"Anthony Piers - Incarnations 3 - With a Tangled Skien" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

He got her grip right and her stance right, then guided
her through a swing at the billet. She felt the strength in
his arms and body as he moved in contact with her; it
was amazing how strong he was for his age. This time the
blade came down cleanly, perfectly centered, and cleaved
the wood asunder. The halves did not fly apart, as this
had not been a fully powered blow, but they offered no
further resistance.

Niobe tried the next one alone, following the procedure
he had shown her. Her strike was not sufficient to split
the billet, but it was remarkably close to the center. It
was a victory of sorts. She owed that, perhaps, to her
coordination with the loom; she could generally place an

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object where she wanted to, when not struggling with too
much weight.

But now the axe was stuck in the wood. She tried to
draw it free, but it wouldn't budge. "Just turn it over,
heave it up, and hit it backside, ma'am," Cedric advised.

She did so, struggling to haul up the heavy billet, and
brought the head of the axe down on the block. The wood
split itself on the blade and fell apart. "Oh, it worked!"
she exclaimed, pleased.

"Sure thing, ma'am," Cedric agreed. "You got a knack
for it."

"I have a knackЧ" But she realized that she did not
want to be lecturing him about language; it was not the
wifely way. "No I don't, either! I'm just a duffer. But it
is fun!"

She split wood for several minutes, and soon was warm
enough to remove her coat. "If I had known how satis-
fying it is to split wood, I would have done it long ago,"
she gasped.

"You sure look good doin' it," Cedric said.

"No I don't!" she protested, pleased.

"Yes you do, ma'am. You're one pretty woman."

"And you're one bonnie boy. But I'm getting tired; let's