Read Online Mercenary Little Death Bringer by Catherine Banks - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Catherine Banks
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techniques
until you learn them,” Micah called teasingly.
The student still standing circled me and I
stood loose and ready for his attack. “You’re not as good as you
think you are,” he said bitterly.
“I never said I was good,” I answered
seriously.
“Your confident attitude says it for
you.”
I smiled. “I’m not confident, just calm and
prepared for anything you throw at me.”
He snarled and kicked sand up at my face,
trying to blind me. I dashed backwards and wiped at my eyes trying
to see him before he got within striking distance. The crowd booed
and I heard Master Sean curse angrily. I finally got the sand out
of my eyes and found the boy circling me silently. I pretended to
still be blind and swung wildly with my sword in the opposite
direction as the boy. He smiled smugly and dashed forward,
expecting to catch me off guard from his dirty play. I spun around
and blocked his blow, elbowing him in the face at the same time and
then pressed my sword to his throat. “Cheap tricks don’t work,” I
said with a smile.
“You’re a fool,” Master Sean said, “And an
embarrassment for using such a dirty trick.”
I finished wiping my eyes out and faced
Master Sean. “Third years?” I guessed.
He smiled. “Yes. Multiple opponents.”
“Wonderful,” I said as four muscular kids
climbed down from the railing.
The kids spread out to form a square around
me and took loose ready stances. They were obviously better trained
than the other kids I’d fought so far, but that made sense because
they were third years. “Begin,” Master Sean said.
Unlike before, no one moved. I turned slowly
to be able to look at everyone as they kept their cool in statue
stances. I took a deep breath and then they moved at once. I
couldn’t think of moves ahead of time because they attacked too
quickly. In what seemed like an hour, but was really only a couple
of minutes, I finally defeated all of them. I leaned over, taking
deep breaths and trying to calm myself. My heart was beating faster
than normal and a weird fire burned inside of me at the
exhilaration of the fighting.
“Whoa,” one of the students on the railing
said, “I didn’t even see how she did that.”
Students walked out to help the third years
off of the sand and to tend to the few cuts I’d opened when
punching them.
“Fourth year,” Master Sean called.
“Archery.”
Finally I could take a break from fighting. I
sheathed my sword and squatted down to rest my legs a bit. I wasn’t
very good at archery so this test had me the most nervous. I could
handle myself in a fight, but standing still and aiming at a target
one hundred yards away was not my strong suit.
Master Martin walked out into the arena and
handed me a bow and quiver of arrows. “Do your best.”
“I always do,” I said as I positioned the
quiver on my back and faced the target which had been placed at the
other end of the arena.
A tall skinny guy whom I’d met, but couldn’t
remember his name, walked out with a bow and quiver to stand next
to me. He held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Tristan. Good luck,
Marin.”
I smiled and shook his hand. “Same to you,
Tristan.”
He took an arrow out and aimed carefully. I
found myself holding my breath with him and for some reason
actually rooting for him. Had I injured my brain during my
training?
He released the string and the arrow whizzed
down the arena. A few of the students whistled in appreciation and
then several cheered as the arrow hit the perfect center of the
target.
“Well hell,” I whispered, “I’m not going to
be able to top that.”
I aimed carefully and released the bow’s
string. The arrow sailed down the arena and landed two inches to
the right of Tristan’s. A couple kids laughed and others clapped
encouragingly.
Tristan shrugged. “You’re close. You tilt
your shoulder when you release your string. Try focusing on keeping
your body completely still, like stone and you’ll do
until you learn them,” Micah called teasingly.
The student still standing circled me and I
stood loose and ready for his attack. “You’re not as good as you
think you are,” he said bitterly.
“I never said I was good,” I answered
seriously.
“Your confident attitude says it for
you.”
I smiled. “I’m not confident, just calm and
prepared for anything you throw at me.”
He snarled and kicked sand up at my face,
trying to blind me. I dashed backwards and wiped at my eyes trying
to see him before he got within striking distance. The crowd booed
and I heard Master Sean curse angrily. I finally got the sand out
of my eyes and found the boy circling me silently. I pretended to
still be blind and swung wildly with my sword in the opposite
direction as the boy. He smiled smugly and dashed forward,
expecting to catch me off guard from his dirty play. I spun around
and blocked his blow, elbowing him in the face at the same time and
then pressed my sword to his throat. “Cheap tricks don’t work,” I
said with a smile.
“You’re a fool,” Master Sean said, “And an
embarrassment for using such a dirty trick.”
I finished wiping my eyes out and faced
Master Sean. “Third years?” I guessed.
He smiled. “Yes. Multiple opponents.”
“Wonderful,” I said as four muscular kids
climbed down from the railing.
The kids spread out to form a square around
me and took loose ready stances. They were obviously better trained
than the other kids I’d fought so far, but that made sense because
they were third years. “Begin,” Master Sean said.
Unlike before, no one moved. I turned slowly
to be able to look at everyone as they kept their cool in statue
stances. I took a deep breath and then they moved at once. I
couldn’t think of moves ahead of time because they attacked too
quickly. In what seemed like an hour, but was really only a couple
of minutes, I finally defeated all of them. I leaned over, taking
deep breaths and trying to calm myself. My heart was beating faster
than normal and a weird fire burned inside of me at the
exhilaration of the fighting.
“Whoa,” one of the students on the railing
said, “I didn’t even see how she did that.”
Students walked out to help the third years
off of the sand and to tend to the few cuts I’d opened when
punching them.
“Fourth year,” Master Sean called.
“Archery.”
Finally I could take a break from fighting. I
sheathed my sword and squatted down to rest my legs a bit. I wasn’t
very good at archery so this test had me the most nervous. I could
handle myself in a fight, but standing still and aiming at a target
one hundred yards away was not my strong suit.
Master Martin walked out into the arena and
handed me a bow and quiver of arrows. “Do your best.”
“I always do,” I said as I positioned the
quiver on my back and faced the target which had been placed at the
other end of the arena.
A tall skinny guy whom I’d met, but couldn’t
remember his name, walked out with a bow and quiver to stand next
to me. He held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Tristan. Good luck,
Marin.”
I smiled and shook his hand. “Same to you,
Tristan.”
He took an arrow out and aimed carefully. I
found myself holding my breath with him and for some reason
actually rooting for him. Had I injured my brain during my
training?
He released the string and the arrow whizzed
down the arena. A few of the students whistled in appreciation and
then several cheered as the arrow hit the perfect center of the
target.
“Well hell,” I whispered, “I’m not going to
be able to top that.”
I aimed carefully and released the bow’s
string. The arrow sailed down the arena and landed two inches to
the right of Tristan’s. A couple kids laughed and others clapped
encouragingly.
Tristan shrugged. “You’re close. You tilt
your shoulder when you release your string. Try focusing on keeping
your body completely still, like stone and you’ll do
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