Part 34 (1/2)

”Two out of three rounds?” Simon asked.

Several bystanders had gathered*mostly Avernus Travelers, to judge by their buckskin outfits and generous use of feathers*and a few stifled chuckles. One of them even applauded something, until a brief glare from the Damascan Heir made him stop.

Talos muttered something about sweat and the heat while he scooped his blade up and brought it into a ready position.

Simon moved forward this time, going through the motions the way he had practiced in the rain garden. He called neither steel nor essence, moving at normal mortal speed.

At first, Talos blocked the strikes, and Simon wondered if he was being lulled into a trap. The motions of this fight were too predictable; Talos blocked exactly where he was supposed to block, and attacked where Simon expected him to attack. Otoku didn't even warn him, so obvious were the Heir's movements.

Simon fell into a rhythm, reacting, barely planning. He almost didn't notice when one of his strikes pushed Talos' blade wide, and Simon's return movement pressed the point of his sword against the base of his opponent's throat.

Startled, he stopped just in time to keep himself from running Talos through.

”Three out of five?” Simon suggested.

Simon heard a rus.h.i.+ng shriek, like a crowd of angry children all screaming at once, and he spun to his right just in time to see Overlord Lysander pus.h.i.+ng through the other Travelers toward Simon, a flock of sparrows flying furiously around his head.

”Step away from the Heir,” the Overlord demanded.

Simon didn't see Kai move. First he was seated with his back to Simon, still whittling, then he stood in front of the Overlord with a sword in his hand.

Kai c.o.c.ked his head. ”I don't know you,” he said.

Lysander froze, but his birds kept hovering, ready to be commanded at any second. The other Avernus Travelers summoned birds, spears, or various other implements, but none of them moved to attack.

Simon slowly brought his sword down from Talos' neck.

”Hold a moment, Lysander,” Talos said. ”We were simply having a friendly match. Isn't that right, Valinhall?”

”It is,” Simon said. Talos didn't sound sincere, but Simon meant it*to him, that really had been a friendly match. Had Talos actually taken the fight seriously?

Lysander looked at the Heir and let out a breath. The flock of sparrows around his head retreated into a cloud hovering above him. ”I apologize,” the scholarly man said. ”I may have been overly enthusiastic. Now that it occurs to me, I have never had the privilege of seeing a Valinhall Traveler in action. Would you do me a favor and indulge me?”

Something's strange, Otoku said.

What? Simon asked, startled.

Really? You don't notice anything off about this?

Honestly, my life has been strange since I first set foot in Valinhall. I don't know what's normal anymore.

Otoku huffed irritably. What is Lysander doing here? If it's to defend the Heir, he calmed down awfully quick. Why hasn't he banished his birds? Avernus birds don't like being here any longer than they can help it. And he's an Overlord, so he's surely seen Indirial fight at least once. Yet he claims he's never seen a Valinhall Traveler fight.

Talos bowed to Kai. ”Master Kai, would you show us how a real member of the Dragon Army fights? Your apprentice gave us such a show, I'm sure yours would be even better.”

What could Lysander possibly do? Simon thought. Throw birds at us? Kai could cut all those sparrows from the air and stab him through the heart. In his sleep.

I don't know, Simon, I just said it was strange.

Of course, there were the other Avernus Travelers gathered around them, but as far as Simon had ever seen, Avernus was mostly a Territory of birds. He had faced down Travelers summoning fire and lightning; how threatening could birds possible be?

Kai smiled slightly at Talos. ”I'm sorry, child,” he said, in his sing-song voice, ”I wouldn't want to kill you.”

Talos' answering smile looked somewhat sickly. ”Not me,” he said. ”Him. Lysander, would you be willing to a.s.sist Master Kai in a demonstration? I'm sure the boy and I could learn something from the two of you.”

When Simon figured out that he was supposed to be 'the boy,' it was all he could do not to teach the Damascan Heir another lesson.

Lysander bowed. ”Of course, Your Highness.” He stepped forward, pulling up his buckskin sleeves. Sparrows whirled and dove over his head.

Simon tossed Kai his sword, and Kai s.n.a.t.c.hed it out of the air without glancing at it.

”Avernus?” Kai asked, amused. ”Really? A mental attack, then?”

”Naturally,” Lysander responded, raising his hands in front of his body as if to ward Kai off. ”I know better than to attack you physically.”

Kai shrugged. ”That's all right with me. I wouldn't want to hurt your precious birds.”

Talos raised his red-bladed sword above his head. ”Gentlemen, attend. The match continues until one party is wounded or surrenders.”

The Overlord posed in an almost exaggerated ready stance, his hands in front of his body. Kai simply stood, in perfect balance, his sword held casually to one side.

Simon, Otoku asked, where's Denner?

I haven't seen him since we got here, Simon responded. He had to admit, the situation was starting to look bad. If this clearing between tents wasn't already so crowded, he would have summoned Azura.

The cry of a hunting bird sounded from overhead, almost impossibly loud. Simon looked up just in time to see the body of a giant white eagle, easily the size of a horse, cras.h.i.+ng down almost on top of him. It landed with a sound like cracking rock, and it would have crushed Kai if he hadn't stepped to one side as if on instinct.

The ground rumbled as the bird landed, and Simon got a chance to see the seven-foot spear that had skewered the bird through its chest.

Oh, Otoku said. There he is.

Only a moment later, the earth trembled again as Denner fell. He landed in a crouch, one hand holding his Dragon's Fang and the other pressed against the ground. It took another second for his brown cloak to settle around him.

”It's a trap, Kai,” Denner said, as he brushed off the dirt from his fall.

”Is it?” Kai said, looking around at the Avernus Travelers surrounding him. ”I'm not particularly surprised.” He nodded to the bird lying at his feet. ”What happened to the Traveler?”

A third impact sounded among the tents, raising a cloud of dust.

”Ah,” Kai said.

Simon called essence and steel as the Avernus Travelers acted all at once. From Lysander's outstretched hands, a scream seemed to tear the world in half.

Simon felt his thoughts boil up, as though everything he had ever wondered was being pressed against the inside of his skull at once.

Words shouted at him in a confusing jumble from within his mind, drowning out his voice, leaving him only to wonder when the voices would stop.

Vaguely, he was aware of Otoku saying something, but he couldn't make out what because his brain just wouldn't shut up.

He thought he heard Denner say, ”What's wrong with him?” but for some reason he couldn't make sense of the words.