Badb filled me in on what had happened while I was training. The city was going about its normal life however the nobles were in a buzz. Word about the dead dragons had reached them and every conversation referenced the fears they all held about shards. Would the humans stop suppling them, finally taking the step that would end their enemies? Or would they supply less? That fear was what had driven a rush in noble duels planned for the following day.
The nobles all sought hire positions to gain access to the soon to be limited shards. It was almost a panic and since it had continued to grow the king had decreed that tomorrow would be the commoners time for the first half of the day. The nobles would have the second half and if need be they would extended it another day. Badb was pretty sure the commoners had suddenly started settling disagreements before the duels because they didn’t want to be caught in the rush.
We planned on arriving at the beginning of the day, watching the commoners until they were done. I planned on appearing at the beginning of the nobles. The rest of the plan would have to be made up as I went. Why didn’t I have a more formal plan? Well I didn’t need one, it would be fighting whoever stepped forward and moving on. Eventually I would either die or win, there wasn’t a need to really plan this out. I had prepared, trained and was currently eating a big dinner. There wasn’t anything else to do.
Sleep than a good breakfast before we traveled to the ground under the arena. It was warded but not to stop people from entering, it was there to stop the duelist from calling on their shards. A wise step to insure duels were decided by skill rather than shard count, it would t effect me unless I allowed it though. It just wasn’t strong enough to stop my call. That made me wonder while I sat waiting for the start, why didn’t it stop me? Was it the number of shards or my will?
“Badb these wards, why don’t they affect me?” Maybe the ancient new something I didn’t. “Do you think it’s my shards or will?”
“Before watching you use time dilation I would have guessed it was your shards, now I think it’s your will.”
“How can my will overcome the magic?” That made no sense, shards were magic and no matter how much will you had it couldn’t overcome shards.
“I’m not sure, I did hear about worlds were will was magic. There were no shards, all of the magic was created by will and their minds.” He sounded unsure as he continued. “I can’t say how that worked or even if it’s true. Maybe something to ask our mysterious benefactor about?”
“That might be the only way, something tells me he will know.” Admitting to myself that something about Arawn felt different. It might be that he was just a magically held memory but that didn’t feel right.
“He will, or he could but there is no telling what memories were left in the construct.” Badb understood it far better than I did. Something about the feeling from it made the magic feel foreign to me. It wasn’t created with shards that much I was sure of.
The hum of magic interrupted our musings as the arena came to life around us. Slowly the gates on either side swung open and the crowds started filling in quickly finding seats ready to enjoy the show. The entire city would be here today, including the nobility and king. Arena was mandatory attendance, while courtesy dictated that you would arrange them ahead of time not everyone followed that. Thus the mandatory attendance, anyone could be called to the sands at anytime. Not being there to accept the challenge was never and acceptable excuse. Everyone had to answer their own challenges, not doing so was considered a loss of more than the duel.
They began a minute after everyone arrived, there was no special ceremony or speech. The gates opened, people found seats and the first two duelist walked out onto the sand.
“Warfic I challenge you for the stall on second street in the market.” The first man, dressed the light chain mail said.
“Accepted Torvo.” The other answered and the fight started.
If I’m being honest it was pretty sad, their forms were horrible and slow. It went on far too long, it was boring if I’m being honest.
“This is going to be a long day Badb.” I flinched, not at the match but at how bad the man’s swing was.
“This is bad?” Badb asked not understanding my disappointment. “I did warn you why commoners didn’t challenge the nobility.”
“It is, I can only hope it gets better.” I sighed heavily, accepting that I was going to have to witness these insults to skill for a while. Badb had warned me, the nobility were heavily trained while the commoners received only the basic training offered while in service.
I recognized that the basic training they received still made them extremely skilled warriors compared to the human forces, but again the true threat the held in war was their skill with the elven bows. Their horned bows had more range and punching power than the human long bows. There was also the natural skill they seemed to have with them. I had trained in them but magic was my preferred range attacks by far. It went on like that for a few hours, finally the last match at least one of the combatants seems to have a drop of skill. After being called out by the name Pitruct then woman slowly walked onto the sand looking bored.
“Are you certain about this Dravin?” She asked almost sadly. “You need not pursue this, your brother fell to me last time and he had more skill than you.”
“I must, my family needs our stall back.”
“Call out another, you choose me out of pride and that pride will cost your family again.”
“It must be you.” Dravin flourished his blades, even in that simple movement I could see the flaws in his skill. Evidently Pitruct could to, she sighed heavily and moved.
