Jason Weiser

Horse, too.

We'll let you walk down.

Hesitate, and we'll still take your things, but you'll take the faster way down.

The man looked over the edge.

Try anything and we'll make sure you live long enough to regret it.

There are more of us in the path ahead.

The man, sword drawn and flanked by two others just like him, said as he stepped from the curve in the path ahead.

It wasn't that she had just bested men with triple the training of these bandits in a duel.

It wasn't that if she took her hat off they might recognize her real gender and things would be infinitely worse.

It wasn't that she wanted to preserve her father's weapons and armor.

and go home.

It was that Danya just didn't care.

With her hands up, Danya said she was going to draw her sword and set it down.

She slid it from her scabbard.

No.

He'll take it.

The bandit motioned to the man inching up the path behind her.

yeah he will dunya said flipping the sword in her hand and stabbing backward with all of her strength the smothered gasp of the sword piercing his lungs and hopefully more puffed behind her but dunya's victory was short-lived

Stuck in the brigand, the handle of her sword jerked beyond her grasp.

Worse, she half-spun in the saddle, just in time to see him topple over the edge of the cliff, taking her sword with him.