Contest (The Stork Tower Book 6)

by Tony Corden

  From the one hundred and twenty warrior officials, a heavily scarred warrior stepped forward. Leah recognised the voice as belonging to one of the rebels she’d followed through the vents. Another of the officials stepped forward and stood beside the first and said, “I also offer my blood and honour to preserve the honour of our people. Those without either honour or names have no place among us.”

  After an extended silence, the announcer said, “Only by blood and death may the dishonourable find redemption. Only by testing and by blood may the honourable be named. Only the blood of the named may name the unnamed. Only by death may the false claimants find honour. Only through blood may the true family be known.”

  As he finished talking there was a protracted silence until a voice rang out as the largest Pyranthian Leah had seen so far stepped out of the crowd, he said, “I offer my blood to test the unnamed that they might bear my name.”

  From the same part of the crowd, a second, almost identical, Pyranthian stepped forward and said the same thing.

  The Master of Ceremonies said, “Trainee, step aside.”

  At that, the heir moved out of the circle and stood at attention between the circle and the other trainees. The announcer then said, “All the unnamed except the trainee will step to the edge of the circle.”

  Both Thad and Leah moved forward together and stood on the edge of the circle facing the officials, one on either side of the central line. Neither Frank nor the woman moved. Frank said, “I have a name, an honourable name. My name is Lord Frank Emerson. This is my assistant, Jasmine.”

  The announcer ignored Frank and said, “It is not fitting for the named to bring honour through death to those unable to see honour before them.”

  Frank started to speak, but Leah spoke over him. She said, “I offer my nameless blood to bring death without honour to those unable to see honour before them.”

  As soon as Leah finished, Thad said, “I offer my nameless blood to bring death without honour to those unable to see honour before them.”

  The announcer said, “The circle of naming must remain inviolate. I accept your offer of nameless blood to bring death without honour to those unable to see honour before them. Begin.”

  Leah and Thad stepped back from the circle and spreading out, moved around the circle towards Frank and Jasmine. Leah said, “Who do you want?”

  Thad said, “You killed Frank last time. This time I want the pleasure.”

  Leah smiled and angled toward Jasmine, equipping a sword in either hand. As Thad moved toward Frank, he chose a sword and a knife. Jasmine palmed a pistol, and as she raised it toward Leah, several arrows pierced her neck and torso. The announcer’s voice said, “Through dishonour, the nameless has met death without finding either a name or honour. Her sacrifice is meaningless. Continue!”

  Frank armed himself with a sword and a knife and turning to Thad said, “I’m going to enjoy this, nephew. I’ve seen you play and you’re a gamer, not a fighter. After I’ve killed you, I’ll make your bitch bleed.”

  Thad let a smile cross his face and said, “Even if you managed to kill me, you’ve just ensured your death. She really hates being called that.”

  Thad had taken Leah’s advice and had taken lessons in swordsmanship. In Dunyanin he no longer used set moves but relied on skill. All this meant that moments after Frank attacked, his heart was pierced with an upward lunge. Thad cleaned his sword on Frank’s shirt and stepped next to Leah. The silence grew until Thad realised he needed to say something. He used his dagger to cut a mark on his left cheek, then said, “Through my nameless blood, the nameless who did not understand honour has met death without finding either a name or honour.”

  The announcer’s voice said, “Through death by the hand and blood of the unnamed, the nameless has met death without finding either a name or honour. His death is meaningless. All the unnamed except the trainee will step to the edge of the circle.”

  Both Leah and Thad returned to their place on the circle’s edge, and the announcer said, “Those who challenge the honour of the unnamed, please step to the edge of the circle.”

  The two who had stepped from among the officials stepped to the edge of the circle opposite Thad and Leah. The Master of Ceremonies said, “Only by blood and death may the dishonourable find redemption. Begin.”

  Each Pyranthian drew a sword and a knife and stepped into the circle, so Thad pulled his sword and said, “I picked last time. Which one do you want?”

  Leah’s hands were still empty, and she said, “The ugliest one.”