In the next two steps Dravin fell screaming to the ground, his right arm slashed open and bleeding freely. The duel was over that quickly, Pitruct shook her head and walked off the sands as healers ran forward to heal Dravin. She had some skill, not enough to challenge me but by far the most skilled I had seen today. It made wonder what her background was, that skill level wasn’t basic training. Once the same was cleared and announcement rang out across the arena.
“The commoners duels have finished, there will be a thirty minute break before the nobility begin.”
That meant I could stop watching and start fighting. I wasn’t planning on sitting here while the petty squabbles of the wealthy played out in blood on the sand. I waited only as long as the break lasted.
“The nobles will not continue….”
I slid out of the ground in the center of the arena, taking everyone by surprise. My mask already in place, not my tengu mask, this was a plain mask that hid my upper face. Hopefully enough so that no one would be able to pick me out later. I doubted it would be a problem but better safe than sorry. The whispers started immediately, I could hear a word now and than.
“A half elf…”
“Who is that?”
“What’s this?”Everyone wondered what was going on and I spoke loud enough to ring out across the stands.
“I Syn challenge Baron Bilka for his title, lands and wealth.” It was the normal phrasing for a commoners challenge for nobility. I knew I was dancing the edge of elven law here, I was only a half elf in their eyes but if the first one would take up the challenge it meant I was recognized as legitimate contender.
Badb had scouted the nobility and there was a reason we picked Baron Bilka, the man was more arrogant than most and hated half elf’s. His arrogance wasn’t unfounded though, it was commonly believed that the only reason he hadn’t challenged to move up in rank was disinterest. The man was skilled with his blades and people knew it.
“A half blood?! You wish to die on the sands this day?” The response was as full of arrogance as expected, more importantly he had taken the bait. “I will grant you wish dog!”
The man strode out on the sand dressed in the decorated armor of his house. His hands full of steel already prepared to kill this mouthy half breed. The sneer that traced across his face didn’t hide the contempt that shone in his eyes. It did falter when my armor and swords appeared, the sun glinting off the gold threads to be absorbed by the void steel blades. The murmurs from the stands increased at my appearance but I had already tuned them out. Every bit of me focused on the man striding toward me, the monetary hesitation in his eyes now filled with determination.
My heart was pounding in my chest, this wasn’t my thing. I was no duelist and this was the first time facing someone with steel. I had trained, knew everything I could but this was still a duel. The man walking toward me had hundreds of years experience in this sand filled place of blood and death. What was I doing? This wasn’t the way I should be handling this. As soon as those thoughts entered my mind they were washed away by the grand masters cold voice.
“You have earned this.” That short phrase galvanized my nerves and brought my breath under control. Bilka had been talking the entire time and now he reached fighting range his glare inviting me to speak. Than his words demanded it.
“Boy I don’t care what trinkets you have, this is about skill and no breed will ever have that.”
“My name is Syn, do you agree to my terms?” It was really the only thing I needed to know.
“Yes but only your blood will see the light today!” He bellowed and swung. A fast slashing cut from left matched by the speeding stab of the right. A move meant to kill in one stroke, it was a high level attack. It needed speed and power, both blows had to move accurately to kill. The same attack I had opened with on the grand master. My response was taking from him, a slight twist than return slash.
Blood fountained from his body as it collapsed to the ground, his head thumping loudly down ten feet away. The entire arena fell silent, ten thousand people and you could hear the blood splashing on the ground. I spoke before they recovered, my mask creating and eerie echo to my words.
“I challenge Viscountess Lytryne for lands wealth and title.”
She was another skilled duelist, none of our challenges were unskilled. I had demanded that Badb find the most skilled of each rank, I wanted them to have no question about my skills as I climbed the ranks of nobility. Her shrill scream of anger let me know where she was.
“You dare! I’ll bring you to heel dog!” Her voice sounded assured but her look as she strode across the sand was anything but. She could have beat Bilka but it wouldn’t have been that decisively. Who was this half elf? His armor and swords were whispered stories of legend, but he was so young.
“You accept my challenge or concede?” I asked as she approached.
“You’ve been recognized by that fool,” she said pouting at Bilkas corpse. “I have no choice but I think you knew this.”
She was more reserved, her first strikes were feints testing my skill. When they didn’t even draw a twitch from me she moved forward in a rapid series of fast slashes. It should have been enough to at least make me back step. With a trust so fast I doubt most in the stands even saw it, then my right blade returned to my side. The thrust had been so clean that no blood had stayed on my blade. To most it looked like mid slash the Viscountess had stopped, her face frozen in a moment of pain then she fell gracelessly to the sand, her hearts blood slowly building a pool in the sand.
“I challenge Earl….”
