quit? She clamped her mouth shut and glanced at Durak's dummy. She watched him drive his sword into the dummy three times, each of the strikes going in deep but not emerging behind it. They were well-placed strikes, spearing what would have been the heart or at least the lungs. Aleena's target sported belly, hip, and thigh wounds.
After several more minutes of attacking her dummy with little improvement , the bell rung. They switched to slashing attacks. This time Aleena was more critical of herself. The first few cuts were soft and she knew it. She fought past the pain in her arm and forced more power into the swings. The dummy suffered for it, but she couldn't hit the same place twice, let alone the part of the straw body she was aiming for. She looked for Celos and saw him shake his head and turn away.
The sword practice ended but rather than having a rest , they started with their maces. Aleena groaned when she picked the heavy weapon up. There was no finesse and great skill here; the mace was not a gentleman's club. It was designed to break bones or shatter and bend armor. She used hers to pound the straw dummy until her wrist and hand ached in ways she hadn't thought possible.
Staggering and gasping, she struck the dummy as hard as she could and felt the mace rebound when it hit the wooden pole the dummy was mounted on. The weapon rebounded and slipped from her grasp to roll across the ground. Aleena scrambled after it, forgetting her exhaustion. Losing her weapon was proof even to her that she might be better off waiting tables.
Celos stepped on the shaft of the mace as she grabbed it, trapping her hand underneath it. She looked up in time for her vision to be blotted out by a shield rushing down to smash into her head and shoulders. She cried out as she was driven to the ground by the strike.
Aleena rested on the floor for a moment, fighting to keep the room from spinning around her and forcing to spew her breakfast onto the tiles. She spat blood and started to raise herself up on arms that felt like they were cast from solid lead.
"Stay down," Celos taunted her. "Drop your weapon in a fight and you expect to be allowed to live? The only mercy you'll find will be to be taken back and used as a whore for your enemies! You'll never be a knight. You shouldn't even be allowed to use knives in a kitchen."
Aleena let out a sob as Celos put his foot between her shoulders and pushed her back down to the ground.
"That's it for today. I've seen what you can, and can't, do. Take the rest of the day for prayer, reflection, or to pack up your things," Celos called out to them. He turned and walked away, exiting the training room and leaving it in silence.
Durak rushed over to her once the door shut. "Are you all right?"
Aleena nodded as bloody spittle drooled from her mouth to the floor.
"You look a sight," he said. Two of the other recruits looked on while the rest were returning their weapons and looking anywhere but at Aleena.
"Why does he hate me?" Aleena asked.
"I don't think he hates you," Durak said after a moment.
Aleena knew he was supposed to go hard on her, but this wasn't beneficial ; this was cruel. Hateful and abusive, even. She rose up and wiped the blood from her lips. "Show me how to fight," she said.
"What?" Durak glanced at her dummy.
"He said I don't know how to fight. Show me what I'm doing wrong."
"I don't know what you're doing wrong!" he protested. "I've failed my testing twice . I'm not sure I'm the best man to ask."
"Then who is? You're the best warrior among us now that Celos is gone."
Durak frowned. He looked around and found that the other recruits had escaped, leaving only the two of them in the training room. He sighed. "All right, show me how you strike. Lunges first."
Aleena grinned, showing teeth colored red from blood. She grabbed her sword up and focused on the dummy. Her body was tired but it didn't matter anymore. Tired or not, she wasn't going to let Celos belittle her like
After several more minutes of attacking her dummy with little improvement , the bell rung. They switched to slashing attacks. This time Aleena was more critical of herself. The first few cuts were soft and she knew it. She fought past the pain in her arm and forced more power into the swings. The dummy suffered for it, but she couldn't hit the same place twice, let alone the part of the straw body she was aiming for. She looked for Celos and saw him shake his head and turn away.
The sword practice ended but rather than having a rest , they started with their maces. Aleena groaned when she picked the heavy weapon up. There was no finesse and great skill here; the mace was not a gentleman's club. It was designed to break bones or shatter and bend armor. She used hers to pound the straw dummy until her wrist and hand ached in ways she hadn't thought possible.
Staggering and gasping, she struck the dummy as hard as she could and felt the mace rebound when it hit the wooden pole the dummy was mounted on. The weapon rebounded and slipped from her grasp to roll across the ground. Aleena scrambled after it, forgetting her exhaustion. Losing her weapon was proof even to her that she might be better off waiting tables.
Celos stepped on the shaft of the mace as she grabbed it, trapping her hand underneath it. She looked up in time for her vision to be blotted out by a shield rushing down to smash into her head and shoulders. She cried out as she was driven to the ground by the strike.
Aleena rested on the floor for a moment, fighting to keep the room from spinning around her and forcing to spew her breakfast onto the tiles. She spat blood and started to raise herself up on arms that felt like they were cast from solid lead.
"Stay down," Celos taunted her. "Drop your weapon in a fight and you expect to be allowed to live? The only mercy you'll find will be to be taken back and used as a whore for your enemies! You'll never be a knight. You shouldn't even be allowed to use knives in a kitchen."
Aleena let out a sob as Celos put his foot between her shoulders and pushed her back down to the ground.
"That's it for today. I've seen what you can, and can't, do. Take the rest of the day for prayer, reflection, or to pack up your things," Celos called out to them. He turned and walked away, exiting the training room and leaving it in silence.
Durak rushed over to her once the door shut. "Are you all right?"
Aleena nodded as bloody spittle drooled from her mouth to the floor.
"You look a sight," he said. Two of the other recruits looked on while the rest were returning their weapons and looking anywhere but at Aleena.
"Why does he hate me?" Aleena asked.
"I don't think he hates you," Durak said after a moment.
Aleena knew he was supposed to go hard on her, but this wasn't beneficial ; this was cruel. Hateful and abusive, even. She rose up and wiped the blood from her lips. "Show me how to fight," she said.
"What?" Durak glanced at her dummy.
"He said I don't know how to fight. Show me what I'm doing wrong."
"I don't know what you're doing wrong!" he protested. "I've failed my testing twice . I'm not sure I'm the best man to ask."
"Then who is? You're the best warrior among us now that Celos is gone."
Durak frowned. He looked around and found that the other recruits had escaped, leaving only the two of them in the training room. He sighed. "All right, show me how you strike. Lunges first."
Aleena grinned, showing teeth colored red from blood. She grabbed her sword up and focused on the dummy. Her body was tired but it didn't matter anymore. Tired or not, she wasn't going to let Celos belittle her like
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