Soon after, the Barker announced the first pairing, and the competition began. The sound of clanging steel echoed through the crowd as the opponents lunged and parried. It was a complex dance, feet tapping forward and back, shoulders held straight, sabers acting as extensions of the combatants’ arms. One pair after another entered the packed dirt arena and fought until someone yielded. The early matches lasted less than five minutes, until the last pairing of the opening round was announced.
It was Ceredon, son of Ruven, squaring off against the human, Joseph Crestwell.
Aully’s hand found Kindren’s, and their fingers interlocked as they watched the two fighters circle each another. Ceredon was graceful, seemingly floating over the ground. His chin was high, and he held his saber out like a lance, twirling it in circles, baiting his opponent. His movements were confident, but Aully noticed a somewhat lackadaisical look in his eyes, as if the prince were bored.
Joseph Crestwell plodded on heavy feet. He appeared unsteady, and held his saber at an odd angle—diagonally upward and turned to the side, with his offhand set close to the pommel as if for balance. And yet there was a permanent grin on his face, seeping excitement, as if he knew something his opponent did not.
Ceredon grew impatient, his feet moving faster as he danced his circular dance. The Quellan made the first move, striding forward, thrusting his blade forward when the tip was at its lowest point, aiming for a gut shot.
Joseph’s cocked arm plunged down in a stroke that smashed into Ceredon’s blade. The tip jabbed past the human’s padded surcoat. Ceredon stumbled to the side, off balance, dropping his sword hand to the dirt for support. Crestwell swung his arm in the other direction, looping the sword over his head so that he could clutch it with both hands. Down came the rounded blade in a powerful, two-handed blow. Ceredon barely got his own blade up in time to block the human’s blow. Aully gasped as she watched, her fingers tightening around Kindren’s. The human had aimed for Ceredon’s head, which was generally frowned upon in open competition.
Ceredon must have realized it as well, for his eyes were wide as he scrambled to his feet.
The elf’s movements were still nimble, but there was an urgency to them now, a nervous energy that made him slip more than once. Aully found his strategy odd: he was on the defensive, utilizing only a handful of well-known techniques, while the human steadily advanced on him each time they circled. Ceredon lunged, hoping for a lucky poke, but his jab was easily batted away. The young elf no longer seemed regal and overconfident. He was breathing heavily, his eyes darting side to side, and his expression mirrored Kindren’s during the archery contest.
During one of the elf’s rasping inhales, the human went on the offensive. His slogging footfalls brought him forward as he chopped sideways, again with both hands. Ceredon tried to parry, but his sword was knocked into the bridge of his helm by his adversary’s more powerful assault. He performed a slight pirouette to keep from falling—an astonishing feat in and of itself—and jabbed his saber into the dirt again for balance.
Joseph swung low for the elf’s leg, this time from the other side. For some reason his attack looked slow, almost overly patient. In a flash Ceredon leapt over the blade, barely avoiding having his knees smashed. Aully stood in awe of the power the human possessed, but she found it strange that his attacks were so sluggish. Suspicion crept into her breast. Was he holding back on purpose?
Ceredon twirled away from the next attack, a diagonal downward hew, and Aully saw panic in his eyes. He was rushing around like a chicken trying to evade the butcher’s knife, and she could tell that he was beginning to tire. He went on the offensive over and over again, trying to outwit the human with his speed, but Joseph appeared to be ready for every hit. The slightest shifting of his feet, the subtlest twisting of his sword, and Ceredon’s swings would parry to the side. The elf’s feet dragged and his back arched. When the human resumed his assault, there was little Ceredon could do but offer a weak block, falling to his knees from the force of the blow.
The human stood over him, and for a brief moment Aullienna thought the fight was over. This was where Joseph should have waited for his opponent’s surrender, but neither combatant appeared ready to yield. Joseph brought his saber to the side, then swung it for Ceredon’s throat as if he were trying to lop off his head. It appeared that he was putting everything he had into the attack, though his movements were still oddly unhurried.
