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Zak pressed in with a series of low thrusts Drizzt tried to back away quickly and return to even footing, but the re-lentless assault followed his every step, and he was forced to keep his movements solely on the defensive More often than not, Drizzt found the hilts of his weapons closer to Zak than the blades
Zak then dropped into a low crouch and came up under Drizzt’s defense
Drizzt twirled his scihten stiffly to dodge the weapon master’s equally deft assault Drizzt knew that he had been set up, and he fully expected the next attack as Zak shifted his weight to his back leg and dove in, both sword tips aimed for Drizzt’s loins
Drizzt spat a silent curse and spun his sci to use the "V" of his blades to catch his teacher’s swords On a sudden impulse, Drizzt hesitated as he intercepted Zak’s weapons, and he ju a painful slap on the inside of one thigh Disgusted, he threw both of his scimitars to the floor
Zak, too, leaped back He held his swords out to his sides, a look of sincere confusion on his face "You should not have " Drizzt replied
Awaiting further explanation, Zak lowered one sword tip to the floor and leaned on the weapon In past years, Zak had wounded, even killed, students for such blatant defi-ance his blades down to Drizzt’s face level
When Drizzt calobe, he looked back and saw only the lower half of Zak’s legs He didn’t need to watch anything more to understand the weapon master’s deadly blind attacks Zak would have cut hier replaced confusion When Zak dropped fro back out the front of the globe, Drizzt let his rage lead hiht He spun a pirouette just before he reached Zak, his lead sci line and his other following in a deceptively sharp stab straight over that line
Zak dodged the thrusting point and put a backhand block on the other
Drizzt wasn’t finished He set his thrusting blade into a se ries of short, wicked pokes that kept Zak on the retreat for a dozen steps and more, back into the conjured darkness They now had to rely on their incredibly keen sense of hear ing and their instincts Zak finally ain afoot hold, but Drizzt i ahenever the balance of his swinging blades allowed for it One foot even slipped through Zak’s de fenses, blasting the breath fros
They calowed in the outline of faerie fire The weaponstudent’s face, but he realized that this tiiven a choice in the ly, had to be real Gradually, Zak settled into an easy rhythm, solely defensive, and let Drizzt, in his explosive fury, wear himself down
Drizzt played on and on, relentless and tireless Zak coaxed his where there were none, and Drizzt was always quick to oblige, launching a thrust, cut, or kick
Matron Malice watched the spectacle silently She couldn’t deny the iven her son; Drizzt was-physically-more than ready for battle ~~:
"The cross-down defeats the attack, but to what gain?"
Drizzt continued "When the move is completed, my sword tips remain down too low for any effective attack routine, and you are able to slip back and free"
"But you have defeated ued "The best position I can hope to obtain from the cross-down is an even stance"
"Yes" Zak pro his student’s problem with that scenario
"Remember your own lesson!" Drizzt shouted "’Every e: you preach tothe cross-down"
"You recite only one part of that lesson for your own purpose" Zak scolded, noing equally angry "Complete the phrase, or use it not at all! ’Every e: The cross-down defeats the double thrust low, and your opponent obviously has gained the advantage if he even atte to an even stance is far preferable at that !" Drizzt said stubbornly
"Pick up your blades" Zak growled at hi step forward Drizzt hesitated and Zak charged, his swords leading
Drizzt dropped to a crouch, snatched up the sci if it was an-other lesson or a true attack
The weaponoff cut after cut and backing Drizzt around in circles Drizzt de fended well enough and began to notice an all-too-familiar pattern as Zak’s attacks ca the hilts of Drizzt’s weapons up and out over the scimi-tars’ blades
Drizzt understood that Zakthe fury on Zak’s face, though, Drizzt wasn’t certain how far the weapon master would carry his point If Zak proved correct in his observations, would he strike again to Drizzt’s thigh? Or to his heart? Zak cahtened
"Double thrust low" the weapon rowled, and his swords dove in
Drizzt was ready for hi ofswords Drizzt then followed through with only one of his blades, thinking he could deflect both of Zak’s swords well enough in that manner Noith one blade free of the parry, Drizzt spun it over in a devious counter
