Helena fought a tiger-like creature that used no weapon, only its teeth and claws, but was fast and powerful. The claws glistened, suggesting poison that might stun her if a drop struck her flesh, and of course all of her flesh was exposed. But she had evidently encountered such creatures before. She dodged around it and cut off its swishing tail. The klaxon sounded; it seemed that was a lethal blow. She had known.
Benny's third opponent was someone he recognized: Red Rat Flack, whom he had seen at the Fox Den before this excursion, and who had hired the goon who had mistaken him for Dale. He had never liked the man, and not just because of the savage stories about him; he knew from firsthand experience that the man was deviously dangerous. Mainly, it was that Flack had poisoned Virtue, his blood being hostile to vampires, so that she now suffered worsening sieges of illness. But Benny had no choice: he had to fight him, or default.
“I remember you, farm boy,” Flack sneered as he unlimbered his two large scimitars. “Took up with a vampire whore, didn't you? I fixed that slut real good, didn't I? Gave her a taste of her own foul medicine. After I dispatch you, bumpkin, maybe I'll take her, so she'll know what a real man feels like.”
But this, at least, Benny was wise to. The man was trying to taunt him into losing his temper and acting foolishly. That suggested that he wasn't sure of victory by honest means. Did he know about Benny's magic? Probably not, so that was a secret weapon. “Why don't you close your potty mouth and try to act like a warrior, rat face?” Benny asked. “You scared to take me on? That's why you're stalling?”
It worked. If there was one thing such bullies hated, it was getting teased back in kind. Flack charged him, swinging the scimitars in a scissors motion calculated to cut Benny in half. Benny jumped high, letting them cross harmlessly beneath him, then landed on the man's arms, pinning them down, while poking his sword in his face. It was a surprise move that caught the man off-guard, and it was effective; the klaxon sounded, signaling his victory.
Flack swore villainously and shot a dagger out of his gauntlet to stab Benny. It was an illegal weapon, and it cut him in the midriff.
“Foul!” the referee cried, and signaled the guards. But Flack, enraged, was undeterred. A second dagger appeared in his hand, and he had time to use it before the guards got there.
Then a bolt of lightning shot out and struck Flack, sending him across the ring. What had happened?
Dale laughed as the guards pounced on Flack. “I was saving that for the tournament. It's a new trick I learned recently: the mage cry that sends lightning rather than sound. I thought it might be needed sooner.”
So it seemed. Why hadn't Benny's magic worked to spare him the stab wound?
The tournament was suspended while the guards hustled Flack out of the arena. The head of the guards returned to report to them. “That man is hereby banned from the tournament, by order of the Emperor,” he said grimly. “He used an unsanctioned weapon, a dagger charmed against magic.”
Suddenly Benny knew why that dagger had scored on him: it was enchanted to resist his magic. That was worth knowing—that he was not proof against such weapons.
The tournament resumed. Benny's matches had been concluded quickly, so now he could relax with Virtue. They watched Dale's third match. It was against a Sorai, a winged human. Benny could tell immediately that the man was highly competent, and he was not bound to the ground; he leaped high, spread his wings, and circled Dale before landing and attacking. Dale was not fazed; he turned in place to face the man, and parried accurately.
This match was not concluded quickly. The two traded strike for strike, neither finding opportunity to score. The other matches finished, and the audience focused on this one, fascinated by the skillful interplay. They were evenly matched at the highest level of skill.
Then Dale shifted into berserker mode. This was evidently new to the Sorai; he retreated, fighting well, but was unable to withstand the sheer ferocity of the attack. He leaped high, spread his wings, and struck down from above in a nice maneuver, but Dale was ready for it. He leaped high himself, and struck the other man's sword with such power that it flew from his hand, disarming him.
No klaxon sounded. Disarmament was not the same as a lethal strike.
The man landed, closing his wings, and raised his fists. This was disaster against a sword, but he refused to quit. He had the courage of a true warrior.
