Queen of Embers

XV. A Quiet Talk

"Get her!" Vridash boomed cheerfully.

Sorne would have rolled her eyes, but she was currently keeping them fixed on Vipsania. For all the western woman's protestations that she could barely fight alone, she was doing a game job of fending Sorne off. If this was Vipsania out of her element, Sorne wasn't certain she was ready to see Vipsania in formation.

They were both using sword and shield, as Sorne felt it was fairer to leave her spear and meet Vipsania on equal ground. The weapons were wooden, practice swords borrowed from the training equipment back in Mauléon. Vipsania had covered the edges of their blades in chalk, so it would leave outlines where they struck. That allowed for lighter swings. Sorne also wasn't using any chants, as she could hold her own without them and she didn't want to kill Vipsania.

Sorne stepped in again, blade darting out from behind her shield to strike at Vipsania. She kept her shield protecting her hands, pivoting around her arm as she moved to protect herself from a counterattack.

Vipsania switched her grip on her sword, transferring it to her other hand in the blink of an eye. She grabbed Sorne's sword by the blade and twisted as she pulled, her grip strong enough that her hand didn't slide at all. Even if they had been using bare blades, she wouldn't have been cut with how she held it. Sorne was already extended, which meant she was weaker, and so the western woman pulled the sword right out of her hand. She tossed it to the side, out of the ring.

As soon as Vipsania was in motion to throw, Sorne lunged. The western woman was distracted, if only barely. Sorne closed distance and slammed her shield into Vipsania's hard enough to throw her off balance. Knowing that the western woman would just recover if allowed breathing room, Sorne hooked her shield behind Vipsania's and pulled her in the opposite direction, still off balance. It was a lesson she'd learned from her mentors in the north: balance disruption makes it impossible for a foe to generate power. She threw the western woman over her hip, hitting her with the hard-packed earth.

Vipsana spun on the ground with just enough force to sweep Sorne's legs out from under her. Sorne twisted as she fell so that she landed hard on Vipsania. The wheeze from the western woman was audible. Sorne slipped off her shield while Vipsania was trying to get her breath back and drew the knife she was wearing at the back of her belt. It had been bound with leather and chalked just like their swords. Vipsania was in the uncomfortable position that was being pinned to the ground by her shield and held sword, along with Sorne's weight. She twisted and tried to throw Sorne off, but Sorne was well-trained in the art of ground-fighting and kept her seat.

Sorne's dagger buried in the sand next to Vipsania's head. "You are so much trouble," Sorne said through her hard breathing. They were apparently about equal in skill, which meant they were both working for it. This had been their first opportunity to actually spar and figure out the other person's fighting style.

"I try," Vipsania said, relaxing now that it was over. "You hit like a trebuchet. My bruises have their own little bruises."

Sorne grinned as she got up. "I try." She held out her hand to Vipsania so that the soldier had assistance, not that she thought Vipsania really needed the help. It was a gesture of courtesy.

Vipsania took her hand and levered herself up from the ground. If she was still winded, it barely showed. She didn't wince with any movement. "Amused?" she said, eyeing Vridash and Zhou. Ekaitz was off helping Sir Elkano with the organization of their little force, most of whom were resting. Vipsania had chosen the soldiers most capable of their current task. Their base of operations was an ancient fort near the road from Soule to Mauléon, long forgotten due to a combination of decay and the hidden nature of the fort. It was carved into a cliffside shielded by several other natural rock formations.