Lord of the White Hell Book One lotwh-1 (30 page)

Kiram prayed that Javier wouldn't have to fight Elezar next. He simply was not strong enough. He raced back to Javier's side with a skin of cool water. Javier drank a little but then his next opponent arrived. Again, Javier went without his shield and only wielded a short sword.

But where he had previously stood still, Javier now prowled. He circled his new opponent slowly and then lunged in with brilliant speed to score a strike before bounding back out of reach. Light flared off the shining surface of his silver armor. Javier took a hit across his shoulder, but landed his own strike directly across the enamel emblem over his opponent's heart. The enamel shattered and the judge again raised the blue flag again.

Kiram distinctly recognized Fedeles' joyous crow rising over the cheers and boos from the stands. Javier shoved his visor back and Kiram hurried forward with the water skin. Javier drank, dropped the empty water skin back into Kiram's hands, and closed his eyes.

"Javier?" Kiram asked.

"I'm good." Javier remained exactly as he was, eyes closed, arms hanging so limply that Kiram thought he might drop his short sword. After a moment he opened his eyes. "Have you been watching any of the other duels?"

"A little, but mostly just yours."

"Take a look around for me." Javier's tone was stronger than it had been earlier. "Watch Elezar for any injuries. And if you can, keep an eye on Hierro Fueres too."

A third Yllar student trudged up to Javier's dueling ring and gave a salute, which Javier returned. The man's armor was enameled with golden leaves. Kiram made a mental note to learn more about Cadeleonian crests so that next year he could take an educated guess about the occupants of the armor.

"Can you carry your shield yet?" Kiram whispered.

"I can but I don't think I'm going to need it just yet." He flipped his visor closed and strode out to the center of the dueling ring. He tossed his short sword from hand to hand as his opponent chose his own sword and shield from his squire.

The judge signaled the start of the duel and immediately Javier attacked. His movements were smooth, and while they seemed a little slow to Kiram they obviously were too fast for Javier's opponent. Kiram felt assured enough of Javier's wellbeing to investigate how Elezar and Hierro were faring.

Elezar fought like a battering ram, crumpling shields and shattering blades with the power of his strikes. If he took any injuries he hardly noticed them. His only disadvantage seemed to be the sheer number of times his squire, Ollivar, had to rush to bring him a new blade after he cracked one against his opponent's defenses.

In the time that both Elezar and Javier fought a single duel, Hierro finished two. The first he won through a simple concession. A Yllar student entered Hierro's dueling ring, knelt, and allowed Hierro to take the win with a gentle tap of his blade.

Hierro's second duel was against a Sagrada student. Hierro moved lightly around the Sagrada student, never extending himself into a full attack. Instead, he landed blow after blow on the poorly protected joints of the Sagrada student's armor. His attacks were glancing but they quickly accumulated. Soon the Sagrada student staggered like a cripple, his knees and elbows having been beaten mercilessly. His long sword drooped in his grip.

Kiram found it agonizing to watch Hierro pick and nick the Sagrada student's defenses further. It was like watching a cat play with an injured bird. At last when the Sagrada student crumpled to his knees, unable to lift his sword much less his shield, Heirro delivered a single winning blow.

Javier seized his own victory a moment later and he moved now as if he were dancing, making the swift, triumphant thrust look as easy as a bow.

As soon as the judge declared his victory, Javier shoved his visor up from his face and grinned at Kiram. Kiram went to his side. He took Javier's sword and inspected his armor.

"When you're fighting Hierro you're going to have to guard your joints," Kiram told him. "And Elezar…He's really strong."

"Yfes, I have noticed that from time to time." Javier laughed.

"He picked up a man in full armor and threw him out of the dueling ring."

Javier raised his brows and glanced across the dueling rings to Elezar. "Who knew he was such a grandstander? But even he has to tire out sooner of later. Anything else you can tell me about Hierro?"

"He's very precise and doesn't extend himself for a killing strike until he's worn his opponent down. His defense looked really tight. The other Yllar students are conceding to him, of course, so he's probably nowhere near as tired as most of the Sagrada students."

"The usual Yllar strategy." Javier flipped his visor back down and took his long sword from Kiram. "Keep watching them."