  “Which one’s the ugliest? They both look like rather ugly specimens of the species.”

  “That’s a fair comment. OK, I’ll take the tallest.”

  Thad looked at the two Pyranthians who’d stopped just inside the circle. “I think the one on the right is taller, and just your luck I think he’s probably a touch uglier.”

  Leah said, “You’re right. He is a little uglier. Let’s go then.”

  With that, Leah stepped into the circle, followed by Thad. Thad moved to the left to give himself more room. The Pyranthians stepped forward with their swords at the ready. Empty handed, Leah ran straight at the Pyranthian. Four paces from him she stepped hard off her left foot, driving herself right and causing him to move his sword down and across his body to meet her. She’d purposely taken a short step and as her right foot hit, she turned the foot and pushed herself backwards and to her left. Her body moved through the turn as the sword ran past her left shoulder. She brought her right arm around and hooked it over the defending shoulder and then hooked her hand under his right armpit. Using her grip not only as a pivot but also pulling hard, she used her momentum to swing her body around to lie horizontally across his shoulders. As her left hand had passed the knife sheath by her left hip, she’d palmed the knife, and as her arm swung around, she drove the knife straight through the Pyranthian’s ear and into his skull.

  Her right hand was trapped under his right arm, and as he fell forward, she fell with him. As her weight drove his face into the dirt, she finally got her hand free but wrenching her shoulder slightly. Getting to her feet, Leah looked over to where Thad and the other Pyranthian were engaged in a back and forth sword fight. Leah watched for about twenty seconds, then moved behind her dead opponent and tried to remove her knife. Unfortunately, it had been forced in at an angle and was held tight by the curve of his skull. Knowing the Pyranthians had a strict code of honour she didn’t want to desecrate the body, even though she did want her knife back. Ignoring Thad, she picked up the dead warrior’s sword and carefully wedged the end of it between his skull and the small guard of her knife, and then using her foot to hold it in place she pulled against the handle of his sword hoping to lever her blade out. As she pulled back, the sword slowly began to bend. When the knife was clear, she stood up only to see Thad and the crowd watching her. His Pyranthian was missing his head.

  Leah dropped the slightly bent sword and turned toward the official party. She moved to the edge of the circle, came to attention and said, “By their accuser’s blood and death, those unnamed who were considered dishonourable have answered the charge.”

  Thad resumed his position and said the same.

  The announcer said, “The unnamed male will step back from the circle.”

  Thad took two steps back, and the official continued. “Only by testing and by blood may the honourable be named.”

  The second of the two huge Pyranthians who’d stepped from the crowd turned to the other and said, “Which one do you want?”

  The first to step forward said, “The ugliest one.”

  The other said, “Then you are up first, brother.”

  Before Leah could respond the first Pyranthian who’d responded and stepped out, stepped forward to the line. He said, “I offer my blood to test the unnamed that they might bear my name.”

  The official repeated the phrase, “Only by testing and by blood may the honourable be named. Begin!”

  The
Pyranthian stepped into the circle and drew a sword, which was as long as Leah, and a knife. This time as Leah stepped into the circle, she had a sword in either hand. The Pyranthian was quicker than the previous opponent, but Leah still had the edge in speed and agility. What she lacked though was reach. The two circled each other testing their skills. The next five minutes reminded Leah of her duel with Yuè Fēi. It took all her skill to stay alive, and though she’d received several slight wounds, she’d failed to get her blades within a foot of the giant warrior. She was getting tired while the warrior looked as fresh as he had at the start. In the end, she twisted out of the way to escape a sword thrust, and as she turned, she dropped her sword, palmed a knife, and threw it at his face before following it up by bringing her remaining sword around and swinging it toward his ankles. His greatsword flashed down and blocked her swipe just as she rolled out of the way. Picking up her dropped sword she swivelled around, expecting an attack.

