She plopped down next to Waldo. Alice leaned forward to stare at her with narrowed eyes.
Nen grinned back. “You don’t need to worry, he’s not my type. I like my men big, rough, and cruel.”
“I’m cruel,” Waldo blurted out.
“No, you’re not,” Alice hissed and wrapped herself about his right arm. She did not take her eyes off of Nen.
Nen leaned back and took another bite of her apple.
“So, you’re not even trying to hide the fact you’re working with the drow?” Leiznam demanded.
“They have what I want,” Waldo said.
“And that justifies doing anything at all?”
Nen burst out in laughter. “Look who’s talking!”
“Valeria would destroy this kingdom if we let her!”
“You have us all wrong, the only thing the Exalted Lady wants is for all of us to be friends.”
“Friends?” Leiznam spat out. “As if drow would even know the meaning of that word!”
“Careful now,” Nen chided. “You’re starting to hurt my feelings.” She took another bite of her apple.
Ayden looked worried. “Nendara, you’re not going to do something foolish, are you?”
She took a last bite of the apple and tossed away the core. “Probably not, but he does make it tempting.”
Ayden glanced from one side to the other and back again. Shaking his head, he waved to the two men at the blackboard and walked back out onto the balcony. Waldo saw them quickly write the information for the eleventh and final match of the evening.
ASGER THE NORTHMAN
3 - 1
VS
BELLE THE PLAINS SAVAGE
1 – 3
Waldo immediately got a fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Why is Belle the underdog?”
Leiznam grinned and sipped his wine. “Asger is a great warrior and a champion of the fighting pits.”
“And what else?”
“He’s human, if that’s what you’re asking.” Leiznam took another deliberate sip. “Aren’t you going to place a bet on your servant?”
The raven flying about inside his belly suddenly became an entire flock. “You want me to bet on Belle?”
“I am merely being courteous, Master Rabbit.”
Beside him Nen chuckled. “If Leiznam is asking you for your money it means he thinks it’s a sucker bet.”
“And why would you think that?” Waldo asked.
Leiznam sat on his couch and looked relaxed. “Northmen are fierce.”
Out on the balcony Ayden shouted out to the crowd. “It’s time my friends! The last match! The best match! The one that will put all the others to shame! Two barbarian champions from the far ends of the world! Asger, from the frozen wastes of Kjaamin, against Belle, a horde rider from the endless plains! A fight you will never see again in your lifetime! A fight you’ll tell your children and grandchildren about!” He flipped over the hourglass and set on the railing. “Place your bets!”
All through the stands people rushed to do exactly that.
“Well, Master Rabbit?” Leiznam asked. “Don’t you have faith in your Belle?”
The ravens were trying to claw their way out of his stomach. Through the bond he knew Belle wasn’t worried at all, she was feeling nothing but excitement. He knew Belle could also sense his feelings and tried to relax. Despite his worries he turned to Alice.
“Give him our gold.”
Alice sucked in her lips. “You sure, darling?”
“Belle is going to win. Belle has to win. So, it would be silly not to bet.”
“It certainly would,” Leiznam said.
A worried look on her face, Alice took out the five gold coins and handed them to Leiznam. When she had done that before, he’d kept them in his hand throughout Nen’s match. This time, he opened his purse and dropped the coins in.
When the sands ran out Ayden waved both arms above his head. Two sets of bars slid out from two doorways. Out of one came Belle. She wore a tunic just like Nen had. In her right hand was Rabbitslayer. The sword held a golden aura, and was obviously magical. She strutted right out onto the sands, pumping her left arm into the air to encourage the crowd to yell even louder.
From the opposite doorway a tall, muscular man came out far more cautiously. He had long flowing blond hair and a braided mustache. His bare chest was covered in scars. In both hands he held the biggest sword Waldo had ever seen. And it glowed. It gave off a fainter light than Rabbitslayer’s, but it was still clear.
Waldo leapt to his feet staring, his jaw open.
Nen sighed. “I told you it was a sucker bet.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at one of the serving girls. “Hey, bring me another apple.”
Chapter 30
The Big Match
Waldo rounded on Ayden. “Why does he have a magical sword?!
Ayden swept his feathered hat off his head and gave a deep bow. “The guildmaster provided it to him.”
“And why didn’t you mention it to me?”
Ayden straightened. “You never asked. The only question you asked me was whether or not Asger was human. Had you asked me if he would carry a magical weapon I would have answered truthfully. I have not lied to you about anything, Master Rabbit. Please do not blame me for something that is not my fault.”
Waldo could guess whose fault this was. Leiznam was seated on his couch looking pleased with himself. “This is why you paid to have Belle fight here tonight.”