But tired as he was, Ceredon proved even slower.
His head lowered with a simple shrugging of the shoulders, and Aully almost leapt over the railing. Time slowed, as the blade screamed toward Ceredon’s thin metal helm.
And then Joseph’s blade lifted as if possessed of a mind of its own, sailing over the elf’s head.
Ceredon looked surprised, but he reacted quickly. He slashed his saber in a single tight arc, catching the human under the chin with the flat of the blade. Joseph’s head snapped back, a thin stream of blood shooting from his mouth. He stumbled on weak knees, then collapsed onto his rear.
“I yield, I yield,” Joseph stammered, tossing his saber to the dirt.
His surrender resulted in a sudden surge of cheers. Aullienna watched Ceredon stand on unsteady legs and raise a half-hearted salute to the crowd. The elf glanced behind him at the still bleeding Joseph Crestwell and then threw his saber down.
“Why is he leaving?” asked Kindren as Ceredon limped out of the arena. “He won.”
“Only because the human let him,” Aully said. “And he knows it.”
“What? No he didn’t. Ceredon ducked the attack.”
Aully shook her head. “That’s what it was supposed to look like. Sir Crestwell lifted the blade on purpose. I’ve seen my cousin do the same thing countless times when we played swords back home.”
“But…why would he do that? Why would he allow himself to get hurt?”
“Don’t know,” she said with a shrug.
As if to answer the question, Joseph Crestwell struggled to his feet and approached the side of their platform, blood still dripping from his chin. Aully saw that Neyvar Ruven had made his way down the stairs, and she shushed Kindren with a finger to her lips so that they could listen. They peered through the slat beneath the balustrade, watching as the elf and man shook hands.
“Thank you for that, Joseph,” the Neyvar said. “I’m sure my son will remember never to disregard his lessons…or underestimate an opponent.”
“A lesson learned in victory is the best lesson of all, especially for one so young. How old is the boy now?”
“Just turned ninety-five last season.”
Joseph offered a laugh. “He looks much younger.”
“A century isn’t even a third of the way through our lives. Elves of his age are no longer children, and many feel that they are beyond further learning. Which as you have seen, given the way he fought today, is an attitude he can ill afford.”
“For how lightly he has taken his studies,” Joseph said, rubbing his chin, “he still packs a wallop. Gods forbid he ever apply himself. Then he will be truly mighty. Now if it would please you, Neyvar, I need ice for my chin and brandy for the pain. I fear your son may have cracked my jaw.”
“I’ll have a servant bring what you need to your room. Take rest, for we have much to discuss tomorrow.”
With that, the two men strode away from the platform and out of Aully’s vision. She sat up, and smoothed out the front of her chemise. Kindren echoed her movement, resting his back against the side panel of the balustrade and giving Aully a queer look.
“What was that all about?” he asked, and the way he asked it, full of wonder and confusion, made him seem younger than his sixteen years.
“Don’t know. Maybe that’s just how the Neyvar teaches his children lessons?”
Looking up at his own parents, who were watching the finals in the arena, Kindren said, “I’m glad my parents aren’t like that.”
“Me too,” said Aully.
The
y retook their seats and watched the rest of the night’s contests. By the time the last bout ended, the sky was dark and twinkling with stars. Palace Thyne lit up as if flames burned within its green crystal walls, illuminating the arena. The crowds began to file away, and an exhausted Aully stretched her arms high above her head and yawned.
“Long night,” said her betrothed.
“Sure was.”
His lips brushed her cheek, soft and tentative. Aully closed her eyes and let the sensation wash away the day. The competitions, the clang of steel, the human throwing his match—all became afterthoughts.
She turned to Kindren and gazed into his eyes; lit up by the glare of the palace, they looked like the surface of the ocean. She felt her face go hot and noticed that Kindren’s cheeks were red already. She placed her fingers on one of those cheeks, soaking in its warmth.
