A Classic Beginner’s Mistake

“A Classic Beginner’s Mistake” is published by Water Dragon Publishing, March 10th, 2023 as part of their Dragon Gems series, edited by Steven Radecki.

EIGHT MINUTES BEFORE MY BOUT, and I was struggling with my goggles — the one really important piece of protective gear. A rapier through the heart is a legitimate medical emergency, but one that the on-site medical staff handle with routine ease. Only a rapier into the brain is at all likely to produce a career-threatening injury and, except for the very rare fluke of a thrust through the soft pallet or the ear, the skull provides enough protection that just about the only way into the brain is through the eye socket.

Hence, goggles.