Chapter 12
It wasn't the first fight Tristan had gotten into with Mathias, but it was the first fight that got him into more trouble than he'd ever been in before. The repercussions went far beyond what he could've ever imagined.
He vaguely heard Celesta in the background. "Tristan don't! There's a better way to settle—"
But he didn't hear the rest. For the moment he felt so angry that he couldn't even think and his emotions took control. He threw a swift uppercut at Mathias's face, but the other guy anticipated the move and counteracted with a straight punch.
Tristan stepped backward, dodging the punch, but held his ground. Where had this guy's newfound confidence come from? The last time that he had fought with Mathias back at Canyon City, Tristan had come out on the winning end, hardly scathed. He decided that he wasn't going to let the young Rider's confident front keep him from finishing what he started though. He advanced, acting like he was going to throw a jab toward his face. Mathias brought his arms up to block him, but Tristan wasn't throwing a mere punch this time. He spun into a round kick.
Mathias dodged quickly to avoid the move, but wasn't fast enough and the blow landed against his upper arm. He toppled over, unable to keep his balance and went down. Tristan jumped on him, but before he could get another punch in, Mathias raised a knee into Tristan's stomach. Tristan fell back, gasping for air and had to roll quickly out of the way to dodge a kick from Mathias.
When Mathias missed, Tristan scrambled to his feet again to get a better stance.
"Stop it." Poppy pleaded, but neither of the young men paid any attention.
Tristan recovered quickly and immediately attacked Mathias again, switching to fast palm heel punches, but Mathias blocked all of them.
Tristan felt unnerved to see that his opponent had apparently improved his defense moves since their last fight. Doubt of his own success gripped his mind as he realized that he might've made a huge mistake in starting a fight with him. It was almost as if Mathias had wanted it, eager to get revenge since the last fight.
Mathias remained ready, hands raised, while a hint of a grin twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Tristan wanted to crush that grin, but he fought the urge to swing a fist at the guy's jaw. This time he needed to try a different tactic. Instead of trying to be the first one to attack, he hesitated just long enough for the other guy make the next move.
Mathias seemed eager for the chance to advance and aimed a fast hook toward Tristan's jaw. Instead of blocking, Tristan ducked swiftly and aimed a punch toward the other guy's stomach.
Mathias staggered backward from the punch, gasping, but Tristan didn't just punch. He moved both fists to the guys stomach and pushed, pressing his weight against his opponent, driving him backward. He didn't see the table behind Mathias, laden with pottery cups full of fruit juice and the enormous glass punch bowl and the assortment of refreshments. Mathias's back struck the table and it toppled over with a resounding crash while food, juice, glass, and broken pottery scattered everywhere.
Both of the young men ended up on the floor with the table flipped up on its side right behind them. While Tristan jumped to his feet again, Mathias grasped the edge of the table, hoisting himself up and clambered over it.
Tristan threw himself forward in an effort to knock the other guy down again before he got out of reach. He managed to strike Mathias on the back, but the table lying on its side between them got in his way, bringing him up short. The table blocked most of the strength out of his blow, but even so Mathias tottered, unable to keep from slipping on the shattered glass covering the floor on the opposite side of the table. As he struggled to stay upright, it gave Tristan just enough time to hurdle himself over the table in hot pursuit.
Tristan didn't count on the floor being so slippery either. He staggered and threw both arms out to steady himself. By that time, Mathias had regained his balance and seeing Tristan struggle, he saw his chance. He turned, dealing a swift sidekick to Tristan's unprotected chest.
The blow sent Tristan pitching backward onto the floor among the broken glass and pottery. He dropped his hands down in an effort to catch himself, but immediately regretted it as he felt the shards of glass slicing into his palms. His arms buckled. Broken glass and pottery crunched beneath the weight of his body, pricking through his clothes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mathias coming at him again. He barely had time to roll sideways in order to avoid the next blow. As he rolled, he felt the broken glass and pottery stabbing his back and arms. Since he was down on his back, he threw a fist out, striking Mathias against a kneecap.
Mathias stumbled, but still brought his other foot around, striking Tristan right against the side of his face, but the effort of performing the hard kick while slightly off balance caused Mathias to tumble down to the glass covered floor as well.
Tristan sucked his breath in sharply through his teeth, briefly immobilized by the pain which seared through the left side of his face, centered right below his eye. Explosions of colorful speckles marred his vision and his ears buzzed.
