The Call by Elí Freysson

let the training and sensitivity control her actions.
    So she did.
    Serdra drove her on mercilessly and tried to corner her, but Katja managed to stop one of the blows and push against it. It gave her a bit of space and time to swing at her mentor. The woman dodged, of course, and wound up by the pots.
    Katja sensed what would happen next, and was able to bat aside the pot that flew at her like an arrow. Serdra was right behind it and struck with greater force than ever before. Katja parried and was rattled hard.
    Her mentor wasn't playing any more.
    It was like standing in a storm and trying to evade everything it blew at her. Strikes and kicks flashed out of the dark and Katja defended herself in desperation.
    She got hit with swings and thrusts and knees and elbows but had no time to feel pain. It would come later. She kicked the pot Serdra had thrown. It flew at Serdra's shin, but the woman just sidestepped and kicked Katja in the chest before she could recover.
    This isn't working.
    Katja's back met the door and Serdra closed in before she had a chance to get out of the doorframe. She thrust with the stick, Katja forced the attack slightly to the side and the thrust wound up going under her armpit. Serdra was too close for Katja to swing the sword, and held her own weapon across her chest with both hands.
    The woman pushed the sword up, towards Katja's neck. She knew it would mean a loss and pushed back.
    This isn't working!
    Serdra drove her knee brutally into Katja's side, but she could take it better than before. Katja dropped her stick-sword suddenly and grasped Serdra's weapon. She gave a battle cry and drove her elbow down with all her force. The wooden blade snapped in two.
    Serdra punched her in the face but Katja had been expecting it and got a grip on her mentor's left wrist.
    She reached behind for the latch and yanked and twisted Serdra's arm to the side. The woman kicked her in the gut, but Katja had braced for such a hit.
    The latch opened a moment before Katja was thrown backwards and outside. She landed in the snow but twisted and used the momentum to propel herself into a reverse roll and back up on her feet. Serdra followed her out into the cold night and jabbed at her with the broken end of the stick.
    Katja got a cut on her arm but finally had enough space to manoeuvre and retreated from her mentor. The snow reached above her bare ankles and slowed her down, but of course affected Serdra in the same way. They circled one another, barely dressed in the snow and winter darkness.
    Katja avoided close combat. She both feared the broken stick and didn't want to get into a grapple with her mentor. It would all be over then. So she waited for Serdra's attacks, tried to slip blows past them and then retreat. She took some more hits and scrapes but evaded Serdra's attempts to bring her down or pull her closer.
    Fatigue was mounting as Serdra took more glancing blows and Katja took solid ones, and the cold wasn't helping.
    I need a good hit! I need one good hit to stagger her and then I can-
    Serdra threw the broken sword. Katja sensed it and sidestepped. Serdra had, of course, foreseen that and reached for her. Katja had herself expected that and batted the hand away with all the strength needed against Serdra. She then took a step closer and punched the woman in the gut. Her fist sank in right between the ribs and hip and the air burst out of Serdra.
    Katja sent the other fist into a powerful swing and roared as it smacked into Serdra's face.
    Her mentor lost her balance and staggered back two steps. Katja knew she would recover quickly and charged at her with a kick to take advantage of this brief window.
    A trap!
    Serdra ducked faster than the eye could see, the kick went over her head and she kicked the leg out from under Katja.
    Katja landed on her hands and knees and began to get up, but Serdra sprang back up with her knee leading the way. Katja tried to dodge, but just succeeded in taking it by the