“With a deal like that, and the odds so overwhelmingly on my side, how could I say no?” he replied.
The Princess clapped her hands together like a little girl and laughed in delight. “You amuse me, Commander Cade Williams. When Bishop is done with you, perhaps I will take you into my house as my servant. Would you like that?”
“You have far too much confidence in your champion, my lady.”
“We shall see, Commander, we shall see. You will have five minutes to confer with your men and then the battle shall begin.”
And with that she turned away and began giving orders to her warriors, preparing for the confrontation to come.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
By sheer force of numbers, the Chiang Shih herded the men of Echo to the far side of the camp, where a large circular ring was already laid out on the ground in front of a wooden platform that reminded Cade of an improvised stage. The sides of the circle were of piled stone and the center was full of sand. Apparently this was where he was to fight Bishop, and if the stains on the ground were any indication, it wouldn’t be the first fight to the death that had been held here. As the Chiang Shih began preparing for the confrontation, Cade joined the rest of his men off to one side of the gathering crowd.
Duncan was stretched out unconscious on the ground and Davis was kneeling beside him, using his med kit to tend to the other man’s wounds.
“How is he?” Cade asked.
Davis looked up. “Better than I expected. He’s got at least a couple of broken ribs and possibly a concussion, though I can’t be certain of the later without further testing. They beat him and cut him up pretty badly, but whoever did it knew what they were doing. He won’t ever look the same, but nothing they did is life threatening. With time, and plenty of rest, he should do all right.”
“Good. Keep him comfortable and be ready to move quickly if we get the chance.”
“Roger that.”
Cade said a few words to the rest of the men, reassuring them with the calm confidence in his voice and his generally upbeat tone, and by the time he turned away to speak to Riley a few of them were even smiling in his wake.
The Knight Commander stepped over to where Riley stood guard at the edge of the circle, glaring at those Chiang Shih that wandered a bit too close. He handed his sword to him and then shed his body armor, piece by piece. Cade knew that he needed to be quick on his feet and while the heavy tactical suit might protect him from more than just a glancing blow, it would also limit his movements and slow him considerably. He quickly stripped off his shirt as well, not wanting Bishop to be able to use it as leverage against him should the fighting get in close and dirty. He considered discarding his boots, but ultimately decided against it. He’d learned long ago that on uncertain ground bare feet were best, but in this case he’d trade that stability for the additional damage the heavy boots would add to any strike he might deliver with them.
Satisfied with his preparations, he turned back to Riley and drew his sword from the scabbard in the other man’s hands. As he did so, Cade passed a few last minute instructions to his executive officer.
“You know you can’t trust her, right?”
Riley grunted. “Of course not.” He kept his attention on those around them, just as Cade was doing, wary that one of the Chiang Shih might use a momentary lack of attention to attack despite Princess Akiko’s orders.
“Good. And you and I both know that Johannson won’t be sending anyone after us, especially after I disobeyed his direct order. So we’re on our own.”
“What else is new?” Riley said, in his typical dour style.
Cade had to chuckle at that and was suddenly glad that he had the big master sergeant at his side. The two of them had been through a lot in their years together and he wouldn’t want any other man beside him at a time like this. He knew he could trust Riley to do the right thing when the time came.
“I don’t see a way out of this yet, but the day’s still young. Keep your eyes open and if you have a chance to save the rest of the team out of here, don’t hesitate to take it.”
“Roger that.”
Cade looked at him and could see that despite his agreement, Riley had no intention of leaving him behind no matter what opportunity might present itself. Cade didn’t blame him; if their position had been reversed he wouldn’t do it either. They’d returned to the Beyond to rescue a missing teammate; there was no way either of them would leave the other behind at this point.
Riley met his gaze and in the other man’s eyes Cade could see all the things that he wanted to say as well, things that would never be voiced but that both men understood, nevertheless. Cade nodded in understanding and slapped him on the shoulder, knowing that nothing further needed to be said.
He turned and looked out over the makeshift arena before them, gauging the amount of space available, making note of the places where the ground was uneven and where it was smooth. He had no doubt that Bishop would be a dangerous opponent, for on top of his Templar training the other man could now add inhuman strength and speed to his arsenal. Cade knew he was going to need every advantage that he could get in order to come out on top. He was confident that he was the better technical swordsman, but if it came to a hand-to-hand brawl dependent on speed and stamina he was going to be seriously outclassed.
A commotion caught his attention and he turned in time to see Princess Akiko being led through the crowd. The throne on which she rode was heavy enough that it took eight men to carry it and was made of a stone so black that seemed to suck the light right out of the space around her. For all Cade knew, maybe it actually did.
The throne was carried up onto the platform and set down near the edge. The princess stood and gestured off to one side. In response the crowd parted and Bishop strode forward. He stopped before the platform and received a few words of encouragement or strategy from the princess, then joined Cade in the center of the circle.
