Forged Destiny [Book 4: Ch. 9]

With a flutter of red cloth Cinder charged in.

Her speed surprised me like it had before, but this time I was ready for it and focused on my footwork, stepping back and raising my hilt to catch her blade. Diverting it high, I thrust forward for her chest, but she swayed away and chopped low to my legs. Crocea Mors clashed against her sword, swept low and to the side, and I tried to step in and ram the pommel into her chest. She saw it, however, and skipped away with a delicate flourish.

When it came to speed, she had the edge, but that was hardly new. Just about everyone did who I was used to fighting with, and I'd learned to adapt. The answer to incredible speed was a strong defence and I focused on that, keeping my sword up and angled down towards her. From that position, with the steel blade diagonally across my body, I could defend and attack at the same time – catching her weapon on my guard, or the lower part of my blade, while driving the tip towards her.

If anything, it felt a little easier to move without my armour restricting me. I felt naked, but also a little lighter on my feet. It was refreshing.

"You have a good defence," Cinder complimented, probing it with a quick thrust towards my face. My parry was clean, my counter-attack cleaner, but the way she wrapped her blade about mine and pushed it to one side?

That felt the cleanest.

She drove an elbow into my gut, and then a second, our swords locked to the side and our wrists entangled. With a growl, I pressed a knee into her back and pushed away, using my overwhelming Strength to tear my sword free from hers. We backed apart and inspected one another, me keeping my sword before me, she with hers held lazily by her side.

—Forged Destiny [Book 4: Ch. 9]