Part 20 (1/2)

'Do you have a better one, Banks?'

The other man shrugged. 'Have at you, then,' he muttered.

The three Gravediggers took up a fighting stance around Granger, who backed away and readied himself to dodge. Swan made a hesitant jab, but the tip of his sword fell deliberately short of Granger. Banks cried out and leaped into the fray, swinging wildly, allowing his opponent to sidestep easily.

The crowd began to jeer with disapproval.

'You'll need to do better than that,' Granger said.

'You're unarmed, sir,' Banks replied. 'And I'm rather good at this. Barracks champion three years on the trot.'

'Don't underestimate me.'

Banks sighed again, and this time came at Granger hard. But he opted for another down-cut, giving Granger more than enough time to avoid the blow. His sword sparked against the flagstones. Swan and Tummel moved to flank his rear, just as they would have done in a real fight.

Banks should have pressed forward, but he chose not to. 'How'd you get past the dog?' he said, backing away again. 'That b.a.s.t.a.r.d spent the whole journey from Losoto chewing through the bars between our cages.' He shrugged. 'Didn't help that Swan kept teasing it.'

'I didn't tease it,' Swan said.

'You made faces at it,' Banks replied.

'What faces?'

'That face you're making now.'

'I can't help that. I was born like this.'

Granger didn't say anything; he was waiting for a pincer movement from his flanking opponents. But even that that manoeuvre never came. Swan and Tummel made more pitiful swings and jabs with their blades. Whether through weakness, or a reluctance to injure their opponent, Granger didn't know. Either way the fight was rapidly becoming a farce. manoeuvre never came. Swan and Tummel made more pitiful swings and jabs with their blades. Whether through weakness, or a reluctance to injure their opponent, Granger didn't know. Either way the fight was rapidly becoming a farce.

The crowd began to boo and shout abuse.

Emperor Hu stood up on the podium, and inclined his head.

One of his Samarol bodyguards slotted his seeing knife into the bracket atop a carbine rifle. Then he raised the barrel.

'Banks,' Granger growled.

Banks turned just as the rifle fired.

Granger heard the lead ball zing past his ear. It struck Swan in the side of his head and knocked him down. He lay there unmoving, blood leaking from a hole above his ear. Banks stood dead still, a look of horror on his face.

Tummel was silent for a moment. Then he roared and rushed at the corral wall, shouting, 'Come in here, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, come in here.' He smashed his sword repeatedly against the mesh of dragon-bones, hacking fragments from it. 'Come in here and fight me you blind b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Fight an old man, you coward. Fight an old man.'

Hu merely looked impatient. 'Get on with it,' he said. 'And try to make it entertaining. I don't want to waste another rifle-ball.'

Granger picked up Swan's sword. 'Banks?'

The private continued to stare at his companion's corpse.

'Banks!'

His eyes met Granger's.

'Fight me for real, Banks.'

'Sir?'

Granger rushed at him, pus.h.i.+ng him back with a solid flurry of blows that forced the other man to raise his buckler and block. Banks began to parry, almost reluctantly at first, and then with more urgency as the strikes continued to come down on his left side.

Tummel sat on the ground and lay down his sword.

Granger broke away from Banks and whispered, 'You're going to have to try and kill me.'

Banks just shook his head.

'Keep their attention away from Tummel,' Granger urged. 'Make it real. Make it entertaining.' He saw an opening and thrust his sword at Banks's undefended left. The private responded instinctively with his own blade, but not before Granger raked the younger man's hauberk, the edge of his weapon rasping across the steel links.

From the podium he heard Emperor Hu laugh. 'They're getting into it now, aren't they?' he called out with delight.

Granger kept the pressure on Banks, forcing him back towards the corral wall, towards Tummel. The old Gravedigger merely sat on the ground and stared back at the body of his brother. It seemed that all life had deserted him.

'On your feet, seaman,' Granger growled.

But Tummel wouldn't respond.

Banks, meanwhile, must have realized Granger's real intentions, for he broke suddenly from the fight, turning his back on Granger even as the colonel's blade was raised to strike. He grabbed Tummel by his armpits. 'Get up, you old fool. Get up and fight.'

Granger cursed at Banks's manoeuvre. The private left himself open to a killing blow. In what he hoped would look like a desperate mistake, he swung the blade furiously at Banks's right side, striking the top of the buckler hard. The sword skimmed off and stuck into an enormous dragon-bone bar above Banks's head.

'It's a charade,' the emperor said. 'Shoot the other one.'

Banks screamed at Tummel. 'Get up, you old fool!' He started to drag him upright.

A shot rang out.

Tummel's head jerked forward. Blood spattered across Bank's face.

Banks released Tummel's body and looked up at the Samarol bodyguard, who was now lowering his carbine rifle for the second time. The huge blind warrior detached his seeing knife from the weapon's barrel and turned it slowly in his fingers. His silver wolf-head helmet grinned blankly.

Banks turned to Granger, a pained expression on his face.

Granger freed his sword from the corral wall and backed away from the other man, a.s.suming a fighting stance.

'You'd kill me?' Banks said.

'If you let me.'

'Forgive me for saying so, Colonel, but this is the s.h.i.+ttiest s.h.i.+ttiest plan you've ever had.' plan you've ever had.'

Granger had no answer for his friend. He glanced over at the the crowd again, but there was still no sign of Briana Marks. Sudden movement caught his attention.