A new opponent entered Javier's ring and Kiram hurried out. The next two fights went quickly. Lower ranking students were eliminated and withdrew to the stands, leaving many of the dueling rings empty. Soon, only four undefeated men remained: Hierro and another Yillar student, Elezar and Javier.

Master Ignacio and the Yllar war master called for a parley and met with two judges. Kiram saw them write names onto slips of paper and then hand them over to the judges. A moment later one of the judges approached Javier and bid him to choose from the three pieces of folded paper in his hand. Javier took one, unfolded it, and grimaced.

He read the name aloud. "Elezar Grunito."

Kiram's heart sank. Elezar scowled but both Hierro and his fellow Yllar student grinned at each other. Elezar and his squire, Ollivar, walked to Javier's dueling circle.

"Long sword and shield." Javier's left arm trembled slightly as he accepted the heavy shield. Kiram tried not to think of the wound running along Javier's wrist.

Elezar chose his long sword, which he held in his right hand, and his short blade, wielded by his left. He regarded Javier evenly, then asked, "Sure you're up to this?"

Despite his joking tone, serious worry showed in his expression. He had to know that Javier had been given muerate poison.

Javier arched a brow. "Well, I might suffer a little guilt after I beat your ass into the ground but I think I'll be able to deal with it."

"All right then, Tornesal. No mercy." Elezar closed his visor. Javier followed suit.

The judge gave his signal and they charged each other. Elezar's blade smashed into Javier's shield, embedding into the black sun and driving Javier back several feet. Javier released his shield, letting its weight pull Elezar's long sword down. He lunged forward, aiming a blow at Elezar's chest. Elezar blocked with his short sword and then swung his long sword, with Javier's shield still dangling from it, into Javier's side. The blow sent Javier stumbling and threw Javier's shield out across the grounds. Kiram sprinted out to retrieve it. A roar went up from the crowd.

While Elezar and Javier circled and pounded each other with deafening blows, Hierro and his fellow Yillar student flipped a coin. Hierro remained in his dueling circle. The other Yllar student bowed to him graciously and stepped out of it.

"Shield!" Javier shouted and Kiram sprinted into the dueling ring. He thrust the shield up and Javier raised it just in time to block another of Elezar's resounding blows. Splinters of the shield and Elezar's blade flashed as they flew through the air and fell to the dirt floor.

This close Kiram could smell both sweat and blood emanating from beneath Javier's armor.

"Out of the ring!" Javier commanded. Kiram darted away.

A moment later, Elezar hammered his long sword through Javier's shield, cracking his blade apart as he rended the shield in two. Elezar hurled the broken long sword at Javier and then thrust at him with his short blade. Javier dodged the long sword but barely blocked the thrust of Elezar's shortsword. Sparks skipped across the both Javier's and Elezar's blades as the edges ripped into each other. Kiram and Ollivar raced back to the stands to secure other shields and swords.

Elezar broke blades and cracked shields, but he rarely landed a direct blow to Javier's head or chest. In his own way Javier fought as relentlessly as Elezar. He drove in again and again, enduring the savage blows, to land swift strikes. He moved fast and struck from behind when he could. They crashed together and when their blades broke, they pounded each other with their armored fists.

Kiram watched with growing horror as the duel dragged on. Dirt and blood streaked their armor. Javier's left arm hung in a disturbingly lifeless manner. Elezar limped noticeably. And yet neither of them relented.

Hierro and the other Yllar student both looked bored. Their squires brought them water and little bowls of cut fruit. Some people in the stands roared and cheered but many simply stared in silent awe as Javier and Elezar steadily ground each other to exhaustion.

When the end came it was clumsy and brutal. Elezar punched his blade through the left shoulder of Javier's armor. Javier caught the blade and jerked Elezar forward onto his own cracked short sword. Blood poured from Javier's shoulder, but his blade drove into Elezar's breastplate, shattering the enamel bull there.

"Tornesal!" the judge shouted.

Elezar released his blade at once and stumbled back. Javier fell to his knees, curling his hands around his bloody shoulder.

Kiram rushed into the ring and knelt beside him. He reached out to free Javier from his armor but Javier pulled back from him.

"I'll be fine," Javier said even before Kiram could ask. "It's just a scratch."

