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Author Insight
Going Off Script
Attie's competitor in the fight goes off-script in the middle of their bout!
Book Excerpt
Gladiatrix
I barely dove to the side as the whip split the dust where I had just been standing, a second strike that had not been part of the plan.The crowd booed and cheered, stamping their feet, but I barely heard it over the pounding of my heart in my throat.What was she doing? Why were they cheering when I was losing? Was I losing?I reached behind me and managed to grab the whip as she overbalanced, not expecting for me to dodge it. I wound it once around my wrist and yanked it hard with my left hand. The whip pulled out of her hand, the handle dragging through the dust towards me.I tossed the whip behind me, like I had been supposed to before, and approached her, just like Marcus and I had practiced.I didn't know why I was still trying to perform the choreography, but it was like my body was just going through what we had practiced. What else could I even do? What was going on?She drew a knife from her belt and stalked towards me, meeting me in the center of the arena.I swung my sword overhead and she caught it on her knife, the metal clinking as I forced my larger weapon down towards her face.“What are you doing?” I hissed through gritted teeth, my face close to hers as I pushed down my weapon.When the sword got close enough to draw a line of blood across her forehead, I turned away, spinning on my heel, preparing for our next clash of blades. This was a tricky part of the choreography, I had to be sure to-Inanna’s armored fist shot out, hammering me in the gut.Air rushed out of me as my body seemed to collapse in on itself. The shock reverberated through me, so intense it caused me to drop my sword as I fought to catch my breath, doubled over in shock, trying not to retch.Inanna reached out one sandaled foot and kicked my sword away. I watched as it spun through the dust, still gleaming in the sunlight streaming into the arena.I scrambled back upright as she stalked towards me like a lion, pointed teeth bared in a horrifying smile.
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