Famod had fallen. With fellow orphan Nib, Lellie barely escaped the sack of the port and its attendant horrors. Where now? Could they reach sanctuary and a new life? Across the hills lay Tesra, the ancient City of Wizardry. It seemed the only choice.
There, on the shores of the inland sea, they come under the protection and tutelage of Zil, merchant and spy. Lellie finds a purpose she had not known, learning the ways of the sword and much more, all while discovering her own self as she becomes a young woman.
Excerpt:
The two halted their exercise to come give her a looking over. “A common girl of the streets,” said one. “And a Mur.”
“But she was with Master Zil,” objected the other.
The boy dismissed this with a sneer. “Some urchin he found and is going to take home to scrub his floors. Isn’t that right, little girl?”
“Don’t Punny—”
Lellie held up a hand to stop him. She looked rather imperious doing so, she felt. “I’m going to be a student,” she proclaimed.
An angry frown appeared on the boy’s face. He’d probably hoped to do no more than bully her a little. “Then it’s time for your first lesson,” he hissed. “Give her your stick, Hiul.”
He appeared reluctant to do so but Lellie held out her hand for it.
The boy was grinning but she kept her face expressionless. Let him guess what she was thinking. Maybe he’d think she was scared and be overconfident. Lellie knew little of swords but somewhat of stick-fighting. And she had watched these two—yes, and the fight in Zil’s house—and had an inkling of the sort of moves she might expect.
That was just the position Zil took when he killed the second assassin. This Punny was only posturing though, she was pretty sure. He would swing at her, not thrust. She held her wooden sword—several slender staves bound together—before her, allowing its tip to waver. Now, let it drop a bit and see if this big, stupid-looking fish takes the bait.
He swung. Maybe not that hard; Lellie had the fleeting thought that his heart might not be in it. She responded by turning her weapon sideways, grasping it at both ends, and deflecting the blow. It was hard enough to sting her hands a little. At once she stepped in and caught him on the cheek with the butt of her sword.
Surprise? Pain? No time to think about that. As the boy stepped back, she let her shaft fall between his knees and pushed forward, bringing him face-first onto the ground, his own weapon gone flying. As he rose to hands and knees, Lellie couldn’t resist giving him a swat on the rear. Not too hard, of course!
There, on the shores of the inland sea, they come under the protection and tutelage of Zil, merchant and spy. Lellie finds a purpose she had not known, learning the ways of the sword and much more, all while discovering her own self as she becomes a young woman.
Excerpt:
The two halted their exercise to come give her a looking over. “A common girl of the streets,” said one. “And a Mur.”
“But she was with Master Zil,” objected the other.
The boy dismissed this with a sneer. “Some urchin he found and is going to take home to scrub his floors. Isn’t that right, little girl?”
“Don’t Punny—”
Lellie held up a hand to stop him. She looked rather imperious doing so, she felt. “I’m going to be a student,” she proclaimed.
An angry frown appeared on the boy’s face. He’d probably hoped to do no more than bully her a little. “Then it’s time for your first lesson,” he hissed. “Give her your stick, Hiul.”
He appeared reluctant to do so but Lellie held out her hand for it.
The boy was grinning but she kept her face expressionless. Let him guess what she was thinking. Maybe he’d think she was scared and be overconfident. Lellie knew little of swords but somewhat of stick-fighting. And she had watched these two—yes, and the fight in Zil’s house—and had an inkling of the sort of moves she might expect.
That was just the position Zil took when he killed the second assassin. This Punny was only posturing though, she was pretty sure. He would swing at her, not thrust. She held her wooden sword—several slender staves bound together—before her, allowing its tip to waver. Now, let it drop a bit and see if this big, stupid-looking fish takes the bait.
He swung. Maybe not that hard; Lellie had the fleeting thought that his heart might not be in it. She responded by turning her weapon sideways, grasping it at both ends, and deflecting the blow. It was hard enough to sting her hands a little. At once she stepped in and caught him on the cheek with the butt of her sword.
Surprise? Pain? No time to think about that. As the boy stepped back, she let her shaft fall between his knees and pushed forward, bringing him face-first onto the ground, his own weapon gone flying. As he rose to hands and knees, Lellie couldn’t resist giving him a swat on the rear. Not too hard, of course!