Sword Fight

by Nathan Van Coops

  The attendant nodded and spoke into his radio.

  A moment later, the horn section of the orchestra in the stands blasted out several long tones.

  The king nodded. “Now, if our young champion is as good a conversationalist as she is a swordswoman, I suspect we are in for an excellent time as we wait.”

  Valerie strained to stand, wincing as she did so, but she was able to stay upright.

  Lord Sterling gave her a sour look.

  “Your Majesty, I’m not here for the position at the Round Table. I’m here for justice for my family.”

  King Logan furrowed his brow. “Go on.”

  Valerie glanced from the queen to Lord Sterling and back. If she was wrong about where the king’s loyalties lay, it was going to end badly.

  “Lord Jasper Sterling and his family murdered my brother, Henry Terravecchia, in cold blood. They have conspired to cover up his murder, and they deserve to be punished.”

  “Your Majesty, this is absurd,” Lord Sterling interjected. “Her case was already seen to in court and—”

  The king held up his hand. Lord Sterling closed his mouth.

  “I would like to hear it from Valerie first.” He looked back to her. “Do you have evidence to support this claim?”

  “I did have some paperwork. Documents that proved Jasper conspired to rig this tournament. I don’t know exactly how he faked the terms of the dueling contract with my brother, but he is a liar and a cheat.”

  “Your Majesty, she said herself she has no proof of these documents. There is no evidence—”

  “Lord Sterling, your king has asked for you to remain silent. He won’t ask you again.” Queen Kimiko’s voice had an edge that brooked no argument.

  Lord Sterling flushed slightly and took a step back. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  Queen Kimiko turned to address Valerie. “You are the daughter of Sir Henry Terravecchia, are you not?”

  “I am, Your Grace,” Valerie replied.

  “I knew your father well when he was younger. He was assigned to teach me swordsmanship when I was your age. He made me practice the most grueling forms. There was one in particular I recall. I believe it was called Burning Sky. Was he as fond of that with you?”

  Despite the pain she was feeling, Valerie smiled. “We have that complaint in common.”

  Queen Kimiko smiled and turned to her husband. “Surely she has stood here long enough to satisfy protocol. The poor girl is bleeding. Let us end this so she can rest.”

  “I rather think you are right,” the king replied. “It’s clear she is the victor here.” He held his hand out toward Valerie. “Please give me your sword.”

  Lord Sterling looked as though he was choking on his unspoken objections.

  Valerie drew Fire Bird from its scabbard and presented it to the king, hilt first. He took it from her and lifted it, admiring the blade. “These colors are exquisite. And the workmanship. Where did you come by this sword?”

  “A dear friend,” Valerie said. “A smith in Tidewater.”

  “This village has quickly risen on my list of places I must visit,” King Logan replied. “Very well. Let us get on with awarding you the—”

  “No!”

  The shout came from the back of the hall. All heads turned to see Jasper Sterling hobbling through the doorway. He had one bloody hand on his groin as he limped forward. “I haven’t yielded!”

  Valerie reached instinctively for her sword belt but found only the empty scabbard.

  “She is not the champion. I am!”

  Jasper continued to the front of the hall, his eyes boring into Valerie’s as he walked. He strode up to the foot of the dais, and Valerie backed away a few steps to keep him in view.

  “I never yielded,” Jasper repeated. “I’m still here.” He stumbled toward Lord Sterling. “Father, lend me your sword.”

  “You were recently the topic of our conversation, young Lord Sterling,” Queen Kimiko said, taking a step down the dais to confront him. “We were discussing the accusations against you regarding the death of Henry Terravecchia. You were once in possession of a dueling contract that listed a duel to first blood. A contract you violated by killing Henry.”

  Jasper narrowed his eyes. “No. The duel was to satisfaction. The courts have the contract. It was witnessed.”

  “The courts have a copy of a contract,” the queen replied. “But not the original.” She slipped a hand into the pleats of her dress and removed two folded slips of paper from the hidden pocket. “This original.”

