Jean Lorrah - Flight to Savage Empire

“No,” said Trel, “not against these lords. That was what those four Adepts tried only last year, when they attacked Lady Aradia. She escaped to Zendi, and the rest of the alliance rallied immediately to the defense as a unit. It was the attackers who lost their lives.”

“Yes-but what if they had kept her separate- attacked when the others could not come to the rescue of a single member? That seems to be what Seriak plans.”

“Who?” asked Trel.

“A new bandit leader. He’s only a minor Adept, but he’s wily. He’s already gathered over a hundred men around him, and they’ve taken an area in the hills up in the land of the Blue Lion, either killing or absorbing the hill bandits. The Lady Lilith may be their intended target. Her castle is far from the lands of her allies-but of course she has her own retainers, and her son Ivorn is said to be developing rapidly into a Lord Adept in his own right. I doubt Seriak would try until he has more Adept talents in league with him-but he is someone we must watch. “

Astra agreed. “Can you tell me where he is?”

“I’ll show you-you are a Magister Reader, are you not?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“I thought so. I wouldn’t dare go so far out of body alone, but you won’t get disoriented.”

“Wait,” she said. “You can go out of body? You said you were put on the Path of the Dark Moon when you were just a boy.”

“And deserved it,” he replied. “But a man learns to do what he has to-and to save my people I had to make my small abilities stretch. I Read best out of body-but I dare not go far, and I’ve never tried to reach another plane for fear I couldn’t find my way back.”

“You are very brave,” she said. “I cannot imagine any Reader trying to learn such a thing alone. When you are rested, we will travel together to where this Seriak is, and find out what he is plotting.”

While Javik slept after his long journey, Zanos proceeded with Astra’s lessons in swordsmanship. Trel had found a light sword she could wield without straining her arms, and Zanos began teaching her to use it, trying to remember when he had been an adolescent boy just beginning his training as a gladiator, before he had developed the strength of maturity.

But a woman was built differently from a boy. Astra did very well in the school exercises, but once they exchanged real swords for wooden weapons in a practice match, he found that Astra’s arms were too weak to allow her to deflect more than a few blows before he could simply beat her sword down with sheer strength.

“That’s not fair!” Astra protested, panting.

“Of course it’s not fair!’ Zanos told her. “Do you think some hill bandit is going to treat you with courtesy?

Astra, use your advantage-I’m not using Adept power. Can’t you Read what I’m going to do and counter it?”

Astra tried-he could see that she did know what he was about to do-but her responses were too slow. “You’re thinking about it,” he told her. “Don’t think-act. Think with your body, not your brain!”

Still she was too slow. He struck her time after time, raising welts on her arms and legs-and when he stabbed at her chest, instead of parrying his thrust she stepped back, trying to shield herself.

“Astra!” he said in annoyance. “You’re wearing enough padding to stop a real sword!”

“It still hurts!” she insisted.

“Of course it does,” Kimma suddenly spoke up. She had been watching them for some time now.

“Zanos, have you ever tried to train a woman to fight before?”

“No-of course not,” he replied.

“Well, we’ve got different instincts from men,” she told him, “because our anatomy is different.”

“I’ve noticed,” he said wryly.

“No-you haven’t,” insisted Kimma. “Every time you strike Astra’s chest padding, it bruises her breasts-and a woman’s instinct is to protect them. Astra, may I borrow that sword?”

“With pleasure,” Astra replied.

“Let me show you how to take advantage of a man’s instincts,” she said. “Remember-we are definitely not bound here by any rules of fair play.”

Intrigued, Zanos faced off against Kimma. She was about the same size as Astra, but had the strength brought on by her life-style. Still, she was certainly no match for him in muscle power. So… she didn’t try to be. She stayed on the move, darting in and out, making him twist and turn to keep up with her.

“Woman may not have men’s strength,” said Kimma, “but we have endurance. Zanos is arena-trained-I probably can’t wear him down this way, but I could most ordinary men.”

Zanos agreed. “A valuable lesson, Kimma. Thank you.”

But the lesson wasn’t over. Suddenly Kimma ceased dancing about, and began to strike at Zanos as if she were trying to finish off a tiring opponent. But he was not tired. Easily, he deflected blow after blow until-

Kimma struck high, as if slashing at Zanos’ throat. As he lifted his sword to counter her, she suddenly swung wide and came in under his guard-straight toward his vitals!

The pain, the horror of the day he had been wounded there, was on him in a flash of terrified memory-he lowered his sword instinctively to protect his manhood-

And Kimma’s sword sruck him so hard in the center of his chest that despite the padding he was knocked back a pace, stumbled over the tree stump, and landed on his backside with bruising force.

In utter disbelief, he just sat staring up at the woman who-had the fight been real-would have just killed the undefeated champion of the Aventine Empire!

Kimma looked over to where Zanos’ wife stood watching in wide-eyed astonishment. “And that, Astra, is how a woman gets a man to drop his guard. ‘

Blind male instinct rushed through Zanos-he wanted to grab Kimma and strangle her!

But a gladiator who survived was one who learned his lessons with good grace. He felt the hot flush of his skin turn from fury to embarrassment-could almost feel his wife Reading him for fear that something besides his pride had been wounded.

Suddenly it was as if he could see the scene from outside himself, the ridiculous figure he cut, sitting there helpless before the savage swordswoman-

And he burst out laughing. “Kimma,” he said as he climbed to his feet, “I said we can’t count on our opponents fighting fair-but you’ve reminded me of what that really means!”

Astra came to him and touched his arm-as if

Reading were not enough to reassure her that he was all right. Then she turned to Kimma. “You don’t understand-Zanos was once actually wounded that way. His reaction-”

“No, Astra,” he assured her. “Any man would react the same way. It is pure instinct-and the move is one no man would use against another, knowing what it would provoke. When Sporius wounded me, it wasn’t deliberate. He meant to disembowel me, but I made a misstep dodging his blow and- Never mind. I don’t want to remember.

“But my point is this: the threat of permanent damage is quite different from a knee to the groin in street fighting. That traditional low blow is so painful that the recipient often passes out-but there is no permanent damage. You threaten a man with a knife or sword, though, and you rouse his most primitive response.

“I killed Sporius. Accident or no, he had dealt an illegal blow and the match was mine-but I could not think. I merely reacted. He had dropped his guard in horror at what he had done. I had my sword in my hand, but I dropped it-and I broke his neck with my bare hands before the officials could reach us to stop the match. Only after that did I pass out.”

Astra was staring at him. Kimma said, “Astra, what your husband is saying is that if you use this technique to make your opponent drop his guard, you must kill him. Otherwise, he will kill you.” She turned to Zanos, swallowing hard. “My apologies. I knew you had the discipline of a gladiator, and so trusted you to react as you did, since of course I didn’t actually touch you. If I had known of your injury, though, I would never-” She blushed crimson. “Oh, Zanos-I am so sorry!”