Free Firestorm (The Sword of Light Trilogy Book 2) by Aaron Hodges Page A

to face Gabriel, he drew in a deep breath of cool air. Bracing himself, he walked across the grass and squared off against his foe.
    Caelin clapped. “Good! Now, before you begin, let me show you a few things about fighting with the sword,” he picked up a blade for himself and moved between them. “The first thing a good swordsman needs to learn is how to stand in a fight. A true fighter will use any number of stances in a fight to overcome his opponent. Different stances allow you to move in and out of attacking range while maintaining your balance, and without overexposing yourself to an attack. I’m going to show you one or two, and hope that’ll be enough for now.”
    He moved his feet so they were shoulder width apart and facing forward, with the right about a foot in front of the left. “This is called a forward stance. It doesn’t matter which foot is in the front, so each time you move you can step straight into this stance. It gives a fighter a solid, balanced base to launch and defend against attacks.”
    Eric moved his feet to mimic Caelin’s, feeling awkward with the heavy blade in hand. He followed the soldier’s movements as he drilled them in the basics of thrusts, parries and blocks. Eric immediately began tripping over his own feet as he struggled to obey Caelin’s instruction. His body ached from the brief scuffle the night before, and within his magic felt drained and weak.
    He watched Gabriel swinging the practice blade to match Caelin’s movements, a bored smile on his face. His large shoulders wielded the blade with ease, although his movements were slow and somewhat clumsy. Still, Eric could not help but think the power in his swing would leave a nasty bruise.
    “Okay, that should be enough for now. How about the two of you show me what you can do,” Caelin stepped back and folded his arms. “The practice blades may be dulled, but you will still need to be careful,” he gave them each a hard stare. “Blows to the head are off-limits.”
    Gabriel grinned and raised his blade in mock salute. “It’s about time,” he crouched low and crept towards Eric.
    Eric wiped sweat from his brow and took a firmer grim of his sword. He kept the tip pointing at Gabriel the way Caelin had shown them, and slid into the forwards stance. After half an hour of practice, it almost felt comfortable. Pushing down his fear, he summoned an arrogance he did not feel, and waved Gabriel forward. “Come on then, let’s see what you’ve got.”
    Gabriel grinned, and charged.
    Eric held his ground until the last moment, and then ducked beneath Gabriel’s wild swing. He leapt backwards as Gabriel attempted to reverse the cut, lashing out with his own blade to counterattack. The blow went wide, but Gabriel still flinched backwards in surprise.
    They eyed each other. Eric smiled, masking his nerves, and motioned Gabriel forward again. The larger man scowled and edged his way to the left. Eric followed him, careful to keep his stance tight. His eyes narrowed as he searched for an opening. He held his sword low, ready to strike when Gabriel moved into range.
    Gabriel struck again, more cautious now, aware he could not simply beat his way through Eric’s guard. He slid forward, swinging his blade at Eric’s side in an awkward cut. Eric danced backwards to avoid the blow, then leapt to the attack. His sword snaked out, biting at Gabriel’s thigh.
    Stumbling backwards, Gabriel swore and fixed Eric with a glare. Eric did not attempt to pursue his larger opponent, guessing it would be foolish to come within range of Gabriel’s blade. Instead he dropped into a crouch, and waited.
    Gabriel bared his teeth. “What, are you afraid?” he spat.
    Eric only smiled, refusing to let Gabriel get under his skin.
    With a scream, Gabriel charged across the open ground. Eric backtracked, raising his sword to fend off a wild blow. Their blades met with a dull ring and the blade vibrated in Eric’s hand. Pain lanced down his arm as