Legend of the White Sword (Books 1 - 3) by P.D. Kalnay

Author:P.D. Kalnay
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Misprint Press Publishing
Published: 2016-05-30T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16 – Ties That Bind

I felt less than confident, but my opponent looked to have enough confidence for the both of us. We stopped five paces apart, just as Mr. Ryan and I always did, and drew our swords. The blades were identical in every way. Excited murmuring came from the crowd, and one of the Prince’s cronies called out from behind him.

“Duzalain, it looks like the boy has a Marielain blade too!”

“It will come down to skill alone then,” Duzalain called back, laughing.

To that point, I’d neglected all the advice and training Mr. Ryan had given me. I decided to smarten up. Duzalain and I had matching weapons, and equal reach, but he looked to be a lot stronger than me. I hoped I was faster. Out of habit, I gave the salute Mr. Ryan and I always began our matches with and moved to the ready position. Duzalain wasted no time feeling me out for strengths and weaknesses. He attacked straight on with a showy technique that Mr. Ryan said was almost never appropriate. Duzalain was so fast and so strong that I almost lost the duel in that first engagement. Luckily, I did know the counter for his showboating, and I circled back unscathed. In the first three touches of our blades, I realised I was outmatched. Duzalain was no Mr. Ryan, but he was far better than me. He was also faster.

It soon became clear that Duzalain knew it, and after trying for a quick, crushing victory, he changed his mind and decided to have a bit fun at my expense. Using everything I’d learned, I could barely manage to parry his attacks as I fought what felt like an endless retreat. Mr. Ryan had taught me that a fighting retreat is a workable strategy, so I parried, circled, and hoped Duzalain would make a mistake.

I don’t know if the room was silent or filled with shouting. My world had shrunk to two men and two swords. Dozens of times, in the minutes our fight lasted, Duzalain passed up opportunities to end the contest. Only a swordsman would have noted the slightly slower, or off-centre strikes that allowed me to escape and continue. His overconfidence finally gave me the opening I’d been waiting for. Duzalain committed too much weight to his front foot, and I stepped inside his guard, lunging forward with my sword. It was weak attack and far too risky for a fight to the death because it left me wide open. However, in a duel to first blood it was enough. The tip of my blade nicked Duzalain on his cheek as he tried to back away. I’d only scored a shallow cut, maybe an inch long, but it bled nicely. I stepped back and lowered my sword, thinking the fight was over.

Duzalain wasn’t finished.

His expression changed from one of vague indifference to pure rage. He attacked me with a fury he’d not shown till then. My arms, already sore from wielding the heavy blade, felt like rubber as he struck relentlessly.

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