“Have you had enough?”
Yes. Most definitely yes. She’d been ready toquit this test after getting hit in the face with the sand-filledball, and definitely after the second time she’d landed face firstin the dirt during the weapon’s test.
It was an odd thing to ask, though,considering his earlier threats.
“You’re trying to get me to give up,” shesaid in realization. “The last few weeks have been to get me toreconsider becoming Hawkvale’s Tolroi.”
“It would certainly be a lot easier thanthis.”
“Was this his idea?”
Caden gave one of those shrugs again. Onethat meant neither yes nor no and left her to draw her ownconclusion.
“I can’t. That’s not who I am.”
“Guess I can respect that.”
Didn’t mean he agreed with it. This day wasprobably going to get a lot worst before the end.
“You should find your feet. The old man likesto kick people when they’re down, and all of his recruits have beentrained to do the same.”
Shea grunted. She didn’t think she could getup again.
The man who had been beating, oh excuse me,sparring with her, took several determined steps towards her, andshe popped to her feet. Guess she could get up after all.
He grinned and raised his blade. She broughthers up to a defensive position. It wasn’t easy. The muscles in hershoulders and arms trembled with the effort.
“Try to block this time,” the old man shoutedat her from his seat on a barrel.
Shea ignored him. If she had taken her focusoff the man in front of her for even a moment, he would have nailedher three times with his wooden practice sword. He’d done it twicetoday. Anytime her attention wavered he punish her with three quickblows. Her wrist and thigh still ached from the last time.
Trenton led with a butterfly cut, which Sheablocked before dancing to the side and parrying with a slash. Heblocked and twisted his wrist, sliding his blade along hers andforcing it out of his way. The tables turned and her attack quicklybecame a race to defend herself as he used his blade’s momentum tolunge forward.
She blocked its forward motion but stumbledback and nearly fell when her ankle wobbled from stepping on aloose pebble.
With a movement she felt rather than saw, heknocked her blade from her hand and rapped her harshly on theoffending ankle.
Pain lunged up her leg. She gritted herteeth, her eyes smarting. She would not cry. Not in front of thesemen. That just wasn’t going to happen.
Trenton stepped back and looked over at theold man who watched them sourly.
“You know, that blade in your hands isn’tmerely for show,” the old man told her. “You can attack at anytime.”
A chorus of laughter came from the gatheredonlookers. Most were here to watch the little Lowlander’s abilitiestested against one of their best. Some had come convinced they werein for a good show. After all, this was the woman who rescued theirwarlord, not once but twice.
“Perhaps she needs a lesson in how to hold asword,” a woman’s voice shouted from the crowd. “You know how softthese Lowlanders’ hands are.”
Trenton stood relaxed, his sword heldcasually at his side while he waited for Shea to get enoughmotivation to raise her sword again. She didn’t want to. Not atall. Her arms and shoulders begged for a reprieve.
Rather than attack head on as she had beenfor the last couple of hours, she waited, with her sword down, andobserved Trenton. Since he wasn’t immediately following up withanother flurry of attacks, she planned to use this time tothink.
Sword play wasn’t her strong suit. It neverhad been. She carried a sword because it had a longer reach than adagger and came in handy when fighting off beasts. Part of hertraining had included work with the sword, but her trainers hadmostly concentrated on defense and quick attacks that were aprelude to retreat. Most of her training had been spent gainingwilderness survival skills. You could get just as dead eating thewrong berry when your food ran out as you could with a blade inyour gut. So swordplay had been covered but not extensively.
She had just enough skill to defend herselffor a short period of time.
Fallon’s men, on the other hand, hadextensive experience. The way Eamon told it, they were given ablade on their first birthday and spent the rest of their childhoodlearning to use it.
There was just no way her small amount ofskill could match up to Trenton’s expertise. It made her wonder whyFallon wanted her as his guard in the first place. Even when shehad been Shane, it would have been obvious she didn’t measure up tothe others.
