XII SETTLED DISPUTES
Raziel pushed his way into the congratulating crowd, and was joined again by his own party; Adoile, Axel and Rusanna. Adoile embraced him in her enthusiasm, it seemed the dark undertone of Kain's speech had been lost on her. She showered him in praise, but much of her words was lost in the tumult. Suddenly, Turel appeared in front of him, laughing heartily. Turel always laughed easily, and Raziel was happy to meet him.
"Good show, brother," Turel thundered in his ear as they embraced.
Raziel chuckled. "I'm glad you approve."
"Kain's blood! Of course I approve! This warmongery is madness; you were damned right to end it." He reached out and grabbed a full cup from one of the child-slaves. He drank deeply before offering it to Raziel. "Don't get me wrong," he continued, "I'm up for a good fight any night, but you in the south were turning bitter, and that will never do. It's just like you said. One clan, one king. Damned right." He grabbed the cup back from Raziel and drank to that.
"I had no idea you felt that strongly, Turel," Raziel said.
"I do," Turel said, the grin fading from his face for a moment. "Our allegiance lies with Kain, always. Not just mine, yours, but that of any of this rabble." His hand swept in a wide arc to indicate the crowd. Adoile dodged the blow only just in time, and stared at him indignantly, but Turel never noticed. "But we also owe allegiance to each other, Raziel. In times of trouble we must be free to call on each other for aid."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Turel," Raziel said, surprised. "You of all of us. I was afraid you would not see the need for cooperation."
"These are hard times for every clan, Raziel," Turel said solemnly. "My herds are moving away, the hunt takes my people further and further from home. There will be scarcity for all of us the coming decades, and the worst thing we can do now is fight each other over what we have left. If we ration and share, we can all pull through."
"Ah, so that's it," Raziel laughed. "It's my cellars you're after!"
"Well, yes," Turel admitted and laughed heartily. Then he took hold of both Raziel's shoulders and looked at him imploringly. "Raziel..."
"Raziel!" a thundering voice interrupted him. Dumah grabbed Raziel by the arm and embraced him roughly. Raziel was surprised at how much Dumah's stature had grown; the embrace pressed his face against his shoulderguard. Behind him, he heard Turel laugh again.
"Raziel, I have to congratulate you," Dumah said. "Not only did you crush Rahab, you made him sit up and thank you for it." He grinned maliciously. "You're a cunning snake aren't you?"
"Dumah! I did not make Rahab do anything," Raziel said, dismayed. "This treaty is meant to ensure we both get what we want."
Dumah laughed. "Ha, awfully convenient that Rahab wanted an invading army from you!"
"Dumah, you don't understand! I..."
"-- Are you saying I'm stupid?" Dumah interrupted, tapping Raziel on the chest briefly.
"No!"
"-- I'm on to you, little brother. Are you denying you're the one who set this whole thing up?" He swept his massive hands up to the ruined walls around them and stared at Raziel with wild eyes.
"Dumah, why are you picking a fight with me?"
"Oh, so you want to fight, huh?" Dumah thundered, making sure everyone around them could hear. Raziel noticed the twinkle in his eyes. "All right, let's have it out then," he grabbed Raziel by the shoulder and shoved him into the direction of the stage. "Up there!"
It dawned on Raziel that a fight was all Dumah was after, for whatever reason. He had no desire to fight his brother, but he had never walked away from any battle, and was not about to do so now. He hopped onto the stage and flicked his shouldercape back over the guard, to have both his hands free.
"All right, off with the sword, little peace-monger," Dumah said pointing at his side. "Let's make sure this remains a clean fight."
Raziel snarled at the implied insult and undid the belt around his waist. Inwardly though, he was laughing. Trust Dumah to set up a thing like this. He never could stand to be second, and now, with Raziel's success, he felt the need to reassert his own importance. Raziel hoped he would not also gain the satisfaction of winning, but he could not be sure. Dumah was a fearsome warrior. He tossed the sheathed sword to Adoile, who once again stood at the very edge of the revolving floor. She caught it and clunked it against her breastplate, a look of determination and pride on her face. "Get him, Raziel!" she yelled. Dumah laughed.
