temple rather than between the eyes.
The night exploded and she fell limply backwards into the snow.
Serdra was on top of her almost immediately. She sat on Katja's chest and caught the right-handed blow Katja attempted. The woman pressed the hand down left of Katja's head and leaned down so her weight went on the upper arm and pressed it on Katja's throat.
Katja felt she was choking under her own arm and tried to get her knees up between them but had no room. She tried to jerk about like Serdra taught her, but the woman was too strong and agile for it to work. She tried to punch with her left hand, but Serdra caught that hand as well, a hair's breadth from her own temple and pressed it into the snow.
I will not lose!
She strained. She let fear and excitement and battle rage flow through herself and pull out every stopper. She pushed up with everything, everything, she had and Serdra's grip on the left hand wavered. Katja was able to breathe a bit as Serdra reacted to this. The air gave her an extra smidgeon of strength and the arm moved a bit more.
A bit further and then...
Her strength gave out completely, and Serdra had plenty left. The chokehold resumed with full force and she could do nothing to fight back. Her body was out of energy, her head was rattled from the blows, she was freezing in the snow, she couldn't breathe and Serdra was so very strong.
She gave up. She relaxed what little tension remained in her body as a mark of defeat.
Serdra released her immediately and sat up.
Katja coughed air down into her lungs.
So much for that.
“You have improved,” Serdra said calmly.
“I... lost,” Katja croaked.
“Of course. But you did as well as I hoped. You have gained the necessary skills and the reflexes to use them. Congratulations. You are now ready to learn from experience.”
Her tone couldn't really be called tender; not for a normal person. But perhaps coming from Serdra it was.
The woman gently held the back of her neck and lifted her into a sitting position. She used her other hand to wipe melting snow from her back. It was good to get rid of it. She was quite cold enough.
“I will tell you the history of the world,” Serdra continued in that relatively gentle tone. Katja thought she sensed satisfaction in her demeanour - unseen since the first time Katja sang. “And after that we will be done here. Let's go and obey the Call, little raptor.”
“Don't you... want to hit me one last time?” Katja mumbled with all the sarcasm numb lips and air-starved lungs would allow.
Serdra head butted her between the eyes, though not very hard.
“Was that your sense of humour?”
Katja almost managed to laugh, and Serdra lifted the girl up in her arms and carried her inside.
Chapter 6.
Katja rose early in the morning as usual after passing the test, but Serdra seemed to wish to take things rather easy. It was so unusual as to be almost spooky but she was nonetheless glad. She didn't know how in the world she'd avoided breaking bones in the fight, but she was more bruised and weary than she'd been for a month. She'd fallen asleep before Serdra placed her in the bed.
Katja had fought as never before. She'd often thought she was doing her best, but she'd never maintained such speed, ferocity and power for so long. She'd been pounded into the ground as usual, but Serdra had also never been so brutal towards her except to bring her down immediately. The woman had been more dangerous than anyone or anything Katja had ever met.
And she'd held her own for a good long while. She had discovered the outermost limits of her capabilities, and lost. The feeling was rather bittersweet, but she was excited about what was to come.
Her mentor walked to one of the chests. She took a big paper scroll out of one of them, unfurled it and turned towards Katja. It was a map of the entire known world. From the ice sea of Northrim to the southern coast and from the Outskirts to the east to the westernmost
The night exploded and she fell limply backwards into the snow.
Serdra was on top of her almost immediately. She sat on Katja's chest and caught the right-handed blow Katja attempted. The woman pressed the hand down left of Katja's head and leaned down so her weight went on the upper arm and pressed it on Katja's throat.
Katja felt she was choking under her own arm and tried to get her knees up between them but had no room. She tried to jerk about like Serdra taught her, but the woman was too strong and agile for it to work. She tried to punch with her left hand, but Serdra caught that hand as well, a hair's breadth from her own temple and pressed it into the snow.
I will not lose!
She strained. She let fear and excitement and battle rage flow through herself and pull out every stopper. She pushed up with everything, everything, she had and Serdra's grip on the left hand wavered. Katja was able to breathe a bit as Serdra reacted to this. The air gave her an extra smidgeon of strength and the arm moved a bit more.
A bit further and then...
Her strength gave out completely, and Serdra had plenty left. The chokehold resumed with full force and she could do nothing to fight back. Her body was out of energy, her head was rattled from the blows, she was freezing in the snow, she couldn't breathe and Serdra was so very strong.
She gave up. She relaxed what little tension remained in her body as a mark of defeat.
Serdra released her immediately and sat up.
Katja coughed air down into her lungs.
So much for that.
“You have improved,” Serdra said calmly.
“I... lost,” Katja croaked.
“Of course. But you did as well as I hoped. You have gained the necessary skills and the reflexes to use them. Congratulations. You are now ready to learn from experience.”
Her tone couldn't really be called tender; not for a normal person. But perhaps coming from Serdra it was.
The woman gently held the back of her neck and lifted her into a sitting position. She used her other hand to wipe melting snow from her back. It was good to get rid of it. She was quite cold enough.
“I will tell you the history of the world,” Serdra continued in that relatively gentle tone. Katja thought she sensed satisfaction in her demeanour - unseen since the first time Katja sang. “And after that we will be done here. Let's go and obey the Call, little raptor.”
“Don't you... want to hit me one last time?” Katja mumbled with all the sarcasm numb lips and air-starved lungs would allow.
Serdra head butted her between the eyes, though not very hard.
“Was that your sense of humour?”
Katja almost managed to laugh, and Serdra lifted the girl up in her arms and carried her inside.
Chapter 6.
Katja rose early in the morning as usual after passing the test, but Serdra seemed to wish to take things rather easy. It was so unusual as to be almost spooky but she was nonetheless glad. She didn't know how in the world she'd avoided breaking bones in the fight, but she was more bruised and weary than she'd been for a month. She'd fallen asleep before Serdra placed her in the bed.
Katja had fought as never before. She'd often thought she was doing her best, but she'd never maintained such speed, ferocity and power for so long. She'd been pounded into the ground as usual, but Serdra had also never been so brutal towards her except to bring her down immediately. The woman had been more dangerous than anyone or anything Katja had ever met.
And she'd held her own for a good long while. She had discovered the outermost limits of her capabilities, and lost. The feeling was rather bittersweet, but she was excited about what was to come.
Her mentor walked to one of the chests. She took a big paper scroll out of one of them, unfurled it and turned towards Katja. It was a map of the entire known world. From the ice sea of Northrim to the southern coast and from the Outskirts to the east to the westernmost
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