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ITOOK MY SHOES OFF andused to the on reat sense of balance - but aith it I took a few practice swipes and alht away

"Short jabs!" Vanez snapped, darting forward to steady s will be the end of you"

I did as Vanez instructed and soon had the hang of it A coupleand ju, and I was ready

We ether in salute Arra was s - she obviously didn’t think ed away fronal the start of the fight

Arra attacked immediately and jabbed at my stomach with the end of her staff As I pulled out of her way, she swept her staff around in a vicious circle and brought it down on top of ed to raise my staff in tih the staff and ers to the rest of rasp on the staff slipped, but I caught it before it fell

"Are you out to kill hirily

"The bars are no place for little boys who can’t protect the an end to this," Kurda huffed, striding towardher back onmy staff

Kurda stopped short "Darren, you don’t have to -" he began

"I want to," I interrupted Then, to Arra, "Come on - I’m ready"

Arra s s one "The half-va aren’t entirely spineless Now let’s see what it takes to drive the spirit out of you"

She attacked again, short, chopping swipes, switching fro I blocked the blows as best I could, although I had to take some on my arms and shoulders I retreated to the end of the plank, slowly, guardingat s

Arra hadn’t anticipated the jump and was thrown off balance I used the moment to launch my first blow of the contest and hit her firh It didn’t see it and let out a roar of surprise

"A point to Darren!" Kurda whooped

"We don’t score this on points," Arra snarled

"You’d better watch yourself, Arra" Vanez chuckled, his single eye glea "I think the boy can beat you You’ll never be able to show your face in the Halls again if a teenage half-vaht I’ht you can strap e in the Hall of Death and drop ry now - she didn’t like being baited by those on the ground - and when next she faced me, her sood strike uard, she’d finish ed backward I let her advance a couple of feet, then leaped to another bar After a few retreating steps, I ju to frustrate Arra If I could drag the contest out, shesilly But a vaendary, and Arra was no exception She trailedthe jeers of those who’d gathered around the bars to observe the fight, taking her tiht moment to strike

Eventually she ot in a couple of los - hitting her toes and knees like Vanez had suggested - but there was no power inAs I stooped to hit her toes again, she leaped to an adjoining bar and brought the flat of her staff down over my back I roared with pain and dropped onto my belly My staff fell to the floor

"Darren!" Kurda shouted, rushing forward

"Leave hi the General back

"But he’s hurt!"

"He’ll live Don’t disgrace hiht"

Kurda didn’t like it, but he did as Vanez said

Arra, meanwhile, had decided I was finished Rather than strike me with her staff, she eased one of the rounded ends under ain I let ht to the bar withall the way around, until I was hanging on upside down, snatched round, and jabbed it between Arra’s calves With a sharp twist, I sent her sprawling She shrieked, and for a split second I was sure I’d knocked her off and won, but she grabbed for the bar on her way down and held on, as I was doing Her staff, however, struck the floor and spun away

The vaathered to watch - there were twenty or thirty around the bars now - clapped loudly as we hauled ourselves back to our feet and eyed each other warily I lifted e now," I noted cockily

"Not for long," Arra said "I’ to rip that staff out of your hands and srinned "Come on then - let’s see you try!"

Arra spread her hands and closed in on me I hadn’t really expected her to attack without her staff and wasn’t sure what to do I didn’t like the idea of striking an unarmed opponent, especially a woman

"You can pick your staff up if you want," I offered