by B. H. Savage
Eventually Tao Long got tired of his fruitless attacks and backed away. Anye didn't pursue, she merely stood there staring at him with the frightening glow in her eyes. He was getting tired after using all of his strength only to have it seemingly, and effortlessly, blocked. His robes were soaked with sweat and his breathing was heavy.
"What are you!?" he shouted at her. "What kind of power is this!?"
Anye remained quiet. She wanted to speak but her mouth just wouldn't move. She was compelled to hold her position for some reason, never letting her guard down even to speak. She simply stared.
Her silence angered the man even more. His face tightened as he shouted at Anye more. "Vile woman, I will end you here and now!"
Tao Long’s rage gave away his weakening focus. His stance shifted in a way that left a small part of his midsection exposed. A lesser force would either have missed it or decided they wouldn't be able to land the blow. Anye, at the moment, was not a lesser force.
The woman struck like a bolt of lightning without even thinking about it. To the naked eye she looked like she had simply passed through the man like he was an illusion. Anye herself didn't understand how she did what she did, but Tao Long had fallen to the ground in a cloud of dust and the mysterious power she had summoned in her panic dissipated, returning her eyes to normal and finally allowing the air around her to stop spiraling.
She finally regained control of her body and dropped her sword to the ground. Her mouth opened and she gasped for air as she fell to her knees and turned her head to face her fallen foe. Her lungs burned like she hadn't been breathing for ten minutes and her muscles shook rapidly.
The announcer carefully walked into the arena over to where Tao Long lay motionless on the ground. Anye wasn't sure if he was dead or unconscious, and while she had killed men before she had never done so when lacking self-control. The thought that she was capable of such power both shocked and unnerved her.
"Tao Long is unconscious!" the announcer yelled. "The victor of this round is Amy Karst!"
The crowd, after a dumbfounded moment of confused silence, finally resumed their cheering. Anye breathed a sigh of relief that the monk was alive but she was still confused about what exactly had happened. The last time she panicked and pulled a stunt like hoping her sword would magically defend her, she'd found her face half buried in the dirt because her instructor had knocked her clean off her feet and then insulted her that a woman's place was in the kitchen, or weaving tapestries, or making children. Of course the insult wasn't genuine, having only been meant to motivate and train her to not panic, which it did.
Byron hobbled up to her from his place on the side of the arena and knelt beside her. Anye could tell he was wholly concerned for her well-being at that point. If he had been amazed or excited for her the emotion had already passed and she couldn’t see it.
"Amy, are you alright?" he asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You’re shaking as if you've been swimming in ice water."
"Byron, what was that?" she asked. "What did I do? I didn't feel like I was in control...I don't think I was in control."
Byron lifted Anye to her feet and supported her as best as he could over his shoulder to help her back towards the entrance of the waiting area. "Let's, uh, let's not think about that right now. The important thing is that you won! You've made it to the final round, which guarantees us at the least a runner up prize! Ha ha!"
Byron's subject change back to the prize money cheered Anye up slightly. Her muscles stopped shaking and she walked herself the rest of the way towards the waiting room after picking up the sword that had been knocked away from her earlier. The announcer had already called Amadi and Nitram outside, the latter of which bumped his shoulder into Anye rudely as he passed. Amadi on the other hand paused in his stride to say something to her.
"Don't worry," he told her. "I'll make this quick, and then I can tell you about what that was." His gaze was cold and stiff as he spoke.
Amadi continued off towards the arena while Anye stared at him suspiciously before continuing back inside. The unsettling feeling of not knowing how he could possibly have any idea of what was going on had returned, but there was nothing she could do about it. He knew her real name, was able to tell just from entering the same area as her that she had some prowess in magical abilities, and now he had told her that he knew exactly what had happened during the fight with Tao Long. Her best bet, and only option, to finding out what he knew and how he knew it, was to trust his words and wait for the small window between the end of his match and the final round.
______
Amadi was true to his word. Anye had only been sitting on the bench near the entry way for a few minutes before Amadi returned, victorious over his opponent. He spotted her quickly and took a seat next to her, keeping his tall staff upright in hand.
"Brutish men like him commonly make themselves out to be easy prey for mages of my caliber," he confidently told her.
Anye didn't even look him in the eye. "How do you know these things about me?" she asked bluntly with a somewhat angry tone, going straight to the point. They didn't have much time before the final round began and she wanted to know what he knew before it started, but she also suspected he wasn't going to tell her anything that would deprive him of an advantage.
"Straight to business it is," he commented. "My people, the Azubuike tribe, are renowned in our lands amongst the other tribes for our strong connection with the powers of the world, what is most commonly referred to as magic. Everything in this world is connected to it. Think of it like a giant world-wide spider web, with every individual thing acting as a point which the strands connect to. You can use this web to connect to a person's mind if you know how. I am one who can do so."
"You can read my mind?" Anye replied sarcastically. "Forgive my skepticism, Amadi, but I've studied the uses of magic extensively. There is no such ability or connection."
