Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Generated <strong>by</strong> ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html<br />
clues, beautiful. He twisted midair <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>ed on her leg, pinning her to the saddle, now givinghis<br />
war-cry, hoarse <strong>and</strong> deafening.Shield down, stop him chopping at the leg; Baiwun he's fast. Block,<br />
shield, sword, shield …<br />
Whump. Hotblood's head came around <strong>and</strong> back; she heard <strong>and</strong> felt the thump against Chevenga's<br />
back. He flew over her head, his scarred face passing <strong>by</strong> hers with an expression almost casual, eyes<br />
fixed carefully on the ground where he was headed, to l<strong>and</strong> rolling fluidly onto his feet. She cantered off,<br />
flicking herself back upright in the saddle. His horse was long gone; she could see a gap in the spectators,<br />
<strong>and</strong> a bobbing black thing trailing a tent.<br />
"Nice try!" she yelled from ten yards.Sheepshit, that was close . He just beckoned her to him with his<br />
sword, st<strong>and</strong>ing upright in a natural stance.<br />
This says something. At least three hundred people were watching, enough to make whatever<br />
happened here common knowledge in camp in a day. A shrugging matter if he beat her—but ifshe beat<br />
him , the Invincible, on whom all their hopes rested…He's smart enough not to underestimate me,<br />
<strong>and</strong> to know I'm not going to hold back in one sinew for one instant. Yet he was doing this, <strong>and</strong><br />
with a grin. So confident in your own skill, Gold-bottom ? She remembered Ivahn's words: "He takes<br />
great risks."<br />
"Eeeeeeiiiiiii" Hotblood sprang into charge. Saber back <strong>and</strong> up for a forward-sweep cut, mount's<br />
shoulder into the footman <strong>and</strong> the blade chops with all the weight behind itbut pull it, we're sparring …<br />
As if he was going to stay there—damn. In the last instant Chevenga spun out of line somehow,<br />
jumped, this one's a fucking jackrabbit he's over the line of my cut . She flipped the saber into the<br />
overh<strong>and</strong> guard down her spine, but he kicked in midair, s<strong>and</strong>alled foot whipping out flicker-fast. The<br />
heel rapped her shoulder, just hard enough to make her reel in the saddle.<br />
He should have gone for my head or neck; a miss, or intentional? She'd seen his face at the apex of<br />
the jump, measuring carefully like before.Give him the benefit of the doubt, at least half of it . She<br />
rolled out of the saddle on the other side, l<strong>and</strong>ing on her feet. Hotblood circled, then lay down <strong>and</strong> sulked<br />
when she told him to stay out. This wasnot a scream <strong>and</strong> leap situation.<br />
Ex-gladiator, she thought.Used to duels, in front of crowds . She stood, shield up under her eyes,<br />
saber laid flat along her spine. Now he was rushing her, the hoarse cry again, cut low straight from the<br />
run, blurring fast. She leaped over it, milked the hilt as she slashed down, onto his shield.Thud . The<br />
shock jarred her arm.<br />
Blocked his sight, hah!—she punched out the wood sabre in a lunge at his midriff, to be turned<br />
perfectly <strong>by</strong> his, almost delicately, just enough motion to send it offline…Shit, can the steer-raper see<br />
through leather ? Then he attacked, high cut, low cut, thrust at eyes, elbow… She remembered:<br />
manrauq. He has weapon-manrauq . She kept the shield in front of her, on the defensive, the blows<br />
rocking back into her shoulders,Baiwun, he's strong for his size , slightly shorter than her. She yielded<br />
ground, stop-thrust to make him guard, bounded backward.Thrust again while I'm outside his fighting<br />
range; keep him there <strong>and</strong> I can peck at him .<br />
No, he understood how to fight like one smaller, getting inside <strong>and</strong> moving quick; besides he had long<br />
arms for his height, deceptive. The brown eyes were even more wide-open now, concentrating, pupils<br />
big. She <strong>and</strong> he moved together, like dancing, like sex, each of h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> feet <strong>and</strong> bodies in concert, in<br />
amber honey. Once their gaze caught, <strong>and</strong> his lips parted in a small quiet smile.