Join the writers at#MFRWHooks here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine shows the first meeting of the hero and heroine
Blurb:
Angry her father, who has ordered her to bond with a man with tainted lines.Lasara plans to escape. Her ability to read the lines of fire makes her a talented duelist. Friends aid her escape. They tell her to seek the Desert Riders and a man called Jens. The meeting is different than she plans. They duel for hours and end in both collapsing. While she recovers she hears about the kidnapping of girls with strong lines of fire, she decides to act to free them. Then she learns about a strange man who has joined her enemy. The Defenders need to know.
A tall woman whose hair hung down her back in a braid
entered the circle. “I accept for the village.”
Jens laughed. He’d never dueled with a female. This duel
will be shorter than any he’d fought.
She met his gaze. “I’m Defender trained. Do we fight to
the death?”
He shook his head. “Only until one of us is driven from
the circle or loses the sword.” He studied her closely. He’d dueled twice with
Defenders. He’d won the first and lost the second. Alric had known how to read
the lines of fire making them equal. Jens had learned new tricks during the
bout.
He walked to the center of the circle and watched the
carts arrive. She joined him. He assessed her. She was tall but nearly a head
shorter than his height. He had the longer reach and thus an advantage. As he
watched her bright lines, a need to touch her rose. He shook his head.
“A problem?” she asked.
“None.” In her green eyes he saw eagerness. “I’m Jens.”
“Lasara.” She cocked her head and studied him. “Alric told
me to seek you.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I needed to be away from the Hall for a time.”
Jens sucked in a deep breath. “We’ll talk after the duel.”
He heard rumbling and saw the carts and the rest of the Riders arrive. He
closed his eyes and sought his center.
“This duel is fought for trading advantages,” the village
headman announced. “Let the bout begin.”
Jens touched his sword to hers. They stepped back. Joy
filled him. This duel wouldn’t be over after one or two blows. The sound of
metal sliding over metal filled the air. Though he had more reach, she quickly
countered each of his moves.
He watched her lines of fire trying to determine her next
move. Her rapid counters meant she also read the lines.
They fought on. He attempted the tricks he had learned
from Alric. She avoided falling into the traps. Several times she used new
ploys he struggled to counter. The thrill of the duel fueled his spirits. The
sun reached midday and the duel continued.
How long before one of them faltered? He saw no way to
drive her from the circle or to disarm her. He refused to yield. The shouts of
the crowd changed from encouragement to concern.
His legs cramped. The sword felt like a lump of granite at
the end of his arm. His breathing changed to gasps in hoped of sucking more air
into his lungs. Lasara’s lines moved in an erratic pattern. Did his do the
same? Each time their swords connected and parted eh felt a snap of static
electricity.
His vision blurred. Sweat drenched his body. Their swords
screeched instead of singing. Was the end near? This wasn’t a death duel. He
couldn’t cede the victory to her. He’d only lost one duel. Though his body
cried for rest he would not lose.
He staggered. So did she. His knees buckled. Still
clutching his sword, he toppled. She mirrored his collapse. All went black.
My Places
Buy Mark
3 comments:
Great duel scene!
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Dee
#PMInc
"Jens laughed. He’d never dueled with a female. This duel will be shorter than any he’d fought."
Oh, you know someone is about to get schooled!
Them passing out at the same time is the one fair way to end such an epic duel.
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