  Jasper’s mouth opened, but no sound came out as he studied the queen.

  She turned to Valerie and showed her the contract. “I received a tip from one of my covert agents and was able to acquire several items of interest pertaining to your case. Is this the document you and your brother signed?”

  Valerie looked the form over and saw her brother’s elegant signature on the line next to “Duel to First Blood.”

  The queen knew. She believed her.

  A wave of relief washed over her, and she nodded.

  Valerie recalled the documents passed to the Red Reaper in the Sterling Castle gardens.

  A covert agent of the queen . . .

  “This morning, while the city was engaged with this tournament, my Queen’s Guard arrested a lawyer by the name of Blaise Cavendish,” Queen Kimiko said. “When they raided his offices, they discovered a number of interesting items. One of which was a pad of contracts with mismatched form fields. A signer can indicate one selection on the front and different selections on the copies. An uninspired ruse, but one that was clearly used effectively within this court system.” She handed the king two forms. “He also admitted to assisting Jasper Sterling in the rigging of this tournament.”

  King Logan studied the form fields and his brow furrowed. “An abhorrent misuse of the law.” He turned to Lord Sterling. “And did you have knowledge of your son’s misdeeds?”

  Lord Sterling shook his head vehemently and raised his hands. “I swear I did not, Your Majesty. I had no knowledge of any of this.” He glared at Jasper. “This miscreant has always been a grave disappointment. He has brought nothing but shame to this house.”

  Jasper turned to his father, his face stricken. “Father, tell them this is just a mistake! Tell them I’m the one they want for the Round Table!” His voice was nearing a shriek. “I’m your son!”

  Lord Sterling’s face settled into a stony glare. “I no longer have a son.”

  Valerie watched as Jasper’s face fell. He seemed to wither into himself as the king began to expound on the severity of the situation. The queen and king were conversing about how best to proceed when Valerie noticed the shift in Jasper’s expression. It was only a matter of seconds in total, but she recognized the fear morphing into hate, and she saw what was coming.

  “Your Majesty!” she shouted, reaching for the king who still held her sword. But Jasper was already on the move. He lunged for his father’s sword belt and pulled the blade from its scabbard. A shout went up from the royal guards, but they were too far away to assist. Valerie stepped in front of the king and queen, expecting that Jasper might turn on them, but Jasper’s wild eyes focused solely on his father.

  He screamed as he raised the sword. “Am I good enough for you now, father?”

  Lord Sterling flung his arms up to block the blow, but it never fell.

  Jasper suddenly staggered back, the sword tumbling from his hands and clattering to the stones. He looked down to see the crossbow bolt lodged in the center of his chest. He stared at the arrow, then fell, collapsing to the stone floor.

  The king was holding the queen. Lord Sterling had his hands up to defend against any other sudden attacks. All eyes turned toward the shadowy figure that emerged from an alcove at the edge of the ruined hall. The royal guards sprang into defensive positions around the dais, raising their spears, but the man in black let the crossbow fall from his hand as he limped forward.

  Damon.

&n
bsp; His face was pale but determined. The tip of the crossbow bolt he had been struck with earlier was still protruding from the upper corner of his chest plate, just below his shoulder.

  Valerie’s heart leapt, and she pushed her way through the guards, rushing to reach him as he stumbled forward. She caught him as he nearly fell.

  “Hey there, Alley Cat,” he murmured. “I knew I’d find you here.”

  Valerie slumped to the floor under his weight, and Damon collapsed into her arms.

  38

  Invitation

  The Port Hyacinth Hospital was a busy place. Post-tournament, nearly every bed was filled, so Valerie felt especially privileged that they had given her a private room for the night. She ran her fingers along her jaw until they met the adhesive bandage plastered over the stitches. It made her jaw stiff. The bandage crinkled when she opened her mouth, but otherwise, her face was okay.

