She rubbed at her eyes. “If that’s true, then why didn’t they cheer for me? How could they be so cruel?”
“It’s hard for them, majesty.” Garibaldi said, sincerity dripping from his lips. “Their feelings overwhelm them. They’re simple people, after all, they don’t know how to truly show you all the passion they feel deep inside their hearts. Their love for you is so strong they can hardly contain it.”
“They never had any trouble before,” Madis muttered.
Garibaldi nodded in seeming agreement. “Their feelings have grown even stronger since then, their silence is the proof of that!”
The queen thought about it for a moment. “I suppose that makes sense. That must be it. I mean what other answer could there be?”
“That your people are hungry and hate you?” Waldo suggested.
The queen, Garibaldi, Leiznam, and almost everyone else gaped at him. Valeria laughed, Nen grinned silently, and Alice buried her face in her hands.
“How dare you!” Leiznam snapped.
“What?” Waldo answered. “She asked.”
“There is no way the people could hate our beloved queen!”
“What are you talking about?” Waldo asked. “She has power. Those with power are always hated, and that’s not even if they can’t afford bread.”
The queen’s jaw dropped, and she stood there with her mouth hanging open. The guards present placed hands on their swords. The queen though quickly shook her head.
“If you were not a White Mage you would be made to regret those words,” Leiznam told him.
Waldo frowned. “Do you usually threaten people who are trying to be helpful?”
A horn sounded.
“The first match is about to start,” Garibaldi said swiftly. “Why don’t we all take our seats and enjoy the show?”
“Y… yes, let’s do that,” Madis said.
The queen laid down on one of the couches. Garibaldi and Leiznam took the couch closest to her. Valeria sprawled out on the next nearest, with Nen standing behind her. Each king rushed to claim a couch for himself as close to the queen as possible. The remaining guild members sat two or three to a couch. Alice dragged Waldo to one as far from the queen as possible.
XXX
The set up was similar to the way it had been at Ayden’s. On the arena floor there were eight barred gates. When a horn was blown it was the signal that a match was about to start. Two gates on opposite ends would open and opponents would come out to face each other. The main differences between the fights here and at the fighting pit were that all the matches were one to one, and the combatants were in full armor. There were sixteen combatants for the queen’s tournament, so in the first round there would be eight matches, then four, then two, and then the final match.
The opening match was a pair of knights from different countries. Both wore plate armor and fought with long swords, neither possessed any magical equipment. The crowd applauded and cheered as the men fought, right up until one skewered the other through the neck. Both men were skilled, and the match was entertaining, but Waldo didn’t pay much attention. It was the second match he focused on.
From one opened gate came Belle of Tarsus, from the opposite side came another knight in polished plate mail. This was Sir Hector of Falmouth, and in both hands, he carried a long sword that glowed. Waldo recognized the weapon.
“Is that the same sword the Northman used?” Waldo demanded.
“What if it is?” Leiznam shot back. “It belongs to the guild and we can do as we please with it.”
“Are you really so afraid of her?” Valeria asked as she nibbled on some grapes.
“Not at all! She has no hope whatsoever against Varca, not that she will ever face him. She will die right here, right now.”
“What do you think, Nendara?” Valeria glanced at her blademaster.
Nen had a huge smile and gave a thumbs up with both hands.
“Yes,” Valeria agreed. “I think so too.”
As the two combatants approached each other, the crowd began to take up a chant.
Belle will win. Belle will win. Belle will win.
Hearing thousands of voices calling support, Belle looked up into the stands and gave them a wave. She then pulled out two curved swords. Both were enchanted, and one shined like silver. The instant he saw it Leiznam’s eyes widened and he jumped to his feet.
“I know that sword!” He stared at Valeria and Nendara. “That woman is-”
“Belle of Tarsus,” Valeria said lazily and popped a grape into her mouth. “A great warrior I have bet heavily on.” Behind her Nen nodded eagerly.
“Are you going to accuse my servant of something?” Waldo asked. “Because if you do, I’ll have to accuse your champion of something as well.”
Leiznam’s face turned a mottled red as he glared murderously at Waldo.
“Is something wrong?” Queen Madis asked, sounding bewildered.
At that moment the crowd have a thunderous cheer. Sir Hector’s two-handed swing had been knocked aside by one enchanted saber. The second had sliced through his iron chest plate as though it were paper, splitting his heart and ending the match in a single move. As she started back towards the gate and the applause died down the chant started again.
Belle will win. Belle will win. Belle will win.
All the guild members were looking to Leiznam. His hands were clenched tight and he continued to look furious.
“Is something wrong, Master Leiznam?” The queen asked again.
