Liora checked the boundary before she checked my sword. I had been hoping she would spend more time on the sword.
She walked the near edge of the court, tested the floor with the sole of one boot, and moved a loose piece of wrapping beyond the observer line. Then she took her place opposite me.
The academy blade sat heavily in my hand. I had practiced with the pattern yesterday. That was not the same as having used it for years. The duty attendant had checked the burn before letting me onto the floor. Closed surface, old tenderness, no new change since the supervised preparation. The limited conditions remained permitted.
I had no permission to discover how much more the hand could endure after those conditions stopped being enough. Veylan stood between us with the recorder beside the court.
