Excerpt
"Ah, a pretty girl, eh, are you sure you aren't lost, miss?" The man she faced had won the last three matches, at that moment his mouth turned into a snarl of a smile.
"No, I'm right where I need to be," she said without an ounce of fear.
Without hesitation, he charged, launching a haymaker to fell her with one blow. On the balls of her feet, she dodged easily, rabbit punching him in the temple as he passed. His body went limp before he plowed into a face-first furrow in the ground. He remained where he fell.
"My little sister fights better than you," Svana taunted into the crowd's stunned silence.
"Wait!" the fight master called, alarmed by his quick loss based on his poor judgment of her skill and the odds he delivered because of it. "Double or nothing."
Svana had no idea what her winnings amounted to, but double had to be better, twice as good, she reasoned. She nodded to the gruff man. He chuckled low in his throat.
"Hammer Toe! You're in the pit tonight," the fight master declared.
The person controlling the crowd, pulled his shirt free with a well-practiced move, and lumbered heavily past the barrier and into the arena. He balanced on the balls of his feet, as Svana did. His slow movements and large size belied a fighter's grace. She saw through his act.
Standing straight, she started to circle her opponent. Hammer Toe held his position in the middle of the area, shifting to keep her in front of him, sliding his feet to keep from crossing them.
She darted ahead, trying to get behind him, but he matched her speed. She gained no advantage. She stopped and crouched, crooking a finger at him. He shook his head and motioned for her to come to him.
"Well now, I would have never thought a big man like you would be afraid of a little girl like me."
He scoffed. "Afraid? No. Cautious? Always. You felled my trainee with a single move. I can't fall prey to such a callous overreach. Do you know what that is? Come here and let me show you."
They circled each other for a time, until Svana could stand it no more. While defense was the smart way to fight, if they both did nothing but defense, they would circle each other all night. She pounced forward, searching for an opening. Her fist met his open palm, where he clasped his fingers around her fist and twisted. Svana grunted as she felt her wrist twist. She spun around, forcing her leg into the air, and her heel connected with his jaw. He let go of her wrist as he stumbled backwards.
Svana grinned at him.
This time he rushed forward. His fist flew through the air faster than Svana would have imagined had she not seen it with her own eyes. She dipped her head to the left, and felt as air passed by her right ear. Svana raised both of her hands up, where she secured them around his elbow. She pulled him forcefully toward her at the same time his momentum was carrying his punch forward, causing him to stumble on his feet and fall toward her.
She slid forward and snap-kicked him between the legs. As he started to fall, she delivered a right hook to the side of his head. Her fist screamed in protest as if she'd slammed it into a rock wall. Hammer Toe wasn't out, but he was down.
When the crowd realized the fight had finished with the red-haired beauty standing tall over their champion, they laughed and cheered.
Svana gathered her bag of coin with a triumphant grin on her face. The yell of cheers from the crowd were enough to make her feel as if she could take on anyone. When her back had been turned, a scraggly haired man had ducked under the rope and grabbed her belt with the sword and scabbard. When she saw him making his way from the pit, she yelled after him. The crowd had gone silent as they watched what she would do. Noticing their eyes on her, she jogged easily after him.
He didn't get far before a red flash crackled about his body. He flipped into the air with the shock, landing on the ground with a sandbag's thud. Svana retrieved her sword, scowling at the would-be thief.
"That'll teach you to touch other people's things," she scolded.
