Sword Play

by Linda Joy Singleton

  “Fine!” she snapped ungraciously. “But you better not repeat this. Promise?”

  “Why should I promise? I already know Kip went back to the prom for you.”

  “He didn’t come back, he called me on my cell phone and I met him.”

  “So you planned this all along?” I asked with a heavy heart.

  Her eyes flashed. “Of course not! Sure, I’d noticed him around and maybe flirted a little, but it was just a kick. It was like a game, sneaking him my phone number and whispering that we should get together later. I didn’t expect him to actually call. I mean, he was so crazy about his preppy girlfriend.”

  “Her name is Aileen.”

  “Whatever.” Brianne scowled. “She could have had him, but she led him on like a tease. He was upset when he called me. All we were going to do was talk.”

  I didn’t believe this, but I allowed her the lie.

  “So you ditched your date and went off with Kip. What happened after that?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell the police you were with him? Why keep it a secret? Unless his death wasn’t an accident.”

  “It was! A terrible, awful accident! If only he hadn’t … ”

  “Hadn’t what?”

  She shook her head. “Please don’t ask. I can’t tell you or anyone.”

  There was an odd fearful note in her voice, and she was glancing around as if expecting something dark and dangerous to appear from a shadowy corner. This wasn’t the brave Brianne I remembered.

  “Tell me,” I insisted, leaning forward and grabbing her arm. She flinched and her sleeve pushed back to reveal dark marks on her arm. Deep purple bruises.

  “Ohmygod, Brianne! Who did that to you?”

  “He didn’t mean to.” She jumped to her feet and glared at me. “You can’t tell anyone. I mean it, because if you do, he’ll get mad and you couldn’t handle that.”

  All the breath oozed out of me as I stared at her. “Tony? He hurts you?”

  “It doesn’t really hurt,” she said hugging her thin arms to her chest. “He’s just like that, you know, kind of a hothead.”

  “He beats you!”

  “He gets mad and forgets himself, but he’s always sorry.”

  “And you put up with it?” I just could not believe this.

  “He loves me so much that he’s afraid of losing me. That’s why he came after me that night. He followed me from the prom and found me with Kip. He jerked open the door and yanked me out of Kip’s car and started hitting … ” She shuddered. “I kind of blacked out, I guess.”

  I was too horrified to speak. Tony had been beating Brianne? And she allowed it? I couldn’t fathom this, and felt like I’d fallen in an alternate universe. Brianne was the brave one, the knight rescuing the princess.

  “I wasn’t out long and when things cleared I knew I was in Tony’s car,” she went on in a shaky voice. “He was going so fast and I was afraid what he’d do when we stopped. I guess Kip worried about that, too, cause he was chasing us. And getting closer and closer. Tony was swearing and I was afraid he was going to hit me again … then I heard the most awful sound in the world.” She covered her ears, shuddering. “I still hear it in my dreams … a crash so loud and powerful it rocked everything. And when I looked in the back window, there were flames and … ”

  “So he died trying to rescue you?” I asked in an awed breath.

  She nodded, trembling.

  “And instead of telling anyone, you stayed with Tony?”

  “I had to!” she shouted. “Don’t you see? They would have blamed me like they blamed you. I knew your predictions were real. Maybe that’s why I wanted to be with Tony, to challenge death and prove that I’m stronger than you. But you were right … and he died. Then Tony warned me not to say anything. He said they’d arrest us both and he’d be kicked out of sports and everyone would hate me.”

  “Instead they hated me,” I said grimly.

  “I’m so sorry.” She reached for me, but I backed away. “Sabine, I didn’t want to sign that petition. But when I refused, he hit me. I was so stunned, I just did what he wanted. I should have left him … yet I was afraid. It was easier to stay, to do what he wanted, and when he’s not angry, he can be really sweet. It’s not so bad … ”

  “NOT BAD!” I was the one shaking, not with fear, but with outrage. “He’s a monster! And you’re a fool to let him hit you. If you don’t tell someone what he’s doing, I’m going to.”

  “No, you can’t,” she begged.

  “If I don’t it’ll get worse. I read about guys like him and he won’t change. He could end up killing you.”

  “But he loves me,” she whispered sadly. “I can’t stop you from talking, but if our friendship ever mattered to you, at least wait until the exhibition is over to tell anyone. Please, Sabine!”

  When I wouldn’t answer, she seemed to crumple. With a sob, she jumped up and ran through the tent flaps.

  I sat there a few moments before getting up, too. But as I stepped outside, I saw Tony coming my way.

  “Where’s Brianne?” he asked in this chummy nice-guy tone that made my skin crawl.”

  I shook my head, not meeting his gaze. “Don’t know.”

  “But she’s supposed to be here. I told her to wait here for me.”

  “Well, she’s not here.”

  “So where is she? Did she say anything to you?”

  “Brianne and I don’t talk much these days,” I said with a shrug. My heart was hammering so fast I was sure he could hear it.

