“As a matter of fact, he does.” She motioned toward the outer gate. “Where does that lead to?”
“The practice field.”
“May I come with you?”
“It hasn’t stopped you so far.”
Without waiting for her, he continued through the doors.
They’d taken less than a dozen steps when she asked, “Why is there a big bell back there?”
“It was erected when Alta Novis was built, more than a century ago. We use it to announce celebrations, for when everyone needs to gather around it to hear important information from the battle lord, and to announce when danger’s near.”
“How is it able to do all that?”
“We have a code.” He didn’t explain further, and she didn’t press him.
The fields at the rear of the compound were unusually empty, until Mattox remembered that his father had assigned all of his soldiers to pull double duty until the conference was over. Which meant every man would serve a regular, but shorter shift within the compound walls, then serve a second short shift outside amid the campsites. That left fewer hours to hone their skills.
He strode directly to the section where the men worked on their sword skills. Removing his weapons belt, he hung it over a short section of fence meant for it, and grabbed a wooden sword from the box beside it.
The dummy he preferred to use was built on a pole that allowed the head, arms, and body sections to rotate individually. The target bore two weapons—a wooden sword and a similar shorter blade, with both arms extended at different angles. Mattox gave the longer blade a hard tap, making the arms portion swing around and present the shorter blade. Another slap of his faux weapon on that blade, and the dummy swung in the other direction.
The morning wasn’t hot, but the humidity was making him sweat. Knowing a short, fast workout would make him perspire more, he stripped off his shirt, throwing it across his weapons belt.
As he approached the practice dummy, he spotted Caralas standing beside the box of wooden swords. Jerking his gaze away, Mattox growled to himself.Stop looking at her and start paying attention to what you’re doing,his common sense derided him. Grasping the hilt with both hands, he launched himself at the replica.
He attacked it with more fury than finesse. Leaping in and out of range of the thing’s weapons, he parried the blades and tried to get in as many thrusts to the main body as possible. For a while he was able to put the woman out of his mind, when a form moved into view. It was enough to distract him, making him pause for a split second. The dummy’s sword rammed into his upper left pec, piercing the skin enough to draw blood.
“Fuck!”
He took a couple of steps back. He was breathing hard, and the sweat trickling down his skin made the cut sting. Mattox gave the woman a hard stare. “Is there a reason why you’re standing there?”
“Just observing your technique,” she blithely answered.
“I didn’t know I had one.”
“Truthfully, you don’t. Not unless you count raw power and aggressiveness as a skill.”
He grunted. “When it comes to actual combat, that may be the only thing that helps you get out alive.” He tilted his head to the side, directing his gaze to her own sword. “Do you know how to use that pig sticker? Or is it just for show?”
Her hand went to the hilt. “I’m adept.”
“Uh-huh.” Mattox nodded, adding a lopsided grin. “Let me guess. You’ve developed atechniquewhen using it.”
That bit of needling got to her, as he’d hoped it would. “Are you challenging me, D’Jacques?”
“More curious than anything. Forget I asked. I wouldn’t want you to work up a sweat in your fancy duds.”
As he’d hoped, Caralas unbuckled her weapons belt, piling it on top of his, and began stripping off her outer layer of leather armor. Mattox caught himself gazing at the full breasts and thighs her protective gear had been concealing, and mentally nodded in approval. First her face. Now her body. She was a beautiful woman.And quick-witted,he reminded himself.
She snatched up a practice sword and gave it an experimental twirl. “These are unbalanced and awkward to use.”
“Precisely,” he countered. “If you can improve your agility with them, then you’ll have better odds of survival on the off-chance you lose your own weapon and are forced to use another one. Now, let’s see how wellyoucan do with the dummy.”
A partial smile curved the edges of her lips. “I have a better idea. Let’s see how well I can do againstyou.”
10
