Fight Scene Blogfest, in which Kyra gets beat up

Edit: Updated draft of fight scene (5/3/2010)

I may regret this later, but I just found out that there's a fight scene blogfest going on right now.  If there's one thing my manuscript doesn't lack, it's fight scenes -- I'm always wracking my brain trying to come up with more original angles.  So even though I'm super late, joining in the fun.

Most of my fight scenes are based on my real life experience in jujitsu.  My most convincing fight scenes also happen to be the ones where the heroine gets beat up.  I'll let you connect the dots there...

Since I'm doing a last minute copy and paste from my office, the writing's still a bit rough.  But I guess that's why they call it a work-in-progress. 

And here we go!



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He had already set up some straw mats on the floor in the big warehouse at the back of the building and was leaning against the wall now, tossing a dagger into the air with his right hand.

“Am I late?” she asked, watching the light reflect off the blade as it spun.

Riley shook his head and motioned her toward the mat. Kyra stepped carefully on, feeling the rough strands through the bottom of her shoes. The mats were better than the hard stone floor, but they still weren't a welcoming surface to fall on. As they stood on the mat facing each other, he grabbed a sheath from his belt and covered his dagger, tying it well with a leather thong so it wouldn't slip off during the fight.

“You got yours?”

“Yeah.” She reached down to her ankle and released her knife from its bindings, slipping it out from the leg of her trousers. It was a small one, with a plain handle and a blade the length of her hand. By now, she was getting a sense for its reach in a fight.
Riley attacked as soon as she stood up, coming at her with an overhead thrust. She easily avoided it, stepping sideways and backing lightly out of his reach. Kyra had learned early on to stay far away from him. At close range, pretty much anyone in the guild could overpower her with brute strength. However, she was faster than most, and if she stayed alert, she could sometimes catch her opponent off guard.

“What are you, a dancer?” Riley said. “Pretty movements won't do any good here.”

He rushed her again, this time with a more controlled attack. She stepped aside. As Riley passed, Kyra dropped to the ground and hooked her ankle around his knee. She didn't move away in time, and he fell on top of her, pinning down her knife arm with his left side. As he shifted to bring his own knife around, Kyra realized her legs were free. She kicked up and wrapped both ankles around his head and under his chin. The unexpected move snapped his head back and made him release his pin on her arm. Twisting her wrist, she grabbed her dagger and passed the sheathed blade across his throat. Once she determined it a satisfactory kill, she flopped back down, staring at the room's high ceiling as she caught her breath. Her elbow felt raw from being pressed against the mat, and she waited for Riley to get off her so she could inspect it.

“Most times you won't have the luxury of resting after a fight.”

At first she thought it was Riley speaking, but then she sat up to see James watching from the side. This was the first time he had watched her practice. Hastily, she climbed to her feet.

James removed his outer tunic, tossed it on a nearby box. and walked onto the mat. He reached a pale but well muscled arm towards Riley, who tossed him the dagger he had been using. James caught the dagger, beckoning Kyra toward him in the same motion. She stood, frozen in place. He motioned again, more curtly. This time she obeyed, muscles tense.
“Let's see what you've learned.”

She tried to ignore the pounding in her ears as they circled each other. She had never seen James fight before. He moved deliberately with no wasted motion, graceful yet dangerous. His eyes never deviated from her face. There was no taunting or boasting. James just circled her with cold, unswerving focus. He said nothing; his face gave no indication of his thoughts.

A long time passed with no attack. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that activity around the warehouse had stopped. People were watching.

James continued to circle her. Kyra wiped her sweaty left hand on her trousers. Was he expecting her to make the first move? She felt slightly lightheaded. Her breathing became quick and shallow, and she struggled to slow it down.

Finally, she lunged at him, thrusting her blade toward his torso. He moved aside just enough to avoid the tip of her sheathed blade and then rushed her. She felt a stunning blow on the side of her face at the same time her legs swept out from under her. Kyra had the presence of mind to slap the ground to soften her landing, but the fall still knocked her breathless. She lay there for a few moments, eyes closed, not wanting to see who was watching.

“Stay within the perimeters for now,” she heard James say. Painfully, she rolled onto her side, keeping her eyes on the ground as he walked away. A loud laugh sounded from the corner of warehouse. Kyra felt her face flush with shame and panicked as she felt tears prickle behind her eyes. She forced them back by sheer will and made herself look up toward the source of the laughter. It was Bacchus, slapping his thigh in amusement before following James out.


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Comments and suggestions welcome!  Once I get home, I'm looking forward to reading everybody else's entries.