The guildmaster nodded. “I’ve had reports about how inept your servant is at swordplay. I’m sure she would have had no chance at all against Varca tomorrow. But why take chances? If she is killed tonight and doesn’t even make it to the Arena it will embarrass you and Avalon in the queen’s eyes.”
“So, this is about embarrassing me?”
“It’s about stopping you from handing my guild and my kingdom over to the drow. I would never allow that to happen.”
Down on the sands Belle and the Northman were slowly circling one another. The steady and certain movements of the blond barbarian screamed of skill and many long years of training. Just comparing how he moved to Belle’s loping steps made it obvious how this would end. It must have been just as apparent to Alice. She stood and put a hand on Waldo’s arm.
“Darling, you have to do something!”
“If you intervene in any way,” Ayden said. “You will be breaking the contract you made with me, Master Rabbit.” He gave Waldo another bow. “I am sorry, but I did make it clear to you that all matches are to the death.”
“The Gods of the Realm teach that contracts are sacred and must be honored no matter the cost,” Leiznam said in a helpful tone.
“Let me guess,” Waldo said. “The punishment for breaking a contract is death.”
“No, merely permanent banishment from the city and the kingdom. Your pet would be immediately disqualified from the queen’s tournament and all bets placed on her would be lost. So, by all means, save her. Either way, I win.”
Waldo looked back out on the sands. The Northman swung a couple times and Belle managed to block. Through the bond he could sense just a tiny sliver of worry coming from Belle. He could literally end this with just a word, one word of magic could summon her to his side. Then he, Alice, and Belle would have to immediately leave the city.
Without the knowledge of where he might find a dragon.
“Darling, what are you waiting for?”
He hesitated and felt conflicted. He knew Belle was in very serious danger and almost certain to die unless he intervened. But if he did that he would lose his chance. Dragon lairs were always located far from human civilization and near impossible to find. If he didn’t get the location from Valeria what were the chances he would stumble on one later? He might spend the rest of his life searching and never finding so much as a trace. What would his mother think if he just gave up this opportunity? What would she say if he put the life of his familiar ahead of the information he nee
ded to return home? A true Dark Mage wouldn’t think twice about sacrificing a familiar for a chance to get something he needed. How would-
The crowd roared.
XXX
A pair of burly guards led Belle to a heavy door with two iron bolts. One of them grunted and slammed them back.
“Wait in here until the bars open,” the other one said. “When that happens go out and fight. Don’t try to stay in here or we’ll come in and drive you out at spear point.”
“Got it, sweetie. Any words of advice?”
“Yeah, don’t die.”
Belle gave a lisping laugh. “I’ll try and remember.”
The other guard pulled the door open, it was half a foot of solid oak. “Get in!”
Belle ducked her head and went inside. She was sure that looked a little weird as the doorway had plenty of room for her human form. But was too short for her real body. As soon as she crossed the threshold the door was shoved back into place and she could hear the rusty bolts slammed home. The room was ten feet square with walls made of red brick. There was a plain wooden bench and an archway. A set of iron bars blocked it. The top of the bars were attached to some chains that ran to a hole in the wall. Looking past those bars Belle could only see flat, sandy ground and some bleachers packed full of people.
Before being brought here she’d been kept in a holding area with twenty other people, all of them human. A few of them had been relaxed. Most had been scared out of their minds. A couple had cried openly, and one man had knelt in a corner and prayed fervently to his gods. Guards had come to call out names and take people away, either one at a time or in groups. She had been the last one to go.
The room had been brick on three sides and iron bars on the fourth. They were at the end of a hall without windows, a pair of torches provided the only light. It reminded Belle of being a slave back in Middleton, except without all the shackles and goblins. There were six long wooden benches, a couple of slop buckets, and even piles of straw on the floor if you wanted to nap. It was comfy enough, though her roommates didn’t care for it.
Sitting down there you would clearly hear occasional roars coming from above.
“Every time they cheer like that, it means someone got killed,” a young human with a scraggly beard said. He was leaning against a wall, his knees shaking. Belle didn’t know his name and didn’t bother to ask.
“Anybody know any good jokes?” Belle inquired. Everyone turned to stare at her, even the guards on the other side of the bars. “What? I was just trying to lighten up the mood.”
The boy with the face hair and weak knees was brought out next with two others. A little while later there were more cheers.
Belle supposed she couldn’t really blame the humans for being so glum. Most of them were going to die. That had to be a real downer. For Belle, this was just a chance to please master. Honestly, she thought the whole fighting with a sword thing a huge waste of time. When you could pull up trees or tear down walls with your bare hands, who needed a sword? Plus, training with Nen had been painful and humiliating, and not the good sort of painful and humiliating. But if this was what master wanted she would put on a good show and make master happy. Who knew? Maybe if she did really well he would tie her up and beat her later. The thought made her want to swoon.
