“Well, I guess that’s that!” Madison declared victoriously. He swung his sword low and in front of her, knocking her weapon out of her grasp with the flat of his blade. The lost sword bounced across the hard floor and settled against the wall with a clamor. “I have to admit that this all took a little longer than I expected, but, hey, here we are!”
Alyanna looked up at him as she gasped for breath, her eyes filled with anger. The entire stunt had taken place so quickly that Burton and Royce had only managed to push themselves halfway to their feet. Lord Fox looked equally unimpressed and unwilling to make a move.
“So, how does this way of yours work, exactly? You attempted to kill me, so I have a right to kill you in return? Is that it? Or did you just get a free pass at killing me because you came up with some looney explanation as to how I might have been responsible for killing Darrius?”
“Don’t you speak his name!” Lord Fox roared.
Madison smiled deviously. “You sure do seem complacent, Lord Fox, for someone who’s about to lose his one and only daughter and heir to the throne, you know. What will happen to your family lineage when she dies?”
“Her sister will follow her as she followed her brother,” he said defiantly. “It is the—”
“Yeah, yeah. The way. Got it. So, by the rules, that means her life is mine now, right?” he asked. “Since I’m in the right, and since I won this little fight, her life is mine.”
Lord Fox started at Madison, disgust and anger plain in his gaze. He ground his teeth together and said slowly, “You were attacked by a loved one who sought recompense for the death of a family member. You did not die, and you sought vengeance. You have won the right to decide what happens to her now.”
“Very well. Although, I admit it wasn’t much of a fight. Honestly. Those two lunkheads managed to put up more of a fight than she did, sadly. I really did expect more from all of you,” he said disappointedly. “But oh well. Since Alyanna’s life is mine to now do with as I wish, I will say this: I will not claim her life at this time. Her punishment is to remain here and train at K’yer Utane for three months’ time. Three months of our time.”
“What?” Lord Fox suddenly looked confused, and his demeanor changed instantly. “What is the meaning of this? That’s preposterous. She cannot possibly—”
“She can, and she will,” Madison countered before Lord Fox could even finish his sentence. “She will stay here, and she will act under my supervision for that time. But, know this: I will not kill her. Not here, and not now.”
“You must not ask this of me! Do you realize what—”
Lord Fox was cut off for a second time as the main door to the suite exploded inward on its hinges. Splintered wood flew out in every direction, and Madison quickly dropped down onto his knees, protectively covering Alyanna. He felt something connect with his ribcage a moment later, and he was flung away like a ragdoll by the force of the blow. He slid across the floor on a rug a short way before ending up at Burton’s feet.
Ah, yes. A little late, but otherwise, right on time!
Madison quickly sprang back on this his feet, holding his sword up in front of him defensively. Alright. Here goes the stupid part. Madison grinned deviously. “Woah, hey, Ryder! What are you doing here?” he asked as innocently as possible, feigning surprise.
Despite the devil-may-cry attitude he had adopted after entering the suite, he still felt a low-burning rage somewhere in the back of his mind. He had originally been pissed at Alyanna and her father for leaving him for dead. He hadn’t quite tipped the scales toward killing them in their beds yet, but after seeing their reactions and how reluctant Lord Fox was to fight, he had begun to suspect that something else was going on. He actually felt a bit of sympathy for Alyanna despite what she had done. He couldn’t prove anything yet, but he suspected that she was just being used as a pawn in someone’s game—and that he was as well.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, Madison, but you’re way out of line,” Ryder said stoically. “Even you must understand that you cannot attack our guests without suffering the consequences.”
“Ah. Yes. Well, about that . . . You see—” Madison was suddenly cut off as a familiar tinge of magic wove its way into his vocal cords. Ah. Yes. Madison’s grin broadened, and he smiled as smugly as possible when he realized that Ryder had used that annoying form of magic to silence him. He had never been an actor before, but he was acting a part now as much as any thespian on stage. He was going to play the role that had been cast upon him, but he wasn’t going to be doing it for the reasons they believed.