"That was for trying to take Fira away from me." Mathias spat as he scrambled to his knees and reached Tristan again within seconds.
Tristan barely had time to throw his arms up across his face, protecting it from the blow which slammed into his arms instead. But he forgot to keep one arm down to shield his middle. Having both arms up left his torso completely exposed and the next blow struck his already throbbing ribs.
"And that is for fracturing a couple of my ribs back at Canyon City. Hurts like Hell, doesn't it?"
Tristan didn't answer because for the moment he could hardly breathe against the pain. He dropped his arms down from his face and wrapped them around his middle. In his blurry vision he could see Mathias looming above him, fist readied for another blow. He tried to kick at the other guy, but Mathias dodged, shifting to the side while at the same time, bringing down a fist into Tristan's other eye.
"And that is for dancing with Fira tonight."
Tristan blindly rolled sideways, but another blow landed against the side of his mouth. Now he tasted blood.
"And that is for leading Poppy on without telling her who you really are."
Tristan realized with a feeling of deep regret that he was losing this fight—badly.
Before Mathias could rearrange his nose next, Tristan heard a ferocious growl breaking through the ringing in his ears. Through his blurry vision, he caught sight of Mathias being dragged backward by Sekani. The angry raptor had his jaw clamped over Mathias's shoulder, biting holes through the Rider's fine uniform. Mathias had a shocked look on his face as he struggled to free himself.
Then Tristan felt himself being hauled to his feet and the next thing he knew he was face to face with Brutus Harper. The man bent over so that he could look Tristan in the eyes. "What is the meaning of this?" He roared. "Tristan, someone told me that you threw the first punch. You'd better have a good reason for causing this disaster."
Tristan tried hard to look strong, to still look angry, but his chest felt like it was going to burst with every breath he took, and the pain in face was distracting, not to mention his head was spinning and he was really glad that the strong man was holding him up because at the moment he was afraid he'd fall flat on his face without the support.
"Papa!" Poppy bounded forward. "Please. Can't you see he's hurt?"
"He brought it on himself." The man growled. "If he's going to pick a fight he's going to have to deal with the consequences. He shook Tristan slightly. "Speak up, boy!"
Tristan managed to raise a hand and pointed at Mathias. "Him." He gasped. "He's got the tongue of a viper and the integrity of a fool. He doesn't deserve that uniform." Blood oozed from his busted lip as he spoke.
"That is my nephew." Brutus said contemptuously, "And I won't have you bad mouthing him right here in my house, much less picking a fight right in the middle of my living room floor. I don't know what you two are really fighting about, but it stops right here." He shot a glare at the other young man, but his glare shifted to dismay. "Someone get that blasted deinonychus off of him!" Brutus fumed.
Seeing that the huge man's anger was now directed at him, Sekani let go of Mathias, though reluctantly.
"Mathias, go clean yourself up. I'll deal with you later." Brutus commanded.
By now the swinging room had calmed down somewhat for Tristan. As his gaze switched to Mathias, he noticed that the Rider's uniform was shredded at the shoulder where the young raptor had grabbed it with his teeth and blood was quickly staining the material, blending in with the already red hued uniform.
Tristan felt relieved that the deinonychus was on his side.
Mathias walked away, wincing as he touched his shoulder, but he still managed to throw one last triumphant look in Tristan's direction.
Sekani, loyal to his family, snarled, and snapped his teeth at the guy's heels, causing Mathias to pick up speed as he exited the room.
Brutus practically dragged Tristan to the entryway. The people standing around and staring and murmuring to one another as they watched all blended into a colorful blur as Tristan passed them.
Then, Fira seemed to step out of nowhere, looking like a beautiful mirage in her green dress. "Tristan, apparently you have changed for the worse." She sounded angry. "I hardly even know you anymore. I mean, the way you've behaved here recently is about to convince me that you've stooped to the level of a Drifter."
Brutus paused. "What do you know about this young man?"
A shiver of fear coursed through Tristan's spine at hearing the girl's accusation. Drifter. And what made it worse was hearing that come from Fira, who had once been a good friend.
"He's not been entirely honest, I can say that much." Fira replied.
"Enlighten me." Brutus said.
