AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Juliana winced.
“He’ll be fine,” said Dillon, heading out the tent for his first round, whilst the werewolf took a break. “Bit of faerie magic will fix him right up.”
Juliana knew this was true, but the boy’s mangled shoulder and muffled cries were still hard to stomach.
That won’t be you,she reminded herself.You can do better. You’d never face a werewolf head on. You’d use the levels, gain the higher ground. And he’d never get past your sword.
The next few rounds were similarly short-lived—all over in seconds and celebrated with little aplomb. Dillon won his first round, and winked at her as he left the ring. “Nervous?” he asked her.
“Rarely.”
Which was true, although glancing around at the half-ogre and Miriam of Bath, Juliana knew her courage might falter later in the day.
Finally, her turn came. The ring was reset, and Juliana stepped forward to take her place.
An unknown squire from Spring, who must have been from one of the other courts, was Juliana’s first opponent. She was small and slight, a little shorter than Juliana, but quick on her feet and not entirely incompetent with a blade. After a minute of sizing her up, Juliana knew she could beat her in seconds.
She didn’t.
Don’t give away your advantages,her father had taught her.Hold back for the first few rounds. Don’t give anyone the chance to evaluate you.
So she played poorly, deliberately misstepping, using her left hand, letting the squire get in a few half-decent jabs. She let her opponent hit one of the hay bales, and made disarming her look almost like a fortuitous accident.
A lacklustre applause ended the match, and they shook hands.
Juliana took her seat for the rest of the first rounds, trying to focus on each fight, analysing who was holding back, each skill, each weakness. The second round saw the fox-faced rogue lose to the merrow, but the ogre, the werewolf, Dillon, Miriam, Markham and several other impressive characters all persevered.
Juliana’s next round saw her paired with another squire, almost twice her size but clumsy with his blade. A short laugh whispered through the crowd as they approached each other, clearly thinking this would be an easy match for the lumbering oaf.
I can bring down a bear,Juliana hissed.You’re the one that’s no match for me.
She’d calculated the easiest way to topple him from the moment she saw him swing, but she played the mouse a little while longer, scurrying away from his crude swipes even though he’d left himself wide open. A few jabs at any point could have sent him toppling.
She made her eyes wide, let out a few little gasps, betrayed little more about her true skill other than the fact she was nimble.
She ended it by leaping up a hay bale, pushing one of them into his face, and disarming him whilst his mouth was filled with straw.
That earnt her a laugh from the crowd.
Hawthorn didn’t laugh. His face was rigidly fixed in place, the same as hers, betraying nothing. The only movement he made was to twist his blackthorn ring.
Juliana moved swiftly up the ranks. Miriam took out the merrow. The werewolf fell to Markham. The number of competitors started to thin.
Soon, Juliana found herself pitted against Dillon. “I won’t go easy,” he warned her.
“You won’t need to,” she told him.
Dillon was the first to present any kind of challenge, and it was impossible not to reveal she’d been holding back a little when their blades clashed and she didn’t buckle.
The crowd ‘ooed’.
Dillon frowned, his eyes drifting to the sword in her hand. “You’re right-handed?”
“And stronger than I look, right?” She kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling. She shot him a smile. “I won’t go easy on you.”
They traded swipes, darting around the ring, sliding in and out of range. It was like a dance. It was the first fun she’d really had.
Focus,she said.This isn’t a game.
