Damien landed at the appointed place, a flat patch of ground with trampled grass. Behind him the castle battlements were crowded with people that wanted to watch the two sorcerers duel. This sort of thing usually happened at the arena near The Tower, so it was a rare chance for non-sorcerers to watch a duel.

When he flew over Damien had spotted the king and his family along with John, Jen, and a morose Duke Iceborn. Karrie waved when he flew over and Damien returned the gesture. She looked so happy and he wished he shared the feeling. The more time that passed since he agreed to her proposal the more he feared he’d made a horrible mistake.

He was saved from further brooding by the arrival of a familiar giant form. Sig cut a gallant figure in his blue and white tunic and matching trousers, a pale blue, fur-trimmed cloak billowing behind him. Damien had seen no point in dressing up and so he wore a rumpled black tunic he’d fished out of his rucksack.

“Ready to die, runt?” Sig asked.

Damien sighed. Why did everything have to be a production? “Let’s get on with it.”

Sig drew power and conjured a fifteen-foot-tall bear with exaggerated fangs and claws. The construct threw its head back in a silent roar. The bear charged, tearing up clods of dirt as it raced toward Damien.

Damien frowned and a massive blade of soul force appeared in the air in front of him. With a wave of his hand the blade sliced the bear in half and scattered its energy around the battlefield in a shower of sparks. He reabsorbed the soul force in his blade and raised an eyebrow at Sig. “Is that it?”

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Sig snarled and hurled a blast of raw soul force at Damien. An angled shield appeared in front of Damien, sending the blast ricocheting off into the nearby forest. An explosion sent bits of shattered trees flying. Impressive, he hadn’t thought Sig capable of generating that much power. His shield vanished when Damien absorbed the power. Sig gasped for air, an incredulous look on his once-haughty face.

“You want to call that good?” Damien asked. Even to someone as dense as Sig the futility of continuing the battle had to be obvious.

“I’m far from done.” Power flowed around Sig’s hands and he hurled a rapid succession of golden daggers at Damien.

Their power was so weak Damien didn’t even bother with an extra barrier. The daggers broke on his personal shield one after another until Sig fell to his knees.

“Why? Those were my best attacks.” Sig hung his head and Damien feared he might start crying again. “Are you really that much stronger than me?”

“Yes.” Damien spoke with a complete lack of emotion or pride. His power was nothing to be proud of. He was born the strongest of his generation. No amount of training would make him any more powerful than he was when he came into the world. From the moment you’re born to the moment you die, barring a demon contract, your power was fixed. What you did with it was what mattered.

“Go see your father,” Damien said. “I know he’s worried about you. And don’t challenge me again.”

“Wait! This was supposed to be a duel to the death.”

“If you’re so eager to die find someone else to kill you. I’m not interested in the job.” Damien leapt into the air and flew back to the castle. He needed to prepare for the real battle tomorrow. Somehow he doubted Connor Blackman would go down as easy as Sig.