Fira cleared her throat. "Poppy told me that the day she met him he was carrying an egg in his backpack, supposedly delivering it to the Sauropolis Hatchling Nursery. Well, I visited my grandparent's Hatchery just before coming here and no orphaned eggs had been brought in for the past three months. I just went and checked at the Sauropolis Hatchling Nursery and it appears that none have been brought there recently either. I just can't imagine what he's done with that egg."
She shifted her gaze to Tristan and glowered at him. "What have you become?" She hissed.
Tristan felt sick. So that's why Fira had disappeared for awhile. She had gone to visit the Hatchling Nursery. Had this party been set up just to trap him? Because it sure felt like it right now.
Brutus gave Tristan a hard look. "Well, are you going to say anything to defend yourself? This young lady here has delivered a very harsh accusation and for your sake, I hope she's mistaken."
Tristan's mind was spinning nearly as bad as his vision. "This is all a big misunderstanding." He finally managed to say.
"Go on and explain yourself then." Brutus challenged.
A minute dragged by while Tristan wrestled with his tangled thoughts, unable to figure out how to even begin explaining his way out of this terrible mess that he had somehow created himself. The musicians were no longer playing and people were murmuring to one another in low voices. It reminded Tristan of the grumble of thunder of a storm brewing in the far distance—a storm that was approaching to consume him.
"Nothing?" Brutus barked. "Alright then, maybe the city officials can get you to talk."
As Brutus led him to the door, Tristan caught sight of his two sisters watching. Celesta had a worried look on her face and Tiana stepped forward looking as if she wasn't sure whether she should slap Fira, or Tristan, or both.
Tristan swallowed hard, realizing how shocked and confused Tiana must be with all this new information which cropped up about the egg. He'd been so worried about how to explain about the egg to the rest of his family, putting it off for so long, and now this was probably the worst way any of them could find out.
As Brutus wrenched open the door, Tristan kept his eyes trained on his sisters as he raised two fingers to his lips, the signal they'd come up with when they were younger. It meant the same thing as "Shhh, be quiet," but two fingers meant, "And don't tell Mother and Father." It had been a long time since he'd used that signal since it was something they'd come up with when they used to play together as children so he hoped they would remember what it meant.
Tiana nodded slightly, conveying that she understood, but her eyes were filled with reproach.
Tristan shifted his gaze to Celesta and wished he had a signal that meant "Don't let anyone get that egg." Judging by Celesta's expression though, he decided that there was no need. She knew. She would take care of it. He trusted her. He had to.
Brutus dumped him outside the door and the young pachycephalosaurus who had ushered him in earlier that evening stepped forward at Brutus's bidding.
"Take this young man to the nearest street guards and tell them to escort him to the city officials." Brutus explained. "He's disrupted this event, been violent toward my nephew, and destroyed some of my best dinnerware. He won't explain himself and he's been accused of unlawfully keeping an egg from the Hatcheries. I want him questioned as well as punished for his rude behavior. And considering the way he has acted he could really be a Drifter for all I know."
Clearly the man was voicing his frustration, because the pachy couldn't understand all that. Brutus snatched a stick poking out of the message sand box by the door and using the universal footprint letters, he quickly scratched out a much shorter message for the creature. Then he turned to Tristan. "I am sorely disappointed in you." He seethed.
Tristan looked away. He was pretty disgusted with himself. So far he'd managed to let everyone down, his family, his friends, his skybax partner, and the little hatchling to be that the skybax had entrusted to him. That's what stung the most along with Fira's accusation and the betrayed look in Poppy's eyes.
Tristan refused to look Brutus in the eyes again. The fight was taking a toll on him and he didn't want the man to see his weakness. He tried desperately to keep from grunting in pain when the pachy hauled him roughly to his feet again. He fought the urge to double over and somehow managed to remain mostly upright.
Poppy pushed through the doorway. "Tristan!" She rushed toward him, but her father caught her before she could reach him. "Papa, please don't be so hard on him. You know how arrogant Mathias can be. He said some things that upset Tristan. This is all probably some huge mistake."
"That's no excuse for displaying violence." The man said.
"It's not fair! Mathias was violent too." Poppy argued. "Please don't send Tristan away. He's hurt."
"He'll be just fine. Now go back inside."
Poppy gave Tristan one last look. Her eyes reflected concern, but also confusion.
Tristan drew a ragged breath. "I'm sorry." He managed to say. It felt like such a lame thing to say and utterly pointless, but he couldn't think of anything better.
Poppy's eyes filled with tears and she fled back inside. Brutus followed after her, slamming the door behind him.