“Excuse me, Lord Fox,” Ryder said, turning to the older man. “Madison has been a troublemaker ever since he arrived. In fact, he was only in my office earlier today for disciplinary measures. If the timing of things had not been so unfortunate, he would have been dealt with already.”
Lord Fox harrumphed haughtily. “Yes, well. I can understand how hard it must be to properly discipline and train all these gifted youths. However, I cannot allow an outrage of this magnitude to go without a response! He injured my men, and he held a sword to my daughter’s throat! This type of behavior, whatever the reason may be, is simply unacceptable!”
Madison swiveled his head around until he was able to stare Lord Fox in the eye without dropping his defensive posture. Very deliberately, he winked at the lord and then turned his attention back to Ryder, who was studying him as impassively as ever.
“Lord Fox, I assure you that—”
Ryder was cut off as Madison darted forward, thrusting his two-handed sword forward in an attack. He was far enough away from Ryder that the Guardian had more than enough time to parry the attack, but it was still enough to draw his attention away from the conversation he was having with Lord Fox. Madison brought the sword around again in a horizontal arc aimed at Ryder’s abdomen, and when Ryder blocked his attack a second time, Madison lashed out with a swift kick. Unlike with Alyanna, however, he wasn’t pulling his punches or taking things easy. His foot connected with Ryder’s shin, and it felt like he had kicked a tree—a large, unyielding oak tree. Madison instantly leapt back when he didn’t get so much as a reaction. It felt like his toes had all been broken off by that single kick, though he knew it wasn’t the case since he could still painlessly wiggle them.
He made a show of shaking his foot since he couldn’t actually say anything and grinned again as broadly as he could. Ryder lunged forward with a one-handed thrust, and Madison barely moved out of the way in time to avoid being run through. He felt the blade slice through the bare skin on his abdomen as it slid by, and Madison knew he’d soon be adding another cut to his growing collection. Madison responded by bringing his own sword around in a weak, back-handed attack, and Ryder jumped out of the way before the blade reached him.
He’s got the advantage in speed, that’s for certain. But he’s not as fast as he was before. Is he intentionally pulling his punches? Or—
Madison threw his sword up to block an overhanded attack from Ryder and then parried a second attack from the side, a rather nasty slash that would have disemboweled him had it connected. He thrust forward with his sword at chest level, and Ryder simultaneously turned his body to the side and neatly parried the stroke in a single maneuver.
Definitely slower. Madison jumped forward again, bringing his sword down from above. Ryder easily stepped to the side and avoided the attack, but when he thrust his sword forward in a counterattack, Madison continued his approach. He stepped inside Ryder’s reach, letting the attack pass him by, and then reversed his blade in a second backhanded attack. It was clumsy at best, but it forced Ryder to swap places with him. Once he was turned around with his back to the door, he was exactly where he wanted to be. Holding his sword out in front of him with one hand, he made a grand show of a mock bow and then turned and ran from the suite as fast as he could.
“What?” he heard Alyanna yell as he sprinted down the short hallway.
“After him!” Lord Fo
x roared, just as Madison threw the second door open.
He knew that Ryder was going to be right on his trail. The fact that he had caught the Guardian off-guard by running was probably the only thing that even gave him a head start. He was certain that Ryder would catch up to him within moments under normal circumstances, and his only advantage at the moment was the fact that the magic would throw off anyone attempting to follow him. Ryder would eventually catch up to him one way or another the same way that Madison had found the Guardian earlier, but until then, Madison was going to run.
He recklessly sprinted down the hallways, roughly shoving his way through the throngs of people. He rounded a corner and collided face-first with two guys, sending them all sprawling to the ground. He hit the stone floor hard in a tangle of limbs but refused to stay down for long, pushing himself up and back to his feet before either of them even figured out what had happened. He had just reached the end of the hallway when the door he was about to exit through opened, and Ryder rushed through from the opposite side.
