Draggah (39 page)

“
Rafe,
”
Lexi said in a whisper.

“
It
’
s not his fault,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
He would have fought for me if he could.
”

Lexi shook her head, her mouth moving but no words coming out.  Then she pointed over his shoulder.  Tiberius turned and saw Rafe striding toward him.  Olyva was behind Rafe, she looked exhausted.  Rafe on the other hand looked almost jubilant.  He was smiling and there was a spring in his step.

“
You weren
’
t going to start all the fun without me,
”
he said.

“
You
’
re awake,
”
Tiberius said, relief flooding through him.

Lexi leaned on his shoulder and Tiberius guessed she was just as relieved to see Rafe as he was.

“
Awake, refreshed, and from what I hear spoiling for a fight.
”

“
Rafe, you don
’
t have to do this,
”
Tiberius said, ignoring the pain as Lexi dug her fingernails into his shoulder. 
“
It
’
s my fight.
”

“
And your fight will always be my fight,
”
Rafe said calmly. 
“
Now as I remember, the Tuscogee calls for a special meal.  What
’
s it called, Filsa?
”

“
The Ullanee,
”
she said, waving to the other women standing nearby.

“
That
’
s right, the Ullanee.  I could eat a whole Tamaka I
’
m so hungry,
”
Rafe said with a chuckle.

“
How is your shoulder?
”
Tiberius asked.

Rafe raised his arms and flexed his muscles.

“
Never better,
”
he said. 
“
Olyva told me what you did.  It hurts you when you heal people, doesn
’
t it.
”

“
Somewhat,
”
Tiberius said.

“
From what I heard, you were in agony.  I
’
m sorry for that.
”

“
It
’
s only temporary,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
The result is always worth it.
”

“
Well, I
’
m grateful my friend.  Now tell me what you know about this raider.
”

“
His name is Bu
’
yorgi.  He
’
s big, Rafe.
”

“
As big as Ummar?
”
Rafe asked.

“
No,
”
Tiberius said.

“
He is well known among the Hoskali,
”
Filsa said. 
“
The sky tribe is powerful.
”

“
I take it he
’
s fought his share of Tuscogees,
”
Rafe said sitting down.

“
I can
’
t help you in this one,
”
Tiberius added. 
“
His Swanee isn
’
t here, so it wouldn
’
t be fair for me to interfere.
”

“
I wouldn
’
t have needed your help in the last one if Moswanee hadn
’
t jinxed things.  I
’
ll be fine.
”

Food was brought to Rafe, who ate ravenously.  Then he stood up, taking one of the ancient bronze swords and swinging it.  He went through the basic steps—strike, block, thrust, parry.  When he
’
d fought Ummar, he
’
d used an unconventional grip, holding one hand on the small sword handle, the other on the back of the blade near the tip.  Most fighters would only see the sword as it was intended, but Rafe saw multiple ways he could use the weapon to achieve his purposes.

“
It is time,
”
Te
’
sumee said. 
“
We are gathered.  The captives are arranged.
”

“
We
’
re coming,
”
Tiberius said.

He stepped up to Rafe and spoke so quietly that only Rafe could hear him.

“
You
’
re sure you
’
re up to this?
”

Rafe nodded, his focus on the ring of fire in the distance.

“
I
’
m sure I could work some magic and—”

Rafe cut him off.

“
No Ti, that won
’
t do.  You
’
re the Swanee and this isn
’
t just a street fight.  I can handle Bu
’
yorgi.  You must make sure his people live up to their side of the agreement.
”

“
Alright,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
Thank you, Rafe.
”

“
For what?
”

“
For being such a good friend.
”

Rafe turned and looked at Tiberius, then at Lexi and Olyva on either side of him.

“
We aren
’
t just friends, Ti,
”
he said. 
“
We
’
re family.
”

Chapter 29

Rafe

Walking toward the area prepared for the Tuscogee was different for Rafe than before.  On the one hand, he felt like he had so much more to lose.  The first time around, he was simply fighting to survive, but this time he was fighting for Olyva, Tiberius, and Lexi, as well as the tribe he
’
d come to love.  He had always felt like he was part of a brotherhood in the Earl
’
s war band, but he
’
d also felt like a pawn.  He had been expendable, just a tool to the Earl, not a vital part of the community.  Life in the tribe was different, he was different, and he liked the changes.

On the other hand, he knew what to expect in the Tuscogee.  The only difference this time around were the captives.  The male members of the tribe were all present.  They stood facing the oblong ring of fire, which was fed by small piles of dried Tamaka dung evenly spaced.  In front of them knelt the captives.  On one end of the hastily created arena were the raiders captured by Te
’
sumee
’
s Rogu.  On the other end were captives and property taken by the raiders led by Bu
’
yorgi.