  She slid off the edge of the hospital bed and gathered up the crutch they had given her. She was wearing a sundress for the first time in what felt like forever, largely because the bandage around her thigh had made getting into pants an unpleasant experience. The cut there had required stitches as well, but all in all, she had survived the competition intact.

  The tournament was still the talk of the hallway when she exited her room, though the staff had finally stopped applauding every time she showed her face. Now it was whispers and in most cases, friendly smiles.

  She shuffled down the hall, making her way to the nurses station.

  “Excuse me. Do you know which room they put Sir Damon Roark in?”

  “That handsome knight? You bet I do,” the nurse replied. “He’s a catch. Is he with you?”

  “I’m not really sure at the moment,” Valerie said.

  The nurse looked her over. “Well, if you decide to throw him back, you let me know, okay?”

  Valerie continued down the hall, looking for the room number the nurse had given her. She was deciphering the arrows on a wall placard when a woman’s voice came from one of the adjacent doors.

  “I heard a rumor you were still too stubborn to leave town. Must be true.”

  Valerie spun around and searched for the source of the voice. The blonde woman in the bed was sitting up and grinning at her.

  “Janet? Oh my God, I didn’t know you were awake!” Valerie rushed into the room as fast as she could manage. She paused at the bedside. “Are you huggable? Will I hurt you?”

  “I’ll live,” Janet laughed. She opened her arms, and Valerie leaned in to hug her, careful to avoid the few places Janet was still bandaged.

  “I hear you have quite the story to tell,” Janet said. “Tournament champion?”

  “It’s been an adventure.”

  “Did you get what you were looking for?”

  Valerie brushed a hand down her forearm. “I don’t know. I think maybe so.”

  “I’m sure your brother would be very proud of you.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, and without Ann,” Valerie said. “Where is she?”

  Janet smiled. “Well, she’s quite busy all of a sudden. She was contacted this morning by the director of the Royal Armory. Seems they’ve taken an interest in her work. Something about the king wanting her to design him a sword like the one you have.”

  “That’s amazing! She’s designing a sword for the king?”

  “Maybe more than one. We’ll see what happens.”

  “What about you?” Valerie said. “I’m so sorry for what happened to the Twisted Tentacle. It was my fault.”

  “I hear it’s also your fault I wasn’t left to roast in there,” Janet said. “I’m counting it as a win. The tavern is a loss, but I’ve learned of late, you never know what new and better opportunity will rise from the ashes.” She glanced at the door. “Speaking of the tavern, I heard one of your regulars was on this floor. A certain grumpy sword instructor. You see him yet?”

  “Not yet,” Valerie said.

  “Tell him I said ‘hi,’” Janet replied.

  Valerie squeezed her hand. “I’ll see you soon?”

  “Don’t worry. This place won’t keep me long.”

  Valerie waved again at the door and made her way down to the other end of the hall. She found the room number she was looking for and peered through the small window in the door.

  Damon was lying in bed, but his eyes were open and he was reading something. She knocked on the door lightly and turned the handle.

  Damon turned to watch her as she entered.

  “Hey,” Valerie managed. “You still adding to your scar collection?”

  Damon glanced at the bandage wrapped around his shoulder and chest. “I thought I needed something to remember this place by.”

  Valerie crossed to the bed and lingered next to him. “So. Covert agent of the Queen’s Guard, huh?”

  “A little less covert at the moment,” he replied, shifting his leg and the blanket and giving her a place to sit. He leaned back against the pillow, and Valerie sank onto the mattress next to him. He folded the letter he had been reading and rested a hand atop it.

  “So, you were under orders from the queen this whole time?”

  “The Royal Guard gets all the big, flashy deployments, guarding the king and queen in all their parades and galas. Everyone knows King Logan tends to look for the best in everyone. Queen Kimiko is less trusting. She likes to see what’s going on behind the scenes. They make a good pair.”

  “She suspected someone would try to rig the tournament?” Valerie asked.

