as possible and thrust forward, aiming for the centre of Tahon’s chest. The tip of the sword was about to reach him when a powerful tug wrenched the sword from Einar’s hand. Toinen froze, feeling the two-handed sword lightly brush against his shoulder.
‘You’ve managed to... hmmm... fool me!’ Tahon laughed cheerfully. ‘Well done!’ he added, patting Toinen enthusiastically on the shoulder. Einar let out a breath and leaned back on his knees. He was actually a bit out of breath now and needed a moment’s rest.
‘Well, well, and I thought they’d be at it until evening.’ Kari was sitting under a tree, playing with his axe.
‘For once, it would have been nice to see Einar struggling to keep up with someone,’ Leif chimed in, leaning against his shield, which was standing upright.
‘True enough. We probably won’t have that pleasure again any time soon.’ As usual, the twins were in agreement.
‘How long have you been sitting here?’ Toinen, completely absorbed in the fight, hadn’t even noticed when his brothers had reached the clearing. Judging by the fact that they weren’t out of breath at all, they must have been sitting there for quite a while.
‘It depends…’
‘… on how you…’
‘… look at it.’
‘If you’re asking about time, then it has indeed taken you a while.’ Kari tossed his axe and caught it as he stood up.
‘But as for the duel, we’d still be happy to watch.’ Leif straightened up as well.
‘It seems they arrived about… Hmmm… You’ve come up with your idea.’ Einar noticed that the effort hadn’t made the slightest impression on Ceet; the man wasn’t even breathing any faster.
‘So they’ve been sitting here for a while.’ The boy gasped.
‘Just don’t whine, because…’
‘…there really was something to look at.’
‘Yes, there definitely was.’ Tahon unexpectedly echoed the twins. ‘Your style’s not half bad,’ the beastman began thoughtfully. ‘You’re also quick on the uptake, using both the terrain and your opponent’s weaknesses to your advantage. I thought you gave up easily, but it seems you’re just a good