"And that is why you do not understand your significance, Anye," he said quickly. He shifted his gaze past her for a second, but quickly looked back at her. He looked extremely serious. "I left my village to pursue something, and you are the key to unlocking it. I can help you understand your potential, what you tapped in to earlier, but I require your assistance."
"My help?" Anye replied. "And why should I trust you?"
"Because I know what the Sky Fire was and who your parents were," he told her bluntly. “That is why you are here, regardless of the circumstances that brought you to this place. You are not a traitor to your king or home, Anye. You are an honorable person. This I know to be true.”
Anye turned her head sharply, staring directly into the boy's dark brown eyes. "And how could you possibly know that? You're barely even old enough to be considered a man. What could you really know about it?"
"Do not let my age fool you," he told her coldly. "Come, we are about to be called to the arena." Amadi stood and walked towards the opening, tapping his staff to the ground with every right footstep. "I will prove to you that I am no mere boy."
Anye's emotions were running rampant through her mind. The confusion and powerlessness she felt from earlier still lingered, and was now coupled with a strong sense of disbelief and anger. Amadi's comment about the Sky Fire caught her off guard, and everything else had infuriated her. She had studied extensively in the castle's library as a child in Delrich, but information about the event was scarce and was never discussed by her instructors in any great detail. How could a boy from the savage frontier know anything about it?
Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the attending workers grabbing her attention. She had apparently missed her name being announced in the final round against Amadi. Begrudgingly she got to her feet and walked to the opening. At the very least Amadi was correct that they were about to be called. He had already walked outside to the arena by the time she reached the open walkway.
The crowd had decided to either forget the earlier battle or thought of it as something to be celeb
rated. The cheers and chants directed towards her shook the very ground she walked on. That, at least, made her feel a little better. When she reached the center of the arena the announcer began his proclamation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lord Taggart expresses his greatest appreciation to all of you for attending this year's tournament. As always, it is his great honor to provide you with entertainment, and he is grateful to our competitors for keeping the deaths to a minimum. Now, without further delay, let us begin the final round between our victors!"
The announcer gestured towards Anye. "With fame and glory now within her grasp, the mysterious mercenary need only overcome one final challenge. For the final round, the miraculous mercenary…Amy Karst!" he yelled. The crowd went wild as she strode towards her corner. "His intentions are unknown, and the mysterious mage of the frontier has left any who stood before him pleading for mercy…if they could speak at all! Will he do the same to our mercenary? Presenting…Amadi~!"
Anye watched closely as the boy calmly walked towards his corner. His steps looked light, but firm at the same time. She could feel his power like it was oozing out of him, unlike the quietness of before. She had never felt anything quite like it, and prepared her own defenses accordingly. She had been channeling magic continuously ever since her first match which eased the strain induced and sped the process of spell casting. If she needed to dispel something, provided it was some sort of enhancing spell, her counter spell would be much faster as opposed to before, as well as any other abilities she may need.
The oversized announcer gestured to both fighters before stepping back to begin the fight. When he did, Amadi's magical power exploded in potency compared to what Anye felt just before, but she couldn't let the surge distract her. She knew he was a mage, his clothing and staff alone was indicative of that, but the level of control he exuded far exceeded that of the most powerful opponents she had ever faced. To say it wasn't nerve wracking would be a lie.
As Anye ran closer to Amadi he waved his staff and free hand in the air. A seal of some sort appeared before him that shot out three balls of fire in her direction. She easily dodged the first one and cut through the second and third ones with her two blades. When She got close enough to attack the boy directly, she swung her swords at him. The seal he had summoned apparently doubled as a barrier of some sort, blocking her attacks perfectly. She chanted the words of a spell to invoke a dispelling wave of energy, destroying the barrier and allowing her through to the boy.
Amadi must have felt the build of up power coming. As soon as his seal was shattered he conjured up a gust of wind which he shot outward with his hand. The force of the blow knocked Anye off balance. Another twist of his hand and the very earth beneath her feet shot upward, launching her into the air.
The way Amadi's hands moved were reminiscent of an orchestra conductor. As Anye rose to the air, his hands and the staff waved again, this time forcing rocks from the ground to fly up at her. Anye may not have had the advantage in using magic and attacks that would toss her opponent around like a rag doll, but she was a hardened fighter.
Among Anye's defensive spells learned from the time spent with the church during her youth was a barrier that could withstand ethereal assaults, even if they manipulated physical surroundings like rocks or furniture. Using the spell in conjunction with one's own weight when landing from certain heights would result in a shockwave effect. The result would disorient any who were caught in it, and at the time it was her best option.
Anye curled into a ball as she fell back to the ground with the barrier up. As she landed she pushed as hard as her mind would allow and the shockwave trailed out. Amadi, as well as the people standing at the edge of the arena were all knocked over. She used the opportunity to close the gap between her and her foe, sprinting towards him with both blades at the ready.
Amadi regained his balance and lifted his staff horizontally as Anye's swords came down from above, holding her off. Neither of them said a word to one another and they started battling physically, with Amadi using the staff to block and counter Anye’s advances. For a boy of his age and build he was surprisingly fast, and used the staff to deflect her attacks masterfully.