Dale dropped his own sword and tackled the Sorai and there was a murmur of appreciation from the audience for the sportsmanship. They boxed, and clinched. The Sorai spread his wings and lifted them both in the air, but Dale would not let go. He hung on to one of the man's arms while striking his torso with his other fist. The Sorai, higher in the air, struck at Dale's head. All the blows hurt, at least were scored as hurting; Benny could see that.
Finally Dale wrenched his body upward and scored on the man's head with his feet. It was a remarkably athletic maneuver. Now at last the klaxon sounded; that was a definitive blow.
They landed, and separated, each marked with color where blows had landed. They bowed to each other as the audience broke into applause.
“That was one of the greatest bouts in history,” the head referee said, awed.
“I like that man,” Dale said as tournament maidens addressed his apparent injuries and those of his opponent, cleaning off the colors. Had it been real combat, both would have been near unconsciousness.
The matches were done, the five winners determined. They were Dale, Benny, Helena, a desert giant, and a frost dwarf with pure white skin and hair. “The Emperor will meet with you tomorrow,” the head referee said. “Each winner will receive a prize of his or her choice.”
“But I'm not a great warrior,” Benny protested as they walked out of the arena. “I don't belong in that elite group. The Sorai is far better than I am.”
“It's the luck of the draw,” Dale said. “I agree he is most worthy, and I would like to fight by his side, but he was in the wrong competitor group. Life is not always fair.”
Benny knew that it was so, but he still didn't like it.
Meanwhile Helena approached Virtue. “We must talk before I go,” she said.
“I am feeling a little faint,” Virtue said. “Perhaps another time.”
“There may not be another time.”
Virtue opened her mouth to speak, but paused in place. Then she started to fall. The Amazon leaped forward to catch her. Still she sagged; she was unconscious, victim of a sudden siege. They were definitely getting worse. Benny had not been close enough to catch her.
Helena picked her up and held her in her two strong arms. “I will take her where she needs to go. I know she is ill. That's what we need to talk about.”
“Do it somewhere else,” Dale gritted, wanting no part of the Amazon. Helena returned the favor, ignoring him.
The timing was awful, but Benny was the one who had asked Helena to relate to the vampire. He couldn't reverse himself now. “The air ship is best. Her things are there, and her bed is comfortable. In our chamber.”
“Suit yourself.” Dale stalked off.
Benny showed the way, and Helena carried Virtue. They entered the gondola, and the Amazon laid the vampire down on the bed.
Virtue woke. “I know your secret.”
“And I know yours.”
What were they talking about?
“I read your mind. You love him,” Virtue said.
“And I felt your body. You are pregnant.”
What? Benny thought.
Virtue glanced at him. “Sit down and stay out of this.”
He sat down and was silent.
“I cannot ethically depart until I have done what I can for you,” Helena said. “I made a deal with Benny, and I must honor it.”
“Depart?” Virtue asked. “You have closed your mind; why should you go before receiving your prize?”
“Because I can't be near Dale. I have done him unforgivable injury, and we must never meet again.”
“Ah, yes,” Virtue agreed.
“But I have no personal quarrel with you, Virtue, and I know you are a good person. First a bit of background: the Amazons and the vampires go way back, historically, as you know, but you may not know enough. Over the centuries we have both helped and hindered each other. Vampires have bitten Amazons to give them berserker powers when they needed them, and Amazons have sent contingents to rout vampire enemies when that was required. But we have not always been friends, and some incidents have been ugly. You had good reason to be wary of me. This was not a thing I cared to explain to Benny, but I did trade favors with him and now I see the way to pay mine.”
“There is no need,” Virtue said. “I may not endure long enough to make much use of any favor anyway.”