So it went, I challenege one after another until at last I reached Grand Duke Marquan the commanding general of the elven army. This would be the first one who could challenge me truly. My fear of inexperience was left in the corpses laying around me, the last one Dutchess Starifin had managed to block one attack. It was the best anyone had done, she fell dead from the exchange with my second blow. It had cut her toros horizontally nearly cutting her in half.
The man walking slowly across the sand toward me now moved slow, with purpose. He didn’t talk, didn’t insult this was a predator studying his prey. His eyes took in every aspect of my armor and swords even locking eyes with the shimmering gems that covered mine. He had learned respect, the death of people who knew were hard lessons but this man accepted them. He wouldn’t make a mistake, his skill was one of highest only the king could best him.
“Duke Syn, I accept your challenge but something tells me you don’t seek to rule.”
“I do not.” I admitted
“Than what is this about? It doesn’t seem personal, you’ve shown no joy in the death of those around you.” This man was smart there was no doubting that.
“It has to do with dragons my lord, I simply know no other way to ensure the compliance of the elves.” Again I admitted the truth to the man.
“I can feel the truth of your words, or rather your belief in their truth. Is there no other way?”
“Will you listen and tell me your thoughts?” I was actually surprised but if I could avoid killing him and the king it would be best.
“I will.” He agreed, his blades disappearing from his hands. “We will discuss the terms in private. A barrier if you please my king?”
The last he said loud enough to carry and in a moment a solid barrier sprung up around us, concealing us and ensuring no noise could spread beyond it. It took me longer than I would like to admit to recover from the shock and put my blades away. The magic was strong definitely cast by the king, another five shard true mage.
“Tell me Syn, what’s this madness about? Please do away with the pomp, I hate the blather just call me Q if you please.”
“Thank you Q, I hope you can advise a better way.” I liked the man, he was direct. “I have killed three of the five remaining dragons, when I am done here I will kill the last two and probably the king and queen of the humans.”
“It’s true than.” The man sighed heavily, he of course had heard but like everyone else had hoped it wasn’t true. “Why this than?”
“Once it’s done I will reintroduce dragons to the wild, bringing the natural balance of magic back over time.” The look of relief on his face was obvious. “While that balance returns I will supply the races with the shards they need to survive..”
“You’ll want?!?” He interrupted me, shocked at what I said.
“The humans have been hording them, I have taken some and will collect the rest before I kill the last two.”
“Filthy fucking things!” He growled than glared at me. “And you’ll rule us through that?”
“Not at all, I have no interest in anything for those shards except two things, maybe work on a third.”
“They are?” He didn’t trust me, wary of a trick.
“First no wars while the natural balance returns, I don’t want the chaos I cause amongst the humans to cause thier death.”
“Why would you care?”
“Do you think it was the elves who sheltered my mother and I?” I snapped, my anger about how half breeds were treated leaking in.
“No, no sadly I know it wasn’t.” He admitted, I felt just a hint of shame in his admission.
“I also want a ban on dragon hunting or aiding in dragon hunting. Permanently, if not we will be back here again. They create the magic of the world and must be allowed to do so.”
“Reasonable, easier than not warring with the humans.” He chuckled darkly at that.
“The third is just please try and treat half bloods better.” I laughed even as I said it. “I know that one can’t be done, but as I prove they can become strong.”
“Aye, I have been fighting to get them accepted into service, I think that’s a step.”
“It is, but now do you see why I am here?” I watched the man’s face for any reaction.
“My king?” Q asked the air.
“I have heard it my friend, your words are reasonable Syn. I will agree to met with you and work out the details, but how do we end this duel? You two are still in the middle or the arena.” A voice echoed out from the barrier, the king listening in, I had felt his presence and wasn’t surprised.
“My king, I can handle that.” I grinned. Mentally talking to Badb working out the details. “Do it so none of us loose face as well, though it maybe a bit showy.”
“Showy is good, the crowd likes it.” Q grinned back at me.
“I’ll drop the barrier in a moment and please met us at the palace later tonite, I’ll leave word that you’re to be welcomed.” The king finished and I felt his presence fade.
“You have my thanks.” I said bowing to Q.
“I think you’ll have mine when this is said and done.” He laughed back than the barrier dropped.
“It is agreed and I concede my challenge!” My voice boomed out and in an instant Badb flew out in his human sized form. I shifted into his shadow and grabbed a ride as we flew up, then he spun into a tight spiral and dove back to the ground before anyone could react. I used a well timed flare of shadow to make it look as if we splashed into nothing. Gone as if we had never been there, except for the corpses laying in the bloody sand. I swore I could almost feel the kings applause through the ground.