Read Online Aranya (Shapeshifter Dragons) by Marc Secchia - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marc Secchia
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I’m here to fight.”
Aranya bit her lip. She had to go through with this.
Silently, the two girls shucked their warm outer robes and stepped onto the cool, fire-lit sand. Zuziana, like her, had chosen a close fitting under-tunic and knee-length under-shorts, allowing a freedom of movement the traditional long dress for Island women would only obstruct.
Zip twirled the staff above her head, limbering up her back and shoulders. “Ready?”
Aranya stretched her back. Her crysglass cuts from the battle with the windroc had healed well, but still felt a little stiff, especially in the mornings. Beri said there was hardly a scar to be seen. She wondered if that was another effect of her healing power–perhaps when she poured strength into Beri after the snakebite? Another weirdness. She sighed inwardly.
The hard point of Zip’s staff thumped her chest. “Ready?”
She was so irritating!
The two girls circled, testing each other with sharp blows. As Aranya had suspected, Zip was fast–very fast–and capable. She handled her ironwood staff with ease, whirling it from attack to attack with hypnotising suppleness and speed. Aranya received a clout on her thumb and a thump on the bone atop her left shoulder. She speared Zuziana in the ribs in riposte. The staves fell into a click-clack rhythm, faster and faster, whirling through the cool, motionless air of the fighting arena to fall upon each other in thrust and parry. Aranya wondered if Sylakian warriors had once trained here, or if it had been a gladiator-pit. The Sylakians were ridiculously proud of their gladiators. There was one tournament where fights were to the death.
Her inattention earned her a bruising blow on her knee cap.
“Awake now?” Zip taunted her. “Warmed up? Ready for the real battle to commence?”
Aranya rested her staff in the sand for a moment, renewing her grip on the wood. The staff was as tall as she was. She could keep Zip at bay with her longer reach, but the wretched girl buzzed around her like a pesky wasp on a hot summer’s day.
Without further ado, Zuziana dove into the attack. No jest. That really had been the warm-up, for her. A scowl creased the petite little face as Zip’s staff picked up speed, blurring around her head and shoulders. Her own staff jerked this way and that, trapping the blows, skittering and rasping as she pushed Zuziana away, only to have her fingers thoroughly mashed for her trouble. Smack! Her knee collapsed and Aranya went down.
Zip stepped back. “Enough, your lady-ship?”
The pun was blatant; Zip comparing her to a Dragonship. Fire smouldered dangerously within her. Again, the torches around the room flickered as though a sudden breeze had entered that dead, forgotten chamber.
She leaped to her feet. “I thought you were th rough with the talking, sparrow?”
They clashed furiously, driving in hard, swinging the ironwood staves with intent to break fingers and snap ribs. Around and around they battled. Their breaths started to come in gasps. Aranya’s longer arms kept Zip ineffective for periods of time, but the smaller girl was a ferocious fighter and simply would not give up. Aranya launched a powerful overhead attack, beating Zuziana to her knees with a flurry of blows, but she wriggled free and riposted, deflecting Aranya’s staff into the sand before kicking her in the stomach.
“Oof!”
Zip leaped in; Aranya swept horizontally with her staff as she rolled head-over-heels across the sand. All she collected was a mouthful of dust. Zuziana thrashed her three times on the back of her legs. Aranya broke away quickly, coughing and spitting.
“Like … your spanking?” panted the smaller girl.
Aranya flung a handful of sand into her face.
“Hey!”
She pounded Zuziana in the ribs, but her follow-up blow missed. Aranya tripped her up by trapping her toes with the point of her staff, before throwing herself on her opponent, sinking her knee into her stomach, and forcing her staff
Aranya bit her lip. She had to go through with this.
Silently, the two girls shucked their warm outer robes and stepped onto the cool, fire-lit sand. Zuziana, like her, had chosen a close fitting under-tunic and knee-length under-shorts, allowing a freedom of movement the traditional long dress for Island women would only obstruct.
Zip twirled the staff above her head, limbering up her back and shoulders. “Ready?”
Aranya stretched her back. Her crysglass cuts from the battle with the windroc had healed well, but still felt a little stiff, especially in the mornings. Beri said there was hardly a scar to be seen. She wondered if that was another effect of her healing power–perhaps when she poured strength into Beri after the snakebite? Another weirdness. She sighed inwardly.
The hard point of Zip’s staff thumped her chest. “Ready?”
She was so irritating!
The two girls circled, testing each other with sharp blows. As Aranya had suspected, Zip was fast–very fast–and capable. She handled her ironwood staff with ease, whirling it from attack to attack with hypnotising suppleness and speed. Aranya received a clout on her thumb and a thump on the bone atop her left shoulder. She speared Zuziana in the ribs in riposte. The staves fell into a click-clack rhythm, faster and faster, whirling through the cool, motionless air of the fighting arena to fall upon each other in thrust and parry. Aranya wondered if Sylakian warriors had once trained here, or if it had been a gladiator-pit. The Sylakians were ridiculously proud of their gladiators. There was one tournament where fights were to the death.
Her inattention earned her a bruising blow on her knee cap.
“Awake now?” Zip taunted her. “Warmed up? Ready for the real battle to commence?”
Aranya rested her staff in the sand for a moment, renewing her grip on the wood. The staff was as tall as she was. She could keep Zip at bay with her longer reach, but the wretched girl buzzed around her like a pesky wasp on a hot summer’s day.
Without further ado, Zuziana dove into the attack. No jest. That really had been the warm-up, for her. A scowl creased the petite little face as Zip’s staff picked up speed, blurring around her head and shoulders. Her own staff jerked this way and that, trapping the blows, skittering and rasping as she pushed Zuziana away, only to have her fingers thoroughly mashed for her trouble. Smack! Her knee collapsed and Aranya went down.
Zip stepped back. “Enough, your lady-ship?”
The pun was blatant; Zip comparing her to a Dragonship. Fire smouldered dangerously within her. Again, the torches around the room flickered as though a sudden breeze had entered that dead, forgotten chamber.
She leaped to her feet. “I thought you were th rough with the talking, sparrow?”
They clashed furiously, driving in hard, swinging the ironwood staves with intent to break fingers and snap ribs. Around and around they battled. Their breaths started to come in gasps. Aranya’s longer arms kept Zip ineffective for periods of time, but the smaller girl was a ferocious fighter and simply would not give up. Aranya launched a powerful overhead attack, beating Zuziana to her knees with a flurry of blows, but she wriggled free and riposted, deflecting Aranya’s staff into the sand before kicking her in the stomach.
“Oof!”
Zip leaped in; Aranya swept horizontally with her staff as she rolled head-over-heels across the sand. All she collected was a mouthful of dust. Zuziana thrashed her three times on the back of her legs. Aranya broke away quickly, coughing and spitting.
“Like … your spanking?” panted the smaller girl.
Aranya flung a handful of sand into her face.
“Hey!”
She pounded Zuziana in the ribs, but her follow-up blow missed. Aranya tripped her up by trapping her toes with the point of her staff, before throwing herself on her opponent, sinking her knee into her stomach, and forcing her staff
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