24 Art of Submission (1/2)
”You're Ashley Johnson,” I said to the girl standing opposite me on the training mat. ”You're Ashley Johnson...”
She was older. More mature looking than the teenager I remembered. Also, more beautiful despite the harsh frown on her face.
”You've said that a few times already, kid,” she answered coolly as she curled a lock of brown hair behind her ear. It had been one of the few strands to escape the Katniss Everdeen braid at the back of her head. ”I remember you too.”
Ashley glanced over at Luca who was also looking back at her with recognition.When her sea-green eyes came back to me, they looked me up and down, scrutinizing me from top to bottom.
”You're one of the brothers whose dad died in that car accident,” Ashley said. ”I see you're still short.”
If this girl was trying to pick a fight with me, then she was doing a good job at riling me up. There was no easier way to get me pissed than to remind me of my dad and then make a jab at my height immediately afterward.
”You didn't just call me short,” I growled.
”Pretty sure I did...” There was a smile playing on her lips as she hefted her round wooden shield forward to cover her front. Behind this shield, the shadowblade of Ashley's longsword came to life in a charred blaze. ”Enough talk. Either put up or shut up.”
”Seriously, I'm getting major anger vibes coming from you...” I went into my usual quick-draw stance with my right hand resting lightly on my falchion while my legs bent forward, my left foot positioned behind the right. ”Are you sure fighting's the way to deal with whatever's got you all tense?”
She raised an eyebrow at me. ”You haven't been in the Fayne very long, have you? There's usually not this much talking before a test of strength...”
”Yeah, well, this is my first time as a supplicant,” I answered. ”Wait... what are the rules exactly?”
The answer to my question came from the mouth of the green-lipped shieldmaiden standing just outside the rectangular mat. ”This is a test of strength between the supplicant and the chosen shieldmaiden.”
She raised a finger on her tattooed hand.
”Victory is not required. You will be judged by both the strength of your arms and your ability to do battle.” She sent a glare at her sister shieldmaiden and then to me. ”The match ends when there is a clear victor. Leaving the worship mat before this will automatically disqualify the supplicant.
I glanced down with a raised eyebrow. ”This is called a worship mat?”
”We communicate with the divine through pain,” both the green-lipped shieldmaiden and Ashley responded together.
”Yeah... I figured you would say something like that,” I smiled because, despite my aversion to battles, there was a part of me that loved the thrill of a match. It was something my dad had engraved into my soul with all that training he pushed onto me and Luca. ”Hypothetically, what do I get if I win?”
”You're not going to,” Ashley whispered right before she launched herself at me shield forward like a battering ram.
”Hold on!” I dodged to the right as she came hurtling at me.
This may not have been the wisest choice as her longsword came slicing forward to meet me, and I realized she had baited me into moving into her range. I unsheathed my falchion quickly to meet her sword. Our shadowblades clashed. Sparks flew.
”You didn't say start yet!” I roared at her.
”It is not the supplicant's job to question,” Ashley roared back as she sent her sword forward in a thrust. ”Only to prove yourself!”
I parried her sword with the flat of my falchion and then I stepped forward so that I could send my blade crashing into her armor—but I'd forgotten about the shield on her other hand. It was the same round shield that crashed into my shoulder and pushed me back.
The distance between us widened, and I figured I would have a moment's respite, but then I saw the shield come hurtling at me like some deadly frisbee and I could barely repel it with my falchion.
The shield bounced off my shadowblade and was caught by Ashley as she leaped forward. Her other arm was already swinging down at me with her longsword.
I sent my falchion up to block her shadowblade, and although I was successful in blocking the slash that might have cut me open from the left shoulder down to my waist, I wasn't able to stop the shield that bashed me on my other side.
Bang!
Ashley shoved me forward, and while this unbalanced me, her shield came hurtling at me a second time.
Bang!
I gritted my teeth as the wooden shield struck my shoulder and sent a jolt of pain down my entire left arm.
The shield bounced off my body and flew back into the hand of the shieldmaiden whose other hand had just thrust her sword at me.
I barely had enough time to twist my body out of her way. ”Time out!”
”There is no time out!” she yelled back before throwing her shield at me a third time.
This time my feet had finally found purchase on the mat, and with an angry retort of, ”stop throwing this shield at me like you're Captain America!” I smacked the incoming shield down with both hands grasping my falchion's sword hilt.
The impact sent it clattering to the ground between me and Ashley.