller and very thin. Vincent sat in the folding chair in the corner under the large dusty corner window, the sky was a deeper purple now with hues of deep dark blue swirling in the western sky. Vincent had his face buried in a Popular Mechanics.

“Hi Vincent!" I shouted across to him as I began my warm up stretches.

Ben, Christian, Joe and Crystal came in seconds apart and began their warm-ups. We always spent the first fifteen minutes of class doing deep lunges up and down the long room.

"Vincent get your nose out of that magazine, before Duane and Lloyd see you!" Christian called to him as he grinned ear to ear. His long and lanky body moved with no grace. Christians face pale, framed with light brown curls would have been handsome but for the blemishes of early teen years. He winked at Nick as he walked in.

Nick knew Christian was about to start one of his infamous teasing matches of Vincent. Vincent’s tall and extremely thin frame, long hands and large head made him an easy target to tease. Christian was a natural born bully. Born to wealthy parents with to much of everything but not enough of love or time for their son and we all know that crap rolls down hill and Christian was at the bottom of a very high hill.

"Leave him alone Christian," Nick warned. There was no smirk or twinkle in his eyes. Just disqust, “You know Christian there may come a day when you will need Vincent and he will remember what a jerk you have been to him.”

“Sure I will,” Christian started in again. Vincent had been ignorant of the entire event his head still buried deep in the latest issue of Popular Mechanics when Duane and Loyd walked in.

“Gentlemen” Duane roared towards the ever increasing group of young teens, “And ladies”, Duane was a tall man, broad chest, with graying hair and beard with steel blue eyes to match. He was in his mid fifties but as strong and quick with a sword as any man half his age.

“Calm down you guys and lets get to work,” Lloyd shouted, he was ten years younger then Duane, tall and thin, narrow framed with curly red and gold hair a tiny mustache sat perched on his upper lip.

We all stood at attention. There were probably 15 of us in the room by now 10 males 5 females. Ages and sizes varied, the youngest was Andrew at nine, fiesty and determined but fearful at the same time. The oldest was Nick. Tall and well built solid muscle. The girls grew faint when he came around them. He looked as if he was in the wrong building the first time he had walked in, long dark brown wavy hair kept neatly under a black and white bandana. His black leather jacket and loose basketball shorts made for quite the look, his hair covered with a bandana , a few curly brown locks showing. His torn T-shirt and high top sneakers gave him more of a look of a skateboarder or a guy looking for pickup basketball game. The bag he carried said with no question what he was here for. He had a top level fencing bag two compartments for his swords.

“Time!” shouted Duane you could here there was little laughter in his voice tonight. It was more serious then I had heard before. He meant business for sure and the class knew it. They lined up, I jumped into my spot, full gear, saber swords at our sides. First position.

“Ladies and gentlemen we have much to accomplish in a short time and much depends on our attention and discipline.” Lloyd spoke clearly and forcefully. I being the newest pupil here thought the wording odd but I was new, maybe this how he always spoke.

After all I had been recently promoted to a new Saber level and rank. Maybe this was just the way it was. What did it matter I was getting to fence with the older fencers now. Ah lots of clashing swords, I could hardly wait for my first battle.

Mom had come in and was sitting in the parent area chatting with some of the other moms. This would not seem odd unless you knew my mom. She could talk up a storm if she wanted to but up to now, most of that moms at the school had been polite to her but quiet and kept to themselves. Yet tonight they were animated and engaging with her. Oh well, moms who can figure them.

Lloyd and Duane looked over at the parent area, it was a small separate area from where we practiced separated by a wall with a large cut out window, with out the window. Old magazine were carelss sprawled out among the few folding tables, chairs of every different make and model served as seating. Mom said she was sure that the chairs had come from a garage sale. Nothing matched. The walls painted a minty green were decorated with papers announcing the next time class fees were due and a few ragged pictures of fencers adorned the walls. Pile of bags usually filled the corner, but not tonight. Tonight all the bags were piled in our practice hall.

Hmm..“ Duane started as his blue eyes darted about his young pupils, “tonight we will be practicing down stairs, grab your equipment bags and make it fast.” he shouted. Everyone jumped as if shot by an electric volt, picking up their bags and moving on command.

“Its really cold downstairs you moms may just want to just stay up here.” Lloyd suggested as we grabbed our bags. The moms never stopped chatting.

My mom looked happy and that’s all that mattered to me. Grabbing my equipment bag I thought to myself this feels awkwardly different from normal, heavier almost.

