Asha did not wait for Viserys to come all the way to her. While he was still several steps away, she lowered her body, suddenly quickened her pace, and charged straight at him.
The axe held crosswise in her hand swept in from the right, its blade carving an arc with the force of her twisting waist. The angle was viciously deceptive. There was no probing strike, no strength held in reserve; she chopped straight at Viserys's neck, as though she meant to shear his entire head from his shoulders in a single blow.
Viserys did not retreat at all. He merely turned slightly sideways, letting the sweeping strike pass harmlessly in front of him.
Then he flicked the Blackfyre Sword upward, striking the junction between Asha's axe head and haft squarely with the spine of his blade. The blow landed precisely where the joint could least withstand the force, and the two weapons met with a dull metallic clang.
Asha felt a violent jolt through the web of her hand gripping the haft. The force was heavy and abrupt, shooting straight up the handle and leaving half her arm numb on the spot. From her palm to the crook of her elbow, it felt as though she had been struck hard with an iron rod.
Had her other hand not closed around it in time, the axe would almost have flown from her grasp. She clenched her teeth, barely managing to steady the wrist that Viserys's strength had numbed.
The force transmitted through the axe shoved her entire upper body back. Rather than resist it, she used the momentum to retreat several steps before she could regain her displaced balance.
Viserys did not pursue her. He remained where he stood, the Blackfyre Sword once again angled toward the ground,