CHAPTER 11
Longinus and Rory waited for night to fall before going to Bayog. To pass the time, they sparred with blunted blades. The girl made her usual grunting noises, focusing so intently that she contorted her face into ridiculous expressions, while Longinus corrected her footwork, her stance, her technique.
“Good!” he exclaimed when she executed an excellent parry. Rory grinned, and Longinus smiled in turn.
“Not long till I’m —” Rory continued with a passable attempt at Crayster’s attack — “the best swordswoman in —”
Longinus deflected easily and sent her sword clattering to the ground. Rory scowled at first, then broke into a laugh.
“Clearly a while to go yet,” she said, picking up the training rapier.
Although he wouldn’t have admitted it, Longinus felt proud of the girl: she