  “We had a reason to investigate, but we didn’t know what we’d find.”

  He handed her the letter he had been reading. Valerie unfolded it and found that it was a thank you letter from House Sutton. A photograph of a pretty, young woman in a racing suit was pinned to the letter.

  “Lord Sutton secretly petitioned the queen to investigate the death of his daughter, Lady Magdalena Sutton. She died in a road race at the start of summer. He thought the circumstances suspicious. The queen said she’d like to see what the Sterlings were up to before the royal entourage made it to town. That’s why she sent me ahead. She didn’t know they were crooks, but she likes to verify before she puts her trust in a situation that might put the king in danger. In this case, we found a rat. At least, you did. When you sought justice for your brother, it turns out you were getting justice for Lady Magdalena as well.”

  Valerie studied the photo of the young woman, then set the letter aside. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” Valerie said. “Turns out you were looking out for me the whole time.”

  “You were smart to be suspicious.” Damon took her hand. “But the day I met you, I knew the king didn’t need to have a tournament. If he was looking for a fighter with heart and honor, I knew right where to find one.”

  “Once you shot a few arrows at her and dumped her off a pier?”

  Damon smirked. “Trust but verify.”

  “So, you think I should accept the position? The seat at the Round Table?”

  “That’s a decision no one can make for you. It’s a big commitment.”

  A knock came at the door. They turned to find a nurse in the doorway. “Miss Terravecchia? There is a car waiting for you downstairs. Your ride?”

  Valerie thanked her.

  “You should go,” Damon said.

  “Will I see you again?”

  “I’ll catch up. You’ve still got my car, remember?”

  Valerie narrowed her eyes at him. “After all this, you still want my car?”

  “I guess you can borrow it for a while. I’ll probably need a chauffeur.”

  Valerie punched him in the gut.

  “Ow,” Damon laughed. “I’m wounded over here, remember?”

  “I’ll give you some new ones,” Valerie muttered.

  Damon reached for her neck and pulled her to him. Their lips met, and her hands brushed up his arms until they rested on his biceps. His kiss was warm and firm, and his fingers twisted in
her hair.

  She missed this.

  When their lips finally parted, his eyes found hers. “This is all I really want.”

  “You have a real way with words,” Valerie whispered.

  Damon smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. “Don’t worry. We’ll talk more soon.”

  When Valerie finally walked out the doors of the hospital, there was a convertible Easton coupe parked at the curb, and Lady Charlotte was hovering near the fender. She was modestly dressed today in jeans and a simple floral top. She uncrossed her wrists as Valerie approached and stepped forward to help with Valerie’s bag.

  “I’ve got it,” Valerie said and tossed the bag into the back of the convertible.

  Lady Charlotte stood awkwardly in front of the passenger door and shifted the car keys from one hand to the other.

  “Are you . . . going to let me in?” Valerie asked.

  “Actually I thought you might want to drive. Unless with your leg—”

  “I can handle it,” Valerie said. She snatched the keys and worked her way around the other side of the car. Lady Charlotte climbed in after her.

  Valerie put the keys in the ignition and started the Easton.

  “Val, before we go, I owe you an apology,” Charlotte said. “For a lot of things.” She stared out the windshield and seemed to be having trouble making eye contact.

  Valerie leaned back in her seat and sighed. “Yeah. Look, I’m not saying you weren’t awful. You were, but I know it wasn’t all your fault. Jasper was—”

  “Something I should have recognized.”

  “Well, probably.”

  “I was a fool,” Charlotte said, putting her hand to her mouth. Her lip quivered. “You must think I’m just a pathetic, lonely, old woman. And you’d be right.” She wiped at her eye to brush away a tear that was forming.

  Valerie closed her eyes for a moment, then watched Charlotte fumble in her purse for a handkerchief. Valerie reached across to the glove box and opened it, then removed the extra handkerchief Charlotte always stored there.

  Charlotte accepted it with a nod, then dabbed at her eyes and nose.