As soon as Drizzt reversed the one hand, Zak saw the ploy-a ruse he had suspected Drizzt would try Zak dropped one of his oord tips-the one nearest to the hilt of Drizzt’s single parrying blade-to the ground, and Drizzt, trying to th of the blocking scih to catch hih his knuckles pinched into the stone of the floor He still believed that he had Zak caught in his trap, and that he could finish his brilliant counter He took a short step forward to regain his full balance
The weapon ht down to the floor, under the arc of Drizzt’s swinging sci his booted heel into the back of Drizzt’s exposed knee Before Drizzt had even realized the attack, he found hi flat on his back
Zak abruptly broke his own momentuin to under stand the dizzying counter-counter, he found the weaponover him with the tip of Zak’s sword pain fully and pointedly drawing a tiny drop of blood frorowled
"The parry is wrong" Drizzt answered
Zak’s laughter erupted froround, reached down, and pulled the stubborn young student to his feet He cal that of Drizzt’s lavender orbs as he pushed the student out to arth Zak marveled at the ease of Drizzt’s stance, the way he held the twin scimitars almost as if they were a natural extension of his ar only a few months, but already he had mastered the use of nearly every weapon in the vast armory of House Do’Urden
Those sci blades that enhanced the dizzying flow of the young fight-er’s sweeping battle style With those sci drow, barely ht half the h Zak’s spine when he pondered just how
It was not just the physical abilities and potential of Drizzt Do’Urden that made Zaknafein pause and take note, how-ever Zak had come to realize that Drizzt’s tee drow; Drizzt possessed a spirit of innocence and lacked any malicious-ness Zak couldn’t help but feel proud when he looked upon Drizzt In alldrow held to the same principles-nized the connection as well, though he had no idea of how unique his and Zak’s shared perceptions were in the evil droorld He realized that "Uncle Zak" was different froh that included only his own family and a few dozen of the house soldiers Certainly Zak was much different from Briza, Drizzt’s oldest sister, with her zealous, alion of Lloth Certainly Zak was different from Matron Malice, Drizzt’sat all to Drizzt unless it was a command for service
Zak was able to s pain to anyone He was the firstdrow Drizzt had met as apparently content with his station in life Zak was the first drow Drizzt had ever heard laugh
"A good try" the weapon master conceded of Drizzt’s failed counter
"In a real battle, I would have been dead" Drizzt replied
"Surely" said Zak, "but that is e train Your plan wasStill, I will say it was a good try!’
"You expected it" said the student
Zak smiled and nodded "That is, perhaps, because I had seen the ainst you?" Drizzt asked, feeling a little less special now that he knew his battle insights were not so unique
"Hardly" Zak replied with a wink "I watched the counter fail frole as you, to the saain "We think alike" he coe has been increased by four centuries of experience, while you have not even lived through a score of years ’fi’ust er student The cross-down is the correct parry!’
"Perhaps" Drizzt replied
Zak hid a smile "When you find a better counter, we shall try it But until then, trust my word I have trained more sol-diers than I can count, all the army of House Do’Urden and ten tithere I taught Rizzen, all of your sisters, and both of your brothers!’
"Both?"
"IZak paused and shot a curious glance at Drizzt "I see" he said after a moment "They never bothered to tell you!’ Zak wondered if it was his place to tell Drizzt the truth He doubted that Matron Malice would care either way; she probably hadn’t told Drizzt simply because she hadn’t considered the story of Nalfein’s death worth telling
"Yes, both!’ Zak decided to explain "You had two brothers when you were born: Dinin, whom you know, and an older one, Nalfein, a wizard of considerable power Nalfein was killed in battle on the very night you drew your first breath!’
" Against dwarves or vicious gno for a frightening bedti the city frouethe warped perceptions of Drizzt’s innocent beliefs "Bury the young in lies" he lamented under his breath, but to Drizzt he answered, "No"
"Then against some opponent more foul?" Drizzt pressed
"Wicked elves from the surface?"
"He died at the hands of a drow!" Zak snapped in frustra-tion, stealing the eagerness fro eyes Drizzt slumped back to consider the possibilities, and Zak could hardly bear to watch the confusion that twisted his young face
"War with another city?" Drizzt asked soo at that He turned and moved silently toward his private chamber Let Malice or one of her lackeys de-stroy Drizzt’s innocent logic Behind him, Drizzt held his next line of questions in check, understanding that the con-versation, and the lesson, was at an end Understanding, too, that so important had just transpired
The weaponhours as the days blended into weeks, and the weeks into ht until exhaustion overwhelain as soon as they were able