youâre warmed up, letâs see what you can do,â he said.
It didnât sink in right away. âWhat?â
âA match,â he explained patiently. âSwords alone. No kicks or punches. No tricks. I want to see how good you are.â
Alanna shrugged. Moving into the center of the yard, she took a sideways âguardâ stance. She fixed on the Dragon as he took a similar position. Heâs bigger and faster, she calculated. Heâs more experienced, and his bladeâs heavier. If the stories are true, heâs trained to be as good with either hand. Great Merciful Mother, what have I gotten myself into!
She moved to the side just a bit. Liamâs blade arced up and down with blinding speed.
Alanna swung Lightning up, blocked Liamâs sword, then broke away. The Dragon came in with a side cut; she parried and darted back, circling warily. He spun and hacked: Blocking his powerful swing made her shoulder ache. Stepping back, she assumed the two-handed guard position. He cut down and in; she responded, Lightning moving as rapidly as his blade.
By now they had an audience. Word had spread through the inn; Alannaâs boys were joined by servants, guests, hostlers, and passersby. The boys had the best seats; they watched their heroes intently. Faithful sat by Coramâs feet, his eyes slitted against the sunâs glare. Heâd fetched Alannaâs companion, knowing Coram would want to see this.
The exchange stretched out in strikes, blocks, and parries, neither opponent gaining an advantage. Since Liam had ruled out the unarmed tactics that would give him the victory, Alanna could show himthe full range of her skill. Coram beamed in pride: With swordâor, he would bet, with ax or longbowâAlanna matched the Shang Dragon. How many knights could make that claim?
Both Liam and Alanna were sweating heavily; her wound began to ache. Throughout the exchange she had studied the Dragonâs style as she knew he had studied hers, searching for any flaw. Now she blocked swiftly, parried his return cut, blocked him againâand came into a split-second opening, barring his sword arm with her shoulder as Lightning snaked up to kiss his throat.
They froze in place for a moment. Then Liam grinned. âYouâre good.â He lowered his blade as Alanna stepped back. âI havenât lost to a swordsman in years.â
The boys circled them to offer water and towels. Alanna drank deeply from a waterskin, pouring some onto her face. âWhy didnât you hit me, or kick me?â she panted. âYouâdâve won.â
âThat wasnât the point.â The Dragon dumped a waterskin over his head with a grateful sigh. âAre you the best in Tortall?â
âI donât know.â She smiled gratefully at the boy whoâd given her the water. âThere may besome commoners better than meâI only fought knights.â Alanna wiped her face with a sigh. âAgainst Duke Gareth of NaxenâGareth the Elder, not the YoungerâI can win one out of three bouts. Heâs the best. AlexâAlexander of Tirragen. He beat me once.â That memory hurt: Alex had nearly killed her. Her recent scar pulled as she dried her arms, and she bit back a yelp. âThank youâI think .â
They left Berat the next day, Alanna and Faithful on Moonlight, Coram on his bay Anvil, their packhorse Bother, and Liam astride a big-boned gray he called Drifter. The weather was sunny, and the breezes hinted that spring was on its way. They spent the night in a sheltered hollow, out of the wind. Settling into her bedroll, Alanna thought she could hear the forest waking up after the winter rains. Spring was her favorite time of year. She wondered when it came to the Roof of the World.
She rose an hour before dawn to exercise. Liam was already awake, preparing to do the same thing. They came to a silent agreement and found a clearing a little