  “That’s too bad about you and Brianne,” he said with a sympathetic look. “You used to be really close. Maybe I could talk to Brianne and patch things up between you.”

  “Don’t bother,” I said in a tone sharper than I intended.

  “What do you mean by that?” He was studying me now, suspicion creeping into his aura. “Are you sure you haven’t seen her?”

  “No. I haven’t.”

  “She didn’t tell you anything?”

  “Nothing. I—I have to go.” Pushing past him, my fast walk became a run. I was just passing the row of weapons when I felt a firm grip on my wrist and I was thrown to the ground.

  Tony, no longer hiding behind a fake smile, glared down at me. “What did that bitch tell you?” he demanded.

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Nothing I’d tell you.”

  I started to get up, but he pushed me back to the ground.

  “You asshole! Don’t you ever touch me again. I won’t put up with it like—”

  “Like who?” He leaned closer. “She told you, didn’t she?”

  “No!” I looked around for help, but I didn’t see anyone close by.

  “Stay away from Brianne,” he threatened. “She’ll only tell you lies anyway.”

  “Lies like her boyfriend hits her?”

  “I knew it! What else did she tell you?”

  “Nothing!”

  He kicked me in the side and I doubled in pain. He stood there, laughing.

  “I won’t be quiet like her!” From the ground I glared at him.

  “Say one word to anyone and you’re dead,” he threatened. “Want a sample?”

  Then before I realized what he planned, he’d reached for one of the Claymore swords in the rack. The sharpened blade flashed like silver death as he waved it toward me.

  I jumped to my feet and backed away from him. “Tony, don’t do anything dumb.”

  “Like let you go and open your big mouth?” he said in a growl. “Accidents happen all the time. Like that little boy picking up the wrong sword.”

  “Did you switch it?” I demanded, looking around for help. But we were in a remote area of the fair and I could still hear distant cheers from the jousting arena.

  “What do you think?” There was a crazed look on his face and he lifted the sword. “Ready. Fence.”

  He swung forward and I jumped sideways. He really was tryi
ng to kill me! This was insane!

  While he lifted his sword again, I flung myself sideways and grabbed for the rack of weapons. I waved a cutlass at him. “Stay away, Tony!” I shouted.

  He laughed again, then in one swing from his side sword he knocked the cutlass from my hands. I grabbed a wooden shield just as his sword came down again. There was a clunk sound as metal slammed into wood. And Tony swore, his anger growing to a frenzy.

  He was taller and stronger than me. I could out-fence him in organized fencing, but he was waving a killing weapon and all I had was a chunk of wood. If only I could grab one of the rapiers or axes, then I’d have a chance. But he blocked my way to the rack of weapons.

  Don’t allow fear to cloud your sensibilities, Opal’s voice rang in my ears.

  “Help me!” I told her. “Get someone!”

  I’m unable to communicate with others, as you well know. I would suggest lowering your head … right now.

  I ducked. Swoosh! Tony sword sliced above my shoulder. I heard him swear and saw that his swing was so hard, he lost control of the weapon and it sailed over a haystack, landing out of his reach. I was a better fencer than he was. If I could get the sword, he wouldn’t have a chance against me. I could cut him down until he couldn’t come after me again.

  But as I scrambled after the fallen weapon, I heard Opal shout in my head, No! Abandon your anger and pay heed to your common sense. Naught ever comes of violence. Leave the weapon of war and go forth in defense.

  As confusing as that sounded, I must be getting used to Opal’s riddles. Because I knew exactly what she meant. And in that split second of decision, instead of going for the weapon and fighting until blood spilled, I lifted my wooden shield and flung it with all my strength at Tony.

  I heard him cry out, but I didn’t stick around.

  I took off running and didn’t stop screaming until I found help.

  The police showed up and had plenty of questions, but Brianne told me to go fence for Foils and offered to talk with them first. All the fight was out of her. I think she just wanted it over.

  So a much smaller group of Foils gave the fencing demonstration. Despite my shaky efforts, it was a good show. At least that’s what Manny and Thorn told me afterwards while we were waiting at the police station. They’d come for support, which I really appreciated. I hadn’t seen Dominic, and had begun to think I’d imagined him—until I was putting my equipment away and found a note tucked into my bag.

  Sabine,

  Sorry I didn’t watch you fence. I know you did great—you’re really good at everything. I admire that and think about you a lot.

  I’m going after the fourth charm. Could take a few days or a week …

  Keep watch on Nona—she’s not doing well.

  It was simply signed “D.”

  I stared at the note, rereading his “I admire that and think about you a lot,” wondering what he meant by it. Did he care about me the way I suspected I cared about him? If there really was something between us, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Josh was flaking out on me anyway, so maybe it was time to end things. But I’d have to wait for Dominic to return to find out his feelings.

  Until then I’d put my heart on hold.

  My romantic life might be a mess and Nona was getting worse, but at least I’d done what Kip wanted. I still wasn’t sure which girl he’d asked me to help—Leanna, Aileen, or Brianne—but I’d done my best to help them all.