Amadi’s use of magic to enhance his physical abilities was obvious. Anye wasn't particularly trained to use enhancement spells herself, but she could recognize them. She knew that if he was toying with her she was going to lose. She needed to think of something fast.
Anye wished that whatever power she used before would come back, but it simply wasn't happening. Amadi wasn't doing anything particularly threatening though, which confused her. It was possible, although unlikely, that he was starting to weaken as well, having overestimated his abilities while underestimating hers regardless of what he felt within her.
Then she felt it, a sudden dip in power coming from the boy. The moment was enough for her to overpower him and knock him away from her, giving her an opportunity to move in close. She followed him with one of her swords aimed at his throat and dashed forward.
Anye didn’t expect Amadi to feel the sudden shift in the fight and spin the staff around. By the time her sword tip approached his neck the rings at the end of his staff did the same towards hers, with the stone glowing with energy Amadi had channeled into it. He had as little intention of yielding in the fight as she did.
"Stop!" a booming voice from above the two fighters shouted.
Both Anye and Amadi halted their movements with their weapons each inches away from the other's head. Both of them were sweating heavily from the extreme movements and were breathing just as hard. The order had been given to stop the match in the nick of time, and luckily they each still had the self-control to obey.
It was then that Anye had actually noticed just how excited the crowd was. All of Amadi's fights had lasted mere seconds, with him as the winner. Anye's were impressive displays of a woman swordfighter who had wowed the audience with displays of untapped magical potential and expert skill. Their match was probably the most spectacular battle anyone present had ever seen.
Both of them looked up to see who had given the booming order. If it had been the announcer they wouldn't have even heard him over the sound of their weapons. Whoever it was that wanted the match to end had really wanted them to stop, and had some means of ensuring they would hear him and obey.
In the center of the stands looking down over the arena was the elaborate booth where the host of the tournament, Lord Micah Taggart, sat behind a transparent curtain. The main difference the booth had from before was that the curtain was open and Taggart was openly visible to the public.
The man was the size of a large horse. He wore a regal gown elegantly detailed in varying colors of red, orange, purple, and black, and gold thread. His skin color, surprisingly, was the same as Amadi's. His head was also either bald or his hair was extremely short. Anye couldn't tell from the angle she was looking at him from.
"That is enough," Taggart bellowed. His voice was exceptionally deep and he spoke with the same heavy accent as Amadi. A large smile formed on his face and his arms opened wide. "I declare this match to be a draw!"
The crowd went wild, but also sounded confused at the same time. The confusion, Anye thought, was likely from what was going to happen with the bookies and people's winnings. A draw wasn't something anyone had planned on. To her knowledge it had never happened before.
"Thank you all for joining us!" Taggart continued. "This year's tournament has undoubtedly been the best one yet! It has been my pleasure, and my honor, to host it for all of you. Praise to the two champions!"
The corpulent announcer waddled over to where Anye and Amadi were standing, taking in the cheers of the crowd and glancing back at each other. "My Lord and Lady, Lord Taggart has made a request that the two of you join him at his estate to discuss a matter of business."
"Business?" Anye asked through bated breathing. "Regarding the prize money?"
The announcer laughed. "That's quite humorous, but no. The p
rize money is yours, of course, but this is another matter. Please be at the estate by sundown for this evening's supper, and do not be late." The announcer bowed his head at the two of them before walking away to handle post-tournament dealings for his employer.
Anye stepped away from her opponent as she calmed her nerves and filled herself with feelings of relief. The tournament was over, but the relaxation wouldn't last. She looked over to Amadi who had already cleaned himself off and was starting to walk to the exit of the arena. "I suppose I shall explain everything tonight," he said to her. "Trust me, I will tell you everything I know."
"Amy! You did it!" Byron's voice shouted from behind her. The happy old man wobbled over to her and hugged the woman as she turned around. "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "I really can't believe it! You'll be known throughout Belrun! And not just here, your name will be talked about everywhere by anyone who knows about the tournament!"
"Byron, Lord Taggart invited me to the estate this evening," Anye told him. "Did you know about this?"
Byron nodded his head. "Of course!" he told her. "It's customary for the victor and their coach to be treated to a celebratory dinner at His Lordship's estate. It's rumored he sometimes offers a job to the victor, in which the pay is especially nice!"
Anye took one more deep breath and sighed as she fixed her hair, which had become unkempt from all of the fighting. "I suppose I should clean myself up, then. I don't want to look like a slob, now do I?"
Chapter 4
Legends and Artifacts
The estate belonging to Micah Lord Taggart, the governor of the region, amazed Anye the moment she saw it when she had first arrived in Bridge Port. The amount of land the man owned completely dwarfed her family’s estate. The mansion itself was several stories taller and could be considered a castle in its own right. Hundreds of uniformed workers tended to the fields, gardens, and to the building itself. Housemaids and stewards busily carried out their duties even at the late hour Anye and Byron arrived during the sunset.