that every stroke rang out like a bell across the room.
“How did you do that?” I asked her finally.
“Tennis. I’m on the team at home.” She pushed her hair out of her face and raised her sword above her head, mimicking an overhand serve. “Some of the movements are the same.”
So, I didn’t even have being new as an excuse.
I was terrible . I couldn’t believe it. Usually, I picked up new sports so easily.
“Pathetic attempts—the lot of you. None of you would stand a chance if war came upon us again,” Hansel bellowed. “Villains aren’t going to be nice enough to let you pick your sword up after they’ve knocked it from your hands. Do you expect mercy from the likes of General Searcaster?”
I rolled my eyes. It didn’t work if you tried to scare people.
“They say she plucked out her own eye—sacrificed it for her mistress’s magic.” Hansel corrected the stance of a tenth-grade boy and moved on. “Do you think a fierce giantess like that would hesitate to slay you if you made it easy?”
Gulping, I blocked another strike from the witch dummy. Maybeit did work a little. The eye comment, especially.
“And you’ve heard of Iron Hans, I’m sure,” Hansel lowered his voice to a rasping whisper. “He’s a Character, maybe even the oldest still alive—ten centuries or so. A huge wild man, covered in hair, with skin the blackish-gray of iron. No blade can pierce it. They say he escaped from a Fey prison, just a few months ago. If you ever meet this villain, you should turn around and run the other way. None of you are good enough to face him.”
If possible, my palms got even sweatier.
“He always carries the same weapon, an enormous double-headed ax, almost as old as he is,” said Hansel. “With one blow, he can behead a man in full armor. With two, he can fell a castle wall. In the final battle alone, defending the rooms where his queen hid, he cut down sixty-seven Characters, one by one.”
“Uh, Lena,” I whispered around my witch dummy. “Are villains what I think they are?”
“Of course,” said an unwelcome voice. “Bad guys.”
I was instantly annoyed. I didn’t know if this would happen every time I saw Chase, or only on days when I was already mad at him.
He stood with his arms crossed, holding his chin in one hand, on the back of a small dragon dummy that Hansel hadn’t assigned to anyone. It was at least seven feet off the ground, and I wondered exactly how high he could jump.
I turned back to the witch dummy—to show him exactly how much attention he deserved.
“Wow, you really suck,” he said. “You should be scared.”
I gave him a dirty look. He didn’t have to rub it in.
I raised my sword again. When the witch dummy repeated the drill, I blocked all four hits, pretending like it was easy. The muscles in my arm were not happy.
Chase leaned over the dragon dummy’s head and told me in a low voice, “You know, it was my dad who finally took Iron Hans down. So, if you ever want any pointers—”
That was really too much. I couldn’t let him get away with that. “You two, switch,” I told the dragon and the witch dummies, hoping that they were spelled to follow everyone’s orders, not just Hansel’s. “I’ll practice with the dragon now.”
The dragon dummy moved so quickly that Chase didn’t have a chance to brace himself. He tumbled to the floor, just like I hoped he would.
I smiled. He scrambled to his feet, glaring at me, and then he glanced around the room to see if anyone had noticed.
“I won’t always suck,” I told Chase cheerfully. “And I can defend myself with a few other skills until then.”
Chase opened his mouth to say something, but a heavy hand fell on my shoulder.
I jumped the height of a troll.
Hansel stood over me, scowling. “I didn’t tell you that you could switch dummies. You’ll stay after class today and straighten up the weapons closet.”
“But—” I protested, as Hansel steered me back toward
“How did you do that?” I asked her finally.
“Tennis. I’m on the team at home.” She pushed her hair out of her face and raised her sword above her head, mimicking an overhand serve. “Some of the movements are the same.”
So, I didn’t even have being new as an excuse.
I was terrible . I couldn’t believe it. Usually, I picked up new sports so easily.
“Pathetic attempts—the lot of you. None of you would stand a chance if war came upon us again,” Hansel bellowed. “Villains aren’t going to be nice enough to let you pick your sword up after they’ve knocked it from your hands. Do you expect mercy from the likes of General Searcaster?”
I rolled my eyes. It didn’t work if you tried to scare people.
“They say she plucked out her own eye—sacrificed it for her mistress’s magic.” Hansel corrected the stance of a tenth-grade boy and moved on. “Do you think a fierce giantess like that would hesitate to slay you if you made it easy?”
Gulping, I blocked another strike from the witch dummy. Maybeit did work a little. The eye comment, especially.
“And you’ve heard of Iron Hans, I’m sure,” Hansel lowered his voice to a rasping whisper. “He’s a Character, maybe even the oldest still alive—ten centuries or so. A huge wild man, covered in hair, with skin the blackish-gray of iron. No blade can pierce it. They say he escaped from a Fey prison, just a few months ago. If you ever meet this villain, you should turn around and run the other way. None of you are good enough to face him.”
If possible, my palms got even sweatier.
“He always carries the same weapon, an enormous double-headed ax, almost as old as he is,” said Hansel. “With one blow, he can behead a man in full armor. With two, he can fell a castle wall. In the final battle alone, defending the rooms where his queen hid, he cut down sixty-seven Characters, one by one.”
“Uh, Lena,” I whispered around my witch dummy. “Are villains what I think they are?”
“Of course,” said an unwelcome voice. “Bad guys.”
I was instantly annoyed. I didn’t know if this would happen every time I saw Chase, or only on days when I was already mad at him.
He stood with his arms crossed, holding his chin in one hand, on the back of a small dragon dummy that Hansel hadn’t assigned to anyone. It was at least seven feet off the ground, and I wondered exactly how high he could jump.
I turned back to the witch dummy—to show him exactly how much attention he deserved.
“Wow, you really suck,” he said. “You should be scared.”
I gave him a dirty look. He didn’t have to rub it in.
I raised my sword again. When the witch dummy repeated the drill, I blocked all four hits, pretending like it was easy. The muscles in my arm were not happy.
Chase leaned over the dragon dummy’s head and told me in a low voice, “You know, it was my dad who finally took Iron Hans down. So, if you ever want any pointers—”
That was really too much. I couldn’t let him get away with that. “You two, switch,” I told the dragon and the witch dummies, hoping that they were spelled to follow everyone’s orders, not just Hansel’s. “I’ll practice with the dragon now.”
The dragon dummy moved so quickly that Chase didn’t have a chance to brace himself. He tumbled to the floor, just like I hoped he would.
I smiled. He scrambled to his feet, glaring at me, and then he glanced around the room to see if anyone had noticed.
“I won’t always suck,” I told Chase cheerfully. “And I can defend myself with a few other skills until then.”
Chase opened his mouth to say something, but a heavy hand fell on my shoulder.
I jumped the height of a troll.
Hansel stood over me, scowling. “I didn’t tell you that you could switch dummies. You’ll stay after class today and straighten up the weapons closet.”
“But—” I protested, as Hansel steered me back toward
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