Madison instantly jammed on his brakes and slid to a halt, wildly throwing his sword up in front of him and parrying Ryder’s attack even as he fell onto the flat of his back. He pushed himself back upright and leaned forward, making a series of quick one-handed jabs aimed at Ryder’s legs that forced him to retreat back into the doorway. Madison jumped back up as soon as he felt he had enough space, grabbed a lamp from a nearby table, and hurled it at Ryder. The Guardian swatted away the small glass lamp with his free arm, sending shattered pieces of glass flying through the air, and then rushed forward. Madison was a little too slow as he dodged out of the way this time, and he felt Ryder’s sword slice through his upper arm. Undeterred, however, he lashed out with his foot and kicked Ryder in the shin and then turned and ran for a second time. He dashed through a side door, barreling down a short hallway that was crammed with people.
There were angry shouts and startled screams as he pushed his way through the groups of men and women, and before long, he had several irritated individuals trying to grab ahold of him. He was completely soaked in blood and sweat at this point, however, and his upper body was completely slick with the combination. Most pairs of angry hands simply slipped off his slick skin, unable to catch a firm grip on him, but he was acutely aware of several fingernails that dug into his skin as he pulled away from their grasping hands. He forced his way past the last of the angry mob and flung himself through a door. Daylight greeted him on the other side, and he barreled down the steps as he left the building and sprinted onto the grassy quad.
People in the immediate vicinity stopped and stared as he streaked from the building, and before he reached the center of the field, a small circle had already formed to greet him. He slowed to a walk and then turned to look behind. The cluster of people he had shoved his way through moments ago was starting to cross the field right behind him, and Ryder was striding along at their center. Madison leaned forward, braced himself on his knees, and panted for breath as he waited on Ryder to reach him. He wasn’t nearly as out of breath as he pretended to be—he just wanted it to look like he was struggling. Seriously. Who needs cardio?
He sucked in as much air as he could while Ryder approached him. Once the Guardian was close by, the circle closed up behind him, and everyone began stepping back, forming an impromptu ring. Unlike the other bouts he had seen, however, there was no cheering this time. Everyone was deathly quiet, as if they were afraid to make a noise. I wonder what it is they expect? A show? A slaughter?
Madison grinned mischievously and held his sword up in front of him again. He turned and spat at several students who were too close for his liking, sending them scrambling back to get away from him. He wanted to create as much space as possible. It wasn’t that he thought that they were stupid enough to interfere with a fight. He had watched Sandra and Cruz stand by idly and watch while someone beat Shayna to a pulp, so there was no way anyone was going to break tradition and take a potshot at him while he was in the ring with a Guardian.
The problem was simply that he wanted as much room as he could get to swing a sword. He had no delusions about winning this fight. Now that Ryder was out of the privacy of the suite, he was going to have to play this very carefully. Ryder was likely going to have to go at Madison full tilt or risk having his authority undermined; after all, he couldn’t risk having everyone think less of him because an unranked Novice stood up to him in a sword fight. Still, if Madison overestimated his own value, Ryder might just make quick work of him and be done with the fight completely. It would guarantee that whatever interest Ryder had in him was wasted, but that might be a compromise the Guardian was willing to make.
Madison was basically counting on the fact that Ryder couldn’t kill him here and call it an accident. He wasn’t sure how things worked, but he very much doubted that it was common practice for someone to be punished by death for breaking the rules—even if he had attacked visiting dignities. Warren had said that students were hard to recruit and harder to replace, so Madison was counting on those facts, and that they seemed unusually interested in him for some unknown reason, to keep him alive.
He saw a now-familiar head of white hair bob up and down as she tried to push her way through the crowd. Everyone finally seemed to realize who it was, and they all stepped back and made space for her, allowing Alyanna to walk past everyone until she had a ring-side seat. Madison locked his gaze on her and smiled. There was nothing snarky about it and nothing hidden behind it this time: it was simply an open and genuine smile.