As he approached, Cade settled into his combat stance, not wanting to be caught unprepared should things start suddenly. He stood with his left foot ahead of his right, with his body turned slightly to the side to present a slimmer target for his foe. He held his sword before him in a two-handed grip, its point directed at Bishop’s head. He concentrated on his breathing, knowing he was going to have to win quickly and decisively if he hoped to get out of this alive and the best chance he had to do that was to stay focused and steady.
“You look a bit nervous, Williams,” Bishop said in a voice loud enough to carry outside the circle. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”
The spectators, including the princess, laughed appreciatively.
Cade didn’t reply, not wanting to waste even the slightest bit of energy. He would need all he had to win this fight.
Princess Akiko raised her arms and the crowd grew silent. When she was satisfied she faced the crowd and her voice rose over them. “A challenge has been made and accepted. Two shall enter the Circle of Judgment but only one shall prevail and leave its confines.”
Her words had the ring of ritual to them and Cade tuned them out. He watched his opponent instead. Bishop stared back, a haughty smile of superiority on his face. Unlike Cade, whose weapon harkened back to the styles used by the Templars in the early days of the Order, Bishop held a Japanese katana and from the way he was rotating it in his one handed grip, it was clear that he was quite comfortable using it. Cade had no doubt the weapon was razor sharp and he made a mental note to be twice as careful. Even a light slash could cause serious damage if he was unlucky enough to get hit.
The princess had finally finished her speech and was returning to her chair. Cade cast one last glance over at Riley, caught a nod of support from the other man, and then turned his attention back to his opponent.
It was do or die time.
The princess clapped her hands and the fight was underway.
Cade began circling to his left, watching Bishop closely, searching for some opening in his guard t
hat he might exploit when the opportunity presented itself.
The other man had no intention of waiting, however.
Bishop exploded toward him, his weapon swinging in toward Cade’s midsection in a vicious strike, and the former Templar soldier was even faster than Cade had anticipated.
Cade dropped the point of his sword and met Bishop’s blade with the edge of his own, channeling the energy of his attacker’s strike away from him and toward the ground instead. He twisted and brought his own weapon up in a semi-circular motion that brought it swinging back in toward Bishop’s neck, hoping for a lucky strike to end it all before it had barely began.
But Bishop was too good to be taken out quickly and he easily blocked Cade’s strike in turn.
Back and forth they went, blow after blow, twisting and turning, moving about inside the confines of the circle, each man striving to gain the upper hand to deliver the killing stroke.
It was Bishop who drew first blood, cutting in beneath Cade’s guard and slashing the tip of his sword across the knight commander’s thigh. Blood flowed, staining Cade’s pant leg, and Bishop grinned in triumph.
“I’ll carve you up one cut at a time, Commander,” he sneered.
Cade ignored him and the cut as well. He could tell it wasn’t too deep and he therefore wasn’t in any real danger, but still, eventually the blood loss would take its toll he knew.
He’d just have to redouble his efforts and put an end to this before that happened.
Bishop came at him again and they traded another series of blows. The crowd around them was rowdy, shouting and jeering, and Cade tuned them out, focusing on the task at hand.
Wounding Cade made Bishop cocky and his strikes began to get a bit sloppy, his overconfidence working against him. Cade pretended not to notice, slowing down his responses to Bishop’s attacks so that it seemed as if he were injured more than he actually was, drawing the other man in closer and closer with every exchange of blows.
Predictably, Bishop closed in, sensing a possible chance at victory.
Which was just what Cade wanted. Bishop was just a hair too slow in recovering from a particularly vicious strike and Cade saw his chance.
He didn’t hesitate.
As Bishop came in, Cade feinted to the left and then spun in the opposite direction, coming in under Bishop’s guard. The other man was already dropping his elbows down, intending to hammer Cade’s weapon into the dirt with the force of the blow before it could reach him, but the sword strike was simply another distraction. Cade’s real attack came from a completely unexpected direction as he lifted his right leg and slammed his booted foot down on the inside of Bishop’s knee.
There was a sharp crack, heard even over the shouts of the crowd, and the knee gave way, dropping his opponent to the ground on one leg.
As a result Bishop’s counter strike missed and his neck was suddenly at the same level as Cade’s slashing weapon.
Another few seconds and the fight would be over.
Cade could see Bishop’s eyes go wide at the realization.
This is for Olsen, you motherfucker, Cade thought, and time stretched as he watched the edge of his sword drive toward Bishop’s unprotected neck.
But the Chiang Shih warrior had earned his rank as second in command the hard way, challenging his superiors one by one to mortal combat and he’d yet to lose. He still had a trick or two up his sleeve. As Cade’s weapon came slashing toward him, he threw himself the rest of the way to the ground and spun his body around, ignoring the pain in his wounded leg and lashing out with his good one. His heels connected with the backs of Cade’s knees, knocking the Templar commander to the ground beside him.
Cade’s sword bounced free of his grip as he hit.
Bishop was on him in an instant.
Bishop pinned Cade’s arms and he found himself staring up into his former teammate’s face as the other man opened his mouth impossibly wide, revealing the double set of teeth that suddenly seemed to fill his mouth as if out of nowhere.
