Part 15 (1/2)

Their spears clashed together midair. Immediately Valerian countered, ducking low, pivoting and slas.h.i.+ng. He missed as Joachim sliced to the side. Clang. Their spears met again. In the next instant Joachim raised his lance and Valerian rammed it high.

He spun, aiming for his cousin's neck.

Joachim darted out of the way with a grin. ”Getting slow, Valerian.” He removed his helmet and tossed it aside.

Valerian stabbed forward, his spike and s.h.i.+eld swinging simultaneously. Joachim quickly lost his smile as he was forced to duck. He stumbled backward. Valerian's spear nearly sank into his stomach, but Joachim blocked, swung. Thrust.

That low thrust grazed Valerian's thigh, slicing cloth rather than skin. Valerian dropped to one knee, absorbing the next blow with his s.h.i.+eld. When he regained his footing, he lunged forward. The tip of his weapon whizzed past Joachim's side, taking a hunk of armor with it.

”Still think I'm slow?” Valerian asked.

Their fiery gazes met, blue against bluer, and Joachim scowled. He swung to the left, missed, then swung to the right. As the lance dipped toward the ground, Valerian leapt over its middle, trapping it between his legs and jamming his elbow into Joachim's nose. Blood squirted and Joachim howled as he tripped, falling away from striking distance and flinging dirt in every direction. ”Get up,” Valerian commanded.

”You'll pay for that.” His cousin jumped to his feet and ran straight at him, continuously stabbing forward.

Valerian circled quickly, s.h.i.+eld blocking. His muscles began to burn, and sweat began to run down his face and chest in rivulets. Already his breath emerged in shallow pants. d.a.m.n this! At this rate, his strength would be quickly depleted. Lack of s.e.x did that to a nymph.

Looking tired himself, Joachim arched high, intending to puncture his shoulder on the downward swing, but Valerian hit Joachim's wrist and his cousin dropped the spear. At a disadvantage, Joachim dove, rolled and reached for it. His fingers closed around the middle. Maintaining a fluid pace, he spun back to his feet. But Valerian was already there, stomping on the lance and snapping it in two.

Growling low in his throat, Joachim kicked up. His foot slammed into Valerian's wrist and Valerian, too, lost his spear. Both men sprang apart, unsheathing the swords from their s.h.i.+elds.

As blood continued to drip down his face, Joachim launched forward, wildly swinging. Air whistled, zinged, just like it had before the battle began. Movements slower than normal, Valerian didn't duck in time. The blade sliced his forearm. He felt the sting of it, the burn of torn flesh.

He didn't give a reaction, didn't allow it to slow him further.

He stabbed low, then up, twisting before Joachim could counter. The tip of his sword whizzed by his cousin's face, and the man paled. He raised his s.h.i.+eld and slammed it into Valerian's other arm, the sharp wings cutting skin. Valerian used the momentum to spin around and slice into Joachim's thigh.

His cousin shouted, and his knees buckled into the sand.

”Get up,” Valerian snarled. ”I'm not through with you.”

Gritting his teeth, Joachim lumbered to his feet. He still clutched his weapon and s.h.i.+eld. His eyes were dark with rage, his lips swollen with his thirst for power. ”I am not through with you, either.” He dropped his s.h.i.+eld and slid a second dagger from his side.

Valerian hurled his s.h.i.+eld aside, as well. He held out his free hand, and Broderick tossed him a second dagger. He easily caught the hilt. Two blades against two blades.

Instantly he and Joachim leapt for each other. One blade clashed, then the other, a lethal dance of dodge and slash. Valerian spun as he worked his blades, lunged and stabbed.

”I should have been born to your father. I should have been king,” Joachim panted as he ducked.

”The G.o.ds did not think so.” Stab, turn, stab.

”I was created to rule.”