Rafe felt good.  His body was not only rested, but he felt stronger than ever.  The bronze swords used in the Tuscogee were not his weapons of choice, but he still felt confident with them.  They were heavy and clumsy compared to his rapier, but they were effective enough.

Te
’
sumee led them around the thick cluster of spectators to a small gap.  When Rafe walked through, he was surprised to see Bu
’
yorgi, not because he wasn
’
t expecting his opponent to be waiting for him, but because he recognized the man.  It was the raider who had thrown his club at Rafe and dislocated his shoulder.  Bu
’
yorgi stood near his tribesmen on the far side of the battleground.  A smile crossed his face when he saw Rafe.  There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes and he laughed as he rubbed his shoulder, letting Rafe know that he remembered their last encounter.

“
That
’
s strange,
”
Tiberius said.

“
What?
”
Rafe said, his voice tight with tension.

“
Why
’
s he rubbing his shoulder like that?
”

“
Because he
’
s the one who dislocated mine last night,
”
Rafe said.

Rafe
’
s father was more than an established swordsman, he was considered a master with a blade.  He had fought in numerous duels, always victoriously.  Whenever the Earl traveled to any of the other Nine Cities, inevitably Grentz was challenged.  The greatest fighters from all nine cities had measured their skill against the Sword Master and everyone had come up short.  As a boy, Rafe had idolized his father, but Grentz knew that his own fame would give rise to a dangerous life for his son.  The man who defeated the Sword Master
’
s son would be known throughout the Nine Cities of Valana.  Grentz knew Rafe would be challenged wherever he went, and so he had trained his son, pushing him harder than any of the soldiers in the Earl
’
s war band.  He also taught Rafe how to deal with his emotions.  Fear was dangerous, but so was anger, and even confidence.  Rafe knew how to find the place between respect in his opponent
’
s abilities and confidence in his own.

It took Rafe a little longer than normal to find that place as he prepared for the Tuscogee.  He felt more fear than he was accustomed to.  With a weapon in his hand, Rafe had always felt like he was more than a match for anyone in a fair fight, but Bu
’
yorgi had surprised him the night before.  Throwing his club had been a risky tactic.  If it had failed to find its mark, he would have been defenseless.  But the club had taken the fight out of Rafe. It had come at him so unexpectedly that Rafe now had trouble reining in his imagination.  Bu
’
yorgi was a seasoned warrior.  Was it possible that he had tricks up his sleeve that Rafe wasn
’
t prepared for?

It was hard for Rafe to control his anger as well.  Part of him wanted to avoid the raider, but the other part of him wanted to make him pay for what he
’
d done the night before.  Rafe felt his heart rate speeding up at the thought of defeating Bu
’
yorgi in combat.  He wanted to see his opponent hurting, wanted to hear Bu
’
yorgi
’
s cries of pain and desperate pleas for mercy.

Rafe took several slow deep breaths to calm his emotions down.  In his mind, he formed a plan of action.  He needed to let the raider come to him, to set the tone for the battle.  If Bu
’
yorgi thought that Rafe was afraid, it would come as a great surprise when Rafe unleashed his own offensive onslaught.

“
You okay?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
Sure,
”
Rafe said. 
“
Just getting my mind right.
”

“
Well don
’
t toy with this guy.  And don
’
t take any unnecessary chances.
”

“
Don
’
t worry,
”
Rafe said, sounding more confident that he felt.

Rafe wasn
’
t sure why his own confidence was waning.  He never felt more alive than in combat.  He loved training, doing sword drills, building his strength, and sparing.  He
’
d never been in a real fight until he and Tiberius had fought the Graypees outside the walls of Avondale.  That had been a thrill he would never forget.  And when he fought Ummar in the Tuscogee, he
’
d felt supremely confident in his skills.  But the raiders had surprised Rafe more than once the night before.  They fought differently, as if they had a different perspective on combat.  Rafe couldn
’
t help but feel like he was missing something.

When Te
’
sumee and Tiberius left the battle area, Bu
’
yorgi moved forward.  He was taller than Rafe, his shoulders and arms larger.  Where Rafe had a narrow waist, Bu
’
yorgi
’
s was thick and round; not fat, but strong from years of living on the wide plains of the blighted lands.  He swung the sword much the same way as he would have wielded his club.  The weight of the bronze sword didn
’
t seem to faze the bigger man.