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reliable.
Slay them both, screeched Melekhi. She held her hands pressed to her thin breast. She craned to
watch.
The rapier came out smoothly enough, and the left-hand dagger. These Chuliks were past masters at
their art, trained from birth. I was in for a strenuous few murs or however long the fight lasted. The
problem would be to keep the emperor from being killed.
I never forgot he was an emperor. Now he struggled up and the look on his face would have quelled an
ordinary rabble. He grabbed for the bedhead table. He kept a sword ready to hand there as do all
sensible folk on Kregen.
I am the emperor! he shouted. Foresworn traitoress!
Now, emperor, I said. Remember. Remember the fight with the third party outside your very own
palace grounds? As I said this I crossed swords with the first of the Chuliks, who came on with great
panache. I twinkled his blade about; but he knew that one, and I had a quick little spot of nimble parry
and duck with his left hand companion before the rapier went into his guts and I could withdraw, skip
aside and so kick another Chulik betwixt wind and water. He staggered; but I gave him no time to fall, by
reason of the dagger that skewered into his eye. Bits of fluid gristle and blood spurted.
I remember that fight, Dray Prescot!
Aye. Well, I ll pull your hair again if you get in the way.
Two Chuliks were down. The four remaining came on, violently, rapidly, and I had a deal of ducking
and parrying to do, using the full of the blade, feeling the solid power of their blows ring and chingle along
the steel.
Get past him, you fools! screeched Melekhi. Get at the emperor.
You stay behind me, emperor! I yelled, and shoved him back with my shoulder, as cursing and
swashing his blade, he struggled to get past the bed and the table.
Because of that wide, ornate, draped bed the Chuliks could not get around me on one side, or leap at
my back. They had to come at me from the front and the right. This, I fancy, put them at a disadvantage.
There were four of them. Nath the Iarvin stood, blocky, solid, immense, at the side of his mistress,
watching it all with those cold piggy eyes.
And I saw, instantly, that the Chuliks would be cut down when they had done their work.
This Nath was good with a blade. Everyone knew that.
A third Chulik staggered back, most surprised. He had thought I would thrust with the rapier, having
feinted for that purpose, and he had dropped into line ready for the riposte. But my rapier held down the
blades of two of his companions, beating them back. My main gauche whipped across, very fast,
horizontal, very nastily.
The Chulik looked surprised because his throat was cut from ear to ear. He grinned at me with a
blood-bubbling mouth where his throat should be.
The fourth Chulik, for the moment disengaged, shoved his dying comrade aside to get at me, and as he
came on so I dropped and gut-thrust him before he even settled, and sent him toppling over on the last
long journey to the Ice Foes of Sicce.
The other two stepped back, their blades snaking up, free of mine, and so for a space we looked at one
another.
What do you wait for! Melekhi stamped her foot a futile, stupid gesture. Slay them both!
And Nath the Iarvin spoke.
He is a great swordsman, my lady.
And so are you better, by all accounts.
Then let me
Wait!
The Chuliks were filled with the blood lust and the purport of this exchange passed them by. They
leaped in, still deadly, still ferociously anxious to spill my tripes.
Well aware that this brooding Nath was watching my play I tried to play the next one cleverly and foin a
little and a Chulik blade sliced down my face. I cursed and jumped aside and my brand scorched across
his face, not where I had intended and I felt the steel jar against a tusk. He screamed.
This was turning from a pleasant little passage at arms into the bloody and squalid fight it truly was.
There was no Jikai here, I surmised.
Blood ran down my chin.
The two were heartened at this and came on. The emperor was still thrashing and swashing about, and
he near-nicked me a couple of times.
Keep you back, you great onker! I said. By Zair! I don t want your nose sliced off for my Delia to
see!
Let me at em! he was yelling, kicking the chair, the table, the bed, foaming.
My blade licked in and out, and the Chuliks, who can handle weapons, played me, one against the
other; but I had them in the end, although not as I had expected.
The right hand one stepped back. He stepped away from the struggle of his comrade. Swiftly he thrust
his rapier under his left arm and whipped out a throwing knife. It was not a terchick, being altogether
heavier and not so finely balanced; but it would do the emperor s business for him.
Fight fire with fire. There was no time. I lifted the left-hand dagger. I hurled it as my Clansmen hurl the
terchicks, riding the backs of their voves. Left-handed, right-handed, it makes little difference to a
Clansman.
At the same time I slid the point of the last Chulik and presented my point to his throat.
The main gauche flew true. It smashed into the Chulik s face, staggering him, bringing a great splashing
spurt of dark blood. And the rapier point slid, cutting through the windpipe and the jugular of the Chulik
before me. The distant yellow-tusk screeched, flailing about, spraying gobbets of blood, screaming. The
one before me glared madly, trying to wrench the blade from his throat, and that damned fool the
emperor came up well, not between my legs, but close by them surged up to take a juicy whack
with his blade at the wriggling Chulik.
The mercenary flailed over backwards taking my rapier with him.
I stood there, glaring myself, furiously angry,
Get back out of it, you fambly! I roared.
And Ashti Melekhi, in a voice like steel, said: Now, Nath. Now.
Nath the Iarvin drew his rapier and main gauche with the single fluid motion that told of a master fencer.
He advanced on me and the look on his dark powerful features meant only one thing in the whole wide
world of Kregen.
I stood before him, my hands empty.
Dray! screeched the emperor, squirming about between bed and table. A sword here take
mine!
Too late for that, rast, said this Nath, speaking up, very jovial, very purring-pleased now he had been
unleashed.
True, I said, brightly. True.
Nath leaped in with that smooth skilful poised motion of the bladesman.
So, with a sigh, I, Dray Prescot, Krozair of Zy, unlimbered the deadly Krozair brand, and with spread
fists, met that headlong charge.
His first swift passage aimed at sliding past the long blade was met and repulsed. He dodged back, the
main gauche fending. He blinked.
You d best put up that old bar of iron, dom. Make it easy on yourself. Just relax and, by the Blade of
Kurin, I swear to make it quick and painless.
And, as he spoke, cunning bladesman, he leaped again and so twinkled his blades before my eyes.
Cunning, cunning! Oh, yes, he was very good as a bladesman, this Nath the Iarvin. But I have been a
bladesman in my time still am, I suppose. He had not met a Krozair brand before. All that old agony
of indecision of mine about a Krozair brand facing a rapier well, that has been settled. The beautiful
blade, perfectly balanced, rotated smoothly, oiled, flaming with power, scorched in past his darting
blades, sank in over his silver-studded black belt, sank in and in and burst on through.
I withdrew.
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