Belle was so focused on thinking about that she only noticed when the metal bars rattled, and the chain started to clink. The bars that blocked her way were pulled to the side and the door was now clear. In the back of her head she could feel master’s excitement. She would not let him down.
“Show time,” she said to herself and strutted out onto the sands.
As soon as she did so she was met by wild applause coming from the all the people in the stands. People obviously knew greatness when they saw it. Belle pumped her left fist three times into the air. The crowd answered her with even more shouts and cheers. She was laughing and enjoying the moment. Then, all at once, she felt a stab of panic through the bond. She stopped and looked all around. Why was master scared? Was he in danger?
That was when she finally noticed the guy all the way across the field from her. He was moving cautiously in her direction with a sword that glowed the way Rabbitslayer did.
“Oh, well that explains it.”
All at once the match wasn’t a game anymore, it was serious. Remembering the lessons Restes and Nen had (literally) tried to beat into her, Belle held the sword out in front in guard position and crept towards the middle of the field. Her opponent faced her sideways, clutching his sword with both hands
“I know what you are,” the man said. He began to deliberately move to his left.
“A pretty, pretty girl?” Belle did the same, though her movements were nowhere near so smooth and measured. They began to circle one another.
“A monster.”
Belle nodded. “Some people feel that way. Women can be scary, especially the beauties like me.”
The man did not crack a smile. “I’ll earn my freedom when I kill you. I’ve been trapped here six long years, but I’ll go home in glory. I’ll have my own ship, a full purse, and this sword. For that, I thank you.”
Belle grunted. “Don’t thank me yet, sweetie. I don’t plan to die just as a favor to you.”
He laughed. “That’s why they gave me this.”
He took a sudden step forward and swung the blade down. Belle just managed to block it. He redirected, and she again was barely able to deflect the strike. He wasn’t as fast as Nen, but close. She felt some fear. This was not going to go well.
The man stepped back and nodded. “The guildmaster told me you were a poor swordsman, I can see he was speaking the truth. You can never tell with him. Why are you even carrying a sword if you don’t know how to use it?”
Belle shrugged. “It’s what my master wanted.”
“Then I guess he wanted you to die.”
He rushed forward and delivered a killing blow aimed for Belle’s heart. There were no faints or attempts at deception. The man obviously wanted it over as quick as possible. He was too fast and her effort to parry too slow. His sword went straight into her chest and stabbed deep, sending blood flowing out as the crowd cheered.
Belle cried out and dropped Rabbitslayer. It felt like she’d been ripped open, the pain like nothing she’d ever felt before. The man yanked his sword out of her. It was red, blood staining almost the entire length of his blade. Belle dropped to her knees, clutching the wound with both hands, gasping for breath. Her hands were wet, and she struggled to breathe. It hurt so bad!
The crowd went wild as the man stood over her with his sword raised over his head to deliver the finishing blow.
“Goodbye, monster.”
The man must have thought she was already mortally wounded and about to die. That would have been true if he had actually stabbed her in the heart. But Belle was more than a foot taller than the illusion she wore. She was grievously wounded, but he had missed the heart, and stood within an ogre’s reach.
“Bye, asshole.” Belle grabbed him about the waist and squeezed. There was a snap as bones broke. The startled man cried out and still swung down. He missed her head and hacked into her right shoulder. As bad as her chest hurt, she barely noticed.
Belle then tore him in half.
XXX
Waldo saw the Northman bury half his sword into Belle’s chest. Pain and terror flared to sudden life in the back of his head. He clutched at his own chest and swayed as his legs threatened to fail. Alice grabbed him and kept him on his feet. Belle had dropped to her knees and the Northman was standing over her, sword raised.
“And so much for that,” Leiznam said from his couch. His smile stretched from ear to ear. “I’m sure the tournament will-”
He cut off when they all saw Belle grab hold of Asger and rip him in two like a rag doll. The two pieces were tossed aside. Asger’s top half was still alive. His head was back, and he was screaming, his arms were flapping about as blood and intestines were
spilling out of him. Belle remined on her knees, grabbing at her wound. The crowd had gasped when Belle had done it, and then been quiet for a heartbeat. Then surged to their feet and gave a roar that was louder and longer than any they had given that night.
Waldo took a couple deep breaths and needed a moment to steady himself. The connection had never been that strong before. Belle had to be in horrific pain for the reflection of it to hit him so hard.
“Is the match over?” Waldo asked. “Can I go help her now?”
Ayden glanced back out. “Well, Asger is still moving, but I don’t think he’ll be making a comeback. Yes, it’s over and your servant is the winner. Congratulations.”
The Rabbit Great And Terrible Page 28