”You were created, yes, but not to rule. Verryn should be here, commanding us both, but he is gone. My father is gone. And that leaves me. It is well past time you accepted that.” The first blade finally hit home, jabbing into Joachim's side.

His cousin screamed and dropped to his knees. Valerian's momentum kept him from drawing back his other weapon. He wasn't sure he would have, though, even if he could. But he did angle his arm, his second blade embedding in Joachim's shoulder, close to his heart, but not hitting directly. The silver glided smoothly through the links of armor. Joachim gasped for air as a trickle of blood ran from his mouth.

Total silence filled the arena. Valerian straightened, panting.

”Why did... you let... me... live?” Joachim gurgled. ”Should have... hit... my heart.”

”You will live, and you will regret,” Valerian said, unemotional and loud enough that everyone could hear. ”If you ever again challenge my leaders.h.i.+p, I will kill you without a thought. Without hesitation. Without mercy. No matter that we are family. No matter that we were once friends.”

Joachim's chin fell to his chest, and his eyes closed. Dark shadows couched his blood-coated face. He tumbled into the dirt, unconscious. Grains of sand sprayed onto Valerian's boots.

He slammed the tip of his dagger beside his cousin's body and whipped around to eye the crowd of warriors who watched him in openmouthed shock. Perhaps they had expected him to kill his cousin. Perhaps they had expected him to deflect the final blow completely.

His gaze connected with Shaye's. Mine, his mind shouted. Mine now. No one could say otherwise.

Like his men, her face was darkened with shock. And horror? He knew he must look a sight, blood and sand covering his arms, legs and face. Strands of sweat-soaked hair clung to his temples.

Perhaps the surface dwellers did not fight quite so violently, but he couldn't force himself to regret what had been done. She belonged to him, would live here with him, so it was better for her to learn his way of life now.

Tearing his gaze from her, he looked at each of his men. ”Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge my authority?”

After the echo of his voice settled, silence reigned. He paced in front of them. ”Now is the time to issue such a challenge.”

No one came forward.

He stilled, hands clenched at his sides. ”Then I hereby claim Shaye Octavia Holling as my woman. Mine. My mate. Your queen. He that questions this shall meet the steel of my sword.”

Amid Shaye's choked squeaks, he moved in front of Broderick. He didn't look at Shaye again. Not yet. He wasn't ready to see what expression she now wore-rebellious? Furious? Disgusted? He wasn't ready to know her thoughts.

Broderick cleared his throat. ”What should we do about Joachim?”

”Pray that Asclepius and his two daughters visit.” The words were uttered out of habit, for when a nymph became injured, prayers were raised to those G.o.ds of healing, even though they had wanted nothing to do with the people of Atlantis for many, many years. No one knew why the G.o.ds had abandoned them, only that they had.

Valerian still did not want Joachim to die. He wanted him to suffer.

Valerian scanned the crowd of onlookers. ”Is there a healer among you?”

After a pause, s.h.i.+vawn's silent, black-haired wench stepped forward. There were tears in her eyes as she raised a tentative hand. He nodded at her and faced Broderick. ”Take Joachim and the healer to the sick room. She is to bandage him up and nothing more. Make sure she does not touch him s.e.xually.” If she did, Joachim would heal quickly, his injuries forgotten all too soon. Before the fight, Valerian had thought to give his cousin a speedy recovery. Not so now. He did not have time for the trouble the man was sure to cause.

Broderick nodded.

Without another word, Valerian grabbed Shaye's hand and tugged her into the corridor.

Now she truly belonged to him-and it was time he proved it to her.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

POSEIDON WAS BORED.

He was G.o.d of the sea, ruler of fish, merpeople and ocean waves, and he was bored. Lately even the storms and destruction he caused failed to amuse him. People screamed, people died, yada, yada, yada.

Maybe he'd care if the humans had not forgotten his existence. But they no longer served him; they no longer wors.h.i.+pped him-both of which were his due. After all, he'd helped create the ungrateful race.