Free Tanza by Amanda Greenslade Page B

disarming me within minutes. He picked up my sword and gestured for me to try again.
    Sarlice watched my every move, making me falter several times. I was beginning to think I’d remain useless with a sword forever. As we fought, the older man criticised, and remarked on, my movements. He explained, between bursts of swordplay, that the key to survival was in knowing exactly how to use each part of the body. How to make it move without even thinking about it.
    He flicked his blade upwards. I blocked it, but my feet were at an odd angle so I was thrown off balance. Harlan twisted the sword around and drove it downward into Fyschs hilt, which fell from my hands.
    ‘You lost your balance,’ he said, bending to retrieve my fallen weapon again. ‘Sarlice, you take over here and show Talon what you know of footwork.’
    She and I moved out onto the sparring arena and left Harlan and Miya to coach Mach and Salthan.
    ‘When we learn sword-fighting in Lyth, each move has a special name to help you remember it,’ Sarlice said. ‘Plant your feet in line with your shoulders, bend your knees a little and hold your sword straight up in front of you.’
    She winked when I had it right. ‘We call this “candle maker”. It’s the basic defensive position from which you can execute a number of blocks or attacks. It is useful to know which defences or attacks to use when your opponent’s body is in a certain position.’
    She lifted her sword above her head with both hands and held it as if to strike.
    ‘If I did this,’ she began, ‘what would you do?’
    I moved one foot forward and lifted my blade up to meet hers as she brought it slowly down.
    ‘That’s good,’ she said. ‘You just performed a move we call “burning the bread” against my attack, which was “chopping wood”. “Chopping wood” is rarely used because it leaves the attacker open. Instead of “burning the bread” you could have executed “pig on a spit” and stabbed me straight through the heart.’
    I grimaced. ‘I don’t like having to name everything. Isn’t it better just to do it?’
    She sighed. ‘Do you just want to try sparring with me?’
    I raised my sword. ‘Let’s see what happens.’
    Sarlice launched at me and executed a complicated series of attacks.
    ‘Flying sparks,’ she cried as I ducked and scooted out of her reach.
    I stabbed up at her from below. She struck down with her blade and nearly pinned me there.
    ‘Boiling water,’ she shouted. ‘Got anything else for me?’
    Darting in from the side I swerved back at the last minute and cut from the other side. The steel of her sword rang loudly against Fyschs.
    ‘“Holding coals”,’ she said.
    Her sword slapped side-on against mine and she twisted it in a circular motion. Fyschs spun out of my hand and clanged against the hard yellow floor. I frowned as I flexed my wrist; it was a little sore, but it was more my pride that was hurt.
    ‘“Stirring the soup”,’ Sarlice said with a triumphant laugh.
    Miya and Mach had paused in their lesson to watch. Harlan scowled at us.
    ‘Enough fun and games Sarlice. Footwork.’
    I bent to retrieve Fyschs and check him for dints or scratches—apart from a little dust he was the same as before. I eventually managed to look Sarlice in the eye.
    ‘Why does naming all your moves make you so much… better?’ I asked.
    She shrugged. ‘The names simply help me remember the moves. Now that my body knows the moves well, my mind can focus more on what the opponent is doing. That way I will always be a step ahead.’
    I gave her a humble nod, ‘So… footwork… what is it?’
    ‘Footwork is thinking about where your feet are, not just letting it happen.’
    ‘What difference does it make?’
    ‘If you trip, that could be the only opportunity your enemy needs to strike a killing blow. Nimble footwork is essential for moving out of reach of your opponent’s cuts or thrusts. There are certain positions where you’ll be more