whatsoever, she shifted the blame to someone else’s shoulders. “Fei suggested it. Night!”
Before they could start an argument, she let the curtain fall back into place and retreated to her bedroll near the door. Siobhan put the twin swords at her hip on the ground, resting above her pillow, then shimmied out of the boots, pants, and thick jacket she wore. Now in just thick leggings and a billowy shirt, she felt more comfortable. Siobhan slithered into her blankets with a small smile, more than ready for this day to end.
ӜӜӜ
She awoke to the sounds of battle.
KLANG ching ching shiiing.
What in the—?! Siobhan rolled to her feet, both swords in hand, before she could get her eyes properly open. The blankets wanted to keep her left foot, and she had to shake it free even as she scurried for the door. Whatever was going on seemed to be happening in the front yard, as the noise came from there.
The morning hadn’t really started yet, as the sun barely had its head above the horizon, and most of the world seemed intent on sleeping a little longer. (Siobhan rather agreed with this after taking the third watch.) But Fei and Rune seemed to be of the opinion that if there was light, then it was a good time to fight.
Siobhan stumbled to a stop on the porch and watched with an open mouth as the two men went at each other with ferocious intensity. Fei had his wadoki short sword in one hand, the metal scabbard in the other which he used like a shield, although he hadn’t put on his utility belt. Dare she take that as a sign that this wasn’t meant to be a serious fight?
Rune had the iron gloves she’d retrieved from the Ahbiren on his hands, which covered everything from knuckles to elbow, but other than that she didn’t see a weapon on him. Not that she believed for one second he was unarmed. He could make daggers appear and disappear at will.
Both of them flew back a pace, giving each other some breathing room, and then leapt forward again with a baring of teeth like wolves going at each other’s throats. Fei’s sword sliced through the air with a whistle of noise, Rune catching the edge of the blade on one of his knuckle guards before diverting it away, his free hand coming up in a sharp jab aimed at Fei’s stomach. Somehow Fei blocked it with his scabbard, knocking the fist away, although he grunted at the effort.
They parried and sliced and punched at each other with such speed that Siobhan could barely track it all with her eyes.
Wolf ghosted up behind her and murmured, “Relax. It’s just a test.”
“That’s a test?” she repeated in amazement, unnerved by the ferocity.
“It started out friendlier,” he offered.
“Yes, that makes everything all better,” she retorted acidly. When he chuckled, she shot him a look from the corner of her eye. “If I didn’t know any different, I would say they’re trying to take each other’s heads off.”
Unconcerned, Wolf shrugged.
She rolled her eyes to the heavens, praying for patience. Well, what had she expected? Wolf’s idea of ‘danger’ and hers were as different as moon and sun. Her main question was, why hadn’t Fei called a halt to this? She could tell after ten seconds that Rune had incredible fighting skill. They’d been at this for several minutes.
Clapping her hands loudly, she called, “Alright boys, quit!”
Fei paused with his sword in mid-swing, aiming for Rune’s head. The other man had both hands up in a guard position, and he looked at her over one shoulder in an open pout.
“Awwww,” Rune whined. “It was just getting fun!”
“Yes, that’s why you’re stopping,” she informed him dryly. “I’d rather not have a body on my hands, thank you.”
“We wouldn’t have hurt each other, Siobhan-ajie,” Fei assured her. Much, his tone added.
“Uh-huh.” Siobhan stared him down. Why did she feel like a mother scolding two young boys for playing in the mud? “It’s alright, the two of you can play more after breakfast.”
Fei and Rune perked up.
Rune asked the obvious. “Meani’n it’s time ta go into Sateren?”
“A-yup.” Siobhan checked her mental schedule and realized with a groan that she was in charge of cooking breakfast. Curse all the luck. “Do I need to write a formal note to send along with you?”
“That’d be best,” Rune admitted.
She’d do that after breakfast, then. “So your guards weren’t damaged in any way?” she pointed her