The basement room was cold and dark there were no windows here just white walls, mirrors and some white Chinese paper lanterns left from a party long ago hung in different sizes from the ceiling.

Lloyd and Duane came in behind us, dressed in there full gear and face masks, swords in their hands, the air seemed to be full of energy, The group was charged, some were holding their bags, some had them had them at their feet. Girls were pulling their hair back, the older boys were checking their gaunlets. The lights started to dim and then brighten. Power surge I thought. I could see Christian stiffen his muscles off to my right as Vincent tucked his magazine into his jacket.

In a second I heard a clap that could have been thunder from lightening hitting the building. Everything seemed to vibrate and rattle as if the building was coming down around us, then all was still. Its amazing how fast your mind works when it is caught off guard. Working out endless possibilities.

The lights had gone out the room was completely dark. The smell of smoke reached my nose. Confusing my mind, even at twelve I knew the different types of smoke smells. This was not an electrice building type of smoke smell, but one of wood burning, I could smell trees and grass as well..

“Shhh” Duane was whispered.
Lloyd lit a match, it glowed softly around us, light softly touching the trees around us. It was early summer I could tell from the color and shape of the leaves on the trees. There was lilac shrub blooming somewhere to the east. I knew that smell well, my mom always had them in our house in the late spring.

I was disoriented. Where were the paper lanterns? I moved slowly towards one of the trees reaching out to touch it. Vincent grabbed my hand, violently and quickly.

“Hey!” I pulled my hand back.

“Don’t touch anything till we know where we are and who we are up against.” Vincent continued on, “You can upset the delicate balance of nature just by touching or moving something so no touchy till we know where we are and what we are doing. Hmmph.” Vincent turned on his heals and moved towards Joe where they started to speak softly looking into the forest.

The whole class nodded in agreement all looking at me I could feel the heat in my cheeks like a child being caught doing something very embarrassing.

“Ladies and Gentlemen check your equipment bags as swiftly and quietly as you can, remember do not touch anything other then your belongings till we can asess our situation.” Duane instructed

My eyes had adjusted to the night, it was clear and the stars were burning brightly allowing me to see what was in my bag. Metal, heavy like many chains sewn together.

In the distance I heard voices of men chanting or singing, women laughing and dogs barking a warning. The language was foreign no doubt German or Russian?

“Crap!” Chrisitan said loudly, everyone froze looking at him, he shrugged and then lifted what he had found in his bag too, “Chain mail.” he said rather matter of factly.

Everyone gasped, there was some grumbling and complaining.

“Vikings”, Duane looked into the woods. “We will have our work cut for us tonight class, lets hope they are full of mead and meat.”

“Oh Alex” Llyod called to me in a whisper,” Since this is your first time out stay close to the class, no heroism. We are here to get the job done and get out of here as quick as we can.”

“Chain mail?” I asked, what the heck is chain mail I thought to myself. Vikings were just guys in boats weren’t they. Big Fisherman, yep that’s what I had learned in school this year. I didn’t see any real problems here.

“Yes, do you know how to put it on?” ask Lloyd sincerely, “I am sorry this is your first search and rescue with us. Vikings are tough, they kill then question, almost lost a student a few months back on our last visit to this time, he got pretty scraped up.”

“Yep I did” smiled Nick back, “And I would do it again for the kiss of my lady.”

“Yuk.” I cried back making a spitting noise, although I some how guessed they really didn’t believe that is how I really felt and they were right.

“Sure I know how to put on Chain mail we practiced it in school today.” I said with a smirk. “What are you kidding? I have never even seen or heard of chain mail till a few seconds ago.”

“That will all change soon enough” Lloyd continued with a wink. He was back to his old self. “So Duane whats the story here?”

Duane was opening a ragged old book he had just pulled out of his bag, its pages tattered and dogeared. A red ribbon held the place of a page Duane was reading. The class had formed an alert circle. I had taken noticed that the singing from the Vikings was getting quieter. Were they tired or had they sensed us.

“Looks like a general search and rescue mission tonight. There is a young lady, daughter of a local chieften named Mirena, she is being held captive in a tent to the north. There are two Viking tribes at war here and she is the daughter of one of the leaders. “ Duane read on to himself for a second before continuing on. “We have to get her back to her own camp before dawn or it’s a history changing event, lets just say northern Europe borders will be very different if we don’t get this one right.”