The guildmaster took a deep, deliberate breath. “No, your majesty. Everything is fine.” He sat back down and began to have a whispered conversation with Garibaldi. The other guild members began whispering to each other on their couches as well.
Waldo sat back and relaxed.
XXX
Varca didn’t make his appearance until the eighth and final match of the first round. When he came out he was greeted by a loud roar from the audience. It was no match for what Belle had received but still very loud. It was the same face Waldo had seen that one time outside of Restes’s gym. On his head was a horned helmet. He wore armor made of circular steel scales that ran from his shoulders to his knees. He shins were protected by greaves. Tied to his left arm was an oval shield with bull’s head as a crest. In his right he clutched a massive two headed battle axe. The helm, armor, shield, and weapon were all enchanted. The axe was glowing bright enough to light up a room.
His opponent was not a knight, but a mercenary who had probably dreamed of the champion’s purse and really believed he’d had a chance at it. He wore ordinary chainmail, a round shield, and held a longsword. He may or may not have been a good fighter. The match didn’t last long enough for Waldo to tell.
Not bothering with any sort of subtlety, Varca had rushed him head on, screaming a battle cry and driving his battled axe straight down. His opponent had time to get his shield up to block it. The axe sliced clean through the shield, the man’s arm, his helmet, his head, and only stopped when it was half buried in his chest. The top half of the body was split in two like a piece of firewood. Blood gushed out as if from a fountain.
Varca wrenched his axe free and walked off.
The easy victory put some confidence back into the guild members. Leiznam sent Waldo a triumphant nod. Waldo ignored him and had some cheese.
“What do you think?” Alice asked.
“I think this is excellent cheese, mountain goat I think. Do you want some?”
“Not that! I mean about Varca, what do you think about him?”
“I think minotaurs aren’t very subtle. I mean a horned helmet and a bull shield?” Waldo shook his head. “Is he trying to be found out?”
“I’m not worried about his fashion sense, darling. Do you think Belle can beat him?”
“Can? Certainly. Will?” He shrugged. “That’s not so obvious. But either way it’s out of our hands, the dice are out of the cup.”
XXX
Not all the matches were th
at swift. Most were drawn out affairs as two well-armed, well trained men fought each other to the death. Queen Madis, the kings, and the crowd in general had a good time. They were entertained and hung on every move of every match. For Waldo the matches dragged on, even the later ones where Belle and Varca fought other opponents. There was no doubt who would meet in the final.
It took a few hours for all the fights to play out. It was a late fall day and the afternoon was already darkening when the horn sounded for the last time. Waldo and Alice both sat on the edge of their seats. Leiznam and the rest of his guild, except for Garibaldi who remained near the queen, were standing together in a corner. Fifty thousand people were on their feet, clapping their hands in rhythm and speaking a chant that sounded more like a fervent prayer than a victory cheer.
Belle will win. Belle will win. Belle will win.
XXX
She was shaking with excitement. The moment the Exalted Lady had brought up the idea of killing Varca she’d hoped for this. She didn’t originally think she’d get the opportunity, that Gronk would be the one. But then she’d gotten to train with him and realized he had no chance. When Waldo finally understood that too, he’d agreed to let her do this.
The final horn sounded, and the bars slid out of the way. She stormed out onto the sands and pulled out her sabers. The crowd was chanting, crying out for Belle. She didn’t bother to acknowledge them or pay them any mind. All that mattered was him.
Varca was holding Skullsplitter over his shoulder and strolling towards her. He made a show of taking a deep breath through his nose. “So, it really is you, Snuggles.”
“Yeah, it’s me, Booboo.”
In a flash, his axe came swinging for her neck. She leapt back. He was a brute, but he was damned quick.
She skidded to a stop well out of his reach. “Miss me, baby?”
“Well, I don’t see any blood, so I guess I did.”
“Awwww, is baby being mean to mommy?” She had both swords crossed in front of her in case he charged straight in. But instead he hefted his shield and began to slowly circle to his left.
“I picked up your scent before, but I couldn’t really believe it ‘til right now. Just couldn’t stay away, could you?”
“I know, you’d think I was the masochist here.” She circled to her own left, matching him and keeping an eye out for any openings.
“So, we’re going to try and kill each other,” Varca snorted. “Like every other date we ever had.”
“Well, we can get straight to the fun part if you want.” She dashed in, swinging for the shoulder just above his shield. He got it up to block as she’d expected and aimed her real blow to the inside.
It was his turn to jump back and get clear. “No ropes? No whips? No candles? What’s wrong, my love? I thought this was a date.”
“Sorry, I guess we’ll have to do it quick and dirty then, like that one time in the stables.”
