Alara Unbroken - Doug Beyer [45]
She turned and brought the steel to bear, facing the older knights all around her—her caste equals, but her rank subordinates.
“Let’s have another,” she said. “Knight Mardis, your turn.”
“Yes, Knight-Captain,” said Mardis. “Go get her, Mardis! Avenge us!” the other knights cheered.
Elspeth circled Mardis, watching his form. He was quite a bit older, fully a man, and had spent more years in the saddle than she had walking upright. He probably thought her just a child. But she saw beads of sweat breaking on his forehead. It wasn’t going to be easy overcoming his greater weight and strength, especially without magic. She would have to look for an opening. Him sweating was a good start.
“Bring your elbows in, Mardis,” she said. “I can see daylight between your sword arm and your side. That’s a flaw in your defenses.”
“Yes, Knight-Captain.” He took her seriously.
“And watch your footwork! Don’t stamp around, and don’t shuffle. Come up onto the balls of your feet.”
He looked down to check his foot position, and Elspeth cut a sharp maneuver with her sword arm, snapping her blade against his helmet. He recoiled and parried it away, but it was far too late. His helmet rang like a bell. The other knights laughed and hooted.
“She got you with the footwork! Come on, Mardis!”
Elspeth saw Knight Mardis’s eyes narrow through his helmet. It was the right time, she thought. He would overcommit, and she’d have her chance to overcome his power with her quickness. She flexed her fingers, letting the hilt of her sword slide into its most comfortable position, balanced in the crooks of her fingers with her thumbs bearing the weight lightly but surely. Her eyes watched Mardis’s every movement as they arced around each other inside the ring of knights. A drop of sweat fell from his helmet.
He lunged. She let him advance, giving his blade almost enough time to strike her pauldron, but then twisted her chin at the final moment, letting her body roll with it and circle around. His blade went by in a straight line, pulling Mardis with its momentum as she twisted fully around to build her own. For an instant her opponent was out of sight, and then she saw him again, still lunging but trying to recover his balance. It was enough—his center of gravity was thrown so far off that a single impact would fell him. When she swung her sword around, it clapped against his leg plate and swept his legs out from under him. His arms flailed as he collapsed, sending his sword flying straight up into the air. Knight Mardis dumped face first into the grass, not even trying to get up. His humiliation was complete.
He doesn’t see his sword still tumbling end over end in the air above him, Elspeth realized. It’s going to come right back down on him. Stupid Bant armor, no back protection …
Without thinking, she shouted a protection spell to save him.
NAYA
Ajani’s eyes opened slowly. His mouth was dry. Had it been hanging open? Had he been asleep? What time was it? What day was it?
He slowly came to. He realized his body was in a heap on a rocky outcropping on the side of the cliff. The sun shone down on him. His right arm was lying at an odd angle across his chest—probably a dislocated shoulder. He lay on top of his left arm, which had most likely taken the brunt of the impact, and was certainly broken, probably in multiple places. His legs? Were they there? He tried to raise his head to look, but a wave of pain washed over him, so he didn’t try any further. He tried to move his legs, but couldn’t feel them. Was his back broken? If he was alive to ponder the question, he decided, then it couldn’t be.
Still, he felt like a shattered toy. As long as he lay there, he strangely felt nothing, no pain, no shortness of breath. He mostly felt thirsty. How long had he lain there? Was he dehydrated,