Hounded by an innate intuition, Altair did not reach for the wooden swords that hung on racks but drew Shadowclaw from out of his Drupnnir Ring, reeling at the sudden sensation of forewarning gnawing at the back of his mind. He saw Iliana move. He saw her sword sweep across the air, slicing through the winds, and saw the very mana part.
So fiercely, her sword struck across his embers and shook the walls of the structure around them. The thunderous boom! Reigned like the drum of thunder, pushing Altair back dozens of feet. His sword arm reeled upwards when Iliana pushed forward. She drove her sword toward his neck just as Altair tried to reposition his arm to defend himself. She drew back with a sudden feint and struck with her foot, catching over his jaw and tearing him off the ground into the walls.
Traces of blood slid from down his jaw, touching upon his robes. He cursed, shaken to his very core.