“There you are wrong,” Helena said. “I know you suffered a reverse bite by the red rat, and are suffering the resulting illness. Amazons can also resist vampire bites, and even reverse them. The berserker effect was only when the Amazon accepted it. Some Amazons can even do the return blood poisoning, similar to what the red rat did to you. I repeat: you were wise to be wary of me. But there is one special effect I think you did not know about. When an Amazon with that power has a mind, she can counter other blood poisoning.” She took a breath. “I am such an Amazon, and I have such a mind. I can cure you, Virtue. That is my favor to you, before I go. Bite me.”
“Cure me?” Virtue breathed.
“Trust me. This will save you and your baby.”
“But you have no call to do this much for me. All Benny gave you was a bit of information that you might have learned elsewhere anyway.”
“And I have given you information. It is the right thing to do. Bite me.” She proffered her bare shoulder. She smiled. “Make it a harmless bite.”
Virtue did not argue further. She sat up, leaned over, and bit the Amazon.
“Oh!” That was Virtue, surprised.
“It takes a moment, but you will soon feel it spreading through your body. Rest and let it act. You will know within hours.”
“I know already,” Virtue said. “I feel the healing.”
Benny was amazed. So it was working! Virtue would recover!
Helena stood. “My business here is done. Now I can depart. I am sorry we will never meet again.”
Benny jumped to his feet. “The hell!”
Both Virtue and Helena looked at him, startled; they had evidently forgotten that he was present.
“But it is true, dear,” Virtue said. “I am becoming cured, and our baby will be saved. You must believe me.”
“I do believe you,” Benny said. “But I am not going to let the Amazon simply walk out of here forever. She has given you far more than I gave her.”
Helena's mouth twitched. “I will not lift a weapon against you in your wife's presence. But I doubt you can stop me.”
“Virtue said you love Dale,” Benny said. “That you have insulted him, and can't be forgiven. That's not true.”
“Benny, this is complicated,” Virtue said. “I have read her mind, and she is correct. The parameters of honor have a long history, and may not be abridged.”
“Well spoken,” Helena murmured.
But Benny would not let this pass. “Shut up, both of you, until I deal with this. I know about honor. So does Dale. This can be fixed.” Then he turned and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Dale!” he called. “We need you here. Now.”
The two women stared at each other, mutually appalled.
In moments Dale burst in, sword drawn. “What did she do?” he demanded.
“First a question,” Benny said. “To what one person in the world do you owe the most?”
“Virtue,” Dale said immediately. “She turned me from evil to good. It will take the rest of my life to repay her, if I can.”
“Exactly. Is there anything in your power, in honor, she could ask of you that you would not do for her?”
“I would not rape her or kill her, even if she asked. Other than that, no.”
Benny faced Virtue. “Ask him to forgive the Amazon. This he can honorably do, as he is the victim.”
The jaws of both women dropped, and Dale looked stunned. Then Virtue rallied, catching on. “Dale, please forgive Helena.”
The man's mouth worked for a moment before he got the reluctant words out. It was evident that he had been hit by what he least expected, and hardly knew how to cope with it. All he could do was accept it. “I forgive Helena.”
The Amazon swung into action as if she had just seen an opening in a hard-fought battle, which was not far from the case. “Dale, I love you. I fled because I hated that I fell for you. It threatened to ruin everything. I had to alienate you so I could win and wed the Emperor's son and secure an excellent future for myself.” She closed her eyes, wincing. “But then I realized that it was already too late. I don't care about the Emperor's son. All I want is to be with you.”
Dale stared. “You rejected me because you loved me?”
“I did. It is the Amazon way. But now that you have so generously forgiven me, I will never reject you again. I love you. I mean that in the most passionate way.” She kissed him as he stood bemused. “I will do my best to prove it in the next few minutes. Get me to a bed.”
“Done!” he agreed, accepting this turn of events as readily as Helena had. He sheathed his sword, picked her up, she not resisting at all, and carried her out of the room.