“I like you,” he said, his hand closing over hers.
“I like you too.”
“Thank Celestia, right? I thought I was going to hate you.”
Aullienna couldn’t help but laugh.
“Me too,” she said.
“But we don’t. And you’re going to stick around for a while, right?”
“Tonight? But my mother’s calling me for bed.”
His grin was infectious. “No, silly, not tonight. Tomorrow and the day after.”
Aully felt her nerves threaten to jangle, but she shoved the feeling down.
“I’ll be spending a lot of time here,” she said. “My parents are leaving in two months, but I don’t think I’m joining them. I think Dezerea is my home now.”
“It is,” said Kindren. “For now and forever. Does that scare you?”
“A little.”
“Don’t let it. I’ll be here. And there are some wonderful things in this city I can show you.”
“Like the crypts?”
“Like the crypts,” he said.
With that, Aully stepped on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Kindren’s lips. She ran away from him afterward, giggling, the sound of her mother calling her to her quarters ringing in her ears.
CHAPTER
8
The grass was soft against Bardiya Gorgoros’s rear end as he sat cross-legged beneath the shade of a cypress tree. His eyes faced north, locked on the slender Gods’ Road and the small cloud of dust that had formed in the distance. The Gods’ Road stretched the entirety of Ashhur’s Paradise, running diagonally down from the northwestern township of Drake until it crossed the Corinth River, cut through the grasslands of Ker, and reached Ashhur’s Bridge over the western spine of the Rigon Delta. From there it continued east, maintained by Karak’s people instead of Ashhur’s. The road was rarely traveled, and Bardiya knew this because he sat in that same spot beneath the soul tree almost every day, surrounded by mile upon mile of high plains grasses, to say his afternoon prayers to Ashhur. Only when an envoy from Mordeina or Safeway came calling was there any traffic at all. It was not that the two factions of Ashhur’s children did not get along or that they considered themselves separate. In truth, the lack of travel and cohabitation stemmed from one simple fact: almost everyone in Paradise lived perfect lives, and no one had no real desire to go anywhere other than where he or she had been raised.
Bardiya leaned back against the trunk of the soul tree, and his head struck a branch. He muttered and rubbed the spot. Glancing behind him, he looked at the many notches carved into the tree, the highest groove added only a month ago. Bardiya sighed.
He’d grown again.
Over his eighty-seven years of life, Bardiya had never stopped growing. Each year had meant another inch or two of height, ever since the day he was pulled from his mother’s womb, the first human child born in all of Dezrel. He now stood almost ten feet tall, towering over everyone. A few of the Kerrians thought his constant growth was a defect, but to the populace at large, the reasons for his gigantism were obvious: it was a sign of his undying belief in the teachings of his deity. Many whispered that Bardiya was Ashhur’s most devout follower, an assumption that Bardiya himself doubted. He could never explain to them the deep ache he felt in his bones from such constant growth. At times, he just wished the pain would end.
Yet he could not deny how much he loved his deity. He felt genuine peace only when he was by his god’s side, learning the virtues of forgiveness, family, honor, poise, and spiritual strength. He worshipped Ashhur completely, dedicating his life to his god’s service, eschewing even something so simple as the love of a woman. He had become a beacon for his people, showing them how to live at peace with the land, teaching them how to respect the nature of all gods and their creations, not just those of Ashhur. Bardiya lectured to his fellow worshippers that the antelopes, wolves, bovines, and horses that Celestia had created were just as important as their own friends and families. He even expressed a vast respect for Karak, the deity of the east. He and Ashhur are brothers, he was fond of saying, and as such, they are both divine.
A thudding reached his ears, and he turned his gaze to the expanse of brown grass behind him. A large antelope, its antlers curved and regal, bounded through the swaying grasses. Chasing it were a group of people clothed in simple cured skins, their hair braided and their dark skin beaded with sweat. They used their spears as walking sticks. It was a hunting party, led by Bardiya’s mother and father. The long pole for the day’s kill hung empty, but given the antelope’s exhaustion, it would not remain that way for long.
