Revenant: A Montague & Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 16) by Orlando A. Sanchez

Author:Orlando A. Sanchez [Sanchez, Orlando A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bitten Peaches Publishing
Published: 2022-07-10T05:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

I didn’t last more than ten seconds.

At least not initially.

She stepped into the training area and remained on the outer edge of the circle.

We bowed to each other and as soon as I stood up straight I was airborne, flying back out of the circle. I landed hard on my back, all the air forced out of my lungs.

She stood in the center of the circle, looking down at me.

“You didn’t focus,” she said. “Again?”

I stood up, keeping my gaze focused on her. I had some training in CQC: close-quarters combat. I had never faced anyone who could move so fast. Not even Master Yat had that kind of velocity.

“I’m focused now,” I said, getting my emotions under control, and stepped back into the circle, wary of any sudden movement on her part. “Again.”

She nodded and stepped into a defensive stance, extending one leg forward and sliding it to the side, in front of her body. In one move, she had effectively bladed her body and positioned her open hands, palms out to defend her centerline.

It was a classic back-leaning stance, found in many martial arts. Her version was deeper than most, which meant her back leg was working twice as hard as the front. This stance also allowed her to move her front leg easily, using it to strike with speed, but lacking the power of a slower blow.

I recognized the fighting style and seriously considered surrendering right then. She must have seen the realization on my face because she nodded and smiled at me.

The smile was scarier than the stance, which she held effortlessly.

“You know this style,” she said, remaining absolutely still in the stance that would have had me screaming in agony after a few seconds. Most of her weight was on her back leg while only the toes of the front leg rested lightly on the floor.

Both legs were bent and she looked like she could sit there all day. It looked impressive, but I wondered how practical it could be in a fight.

I was about to find out.

“Baguazhang,” I said, thinking back to her initial strike. “Except I don’t remember it being that fast, or using those kinds of back-leaning stances.”

“Yes, my special variation, taught to me by Sifu Haichuan himself.”

Wonderful. Baguazhang was an elusive circular fighting style, designed to take on multiple attackers. If she had created a variation, taught by the founder of the style himself, it was going to be nearly impossible to fight her.

From what I recalled, her style was designed to strike from any angle, while constantly moving in circles. If she was skilled—and judging from her stance, she was highly skilled—this was going to be like fighting smoke.

The entire style was based on the theory of balance, using circles within circles. The best strategy was cutting off her circles, and using linear attacks she couldn’t avoid.

I closed the distance on her, leading with a straight fist. She rotated effortlessly around my attack and unleashed a series of palm strikes designed to interrupt my breathing.

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