throat if you have a shot. Both spots are almost always unprotected and a strike to either can be deadly in the extreme.”
Ayela worked on her technique, carefully following Isabel’s instructions for handling the knife—how to hold it, when to choose a thrust over a slice, how to conceal a drawn blade to gain the element of surprise.
“Remember, regardless of how damaging a point of attack is, it’s better to draw blood than wait for the perfect opening. Wounding your enemy weakens them. If you’re down and the only shot you have is to stab them in the side of the leg, then do it. If you’re on the defensive and all you can manage is a slash along the outer arm, then do it. Cut your enemy when and where you can.
“Once you’ve committed to the fight, give them no mercy, no quarter, and feel no remorse. Press any advantage you have with single-minded determination and don’t let up until you’re certain the enemy is finished. Even when they look defeated, strike again just to be sure.”
After Ayela had learned the basics of a number of thrusting and slicing attacks, Isabel started working those techniques into combinations, targeting first the arm, then moving in for more ruinous parts of the body. She worked on several multiple-strike combinations at low speed, focusing on accuracy until Ayela was comfortable with the series of movements, then began increasing the speed of the movements until Ayela was dripping with sweat.
As evening fell, she stopped her relentless drilling and smiled at the young Princess of Karth. “You’ve done well today.”
“Thank you, Isabel. I learned so much. I’m already starting to see how to string one technique after the other to create different combinations and how it all depends on the enemy, what they’re armed with, if they have armor, how they move, where they’re standing in relation to me … there are just so many factors.”
“That’s why the basics are important,” Isabel said. “Master those and you’ll be able to apply them to any situation you face.”
Ayela nodded. “I’m so tired, but I can’t imagine I’ll sleep a wink tonight with all of these new ideas floating around in my head.”
“You might be surprised,” Isabel said. “Honestly, the best way to really absorb everything you’ve learned today is to put it out of your mind. Stop thinking about it and let your mind absorb it. You’ll be surprised how much clearer these lessons will be tomorrow.”
They found Hector and Horace in the cottage cooking dinner under Hazel’s close supervision. Isabel suddenly thought it odd that Hazel seemed to want to be close to the brothers, almost as if her charm spell required proximity. She made a mental note on her way to the table.
Chapter 35
The next three days passed slowly for Isabel. She was becoming increasingly anxious to be on her way, but Hazel steadfastly maintained that the soldiers were still camped in the vicinity, apparently believing that Isabel and her friends were hiding in the swamp and choosing to wait them out. Hazel didn’t seem concerned about the matter, going about the business of directing Hector and Horace in nearly a dozen projects around her little sanctuary, from mending the roof of her cottage to tilling compost into several garden plots.
Isabel used the time to teach Ayela everything she could about fighting. Ayela was a quick learner but there was only so much a person could learn in such a short period of time. Isabel focused on drilling a number of basic attacks with a knife, knowing full well that learning how to fight was as much about teaching the mind as it was about teaching the muscles and tendons of the body to perform complex movements in a blink. That took time and practice—a fact that Ayela accepted with resignation after discovering how grueling knife-fighting drills were.
She kept at it though. Isabel admired her dedication and drive. Ayela wanted these skills enough to do the work. Isabel had no doubt she would succeed in becoming quite effective with a blade, just not anytime soon. Mastery took years of work. Isabel had started drilling with the Rangers when she was fourteen and remembered all too well how difficult the exercises could be.
The morning of the next day, Isabel could tell that Ayela wanted to say something but was reluctant. Once Hector and Horace had gone to work under the watchful eye of Hazel, Isabel smiled at Ayela.