"Let me help you back to the stands. Scholar Donamillo should-"

"It's fine!" Javier growled.

"Javier?" Elezar's voice was tremulous, almost frightened. He knelt down beside Kiram.

"What?" Javier snapped his visor open with his right hand. Annoyance more than pain showed on his face.

"I didn't mean to-" Elezar broke off. "I was sure you'd dodge."

"I know. That's why I won, you idiot." Javier rolled his eyes. "For God's sake pull yourselves together, both of you. We still have to beat those smug Yillar bastards."

"Right." Elezar straightened slowly. "We'll take them down."

Javier pushed himself up to his feet and Kiram moved to his side, steadying him.

"I'm fine," Javier said.

"So you've said," Kiram replied. "And I still don't believe you."

Javier winced and pulled his head back slightly.

"You see," Kiram said. "You're hurt."

"No, I'm not," Javier replied. "It was just your medallion. It was flashing right into my eyes."

"Sorry." Kiram caught his lotus medallion. As he tucked it into his collar, bright afternoon sunlight reflected off its golden surface and briefly flashed across the dirt.

"Is there anything you need?" Kiram asked.

"Another long sword but not a heavy one. Ask Master Ignacio for a cielyo. Hurry."

Kiram went and procured the sword, though Master Ignacio gave him an odd look when he asked for it and questioned the wisdom of Javier's decision more than once before handing the thing over.

The ceilyo's hilt and pommel were small, delicate and engraved with a curling ivy motif. It weighed less than even a short sword and just carrying it back across the grounds Kiram felt the thin blade flex and bounce with his steps. Elezar would have snapped such a sword in half. But Hierro fought in a much more restrained manner. And looking at Javier, Kiram knew he was too exhausted to wield the weight of a normal long sword. At the same time a short sword wouldn't offer the range Javier needed to fight a man with Hierro's reach and speed.

"Cielyo blade." Kiram handed it to Javier. "Master Ignacio told me to tell you that it's the only one he brought and you're a fool if you think it will hold up for long against a real sword."

"Did he?" Javier didn't sound surprised. "I suppose he expects me to be dancing around with a broadsword after that match with Elezar."

"If he does then he's an ass." Kiram hated how much Master Ignacio's opinion seemed to matter to Javier.

"Refreshingly honest as always, Kiram."

"Well, he is," Kiram replied but he didn't go on.

Hierro strolled into Javier's dueling ring with his squire, Ariz, following silently behind. When Hierro held out his hand Ariz provided him with a long sword. Hierro waved aside the proffered shield.

"You know, Tornesal," Hierro called to Javier, "there is no shame in accepting second place."

"Of course there isn't, cousin," Javier replied. "If you wish to forfeit to me, I would accept your surrender with the utmost respect."

Hierro smirked at the response and shook his head.

"Some men can't be saved from themselves," Hierro commented.

"No, indeed not," Javier agreed then he turned to Kiram and spoke quietly. "If I call for my shield, I'll need it and my short sword right away."

Kiram nodded, then he and Ariz withdrew from the dueling ring. Across the grounds, Elezar and his Yllar opponent began their duel with a resounding crash of metal. Javier and Hierro, on the other hand, circled each other in silence. Suddenly Javier lunged forward, thrusting in for Hierro's stomach. Hierro blocked the blow. Javier's cielyo blade bowed back and Javier suddenly flicked the blade up, making it strike Hierro's extended arm like a whip.

Hierro jerked back as blood spilled from his slashed palm and wrist. Javier drove after him and for an instant Kiram though he might win the duel in this one attack. Then Hierro took his blade in his left hand and deftly drove Javier back. This time, when Javier flicked the cielyo's flexible blade, Hierro parried before it could touch him. He blocked four of Javier's attacks and then scored two hard blows of his own. The cielyo did little to slow Hierro's heavier sword and Javier was forced to bound back to the edge of the dueling ring to keep Hierro from scoring a deadly blow against him.

Kiram felt a terrible dread, realizing that Hierro was not only better rested than Javier but he was also a master swordsman and apparently ambidextrous. He assailed Javier as precisely as he had his previous opponents, raining blows down against Javier's elbows, shoulders, and knees. All with his left hand. Blood poured from Javier's left shoulder.