The Angkhora Warriors

Part 13: Serpent Arts

Growing up in the Snake Village hadn't been easy. It had been even harder being the daughter of a revered member of The Order. The pressure on Uma was like a giant mountain on her shoulders. She'd lost her mother at the age of eight and her father had become cold and withdrawn after that.

He'd trained her for years in the art of summoning, the great secret of the Clan. Her father tested her many times, but she'd never managed to call forth a single serpent.

"Practice it again," he told young Uma as she sat in her father's training room. "I will be back to see your progress."

He closed the doors, then walked away from the small building. Uma sat on her knees looking down at her arms. She had tried many times over. Again and again. She made the motions with her hands, she even did a little dance ritual, but nothing came out. She sat in the training room, frustrated.

If she couldn't summon a snake, her father would be furious, and she'd have to practice all night until sunrise without any supper. Her belly already ached from a long day of training. When her father returned, he would be disappointed. He would not speak to her for days.

How else can I prove myself?

As the years passed, an idea hit her. She had heard about the Fighter's Tournament. A tournament for teenagers with special talents. A tournament that tested unique skills and proved one's talent. Her father attended it regularly. She had heard him talked about it with the other members of The Order.

She knew she had a special talent worthy of a tournament. But she was dismayed when she learned that the Tournament was only for boys.

"Let's dress you up as a boy!" Oja said excitedly. "I'm sure it will work."

Uma squinted at her best friend.

"If you don't try, you will never know." Oja showed her support.

The two worked hard to disguise Uma as a boy. Oja used bandages on her friend to flatten her breasts, and when they finished, she entered her name into the competition.

Everyone showed up for the competition and several people placed bets on the fighters after they'd seen them all walk into the ring to start the ceremony.

For her first match, they'd paired her with a boy around the same age and the same size. The crowd cheered as the two stepped into the ring. Uma glanced around, wondering whether her father was watching, then she spotted him in the crowd, chatting with another man. A handsome young man with bow and arrows on his back. The young man looked at her and she quickly looked away.

She turned to her opponent, who was going through his stretching, preparing for the fight. The judge stepped into the arena and invited both fighters to meet in the middle. He rose both of his hands into the air and the crowd roared. Uma glanced at her father again. He was watching this time. Her heart beat like a drum in the cage of her chest. The judge threw his arms down and jumped out of the middle of the ring.

The two dashed at each other, both taking the offensive, and threw fists. They blocked each other's punches and counter-punched. They were evenly matched, until Uma realized that the boy favored his right side. When she focused on attacking his left side, he became off-balanced, and she took her opportunity to sweep out his legs.

One swift knee to his gut forced him to the ground and the judge counted while the boy struggled to stand up. The judge jumped into the middle and held up Uma's hand. She had won! The crowd roared and Uma bowed, then vanished back into the fighters' den. Several of the other fighters pat her on the shoulder as she took a seat and waited for her next round.