Royal Assassin: Book Five of The Empress Saga

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Queen Maebh would not be a simple opponent. Though not an arcanist, she fought and defeated many who were on a regular basis. Her skills with a blade overcame hierarchs utilizing the full extent of their magic. She was a seasoned veteran of many battles, and she'd never been defeated. Save once, at the hands of the only student to ever surpass her. The goodfolk of Althandor revered their queen as if she were a goddess, and she was a goddess of war.

Fortunately, Jin didn't hold a high opinion of the divine as of late.

Charging forward in a burst of speed, Jin leveled an opening swing at neck-height. Once Maebh's sword came up to parry, Jin lessened the force behind her strike, reversed momentum, and slashed upwards from hip to shoulder. That, too, was parried, but Jin hadn't expected to land a blow so easily. She kept her grip on the sword languid and fluid, and as soon as she met resistance, Jin arced her sword to strike at a different angle. Fast and rapid, Jin struck five times in the opening three seconds.

"You're slower than you used to be," Maebh observed, thwarting each attack seemingly without effort. "Not using sorcery?"

I will when I need to, Jin thought. She favors second and fifth stances, adept at transitioning between them using first stance as the intermediary. Purpose is to draw opponent in close for rising slash. Lateral movement becomes paramount. Circle to avoid counterstrokes. Guard against thrusts. Third stance is most favorable.

Jin sidestepped, and Maebh's sword missed connecting with her arm by less than an inch. The queen didn't press toward direct contests of speed and strength. She preferred to outmaneuver her opponent, unbalance their stance with strategically placed feints, before delivering the finishing strike to the torso.

Steel struck steel again and again. Dust kicked up from their footwork. They circled the same stretch of ground, seeking to open a breach in their opponent's defenses. It went on for another fifteen seconds, maintaining the same blistering pace, before Jin saw her mother's brow furrow in concentration.

Even a practice match could turn deadly when using real swords, but Maebh was confident in her ability to pull back before crippling her students. Without fear, she demanded they come at her with everything they had. Jin obliged, because she was just as confident. Jin knew how to kill, because Maebh taught her how. Knowing how to kill also brought the knowledge of how to avoid it, but Jin couldn't afford to hold back until that moment came. Anything less than her full ability, and her mother would defeat her easily.

Jin felt the tension in her arms build up. She couldn't maintain this pace for long before her movements grew unwieldy. Thus far, Maebh kept on the defensive. She hadn't pressed forward to steal the momentum. She allowed Jin to set the pace of their swordplay. Her arms wouldn't be feeling the same fatigue yet. She would tire at slightly more than half the rate Jin did.

Familiar tactic, Jin thought. Lead opponent towards overconfidence. Strike once flaws appear in their form.

It was a tactic that often ended their sparring in the past. In the time since then, Jin had gained enough experience to see it coming. Even better, she'd learned how to counter it.

Jin changed to fourth stance. Her sword was held overhead, poised to rain down heavy slashes. The unconventional change took Maebh by surprise for a moment, enough that she couldn't strike at Jin's unguarded torso before a sword came arcing down towards her head. Unable to sidestep now that they were pressed in close, Maebh held up her sword to catch the blow. The standard response would then be for the attacker to lock crossguards, thereby limiting the defender's ability to maneuver and forcing a contest of strength. Jin had no such interest. Maebh would escape such a paltry attempt to pin her down, and Jin would then be at her mercy. She had a more advantageous plan in mind.