Ryder chose that moment to close the distance between them, probably thinking that Madison was distracted. He brought his sword down in a slashing motion, and Madison instantly jumped backward—but he was too slow. The tip of the sword sliced through his upper chest, carving its way through his flesh. He’d been sliced on his upper body several times now, and it was starting to add up. Every swing of his sword made his arm throb where he had been cut there, and now he was going to have to deal with the wound on his chest reminding him that he was an idiot every time he moved.
Madison bounced forward as soon as he landed, doing his best to ignore the searing pain it caused as he brought his sword across in an arc, slashing at Ryder’s stomach from the side. The Guardian swatted Madison’s larger sword away with his own and then quickly thrust toward Madison’s gut. Madison twisted his body around and to the side at the last possible moment and felt the blade slide along his hip.
What the hell is this, death of a thousand cuts?
Madison lunged forward, driving his fist into Ryder’s face before he could back up or reposition himself. He felt the crunch of Ryder’s nose as it broke underneath the force of his blow, and as he pulled away, he could see blood already streaming down the Guardian’s face. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and several people openly wailed at the sight. Madison knew his mission was accomplished at that point. It probably would have been enough for him to simply stand up to the Guardian and last for more than a few moments after exchanging a few cheap blows, but this was even better. He knew that every single person in the fortress was going to be gunning for him at this point—and that was exactly what he wanted. It was what he needed if he was going to stay alive.
Despite his shattered nose, Ryder was as impassive as ever: no snarky comments or no derisive remarks like what Madison would have made and no consideration for the fact that blood was streaming down his face and onto his neatly-pressed white shirt.
Ryder pressed forward again, and Madison danced back as he weighed his options. As far as he was concerned, he was done here. He wasn’t a defeatist, but he knew that Ryder was simply better than he was. That said, the temptation to keep going as long as possible was still there. To make things even more complicated, he still wasn’t sure if Ryder was going all out or not, so he wasn’t sure what he should expect from here on out.
Maybe I caught us both off guard by scoring that blow. I guess I’ll have to get creative to end thi
s somehow.
Madison faked a one-handed thrust, only shifting his weight onto one foot just slightly, but Ryder wasn’t fooled. He continued to circle around, pressing Madison back into the crowd. Step by step, Madison allowed himself to be pushed back. Then, just as he was about to run out of room to back up, Ryder suddenly shot forward. The Guardian’s blade flashed down low and to the right, and Madison shifted to the left. He brought his sword around and blocked the attack and then stepped into Ryder. The Guardian must have seen it coming, however, because he twirled around to the right and neatly evaded Madison’s body-check.
Madison twisted around and took a series of one-handed jabs at Ryder’s feet, a maneuver aimed at pressing him back into the crowd just as he had done moments before. Ryder gracefully jumped into the air, easily clearing the attacks, and slashed out several times with his own sword. Madison doubted the other man had enough range to reach him, but it was enough of a threat to stop his attack and force him back a step regardless. As soon as Ryder hit the ground, Madison lunged forward again. He faked an attack to the right and then suddenly shifted his weight to the left, intentionally committing a cardinal sin of fighting: he took his eyes off his opponent as he spun around in a full circle. He let go of the sword’s hilt with his right hand mid-turn so that his torso came around before his blade when he twisted back around.
Just as he had expected, Ryder’s sword cut deeply into his right side. Pain exploded from the wound, and Madison’s vision flashed from red to black before clearing. He felt his body tense up, and everything went numb as shock set in. He looked down dumbly and saw Ryder’s sword buried a quarter of an inch into the side of his abdomen. He forced a grin onto his face and smirked as he picked his head up and looked Ryder square in the eyes. He didn’t even have to say anything—not that he could have anyway—as he toppled backward, pulling his sword out of Ryder’s shoulder as he fell over. The look in Ryder’s eyes showed him everything he needed to know, and it was the most amount of emotion he had seen yet from the stoic Guardian.
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