“I get to kiss her” cried out Vincent, he clasped his long hands together in front of his narrow chest in a pleading position. What is with these guys and kissing girls I thought.

“Whatever.” Christian said rolling his eyes, he continued on,” You know these people don’t brush their teeth or use deodorant.”

“Who cares, I just want to get kissed.” Vincent was looking dreamily towards the north where the sounds were coming.

“Dead man walking.” joked Joe as he pushed his dark square framed glasses up on his nose nervously shifting his thin framed body from side to side, as if he were fencing an invisible opponent.

“Not funny Joe, you know the rules.” snapped Crystal, she glared at him. Her eyes were usually bright and twinkling but not at this time, they seemed to be smoking with irritation.

“Great were saving history and helping mankind and Vincent is calling firsties on kissing what will probably be a fat ugly, stinky Viking tribal princess with very bad breath.” Ben said as he started to move slowly towards the Viking camp he was a little older then myself and extremely quick and light on his feet which made him an accomplished Saber fighter at such a young age.

Vincent smiled to himself quietly full of dreams of kissing his Viking girl.

I on the other hand looked happily to a real sword fight, and wondered what did Sammy mean by “knowing the rules“ that sounded way to serious. But then this whole event was pretty serious.

“Now remember do not use your swords, we must use our wits first.”

“Bummer” I replied. The chain mail was starting to get heavier by the minute and walking quietly was a real task. This was the first time I ever remembered my physical stamina being tested.

Nick put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me kindly, “I remember my first time here doing this, I too wanted a fight, but its not about the fight, but on doing what we are charged with. We are a team of special students selected to do some very special work. You will see how your life will change in the near future. You will complete tasks you never imagined, have strength others only dream of, courage warriors hope for and the wit to outsmart any enemy without ever raising a weapon, well that is what a true warrior is my friend a man who uses his mind to beat his enemies nit the sword.” He smiled and patted me on the back, and picked up his pace to lead the class. I was left to wonder what this all was about.

The camp was not far from where we landed, if that’s what you would call it. There were only 20 Vikings or gathered around a few fires that were starting to go out. The women it seems had all retired into nearby tents. To the north was a larger tent where some Vikings stood guard in front of. We could see they were deep in conversation and it looked like a dice game.

“Runes” said Elizabeth, we all called her Beth for short, ”It tells their fortune.”

Beth was my age, a quiet girl with soft brown and blonde hair that she always kept neatly tucked under colorful scarves that made her brown eyes even more bright and playful.

“Runes?” I asked

“Don’t they teach you anything important in your school? You’ll learn” she grasped her sword and looked towards them focusing on what they were doing,”next week, I would guess”, with that she turned her attention back to her bag and pulled out her gauntlets, not even glancing my way, but I thought even in the darkness of the forest I could see her smile.

“You are as cryptic as this whole Viking thing.” I snapped back at her.

“Shhh” said Vincent poking me in the lower back.

“Ouch”, I cried back at him, “what the heck are you..”

“Enough!” Duane whispered loudly as he could. He was not happy as he saw the Vikings stop what they were doing and listen in our direction. We froze like statues. I could hear my heart pounding loudly in my ears. Beads of sweat formed on Christians brow and dripped slowly down towards his cheeks, sparkling in the moon light, he dared not even move to wipe it from his cheek. A cold breeze rushed through the trees. The Vikings looked at each other mumbled words nodding, returned to their games.

“Thank goodness for well timed breezes eh?” said Crystal as she winked at me and signaled silence with her finger to her lips at the same time.

We continued to work our way down and around to the back of the tent that held our prize.

“I am going to kiss a princess” Vincent let me know again for the tenth time since we had started around to the back of the tent.

“I just hope for your sake she doesn’t smell as bad as you.” teased Christian

“Ah your just jealous.” Vincent said proudly.

“Oh of what? Some fat greasy Viking girl that probably has lice?”, Joe was trying to distract Vincent with a pull on his arm. Vincent ignored his attempts.

“Will you two give it a rest already?” said Sammy

“OK it doesn’t look like we are going to be able to go in the back way there are Vikings posted at the back as well. So we are going to have to send the fear of Odin into them, and get them packing.” Lloyd was positioning himself tightly against a large tree. We will need a trap. What do we have in our bags team? Everyone moved quietly to search their bags. I was disappointed to find I had nothing but a flashlight with a fan. How exciting I am encountering real Vikings, saving a tribal princess with my flashlight that I took to Camp Ernst last summer. Oh I see hero written all over this one. And how did that get in there by the way.

