The Rookie: Excerpt from upcoming novel Dragonswarm

Thud
The hand axe embedded itself in the ground inches from the terrified boar’s hooves. The boar reared up and changed direction, sprinting fruitlessly toward one end of the shield wall surrounding him.
The wall roared with laughter.
“Dammit!” One voiced called out, “I almost got it that time. The little sumbitch is fast.” His voice joined the uproarious laughter.
Another voice called out, “Grab the rook! New kid’s turn to fetch the axe.”
Two burly soldiers grabbed the slight figure, not a day older than 15, and dragged him to the edge of the shield wall. One of the soldiers holding the shield wall whispered something in the kid’s ear and all of a sudden the young kid looked ready. Ohrt knew whatever was said there were lies and manipulations. Poor kid.
One shield opened outward like a door as several legionaries motioned toward the center of the circle.
“Get the axe! Get the axe!!” Chants filled the air as the youngster entered the circle.
The boar, the axe and the boy each stood firm and equidistant from each other, a delicate balance of power holding for the briefest of moments.
Young Eric froze there, unable to move. He stood there and stood there. Soon the reassuring man with the shield seemed to bore of this and pushed his shield up against Eric’s back, shoving him toward the center of the circle to the din of uproarious laughter
Beast and boy, locked in battle, hurtled toward each other. But Eric had been shoved, so he lost his balance, and fortuitously. Eric tripped over his feet and fell to the ground just over top of the charging boar, instinctively tucking into a ball and rolling it out. He came up, kneeling on the ground, hand on the axe.
Jeers transformed to cheers. “Rook! Rook! Rook! Rook!”
Ohrt could see young Eric smile at the validation. She was tempted to look away from the cruel practice that was to come, but she knew she must watch. It was hard to watch children become savages over and over again in the name of citizenship.
Across from Eric a soldier flashed an inviting look and cracked open the shield wall. Eric stood there, axe in hand, with a terrified wild boar between him and safety.
Eric brandished the axe in front of the boar as if he, with a weapon, would have some magical force of intimidation on the boar. But the boar was cornered. The boar charged him. Eric quickly dodged out of the way, sprinting toward the newly formed opening in the shield wall only for it to close just as he reached the edge of the circle.
Eric turned around just in time to jump out of the way of an oncoming tusk. Ohrt could see the betrayal working itself across Eric’s face, which quickly was replaced by the cold needs of survival.
The young kid ran across to another opening which quickly closed in front of him, this time wheeling around deftly, putting his hand axe between himself and the creature.
Eric swung the axe wildly in front of him, working to keep the boar frightened enough to stay away. Another opening in the shield wall presented itself, but Eric remained motionless. Eric wouldn’t be fooled a third time. Any idiot could see the boy was terrified.
“Close!” A lead bully called.
The soldiers removed one shield from the wall as they closed the walls in a bit. The movement caused a panic in the little hog, who barreled toward Eric.
Eric dodged out of the way.
The crowd began turning.
“Come on!”
“Kill the damned thing!”
“Don’t be a wus!”
But Eric defied the crowed, playing his own game of dodge and roll with the poor terrified boar.
“Close!”
Another shield left the wall. The wall further closed in. Eric continued to dodge.
“Close!”
Another shield left the wall. The wall closed further in. Eric continued to dodge.
“Close!”
Both Eric and the boar were finally showing some clear signs of fatigue. But this was a matter of life and death for the boar. The boar made a mad dash at Eric. Eric, with little power and speed left in him, was clearly about to be rammed by the scared creature.
The boar, as if in a mad fight with death itself, put every last ounce it had in its next run. The creature sprinted and leaped.
Thud
Ohrt spoke up, parting the shield wall with sheer will alone.
“Fucking savages.” Ohrt stepped over the boar, head stapled to the ground with her dagger, and kneeled over the young terrified boy.
Ohrt roughly ran her thumb over the spattered blood on Eric’s face, pulling it up to her tongue to get a taste.
“You’re fine, kid. It’s not your blood,” she muttered gruffly.
Ohrt straightened up. It was time to go into centurion mode.
“Legionaries! Clean this mess up and cook lunch.” They were citizens, but damned if they didn’t still need the barbarian beaten out of them.
“Eric! Slaughter the pig.”
There was no time for softness. Ever. Ohrt pulled her dagger out of the boar’s head with a quick yank, and motioned for the boys to get to work.