The teeth descended.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
With his arms pinned, Cade knew he had only one chance to save himself and he didn’t hesitate to take it. As Bishop’s open mouth descended toward his unprotected throat, Cade reared up and slammed his forehead into the other man’s as hard as he could.
The blow momentarily stunned Bishop, but that was all the time Cade needed. He wrenched one arm free, then reached down and grabbed his combat knife from the sheath on his calf. With a shout of defiance he shoved the blade through the underside of his enemy’s unprotected jaw and deep into his skull.
Bishop stiffened and then toppled over backward.
Letting go of the knife, Cade kicked himself free of Bishop’s corpse, climbed to his feet, and staggered a few steps away. His heart was beating wildly and he sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself in the aftermath of the adrenaline rush.
Behind him, Bishop sat up.
Cade caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and he turned in amazement, just in time to see Bishop reach up, grab the knife by its hilt, and yank it free of his flesh. He tossed it idly to the side.
Around a mouthful of black blood, the other man smiled at Cade.
“The fight’s not over yet, Commander,” gurgled Bishop.
The Chiang Shih warrior retrieved his sword and climbed slowly to his feet, his fractured knee already healed. Then, as Cade watched in shocked amazement, Bishop’s left arm began changing, growing longer and thinner, stretching forward inch by inch, until his entire forearm had become a whip-like appendage with barbed hooks appearing every few inches along its length. Bishop cracked it across the space between them with a vicious snap.
For the first time since the fight started, Cade knew that he was in trouble.
A quick glance showed his sword lying in the dirt between them. Bishop had seen it as well, however, and he advanced, cracking the whip at Cade’s head, forcing him back, away from the weapon. Bishop moved forward until he stood over Cade’s sword and then used his foot to flip the weapon up and out of the ring, beyond Cade’s reach.
But Cade had anticipated such a move and reacted just as swiftly, darting toward the mass of spectators at the circle’s edge and grabbing the first weapon he could get his hands on, a long scimitar-like blade that he took right off the belt of an unsuspecting Chiang Shih warrior. There was a general uproar from the crowd at the act, but Cade didn’t have time to even glance in that direction for Bishop chose that moment to rush him, hoping to catch him off balance.
Cade backpedaled, parrying Bishop’s sword with the flat edge of his own, but then had to practically dive to the side to avoid the lashing strike of the whip that Bishop aimed at his face.
The fight quickly devolved from there.
Bishop took control, forcing Cade to move where he wanted around the ring, the whip lashing out at him time and time again, until Cade’s shirt was ripped and his torso bloody.
Maybe he wasn’t as sharp as he usually was thanks to the protracted battle he’d engaged in just hours before. Maybe Olsen’s loss weighed more heavily on his mind than he realized. Whatever the reason, Cade wasn’t at his best
His concentration wavered, just for a second, but that second was enough.
As he ducked to avoid another lashing blow, his foot slipped in the loose sand and he stumbled, off balance.
Bishop made full use of the opportunity. He struck out with the whip, wrapping it around Cade’s chest, pinning his sword arm to his side, the barbs cutting cruelly into the bare flesh of his arm and neck.
Cade struggled vainly against the bonds that held him, but it was no use.
He was trapped!
With a quick yank, Bishop pulled him in closer.
“Looks like I’ll just have to deliver your corpse instead,” Bishop sneered and raised the sword in his other hand, preparing to bring it down for the final strike that would end Cade’s life and the combat itself.
Bishop never got the chance.
A sudden whistling sound shot past Cade’s ear and in its wake Bishop reared up in pain, the feathered end of a crossbow bolt sticking out of his left eye socket.
Several other bolts followed in quick succession, striking him about the face and neck.
Bishop toppled over backward for the second time that day, taking Cade with him.
A roar went up from the assembled Chiang Shih as they realized they were under attack. It was answered by a literal rain of crossbow bolts as the Templar knights that had surrounded the camp during Cade’s duel with Bishop brought the full might of their numbers to bear against the enemy.
Both sides surged together.
Cade fought to untangle himself from Bishop, all the while expecting some passing Chiang Shih soldier to kill him before he’d managed to do so, but he freed himself and staggered to his feet unharmed. Or at least no worse for wear than when he’d gone down.
Pandemonium reigned.
Combatants were everywhere and no sooner had Cade regained his feet that he was swept up in the maelstrom, forced to defend himself against Chiang Shih warriors hell bent on survival. He fought off two such creatures and turned to take on a third, only realizing it was Riley at the last moment. The other man grinned at him and then eviscerated a nearby opponent with a sudden thrust of his weapon.
They fought until there weren’t any more Chiang Shih left to fight. Bodies littered the ground all around, but when it was over the only ones left standing were members of the Order.
Cade found a clear spot and all but collapsed to the ground. He was joined a moment later by Riley, who began using a battlefield med kit to bandage Cade’s most grievous wounds.
“You had me worried there for a minute or two,” Riley said, as he cleansed one of the lacerations on Cade’s shoulder.
“Makes two of us. Never figured Johannson would order our rescue, that’s for sure.”
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