  The Pyranthian though had stepped back, and she saw he was holding her knife. There was a drop of blood on the blade, and she could see the shallow cut across his cheek. He said, “With my blood, I Takobi Matuwa, have tested the unnamed.” He wiped his cheek with a finger and held it aloft. Then he stepped toward Leah and reached down to grab her hand with his bloodied one, he said, “With my blood I name you ‘Yuwata Mumuna’ which in the old tongue means, ‘My ugly sister’.”

  Leah glared up at the Pyranthian who was almost twice her height and more than twice her width and almost snatched her hand away, but gritting her teeth she said, “By blood I take the name Yuwata Mumuna.”

  The same ritual was carried out with Thad, and though he lacked Leah’s speed and skill, he was still fast and had better reach than her. He received three or four shallow cuts and a serious shoulder wound before he finally managed to nick the Pyranthian’s hand. The warrior named Thad ‘Karami Kwanya’ which meant ‘the runt of the litter’.

  As Thad stepped back, the heir returned to the centre of the circle. Thad and Leah stepped to either side of her. After using their knives to cut their hands they took hold of the heir’s hands and said together the phrase using the name Leah had chosen, “With our blood we name you ‘Caoimhe McKenna’ which in the old tongue of my father's people, means ‘A noble born of fire’.”

  The heir stepped forward and in a loud voice said, “By blood I take the name, Caoimhe McKenna.”

  As they walked out of the circle, the voice of the announcer was drowned by hundreds of angry voices throughout the crowd, all of which seemed aimed at the three humans in the centre. Caoimhe turned to Thad and Leah and said, “Much of this is aimed at me. The instigators are graduates I defeated or overcame in my year. They looked forward to this day knowing I would be denied both a name and a future. You have given me both. No matter how short it is, I thank you.”

  The Leah said, “Caoimhe, don’t give up just yet. We still have a few cards to play.”

  The officials were looking tense, and the Speaker had gone quiet as his voice was drowned out by the crowd. He looked over at the humans then said something to an aide standing beside him. The younger Pyranthian moved quickly toward the humans. As she came close, she said, “Ubang Nafark says you are free to defend yourselves and that your blood sacrifice will be remembered with honour.”

  Leah said, “Thank you. Ask him to reflect on the true depth of Pyranthia’s honour if its festival means so little.”

  As the assistant walked away, the two huge Pyranthians who’d tested Thad and Leah came close. Takobi turned to Leah and said, “This is going to be interesting. They’re starting to say some nasty things about you, and I hope you have a plan to escape. You might be ugly, but I doubt you’re stupid. As you’re now family to us, we are obliged to help you. What’s the plan?”

  Leah said, “That depends. How long until they attack?”

  Takobi looked around the shifting crowd. Thousands had moved away, but the inner edge of the crowd was filled with those whipped up by the mob. He said, “All it needs is a spark, and they will explode. I give them another two minutes before they’ll attack even without a spark.”

  Leah said, “Then we need to set them off early and get the jump on them. We three are heading for the small rise two hundred metres behind the runt. Our ship will pick us up from there in about ten minutes.”

  “You won’t last that long even if we can get that far.”

  Leah smiled and said, “Probably not, but that’s the plan. Where’s the least angry section?”

  Takobi’s brother had been looking around the crowd and indicating with his head, he said, “Between those two training houses.”

  Leah turned to Caoimhe and said, “You have knives and a sword, do you want a pistol?”

  Seeing Caoimhe’s nod, she tossed her one from her shoulder holster and said to the others, “Then follow me. If we’re separated, you know where Caoimhe has to end up. She’s the only one who matters.”

  With that, Leah took off toward the small group who weren’t yet completely filled with hate. As Leah ran toward them, she palmed her pistols and shot above their heads. The crowd behind her surged forward at her move. The ones in front, though, not only had bullets flying toward them but also the two huge Pyranthians who everyone immediately recognised as two of the city’s best fighters, and began to collapse inwardly. Some of the mob behind the five were also firing at them, and the bullets were hitting the crowd in front of Leah and causing even greater confusion. As Leah ran, she began to weave but also changed let her overall direction turning the group towards their final destination.

