“I thought you told me you’d had lessons,” she said. “If you don’t want to dishonor your teacher’s memory, get up and let’s do this for real.”
He stood and looked at her more seriously. He did not charge this time, but closed the distance between them slowly until they were just a meter apart. Then he began a series of quick feints and jabs, testing her guard. When he saw an opening he leaped into it—only to find her grabbing his wrist and throwing him over her shoulder. He landed hard on his back and lay still for several minutes while the world settled down around him.
“A little better,” Jade said. “There may be a few old ladies who’d be fooled by that move—or too arthritic to counter it. But if you want to fight Commancors, you’ll have to do a lot better than that.”
Fastal rose unste
