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 Let s get you into the coverall, Zastryl said.
Rahl was feeling more than a little warm in the coverall but suspected he
might well need it. As broad-shouldered and muscular as Aleasya was, and as a
former ship s champion, whatever that was, Rahl knew he d be fortunate to
escape with only a few bruises.
 Aleasya will begin with some of the standard openings, Zastryl offered.  Do
your best to stop them, but don t worry. Right now, she won t carry through.
 Yes, ser. Facing the weapons trainer, Rahl felt chaos, almost as if it were
trying to climb up from the blade through the hilt into his hand and arm.
Every time he lifted the blade, a twinge of fire streaked up his arm. He could
feel the sweat beading on his forehead, but the heat was coming from the blade
and his struggles with it, not from the warmth of the partly armored coverall.
.
Aleasya began with a quick exploratory thrust, one that. Rahl managed to
deflect.
From there, it got harder, as much because Rahl had to fight the chaos-pain of
handling the weapon as much as he had to fight Aleasya. At a pause, he blotted
his forehead.
 Are you all-right? asked Zastryl.
 So far. Just let me have a moment. Could he use his shields to block the
chaos from striking back up the blade at him? If he could just concentrate on
Aleasya&
He thought and abruptly, the pain of the chaos vanished. He could sense it,
just below his hand,, but now he was free to concentrate fully on learning and
using the falchiona. With each pass, he began to sense more and understand
more about the blade and what lay behind the moves.
Zastryl began to offer quick comments in between the short encounters where
Aleasya demonstrated various attacks and maneuvers before using them.
 Most of the time, the armsmaster called from the-side,  a lead from the edge
side is a feint. But not always, especially if the aim is to disable or disarm
you.
 That s a setup for an arm slash& 
 Don t drop the blade tip!
When Zastryl called a halt, sweat was pouring from Rahl s forehead, and he
felt light-headed, almost unsteady. He d certainly worked harder and longer
with the staff before without such effort tiring him so much, but he could
have been getting overheated in the heavy coverall.
He began to unfasten the padded and sweaty coverall.
 I ve never seen a mage type handle a blade that well, or learn it so
quickly. Aleasya glanced to Zastryl.  Have you?
 No. He s done something. Zastryl began to walk toward the pair.
As if a giant wave had risen from a shore where he stood, Rahl could feel his
shields crumpling under that unseen wave and redness rising around him. He
could feel himself falling& forward into reddish blackness.
When he could see again, he was on his back looking up at the beamed ceiling
of the arms-training building.
Hovering over him was someone, but for several moments, the image was a swirl
of indistinct color. Then he could make out the face of Kelyssa, the younger
healer.  Kelyssa?
With that single word, Rahl s head felt as though it were being hit with a
heavy mallet and splitting apart, and his eyes burned.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
 What did& you can tell us later. How do you feel? Can you see me?
 Yes. My eyes burn, but I can see you.
 And you can hear?
 Yes.
 Can you feel your fingers and toes?
 They hurt, but I can feel them.
 Wiggle them. .
Rahl did.
 Now move your arms and legs, just a little, and gently.
Rahl could sense, a reassuring aura of black .order from the healer as she
probed his body. Then she straightened.  I think he ll be all right, but we
ought to watch him at the infirmary for a while.
 Do we need to get a cart for him? asked Zastryl.
 Just let him rest for a while, and I ll be able to walk him over there. I
think he should be fine in a day or so, but I ll have Deybri look at him to
make sure. Kelyssa turned back to Rahl.  I m going to help you sit up.
Gingerly, Rahl rolled to one side, then sat up on the hard stone. At that
point, he realized that the coverall had been stripped from him. He glanced [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]