Epic Thursday...

It's Epic Thursday again, and this week I'm hosting Laura Rahimi Barnes. 


Her Bio: I'm a marketing consultant, wife, mother of three, and hopeful writer of Middle Grade and Picture books with goals of being published and making a name for myself, despite my inability to self-promote. This blog is an experiment in author marketing. Watch me (and learn some tips for yourself!) as I grow myself from nobody to known. Well, that's the goal anyway ;)


You can find her blog here: http://laurabwriter.blogspot.com/ 

And her Twitter here: https://twitter.com/#!/LaaBWriter


Laura is also celebrating her One Year Blogoversary with an AMAZING giveaway, so stop by and enter here. 


Her Epic Scene comes from S.P.Y. Mission: Princess Protection

Middle Grade Adventure

37,000 words

Allison McKenzie, a.k.a. agent McKay, is the International Intelligence Agency's secret weapon: a twelve-year-old super spy. 

When the agency discovers a kidnapping threat on Tartan's bratty Princess Emma Lynn, McKay is assigned to the case. The job? Become close to the princess and discover any inside security issues. The assignment has McKay pulling out all her spy tricks and soon she's scaling palace walls and bugging parliament offices. But McKay's training didn't prepare her for friendship, least of all with the high and mighty Emma Lynn – and it’s a tricky feat for an orphan who's never had a true relationship with anyone. 

Improvising and putting all her skills to the test, Agent McKay does her best to keep her target safe and uncover who’s behind the kidnapping threat. Unfortunately, all of her lying and spying does nothing but alienate her from the princess, leaving the villain a wide open opportunity.

So without further ado, here is her Epic Middle Grade Fight Scene from S.P.Y Mission: Princess Protection.

 Again we get in position to play.  Jean-Paul signals for us to begin.  Princess Emma lunges at me with her foil.  I dodge away from the tip.  The princess is quick though and I have to do some fancy footwork to maneuver myself away from her foil.  After a few seconds I let the foil touch me at my waist. 

            “Halt!” Jean-Paul shouts.  “Point to Emma Lynn.  En Garde! Play!”

            We immediately launch into play again.  I continue to play defensive, dodging away from Princess Emma’s foil and not using my own at all.  Though the blade cannot hurt through all our protective gear, the princess lunges her weapon at me with such force that I am sure she is trying to hurt me.  I tighten my grip on my own foil and start to fling it around a little to taunt her and accidentally hit my tip to Princess Emma’s hip which scores me a point. 

            Princess Emma narrows her eyes at me and gets in position for our next play.  This time after the round begins, she attacks even more forcefully.  Seriously?  I dance backward and trip over myself, falling on the ground.  Princess Emma touches her tip to me and scores.

            Somewhat annoyed, I jump up, and get into position.  Play begins and the princess attacks, as usual. She’s not bad.  Quite good, in fact.  I am beginning to get used to her moves, though, and successfully dodge her tip again and again, which I can tell pisses her off.  I still do not attack her myself, but I do wave my foil around as if I am trying to fight.  Princess Emma, probably to goad me, swipes her foil harshly across my calf.  Ow! This does not count as a point – only a touch with the tip is scored – but the swipe stings. 

            Well, the goading worked.  Because now I’m angry.  No, more than angry – I’m flippin’ pissed.  The constant attitude from the princess and now this whole fencing situation is totally unfair.  Forget this playing nice.  I start attacking.  Princess Emma catches my change in play and nimbly moves away from my advances, and then counter-attacks.  I can feel the princess’s fury as she lunges.  I parry.  She lunges again and our foils cross.  She hits my foil again, and I meet her strike. She continues to hit my weapon and our game dissolves into sword play.

            “Halt!” Jean Paul shouts. “Halt!” but we ignore him, both of us completely lost in our fight.  I strike my foil this way and that, each time Princess Emma meeting my weapon.  Now she is on the attack and she presses me backward across the courtyard until I am nearly up against a garden wall.  Smoothly, I surprise her by ducking and rolling, and then quickly jump back to my feet.  Princess Emma’s foil hits the wall – ha, ha! – but she rapidly recovers and turns to meet my next strike. 

We hit several more times, the sound of foils clashing echoes across the courtyard.  Vaguely I’m aware of Jean Paul shouting in the background for us to stop, but we fight on, both of us skillfully attacking and counter-attacking. Princess Emma swipes me again, this time on my arm.  That little… I lower my fighting arm and meet her next strike.  Then, Princess Emma changes tactics and charges straight at me with her foil.  She hits my chest with such force, the foil bends and she loses her grip on the weapon.  The foil springs off of my jacket and flies back over her head. 

We stop, stunned, watching the foil tumble to the ground. Princess Emma looks back at me and I’m afraid she’ll come at me with her bare hands.  Instead, what she does next throws me completely off guard. 

Princess Emma begins to laugh.

And don't forget, it's never too late to volunteer some of your own Epic writings.  Contact me at amclites@gmail.com.