Starling (114 page)

He didn’t know she was there, clearly. His face was granite, his close-cropped hair slick with sweat. He grunted with
each thrust of his sword, pushing an older man with peppery
hair and a thick beard backward toward the edge of the board.

The older man suddenly surged forward, his sword swinging low.
Luca jumped, his feet lifting over the blade as it whizzed past. He
landed solidly but had to put his left arm out for balance. His opponent’s sword cut the late-afternoon sun into pieces as it slashed at
him again.

His head flicked suddenly in the direction of her voice and the
older man attacked, his sword slamming against Luca’s with such
force that Luca stumbled sideways and fell from the wooden beam.
He ended up on his back, his sword still clutched awkwardly in his
hand. The older man leapt from the board and landed catlike on the
campo. He touched his blade to Luca’s neck.