Page 9 (1/2)

Extending it just in front of hten as they control it "It feels okay"

"Just okay, or does it feel more like an extension of your arm?" Tristan asks

I heft it up and down and then sertips"

"Aye, ’tis a good sign, then," he answers Froe black leather scabbard, he withdraws his oord A sapphire stone colance up at Tristan "Big"

He hefts it a tiood to use a splinter, like the one you have Noould it?" He grins

"Splinter?" I reply I tap uy Teach me, and I’ll show you what I can do with a splinter Shohat’s what"

Tristan nods "Very well Put your blade back in the rack"

I blink "Say what?"

"You’ve got to see a pair of true sword fighters duel before handling a crash course yourself," Jake says

Conwyk steps forward Bothout of their sockets

Across Gawan’s chest, down both arms, and from shoulder to shoulder and down his spine are intricately inked

Very old indeed They’re Pictish symbols, Jake offers in my head Each stand for a number of men killed in battle

Well, damn I don’t even knohat else to say about that

Tristan and Gawan draw their swords,with the teaes to watch Beside me, Lucian and Eli Each swordss apart and braced--and taps the other blade with his own

Then the swinging and hacking begins

Steel against steel rings out in the dojo, and I almost cover hten, flex, and rip as they swing, clash, and charge one another They literally look as if theyto watch Sweat plasters their hair to their heads, rolls off their biceps and down their are and steel collides with steel so fiercely, my insides quiver In a move so fast I almost don’t follow it, Tristan flicks his blade at Gawan’s shoulder and nicks him Gawan, almost as fast, flicks Tristan on the chin Both draw blood

In a chaaze immediately shoots over to the one vampire I least trust to control hi: Victorian Arcos

A slow grin lifts his lips One dark eyebrow rises

The clas my attention back to Tristan and Gawan I study their steps, their ean ancient art of combat--actually acco

Finally, the tarriors are pressed close, face-to-face, their blades pushed against each other They’re both breathing hard, but not nearly as raggedly as I would expect after all that combat Then, with his free hand, Tristan punches Gawan in the head

In The Head

Gawan lets out what can only be a string of weird, unintelligible medieval curses, rears back the hilt of his sword, and cocks Tristan in the jaw

Godalhtydamn

"Halt!" Jake yells and steps in probably just before the two get ready to thron on the floor and wrestle, or just plain beat the crap out of each other "Enough Top forot it Si"

Tristan wipes his broith his forearm "’Tisn’t as easy as it once was, I fear," he says "Whilst I have an interesting past, I’m one hundred percent ray hair yesterday rinning "If you wish"

Tristan frowns "Keep your fangs far froer than you,old withthat come froinal pairs and practice stance, , cli a dirk into its heart Of course, the sparring probably won’t be all that necessary

We only have to take off their heads That’s it

We don’t haveAnd we still have to learn our way around old Edinburgh so we can actually hunt them

"Damn me Can we sup now?" Tristan bellows over the dojo "I vow hs "Aye Just for you, Dreadives a satisfactory nod "Appreciated"