  And maybe that’s what Kip wanted all along.

  ***

  I’d like to say that my forcing Brianne to tell the truth led to our becoming close friends again. Only that didn’t happen.

  After the competition we were hustled off to the police station, and she wouldn’t even look at me. Maybe she felt I’d betrayed her, and I was okay with that, knowing her bruises, inside and out, would take a long time to heal.

  I was still too numbed by everything to take it all in. I was also completely exhausted from fighting Tony and answering a barrage of questions. Because I was a minor, I needed a parent present and I chose Dad. He was a lawyer, after all, and I could count on him not to overreact like Mom.

  When he arrived at the police station, he showed concern but remained calm and he treated me like an adult, asking questions until he was sure he understood the situation. The police weren’t as interested in me once they found out Tony’s role in Kip’s death and saw Brianne’s bruises.

  Dad slipped his arm around me and led me to his car.

  “You okay?” Dad asked gently as he started up the engine.

  “Yeah. Thanks for coming.”

  “Hey, you’re my special girl. I’m always here for you.”

  “Not lately,” I said before I could stop myself. I didn’t mean to dredge out bitter feelings now, not after he just helped me.

  But he didn’t take offense; he reached over to squeeze my hand. “I’m sorry honey. It’s not you. It’s me.”

  “And Mom?” I questioned.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror, then over at me. “Yes. We’re having some problems, but we’ll get through this. No worries, okay?”

  I smiled at him, and nodded. Being with my father made me feel like a little girl again—safe and protected. But then I thought how he was seldom home and Mom and the girls had such full schedules. Independent study was harder than I expected, and lonely. I wanted to go home … with Nona.

  Before I lost my courage, I explained to Dad how I felt and asked if I could move back. “Nona needs me … and I need to be with her.”

  “I understand and I think you should move back, too,” he said after a long moment. He didn’t grill me with questions, but merely gave me a tender look and said he’d talk it over with Mom. “It won’t be easy convincing her,” he added. “I’m not her favorite person right now.”

  “You’re mine,” I said, reaching across to squeeze his hand.

  Then he turned on the radio, his favorite oldies station, and hummed along as I closed my eyes and let all my problems roll away.

  A sharp musical tone chirped and my eyes snapped open.

  “Just my phone,” Dad murmured, keeping his gaze ahead on traffic while he reached for his phone.

  “Yes? I can’t talk now,” I heard him say in a sharp tone that startled me. Then he was quiet, listening for a long time. “No. I can’t … You don’t understand … Are you sure?”

  Energy in the car changed. Dad’s aura sparked with fierce energy. Whoever was on the phone was giving him bad news. I knew this instinctively. I even knew that it was a woman, someone close to his age whom he knew well, but was a stranger to me.

  “All right! I’ll be there!” he snapped. Then he flipped his phone shut and glanced over at me. I kept my eyes closed, sensing that I’d learn more if I pretended to be asleep.

  He made a sudden jerk of the wheel and spun around, tires screeching as he changed directions. I tensed, no longer feeling safe and protected.

  Where were we going?

  I squinted out of the corner of my eyes, noting Dad’s serious expression and how he kept glancing over at me anxiously. Something was definitely worrying him—which worried me.

  Then we were slowing down, bumping over an uneven road, then curving into a neighborhood where I glimpsed large, overgrown trees closing in over the narrow road. The car stopped.

  Dad glanced at me again, then exhaled as if relieved I was asleep.

  He stepped out of the car and walked towards a single-story L-shaped yellow house with sagging gutters, a dry lawn of weeds, and faded wood siding.

  The door of the house burst open and a woman with long, dry, reddish gray hair and wide hips in a stight leather mini-skirt rushed out to greet him. She had this exhausted look of relief on her face, as if her house was burning and a fireman had just showed up to put out the flames.

  She met him on the grass, leaned close, and slipped her arm comfortably around his waist. He didn’t push her away, letting her lean on him as if he belonged to her. Her e
xpression was grim, but the way she touched him was too familiar, and something ugly and jealous snarled in me.

  Then the door opened again and a girl rushed out of the house so fast that all I could see was long, flaming red hair. I had the sense that she was a few years older than me. She flew down the steps, pushed the woman aside, and flung her arms around my father’s neck.

  “I knew you’d come!” the girl cried out. “I really need you, Daddy!”

  My world slowed and froze to a stop.

  Daddy.

  She called my father “Daddy.”

  Then she turned in my direction and I saw her face clearly.

  My hands flew to my mouth.

  Ohmygod.

  This couldn’t be real. Except for the red hair, she looked just like me.

  Linda Joy Singleton lives in northern California. She has two grown children and a wonderfully supportive husband who loves to travel with her in search of unusual stories.

  Linda Joy Singleton is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the series Regeneration, My Sister the Ghost, Cheer Squad, and, also from Llewellyn, Strange Encounters.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Half_Title

  Title_Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  About_the_Author