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WhichMithrans was how I ht was gone and the floor, dae fighting circle on the polished wood away frooire stood inside the taped circle, waiting Not irin about his whole stance, as if he was itching for the chance to hurt oody

"Let us see what you re out of the fighting circle He pointed with his long sword "Begin with your feet"

I placed htenedon a tall stool, and held oire liftedet His sword tapped le of my elbow

"Better," he said "La Destreza, the Mithran version, is fluid, flowing like water over rounded stones, liquid and graceful" Heat me to his left, across his body, up even with his head, down to his right, farther down, around again at knee level, up to his left again, and back to his starting point If it had been a bare-handed ainst two punches, a kick, and a third punch His sword indicated that I should try

As best I could, I ht elbow not locked, but loose"--he deain Faster"

From there, we moved into another oire slapped my butt with the flat of his blade as I turned in the second movement, and at the saoire tossed hisand loose and glistening in the too-bright overhead lights "Elbow out," he deht "Feet move thusly No, no, no Thusly" A perpetually fifteen-year-old, utterly beautiful, sword master and sadist "Yes, now faster Turn and turn and sweep and cut and lunge and lunge and lunge"

Until I was so tired I could barely lift th to my human limbs Finally, when my breath was fast and painful and loud in the room and the audience had dwindled at the lack of blood spilled, Grégoire yawned

Bored

Sleepy

In the middle of his yawn I dropped the short sword and pulled the throwing knife in oire While it was still in the air, I spun another at him And the third With his sword he batted each aith a ting-ting-ting And finished the yaith a grin that let hter in the entire US He had been nothing like bored The yaas to te fun Vicious, veno frole heartbeat, the orbs of his eyes went scarlet, centered ide, black pupils He attacked Lunging, lunging, lunging, his sword circling like the blades of a fan, razor-sharp, cutting at h the fingertips of his gloves He was totally va blade of death

I had only the long sword, the short sword still at my feet I danced back froh his,balance only after my padded white uniform had three scarlet, bloody rents in theer filled the air I growled again And I lunged back Again and again, faster, drawing on Beast’s power and speed Circling my blade, my dull club of a blade

The words ofis a weapon, Jane Your fingers, your forehead, a pencil behind your ear, a paper clip Everything can be used to defend and attack"

I drew on Beast’s power and let my body slide into the fluid motions of the Spanish Circle As if I had all the ti the secondthe hilt Whirling I slaoire’s shoulder with everything I had inthe weapon like a baseball bat, letting the weight of the dull sword pull itself around And soire’s knee The joint buckled Up, over, I let the ainst his neck, deliberately above the gorget I heard the thuoire’s head knocked to the side at a sharp angle and he followed it, flying across the floor to the side and cru hi "Like that?"

"Yes, my Enforcer" Leo’s liquid tones came from behind me "Exactly like that"

• • •

I had actually hurt Grégoire Hadn’t killed hi of a dull blade But I had broken so, I realized that I had, oire’s cervical spine with my practice blade Beast’s power drained out ofcircle, and tossed the head shield to the floor

Leo had gathered hi on Leo’s lap, his golden hair spread over Leo’s legs and across the wood floor His li and limp, his black shirt ripped open to reveal his pale chest Grégoire was gasping like a human, his eyes filled with bloody tears, yet his eyes had bled back to hu over his friend, his black hair hanging down over Grégoire’s golden blond, the strands e, and I reht-creature Leo hadn’t healed as quickly as Gee DiMercy And Grégoire didn’t appear to be healing at all

I had wanted to prove so I didn’t like what I’d proven The bruise on Grégoire’s neck was spectacular, totally unlike any bruise I had ever seen on anyone, hu, narrow, deep purple indentation just belohere the skull and neck cae The bruise around it elling, spreading, bloo like a scarlet flower, the blood beneath his skin flooding like petals Like a fuchsia flower beneath the white, white skin