Trial of the Valkyrie

Running is a Victory

Chapter Nine - Running is a Victory

Song: Run Boy Run - Woodkid

"There are certain things in life that you never forget. Things that dig deep, things that nest in the hadal zone."

― Samantha Shannon in The Bone Season

G    W    Y    N

For someone so afraid of her blood, Lord Odus seemed awfully eager to spill it, Gwyn thought.

They both swung for each other, Gwyn exhaling with every blow she tried to land, inhaling as she dodged, her feet moving at twice the speed of his as she weaved around his every attack.

They went on for what felt like hours, Gwyn managing to evade his every blow but not able to so much as nick the bastard. Each time she tried to thrust in her dagger, he attempted to snatch her wrist, and she'd had enough private training lessons with the shadowsinger to learn that if that ever happened she was as good as disarmed.

Eventually the warlord's breathing became heavy. His strikes were accompanied by lumbering steps. He was growing weary.

With a wild snarl, Odus swung his dagger for Gwyn's middle. She spun out of the way, ducking under his wings and arriving at his back.

Her window was small before he whirled, but with startling accuracy Gwyn reared her elbow up and brought it down on the space between his wings. Odus growled, his hands writhed and he dropped his dagger, falling to his knees.

High on her small victory, Gwyn nearly stumbled getting back in front of him. Then she brought her dagger to his throat.

Through ragged breaths she said, "Do you yie–"

Odus grinned savagely, the exhaustion she'd read on his face wiped away. It had been a trick. Gwyn felt like air had been stolen from her lungs – and it subsequently was. Because Odus punched her with the force of a mighty storm right in the gut, sending her reeling back.

"Gwyn!" Azriel shouted.

Gwyn tried to draw in a breath as her opponent hopped to his feet, dagger at the ready, eyes alight with malice – but her lungs seized.

Emerie was next to call her name, but Gwyn kept her focus on drawing in short breaths. Maybe she wouldn't get the wind back in her lungs by the time Odus closed the distance between them, but she sure as hell could be prepared to duck.

Gwyn gathered herself as Odus moved in and brought the dagger down towards her face – an illegal move for sparring as Azriel had taught her. She imagined that if she could hear anything other than her heart pounding in her ears she would've heard her husband call foul play.

Enraged at the very idea of cheating to win, Gwyn summoned the final vestiges of her strength and grabbed Odus's wrist, twisting out of his path and wrenching the weapon from his hand as his arm popped sickeningly.

The limb cracked again as she brought it to his back and then shoved him down onto his knees, his wings twitched behind him nearly hitting her, but she remained just in between them.

Gwyn pressed the heel of her boot down on his ankle. "Do you yield?" she rasped.

Odus did not answer and driven solely by her impatience, Gwyn grabbed the male's salt and pepper mane with her free hand then yanked his head back to look at her. Her eyes blazing, she said through gritted teeth, "Do you yield, Lord Odus?"