“You're really getting better?” Benny asked Virtue, his uncertainty returning now that the tension had eased. “I wish--”
“I really am. I am not yet very far in my pregnancy, and my mind can feel their exploding passion. We should not be excluded. Get over here, lover, and do your manly duty.”
Some duty! Benny charged her.
Chapter 11
After their romantic affair was done, Benny fell into a peaceful and deep sleep. This however, did not last. He opened his eyes to throaty laughter, like the sound of thousands of maniacal demons issuing from the bowels of the hell. It was dark, and in the distance was the familiar green light of the eye that stirred pure fear in Benny’s heart. The cold tentacles were wrapped around his body, choking the life from him. “This can’t be happening!” Benny said to himself.
“Oh, but it is, stupid boy!” the voice spoke.
Benny was speechless. He closed his eyes and did his best to summon his ghost-magic just long enough to escape the life-crushing vice of the tentacles, but it was no use. Benny’s magic was nonexistent.
“You are weak, aren’t you boy?” More laughter pierced the air.
“Who the hell are you?!” Benny screamed.
The laughter stopped abruptly. “Isn’t it obvious, waif? I am the Grand Exalted Cyclops! The age of the Kudgel has come, and nothing will stand in our way!”
The eyeball burned through Benny’s eyes, and he screamed in agony. It felt like his brain was going to explode inside his head and his body seized with convulsions.
“Wake up!” Virtue's voice ricocheted inside Benny’s head.
He shot up, drenched in sweat yet cold as an icicle. He saw Virtue’s worried look, and behind her three other people: Dale, Helena and Purp. All were worried except for Purp, who had a bemused grin on his face.
“Good grief, kid. Your vampire wife must’ve given it to you good last night.” Purp said.
“None of your sarcasm,” Dale told the man before redirecting to Benny. “You were suffering convulsions and screaming something about a Cyclops. What happened?”
Benny looked at Virtue, who nodded and addressed Dale’s question, “Before you and Bum arrived at the Fox Den, Benny was suffering from terrible nightmares about an evil force trying to kill him. I still can't see into the dream, but I can read Benny’s memory. It was the leader of the Kudgels…the Cyclops.”
Dale and Helena looked at each other with worried looks. Purp rolled his eyes and stepped forward.
“Oh, enough of that nonsense! The Kudgels don’t have a leader. The Gran
d Exalted Cyclops is just an old myth. Anyone with a formal education will know that.” Purp looked at them all and then shrugged. “But then again, considering the lot I’m talking to…”
Benny knew that Purp was using subtle sarcasm, trying to hint at the uneducated superstition the butler thought the whole affair to be.
“Well, it is certainly trying to scare Benny, whatever it is,” Helena exclaimed.
“I’ll admit I don’t know what these dreams mean, as I am no seer like Virtue,” Dale said, “but I know they can mean nothing good. And regardless of whether this Cyclops character is real, the Kudgels most certainly are.”
Purp placed a hand on Dale’s shoulder and rolled his eyes again. “Master, just because one breakaway thug holds some unknown grudge against you is no reason to suspect some grand conspiracy from that band of dumb brutes.”
“I’ll be all right, everyone. It was probably just the excitement from the tournament and last night.” Benny didn’t want to think about the dream any longer.
“Let's hope, for all of our sakes, that you’re right,” Dale said.
Purp sighed and rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand. “Well, if you warriors are done blabbing about your primitive superstitions, you should probably head for the imperial palace. It’s almost noon and the feast will soon begin.”
Purp turned and left the room, followed by Dale. Helena stayed while Virtue and Benny got dressed.
“That purple man is hiding something,” Helena said, “I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like it.”
“He ain’t hiding anything. He’s just a jerk,” Benny said.
“No, Helena’s right,” Virtue said. “There’s a lot more to that man than meets the eye. He has amazing control over his mind. His is the only mind that has ever been completely shut off to my telepathic abilities. Not a block like Helena's, walling me out when she chooses. It’s more like peering into an empty void…not one thought. Not even a memory!”
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