The Magi were nothing but legends . . . until she became one.
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Pria is a fighter-in-training for the resistance against the empire. After years of being held back by injuries and illness, Pria finally has her chance to shine as the skilled Mo...
Please refer to the • Glossary & Pronunciation Guide •for any questions on pronunciation and definitions.
Thank you, and enjoy!
XO, Anne.
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I COULD NOT GATHER MY FOOTING. Mud from last night's cloudburst clung to the rawhide of my boots, and the pull of my swords skewed my balance. I tried to catch the falling weight with my right knee, causing the tender joint to ache and swell, but I would not surrender.
As I spun around, I hid my pain behind a warrior's shout. My ebony braid fell over my shoulder. Twelve paces ahead, the Martial Mavren took position, his broadsword-and-shield duo a peculiar choice of weaponry in this day and age. The drawstrings at the collar of his black instruction tunic had come undone in the clash, exposing the plains of his chest to the elements. Swiftly, he redistributed his weight, propped his sword above his shield, and advanced me. I readied both of my ūthran—long swords bowed with a curvature designed for sleek movements—and deflected the attacks from our practiced progression.
"Your reflexes have improved, Pria," said the mavren. The familiar warmth of his smile tugged his lips but never fully surfaced. "Again!"
We practiced several sword fighting techniques. As a birth-woman, I possessed a natural aptitude for Moon maneuvers; they were graceful and defensive counterparts to the more masculine Sun sequences. This was precisely why the mavren would insist that I sharpen my Sun skills during training. I may have been the best fighter of our female recruits, but that appellation would serve me very little if I could not expand upon my skill sets.
We continued to spar, and I recognized each move by the twitch of his muscles: aggressive Sun maneuvers such as the prarck, the jarkai, and even the ay'arnt—which was the most difficult maneuver to identify since it was so often mistaken for the kraithe.
But the Martial Mavren could not fool me.
As he pressed forward, I noticed the descending sweep of his blade. It could have been the opening twirl of the kraithe, which meant we were now moving on to our fourth-learned Moon progression. However, the stiffness in his shoulder and the blaze of his eyes warned otherwise. This was the ay'arnt, the second Sun sequence, a direct and brutal cut to the finish.