She dashed in again. This time he ran forward to meet her. Down came his axe, aiming for her head. She knew better than to try a straight block, he was a lot stronger than she was. She instead struck from the side deflecting it as she side stepped. She got in a thrust with her left as she did so, but he blocked it with his shield. He countered with a side strike. She dropped to her knees and let it fly harmlessly above her. She stabbed wildly up at him. One of her sabers caught him in the belly, but it was a glancing blow and his armor stopped it. She rolled back and leapt to her feet. He took two steps back and looked at her over the top of his shield.
“You know, Snuggles, I always liked you best when you were on your hands and knees.”
“Same here.”
He shook his head. “We had some really good times together. It didn’t have to end like this.”
She narrowed her eyes and growled. “You dumped me you sheep fucking sheep herder!”
“Hey! You didn’t leave me a choice! You kept wanting to whip me! Sure, it was fun for a little while, but it gets embarrassing!”
“You liked it! You know you liked it!”
“Well… I do sort of miss the saddle and the riding crop. But I can only take so much humiliation.”
“Humiliation? I mooed for you! I. Mooed!”
“Hey, that’s natural for a cow. A bull mounts and takes the cow. I’m the bull you’re the cow. I’m the bull you’re the cow.”
“Don’t call me a cow you walking side of beef!”
She charged in again, furious and determined to do murder. Her swords cut the air like lighting, her hands moving with a mind of their own. Varca was on the defensive, blocking and dodging, doing all he could just to keep those lethal blades away from him. He had no chance to even think about a counter attack.
She attacked until she was forced to stop. Skipping back away from him, panting, desperate to get air into her lungs and to get her heart back under control. Varca was only too glad to let her step away from him. She saw several cuts on his arms, shoulders, and chest. None of them were serious, but she’d hurt him, and he had yet to touch her.
As the blood pounding in her ears died away she could hear the crowd screaming. They were going wild and shouting for all they were worth. When she’d caught her breath, she spoke again.
“I gave you everything, how could you betray me?”
“How could ask me to settle for just one woman? Be reasonable. You should be grateful I gave you as much as I did.”
“Grateful?! I couldn’t even walk after the first time!”
“You’re welcome! A lot of women would pay good money for that! Gertrude, Amana, Kersten, that maid from the Tilted Cup, the Bodswin twins, that princess from Anhalt-”
“That prize steer at the fair.”
His lips peeled back, and he snarled. “I told you I was drunk! I didn’t know what I was doing!”
“Twice? Hey, if you’d just come out and admitted that was what you liked I would have bought him for you.”
“I’m the bull you damned black hearted bitch!”
And like a bull he charged straight at her. He swung with all his might to cleave her in two. And as he closed she feinted to the side, but instead went forward, into him. She was inside the arc of his swing and had her opening. One quick, clean swing brought her blade up into his neck and through. His body and head separated.
Awash in his blood she smiled. “Well Booboo, you always did like it when I gave you head.”
Chapter 33
We Honor All Bets
The crowd in the Arena roared out their approval of their new champion. Sixty thousand people rose to their feet, applauding and cheering. Even the queen was clapping along.
“What an exciting match!” Madis said. “Congratulations, Master Rabbit. It seems your Belle is our new gladiatorial champion!”
Waldo was all smiles. “Thank you, your majesty.”
Nen was also smiling, as was Alice. Valeria looked like a cat who had just stumbled on a pack of sleeping mice.
The only people in the queen’s box who did not look happy were the guild members. Garibaldi was seated on his couch looking like he might throw up. The other twelve members were standing off by themselves silent and utterly still.
Down below, the victorious Belle turned in the queen’s direction, which also happened to be where the Exalted Lady Valeria was. With both sabers back in their sheaths, Belle stood perfectly straight and held out her hands with palms up. That done, she returned to Varca’s body and yanked the battle axe from out of his cold dead hand. It was heavy enough that she struggled to pick it up. Resting it on her shoulder, she headed back to the holding area she’d started in. Technically, the axe belonged to the guild, but at that moment they had much bigger worries.
XXX
“The drow salute!” Verde hissed. “She’s mocking us!”
“Why wouldn’t she?” Rodo asked. “She knows we can’t call her on it. We’ve lost.”
“A million gold marks!” Verde wailed. “We’re ruined! We’ve lost everything! We’re going to
be Valeria’s debt servants!”
“Maybe not,” Galen said. “Valeria has to know she can’t replace us. People can barely accept the drow as a curiosity. If she tries to run all the gaming and pleasure houses it’ll look like the drow have taken over the city. Who’s going to come visit a place run by drow? It would kill our business overnight.”
“That’s a good point!” Verde said hopefully. “Maybe we can make a deal with her.”
“There won’t be any deals,” Leiznam told them.
Verde glanced about nervously. “So, we run?”
The Rabbit Great And Terrible Page 31