  Before they reached the edge of the crowd, a bell began to ring and loud explosions could be heard behind them as Leah’s fleet began its bombardment of the Pyranthian air facilities. This further confused the crowd, which started to dissolve except for a few dozen who were rushing toward Leah’s group. Leah lowered her aim and began shooting at the few remaining sections of the mob in front of her. Thad joined her, then all five crashed into the remainder of the crowd with swords swinging and some judicious close quarter shooting. The Pyranthians in front of them dove for cover as the five, ran past still thirty or so metres ahead of the pursuing mob.

  Suddenly Thad cried out as he crashed to the ground after a bullet hit his right upper arm. Takobi never missed a step and reached out to set Thad on his feet, propelling him forward into a run. When they were thirty metres from the rise, Sparrow began firing above their heads and further slowing the pursuers. Leah was the first to arrive. She quickly turned, and after changing the magazines in her pistols, she joined Sparrow. When Thad and Caoimhe joined her the mob scattered and dove for cover.

  They could still hear explosions in the distance. Takobi said, “Nice diversion. Your airforce hasn’t been this close in years. Not since our father’s time.”

  Thad winced and said, “That’s not our airforce, that’s just a part of the ugly one’s fleet.”

  “A part? Where is the rest?”

  Sparrow looked up and said, “On its way. The Cavaticus will be here in less than a minute. What’s the plan?”

  Leah turned to Takobi and said, “Thank you, older brother. Will you two be OK?”

  “We should be. Family is supposed to be supported, even the runts. Honour isn’t what it used to be though. When our people stop and think, I am sure they will see their error and together we will become more honourable. Even though we are now family, you should know that if we meet each other in the skies or on the ground, we will have to kill you.”

  Leah smiled and said, “We do understand, and we will try and die with honour when the time finally comes.”

  Just then, the Cavaticus dropped from the sky and hovered several metres above the top of the rise only thirty metres from where the four humans were sheltering. The mob stopped worrying about cover and rushed forward. The four humans hadn’t shown any indecision, and as they saw the Cavaticus, they ran for the boarding lines which had been dropped from the sides. They all made it and wer
e hanging on when a shot from one of the pursuers hit Caoimhe in the shoulder, and she lost her grip and fell back down. Leah immediately dropped to the ground yelling for Sparrow and Thad to get aboard. Reaching Caoimhe, Leah pulled her to her feet and wrapping the dangling boarding rope under Caoimhe's arms, Leah tied it off and waved the Cavaticus away as she leapt for her own line.

  She’d just caught hold when her ankles were grabbed by one of the Pyranthians, and she was suddenly pulled backwards, losing her grip. The last thing she saw before being bashed on the head was the Cavaticus moving away, Thad’s horror-filled gaze looking down.

  Leah wasn’t sure how long she was out, but when she came to, her body ached, and she couldn’t move. She quizzed Gèng and was told she’d been in simulated unconsciousness for forty minutes. Gèng had taken the opportunity to let her have some NREM3, but as Leah was still in a combat situation, she couldn’t log out just yet. Looking around, Leah saw her hands and feet were tied to four of the stakes she’d seen in the centre of the portal area. Turning her head to one side, she saw Takobi similarly tied up beside her. As she moved her head, he turned and said, “Ugly, I thought you were dead. It seems my people aren’t going to be given time to act reasonably.”

  Leah’s jaw ached and her throat was parched, but she managed to ask, “Did your brother get away?”

  “No, he’s on my other side. Your ship managed to get away though, and apparently, it destroyed a good part of the home fleet and stole thousands of slaves. You missed the speeches and the mock battle, but at least you woke up for the dancing.”

  Leah smiled and said, “I am sorry you and your brother will suffer because of me, but we rescued Caoimhe, and that was our aim. I just hope Thad doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Is that the runt’s human name? Your’s must be Leah. He was yelling that as the ship disappeared. Don’t be worried about us. Our situation has nothing to do with you. You acted honourably to rescue one of your own, and we acted honourably within the guidelines of our code. Those who attacked you and those who kill us are the ones who live without honour. It is on them.”