Verena's Whistle: Varangian Descendants Book I by K. Panikian (essential reading txt) 📗

looked at Owen and said, concerned “Are you sure you want to try it today? That’s three transformations in less than 24 hours.”

“I feel great,” Owen answered. “Yeah, I was really tired immediately after, but I feel energized now.” He grinned at me. I rolled my eyes.

“Wait, before you start tramping around out there, let me measure that footprint.” I ran and found measuring tape in the garage. Outside, I measured Owen’s bare footprint in the snow and when I turned back to the house, Julian and Owen were talking on the deck, holding their swords.

Julian was saying, “I know we were talking last night about how berserker legends are probably mostly false, but I agree with Very that there may be some truth as well. If you start to feel like you’re really angry, or you want to hurt me, I need you to stay in control and back off.” He stopped and said seriously, “I’m trusting you with my life, man.”

Owen nodded, his face grave. “I understand.”

I felt a kick of fear go through me as they stepped off the deck and into the yard. Owen stripped and handed me his clothes; I backed up and sat on the deck steps again, pulling my sword onto my lap. Theo stepped out the sliding door, holding his sovnya, and sat beside me.

“How does it work,” he asked me in a whisper.

“Just watch,” I whispered back.

Owen seized the pommel of his sword, vanished, and the wolf berserker stood in his place. Theo sucked in a breath next to me. “Whoa. He’s huge.”

Julian, who was not a small man, looked slight next to Owen’s hulking half-wolf form.

“It’s still me,” Owen said through his wolf jaws.

Julian started to weave his sword through the air, moving his feet to circle around Owen. Owen stood still, his sword at the ready. When Julian moved to strike, the berserker took over. Owen spun away and in a flurry of moves, disarmed Julian, picked him up, and tossed him to the side. He moved so fast that I didn’t even see how he did it. Julian was just suddenly in the snow by the foot of the deck, looking dazed.

Owen stood in front of him, holding the sword ready, and waited.

“Everything okay?” I called down.

Owen looked up at me and waved. “I’m in control. Do you want to go again?” he asked Julian.

Julian gamely climbed to his feet, “Sure.”

They stood in the center of the yard again and this time, Owen attacked first. He started with a two-handed strike diagonally down to the right and when Julian moved to parry, he released one hand and spun the sword around to slash at Julian’s neck. I sucked in a breath and Owen stopped the blade before making contact.

“I can’t handle this,” I said to Theo.

“They’re doing great,” Theo responded. “Just relax. He slowed that one down a lot, but Julian still couldn’t parry it.”

Julian said, “Again.”

I watched them go back and forth across the yard for another few minutes before I stopped gasping every time Owen struck. I could tell that Julian was going full-out; he was moving very fast and using his super strength to push back against Owen’s blows. It was still obvious though, that Owen was holding back. Finally, Julian stepped back, breathing heavily and asked for a break.

“My turn!” Theo jumped to his feet and landed in the snowy yard. He started spinning his sovnya in front of him and then, when Owen lunged, he spun to the side and swept down with the bladed end. It whistled through the air, not making contact, because Owen leapt into the air and the blade passed harmlessly under his feet. My mouth dropped open. His body was too big to jump that high but he’d done it effortlessly.

Theo laughed and then tried another pass. This time, moving forward with slashing diagonal strikes, alternating sides, he ran at Owen. Owen waited until the last moment and then caught the sovnya against his sword’s edge and pushed; the sovnya flew through the air and Theo was disarmed.

Julian clapped and Owen bowed. He looked at me and I clapped too. His wolf ears flickered.

“Are you coming?” he asked me and I got to my feet. Theo and Julian took my spot on the deck stairs.

I held my saber in my right hand and my nightingale knife in my left. I knew I was sacrificing my defensive options by holding two weapons, but I also knew that against his superior size, strength, and speed, I didn’t have a lot of defensive options to begin with.

I charged forward suddenly, closing the distance between us with my saber raised, feinting a mighty overhead strike. When Owen lifted his longsword to block it, I delivered a hard kick instead to his midsection. I put my weight behind it but Owen didn’t even stagger. And now my foot hurt.

I spun away from his parry and followed up with a slash from my knife at his foremost leg. I realized that he wasn’t going to block it and so pulled my attack.

“Point to Very,” Julian called from the deck.

Owen swung his longsword in a two-handed strike to the lower left side of my body. He moved slowly. I parried by turning my wrist so that it faced outward and swept the attack aside. I could tell he let me do it.

“Point to Owen,” I said that time.

I brandished my saber, trying to draw Owen’s attention, and then lunged forward with the saber extended. When Owen started to parry it, I stabbed my knife hand forward and underneath the saber lunge. In a split second Owen, instead of parrying the saber with both hands on the longsword, dropped one hand to grab my left wrist. He parried the saber thrust easily one-handed and continued to hold my wrist loosely. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Fight to Owen,” Theo called.

I smiled up at his wolf face, looming over me from his new great height. One glowing