“I have a flashlight.” I offered up my summer camp night light.

“I have some bio degradable caution tape.” offered Joe.

Joe was a tall thin fellow maybe a year or two older then myself. He had a quiet coolness about him. His dark curly hair cut somewhat short and dark eyes, even with glasses he looked cooler and smarter then the rest of us.

“Awesome”, cried Lisa her long dark brown braid swung in a neatly formed braid behind her, mesmerizing me it moved like a clock pendent ticking time away.

“I have a net” said Ben as he lifted his offering of a fishing net.

“Rocks with holes in them” reported Mike, a likeable guy my age, just a little shorter, blonde straight hair that fell across his brows, he was always kind to all he met and a great sense of humor. He had started at fencing school a little before me.

“I have nothing, but lips for my princess”, added Vincent dreamily

“Oh give us a break already”, most of the class said then moaning in exaggerated unison.

“I have smoke bombs” cried another.

“This is coming together great, we will be home in no time.” chimed in a student from the back.

“Why do all of you keep saying it that way?” I asked, totally not sure I was going to like then answer given the situation we were in.

“Oh,” Joe, started to say, stopping a minute before going on, I guessed he was thinking how much his next sentence would cause alarm in me. “ because we don’t get to go home until the job is done.”

“But I have homework tonight!”, I snapped back with a thin veiled cheap excuse trying to hide my fear. I mean sure I had homework, I had the assignment two weeks ago and it was due tomorrow, I was going to be up late. I hated my school. If only school could be like this alive and exciting.

“Oh that will definitely have to change”, remarked Vincent rather matter of factly.

“What about our moms?” I remembered all of the sudden my mom sitting there chattering away oblivious to my being gone off fighting pre-Christianity Vikings deep in the woods of the European north. What would she think if she were to go down and look in the room where we were supposed to be.

“We are in another or you could say different dimension.” Ben chimed in.” Time has a different meaning here. They are in a much slower time pace then we are now. We have only been gone not even a second, If they were to look in on us, they would see us all still standing there. But eventually we would start to disappear and we have to get back before that happens.” Ben seemed rather matter of fact.

“OK” I agreed but some how I don’t think, my mom would be all that happy with my disappearing.

“Well we have never actually been caught disappearing,” Beth said as she fiddled with her saber keeping her eyes alert on the woods surrounding us.

“Except that one time.” Christian who had not said anything much up to now took an interest in our conversation, he continued, “We never really disappeared just faded to almost transparent but got back before we were entirely gone.”

“And Lloyd and Duane were able to convince the moms they were seeing things.” Joe added in.

There was a loud clap of thunder.

Time is running out guys

The sky was starting to turn a dark blue in the east the sun was rising. Most of the Vikings had fallen asleep Snoring loudly in front of the dying fires.

“Who has the matches?” asked Lloyd

“I do. “ replied Ben as he sifted through the top of his bag, before pulling out a small wooden box.

“OK, light the smoke bomb. Alex give you flash light to Nick. Nick turn it on and the fan as well we want to get their attention to come this way those that are still awake. I want Beth and Joe to stretch the caution tape across those two trees down in front. Ben and Alex I want you to quickly tie each of those rocks to each end of the net. Everyone else grab a part of the net. We will wrap them first in the caution tape then completely tie them in the net. Vincent you go and get your princess, we can only hope she is not 300 pounds and barefoot because we will need to run like the wind. These Viking are going to yell in warning and within minutes the rest of the camp will be on our heals. I have no idea as usual how long we will have to be on the run before we are sent back to Salle Du Lion.”

“Lions En guard!” called Duane. The class took position it had been assigned.

With that the flash light went on, the small fan whirling quietly the smoke bomb was lit, starting to drift like a fog down from the hill side where we stood watching our plan unravel. First one Viking looked up then another. Fear struck them in the beginning and then they raised their arms and ran towards the light. Valhalla awaited our Vikings. Actually caution tape awaited them biodegradable at that no less.

Joe and Beth help keep it tight as a half dozen Vikings ran right up the hill. The tape caught them and caused a wave of fear to envelope them. As the fear distracted the Vikings the rest of us used the net weighed with the stones to tie them up.

Vincent charged into the back of the tent.

We waited. Ben drew his sword. “Lets go, he’s been there to long.”

