Disclaimer: None of the characters, names or places you may recognise belong to me. They belong to Tamora Pierce. However, some characters are original and belong to me, as does the plot.
Chapter One
"ARHH!" The cry of battle came from deep inside her throat and rang out across the clearing, over the clang of metal against metal. Her sword whipped up and around to hit upon her opponents.
Kel knew she was at a disadvantage already with using her sword instead of her glaive. Not used to the feel of Griffin being in her hand instead of the usually ever present glaive. She knew, however, that she did have a slight advantage with her extra height.
Her opponent was quick; she could admit to that, most of the time darting around the swinging Griffin, trying to take stabs beneath Kel's defences. These were squire tricks though and Kel easily parried them.
'I really should practice the sword more often, I'm almost beat' Kel thought. She calmly studied her opposition, watching the torso and shoulders for any tell tale signs of what she could expect next.
Seeing the quick thrust to her left side before it actually came, she quickly dodged to the right and started an attack of her own. The soft zing of Griffon cutting through the air towards her opponents left side was all that could be heard, it met no resistance, and only continued to meet air. It seemed her opponent had seen the move coming and had rolled to the right, away from the danger of the sharp edge, coming up just to the side of Kel. Their sword snaking up to kiss the neck of Keladry of Mindelan.
In the absence of the clanging of sword against sword the rough panting of the two could easily be heard.
"Do you yield?"