Chapter 30

Lysander reacted quickly. His sword cleared its scabbard before Faisal had taken three steps. He hadn’t really expected the desert people to need an hour to choose a champion, but he was surprised it was a woman.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind as he readied his sword to parry her charge. She was a tall woman, but still several inches shorter than Lysander. That gave her a shorter reach, but this was countered by her spear. Lysander stood his ground as she rushed him, stepping to his left at the last moment and raising his sword diagonally across his body, absorbing the spear’s thrust and letting it slide along his blade.

He followed through, sweeping his blade low aiming for the tendon in her heel, but she jumped just a bit and narrowly avoided the stroke. Lysander allowed the momentum to spin him lightly on his right heel and came to rest facing her still retreating back, his sword held in front of him in a guard position.

Faisal came to a stop and spun around quickly, crouching low, spear held out in front of her. Lysander was confident she wouldn’t throw it. Not when there was close fighting afoot. Still, it was a dangerous weapon, capable of both piercing and slashing.

On the other hand, the blade was only two feet long. The rest of the haft was made of a springy wood. His sword, on the other hand, was all blade. Still, the spear would be able to absorb overhand chops and slashes with ease. Lysander tested this by approaching and trying a two handed blow down on top of Faisal’s head. She deflected it easily and he used the rebound to try a slash at her left hip.

She dropped her left hand and blocked the second blow with the lower end of the spear. She began to circle Lysander and he matched her moves, considering. The flexibility of the spear’s handle was a double edged sword, he realized. Yes, it made the weapon more resilient to sword attacks, but it also helped quicken the rebound, which meant Lysander could rain blows upon his foe more quickly.

Faisal suddenly swung the blade at his head. He raised his sword, catching the blade on the crossguard and she twisted her whole body, snapping the butt end of the spear into Lysander’s knee.

He grimaced in pain, dropping to one knee. As he did so, the point of his sword dipped beneath her guard and he suddenly thrust upward with all his strength. She jumped back, but the sword was caught between her body and her spear. The sword sliced along her stomach and chest, drawing a thin red line.

She let go of the spear with her right hand, near the head, drawing her left hand quickly to the left. The blade flashed out toward Lysander’s head and sliced along his face, just over his right eye and down toward his ear.

Lysander grunted and jerked his head back as Faisal spun away. He flung out his right arm, holding the sword in one hand, and the blade bit deep into Faisal’s unprotected and exposed back.

She gave a brief cry of pain, but muffled it. Shouts rang out from the defenses as Lysander yanked his sword out in a spray of blood. Faisal stumbled and fell to her knees, but managed to hang on to her spear.

Lysander used his sword to help him rise to his feet. He wiped the blood from his eye with the back of his left hand and limped toward Faisal. She shifted her tenuous grip on the spear, moving her left hand closer to the blade. When Lysander’s shadow fell over her, she wrenched her arm up and back over her head.

Lysander swept the blade contemptuously aside and clubbed the back of her head with the pommel of his sword. She fell to the ground before her. Lysander reversed his grip on the sword, holding it in both hands, point toward the ground.

“No!” Liam shouted from the Imperial end of the square.

Lysander had his hands raised up and his eyes caught his reflection on the blade. His left eye widened as he saw what would one day become a hideous scar bleeding into his right eye. He gritted his teeth, looked down at Faisal splayed before him and with a savage growl, buried his blade between her ribs.

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