“No wait” said Duane using his hand in a downward manner, “Be still for a moment more”

“She sat on him“, Christian laughed

The back of our captives tent fluttered a moment and then opened. The alarm had been sounded, The Vikings that were asleep at the fires were starting to awake. Jolted from their mead induced dreams, they luckily for us moved slower then they normally would have.

“Vincent come on.” cried Christian, “Hurry up“, he was no longer taunting and teasing but you could hear actual concern in his voice.

“We all have to go back or none of us go back that’s the rule, no one left behind.” Crystal told me with a frightened look. Could Vincent have changed all of our lives by taking the time to steal a kiss?

Yep I could here my mom call me in absent tomorrow. Sorry Alex wont be in school today, or on fact anymore he is lost in a time warp fighting Vikings, no some how I didn’t see that happening.

Then the tent flaps pulled apart and there was Vincent, beaming like nothing I had ever seen before and next to him was, an angel. No not like a heaven angel, but she could have been without a doubt. She was beautiful. We were all quite, caught in her beauty for the moment. Tall and fair skinned, her cheeks had the faintest blush of pink, her eyes we cold see from a distance they were green like emeralds. Her green gown was embroidered in gold which accented her long blond braid. She was beautiful and it was obvious to all of us Vincent had had his kiss.

“Now! Move it” ordered Nick, even surprising Duane and Lloyd with his taking command of the group.

They ran hand in hand up the hill, she kept looking at Vincent as if to say my hero I will go anywhere with you, she smiled her perfect white smile at him, no bad teeth or breath there, I was admittedly jealous.

We started to run and it seemed like we were running forever our amour rattling as we ran. Many of the students were using their swords to cut down the dense forest growth as we moved through it. We could hear the Vikings calling out in their anger not far behind us. Up ahead between two mountain peaks we could see a well protected encampment more sophisticated but just as rough as the last one.

There were guards stationed not far from where we were. There was another rumble of thunder

“Any minute gang.” yelled Duane.

“Ladies and Gentlemen hold on.” stated someone in the back.

Another rumble louder this time louder and closer.

The guards saw us and drew the swords, it wasn’t looking good.

“Come on, come on.” called Lloyd looking up at the quickly grey sky as the clouds rolled in thick and ominous

“I was getting tired”, I cant go on at this pace. If I could only rest a minute.

“Alex don’t loose pace, we need you near us keep up, we are all dependent on each other.” Called back Lloyd

Another rumble.

The Vikings who had been guarding the valley encampment seeing their stolen princess had started to charge us, swords drawn making howling noises to call others.

The sky lit and the thunder crashed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, that was a great class.” Duane smiled

We all stood there in the room with the paper Chinese lanterns. The older classmates picked up their bags and headed to the doors.

Nick stood there for a moment fixing his bandana then grabbing his bag he started to head out, stopping for second, he turned around and came back to me.

“Good job, see you next week? Remember things are going to change.”
I smiled back at him as he patted me again on the back. This time it was a pat of a job well done.

Back upstairs my mom greeted me with a hug.

“How you doing Tiger?” She always called me tiger when she was happy. She put her arm around my shoulder but not before messing up my hair.

“Good”, my favorite word, I smiled back.

“How was class?” Her eyes were filled with energy tonight. Hope. She must have gotten a good call from dad while I was in class.

“Good” actually it was awesome just didn’t know how to tell anyone about what I did,

“We have to work on increasing your vocabulary. By the way I met some moms tonight and they told me about this wonderful school where their children go. Apparently they act out history and their children learn so much and actually love it. I will call tomorrow to see if we can go and look at it. Mom knew I was unhappy in my school but what kid isn’t? Thirty kids, one teacher, dry lessons that have been taught a hundred times before, horrible lunches, only minutes for recess, and always working on practicing for the state tests. Yuk.

“Do you have any homework?”

“No.” I replied “not much” I couldn’t lie to her, just not tell the whole truth. Besides I knew somehow things were going to change now.

“What do you think about looking into this new school?” We were just getting on to the interstate and I had settled nicely into my seat.

“Great! “I said as I pushed my seat back and closed my eyes. Old Time Theater was on Sherlock Holmes was solving some murder mystery but I was to tired to care. Mom looked over and smiled at me.

“AH HA a new word means new adventure!”
It was completely dark now as we drove back home down the interstate.

“”Boy this class sure makes you tired, well you just sleep till we get home.” Moms words were comforting and warm.

I closed my eyes and smiled. I knew then that my life was going to change, and that was not only good but great.