The Schism (The Broken Prism Book 4) by V. St. Clair Read Free Book Online Page A

uncomfortable and awkward-looking that would be, and suppressed a laugh.
    He removed all of his magical gear as directed and stepped into the arena with Lorn, who looked like he was itching for the chance to show him up in combat. Hayden was just glad that his friends weren’t here to witness this.
    “Alright, I need to see how bad your technique is before I know how to fix it,” said Grendel bluntly, “so get to it. Lorn, I expect you to be on form regardless of what your opponent is doing.”
    Lorn dropped into a crouch and charged at Hayden before he had a chance to mentally prepare himself, and the latter jumped out of the way and nearly tripped over his own feet as he spun around to prepare for the next attack. Not wanting to give Lorn a chance to plan his next move, Hayden lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, landing heavily on top of him and trying to pummel anything he could reach with his fists. Lorn had the wind knocked out of him from the impact with the ground, but he still managed to bring his arms up to block all of Hayden’s blows, taking advantage of an opening and elbowing him in the ribs, knocking Hayden to the ground and freeing up his own legs.
    Hayden kicked him hard in one knee and Lorn’s leg buckled, but he recovered fast enough to tackle Hayden and pin him to the ground so that he couldn’t use any of his extremities to fight back. For a minute Hayden struggled against him on his back, trying to break Lorn’s hold, but though the blond boy’s chubby cheeks were red and splotchy with the strain of holding him, he didn’t break his grip, and Master Grendel eventually stepped in and called an end to the round.
    Lorn looked like he’d rather strangle Hayden than help him to his feet, but he grudgingly conceded the latter and they both stood, panting and assessing their injuries.
    “Well, that was the most graceless thing I’ve seen in years,” their instructor announced cheerfully, like he had just watched a fascinating carriage crash and wasn’t sure what to make of it yet.
    “It’s not my fault he fights like a barbarian,” Lorn grumbled, massaging his sore knee.
    “That’s true, and yet you let his ‘barbarian’ moves get you onto the ground and in a position of weakness. I keep telling you that no matter how refined your technique is, you must plan on facing opponents who have not had the benefit of your formal training.”
    Lorn mumbled something inaudible, looking sulky, which his instructor ignored.
    “As for you, Frost,” he turned to Hayden, “the first thing you need to learn is when to hold your ground and when to give way. If you’re going to clash head-on with an opponent, there are a number of different stances you can use to anchor your body and resist being knocked aside.”
    He beckoned for both boys to stand facing him, and Lorn scowled at doing beginner’s work but didn’t argue.
    “When Lorn charged you, you chose to move out of the way rather than match strength with him, but as you didn’t have time to move properly you nearly tripped over your own feet. When your opponent is that close to you, it’s often better to brace yourself for impact and make him regret charging you in the first place.”
    Master Grendel angled his body so that his right hip was tilted towards Lorn, spreading his feet so that most of his weight was resting on his left foot, positioned behind him.
    “Lorn, charge at me,” he commanded.
    Lorn winced as though expecting pain and said, “Do I have to? Why can’t Frost do it?”
    “Because I want him to watch and understand. He’ll get his turn, don’t you worry about that.”
    Still looking unhappy, Lorn retreated a few more feet and then dropped into the crouch he had used before attacking Hayden, charging his instructor. Hayden watched with satisfaction when he collided with the Master, who shifted his weight to accommodate the blow and managed to punch Lorn in the stomach with one hand while catching him with the