Operation Ludendorff: a Leviathan fanfic

Chapter One

"Barking spiders!"

Deryn Sharp yelped as the dulled edge of Count Volger's saber narrowly missed her abdomen. Her feet shuffled backwards until the edge of a table banged against her lower back.

"Always keep your sword up!" The wild count said, stepping off for another attack.

She had started fencing lessons after her first mission for the Society, and after almost half a year, Count Volger finally allowed her to cross swords. She still didn't like practicing it one bit, but fencing kept her muscles working and she always hated staying still anyways.

Deryn raised the tip of her practice foil just as Volger slashed at her again, the foil's blade ringing with the impact. The force of the hit travelled up her arm, loosening her grip on the sword's handle just enough for the man to twist his arm and aim a hit to her abdomen.

Her arm moved on its own accord, twisting at the elbow and blocking her front. The sharp metallic clang of swords colliding drove all the air out of her lungs in one breath. Deryn sucked a gulp of air before pushing off the weight of Count Volger and straightening.

"Now would be an ideal time to go for the offensive, Miss Sharp." Volger raised his saber in defence and looked down at her with apparent distaste.

Deryn flinched at his words, but kept the tip of her foil from wobbling. She shifted her back foot for a better launch and bent her knee. She sucked in a breath before launching herself forward, releasing it as her sword clanged against something.

"Good. Now riposte."

Deryn twisted her grip and thrust forward. Sweat was breaking out on her skin, running into her eyes and making her hands slippery. She tightened her grip and blinked sweat from her eyes.

"Parry, Deryn. Then lunge,"

Fencing lessons with Volger always went on in this fashion. The man barked orders at her for three straight hours, not stopping for breath or even sweating, for that matter. Deryn almost felt sorry for Alek, who had endured the same treatment for more than three years.

By the time the lesson ended, her muscles screamed and her clothes were soaked in sweat underneath her stuffy fencing armour.

"Blisters," The girl mumbled and collapsed onto a padded armchair. She peeked an eye open and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Practice had started at around late afternoon, after Deryn finished walking Tazza and going through Dr Barlow's papers. It was past six now, and dinner started at seven.

Dr Barlow left for an important meeting that morning, bringing Alek and Bovril along because a lift needed fixing, and the society didn't have time to hire a Clanker engineer to fix it. Deryn knew she should get to the kitchen and start with dinner, but every muscle in her body protested when she tried to sit up.

Just a squick of sleep won't hurt. Deryn thought and closed her eyes. Sleep was just starting to numb her mind when she remembered who was with her.