Hands rose in greeting, and Bardiya raised his own massive hand in return. The party knew better than to interrupt his prayers. His mother smiled up at him, her broad cheeks spread as wide as possible, and his father offered a gentle nod. Their ageless beauty, and the potency of their smiles, reflected the simple affection they held for their son. Bessus and Damaspia Gorgoros were dedicated to advancing their culture under the loving gaze of their god, so much so that they’d only had one child, eager as they were to devote their lives to leading their nation along the path of Ashhur.
Up ahead, the antelope slowed its frantic gallop, trudging through the field but keeping up a determined forward momentum. Bardiya watched as his father, Bessus, gestured for a young lady near the back of the party to come forward. The young girl approached them, the spear she held dwarfing her tiny frame. Bessus pointed to the antelope and mimicked a throwing motion. The girl followed his lead, her eyes focusing as she reared back, trying to stay upright while holding the much-too-long spear aloft. Two hopping steps, a thrust, and out soared the spear, wobbling as it flew.
The girl had been too slow, and the spear came in low, burying into the animal’s rear thigh with a faint squirt of red. The hunting party cheered, but their merriment was short lived. The spear was not embedded deeply enough, and when the antelope jolted, the weapon bobbed and fell into the deep grass. The animal began to buck, picking up speed as it raced through the meadow toward the Gods’ Road. Bardiya’s mother shouted for the party to give chase, and they did, but human legs could not match those of a wounded beast. By the time it reached Bardiya and his tree, it had put a lengthy distance between it and the hunting party.
Bardiya cracked his back and slowly rose to his full height. Changing positions was murder on his joints, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain. The section of the Stonewood Forest that rested on the southern bank of the Corinth River was visible on the horizon. He knew that if the injured antelope made it to the cover of trees, a much less dignified death awaited it, be it an agonizingly slow demise from blood loss or the slow horror of being devoured alive by the wolves and hyenas that prowled come nightfall.
Cupping his enormous palms around his mouth, he let out a low, vibrating hum, working his jaw up and down and circling his tongue, a trick taught to him by one of the Dezren elves before relations between the Kerrians and the elves had deteriorated even further than their original standoffish state. The sound shimmered in the air, causing everything in the path of his voice to appear hazy as a desert oasis. The a
ntelope stopped in its tracks and turned to him, its head tilted at a curious angle. The beast seemed to forget the chase, seemed to forget about its injuries, and slowly approached the giant human, drawn in by the seductive sound.
The hunting party ceased their running, not daring to approach while he performed the seducing whisper. Bardiya raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment but didn’t stop his humming until the animal was near. The creature’s antlers were huge and deadly, and would have dwarfed a regular man, but they barely reached Bardiya’s chest. It was certainly a healthy beast, strong and meaty. It would feed the village of Ang for at least a night, perhaps the children for two. He reached down and gently rubbed the back of the antelope’s head, letting calming energy seep from his core, putting the creature at ease.
Bardiya gradually lowered himself back to the ground—he needed to stand to issue the seducing whisper, as the act stretched his lungs to their limit—and continued massaging the antelope’s head. It nuzzled against him, wide antlers scraping past his cheek. He examined its wounded thigh, which was still seeping blood. The leg beneath quivered with weakness.
He grabbed the animal beneath its narrow snout and lifted its head so he could gaze into its huge brown eyes.
“You are precious,” he said while massaging the creature’s jowls. “You are important. I give you Ashhur’s grace and wish you happiness when you are once more in Celestia’s arms.”
He grabbed the immense antlers where they began at the top of the skull and jerked his arms in a circular motion. The antelope’s expression didn’t have time to change as its head was twisted around, snapping the bones in its neck and severing its spine. It collapsed to the ground, offering a final, gaseous moan before the light faded from its eyes. Bardiya placed his hand over its snout, leaned over, and gave it a final kiss.
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