"Is that your second-in-command?" he taunted. "Oh no, save us from the mighty Razielim warriors! Ring the alarm, it's Raziel and his army of girls!"
Raziel knew it would have been wiser to await Dumah's attack, but he could not let that insult lie. He dashed at his brother, staying close to the ground and directing a blow at his midriff. Dumah blocked the slash, and the follow up, and swung his claws down at Raziel's head. Raziel had anticipated it and tried to slip around Dumah, but the blow still scraped his shoulder. It staggered him, and he jumped back to avoid another swipe aimed at his chest. He knew he could not have blocked that if he'd tried. Dumah's strength was monstrous.
Dumah advanced, keeping up a string of hard and fast attacks. Raziel managed to stay just out of his reach every time, but Dumah knew he would reach the edge of the platform soon enough. Raziel realised this too, and charged. Dumah met him with a straight thrust, but he ducked just under his claw, and Dumah got his knee up to block the swipe aimed at his side. Dumah spun around -- the little devil was so quick -- and warded off another flurry of attacks. When Raziel jumped at him again he took his chance and planted a fist square into his chest, knocking him flying. Raziel's claws missed the side of his face by a hair.
Raziel landed on his back, close to the roaring crowd. He did not have time to recognise their faces. He kipped back to his feet and met Dumah again in the middle of the stage. He knew he could not break the momentum of Dumah's strongest blows, but he could at least see them coming. He leapt back to avoid a swipe from Dumah's right hand, and immediately closed the gap again to attack Dumah's now exposed side. But Dumah was already out of the way. Instead of his unprotected side, Raziel's claws met a corner of Dumah's cape. Raziel grabbed on and pulled, throwing all his momentum into trying to pull Dumah off balance. Instead, the cape ripped and tore into two pieces. He backflipped out of Dumah's reach and held up the scrap of fabric. The crowd cheered, and Dumah roared.
"You will pay for that, brother!" He rushed at Raziel again, and this time, Raziel didn't dodge quickly enough. He caught the blow aimed at his chest square in the face, and stumbled back, clamping one hand to his bloodied face and the other up in front of him in a plea for a moment's respite. Dumah held up his claw and slowly licked the blood from his second finger. Below the high-pitched cheering around him he heard a familiar roar, "Dumaaahr!"
Rahab stood, unmoved, in the midst of the din, watching the fight with amusement. A deep voice suddenly sounded near his ear.
"Tell me, Rahab, why is it that Raziel and Dumah are rolling around like a pair of fledgelings?"
Rahab smiled. "I believe it's for old time's sake, my Lord," he called over his shoulder. "Something about an old debt."
Kain snorted. The crowd roared again, Dumah had knocked Raziel up into the air with a blow to the stomach, and Raziel landed crashed down on the unforgiving paving stones once more. He curled up in pain. Dumah raised his bloodied fist, taking his time to drink in the cheers.
Raziel rolled up into a crouch and looked at Dumah, who was a couple of paces away. They stared each other down for a moment. Raziel knew that if he was going to win this it would have to be soon. Dumah was far more powerful, and now that he was getting worn down, Raziel was losing speed. He jumped to his feet and Dumah charged him. Raziel rolled under his blow at the last moment, reversed his momentum with all the strength he could muster and kicked Dumah in the back. This was enough to send Dumah hurtling into the crowd, where he was caught by many hands to keep him from falling amidst them. Dumah struggled for a moment to get free and back to his feet, as the ground turned away from under him. It was all Raziel needed.
He pounced on Dumah, stabbing the claws of his right hand down into the side of his neck. His teeth followed immediately, biting down on the wound already opened. He tasted Dumah's dark, bitter blood on his tongue and knew that he had won. He drew it out for a moment before he pulled back, ripping the would open further. A spray of blood arched through the air and splattered the first rows of spectators. He walked backwards to the center stage, one hand raised in the air. The noise was deafening, drowning out any intelligible sound. Dumah got to his feet and turned around. He spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders, acknowledging Raziel's victory.
"In the back, brother..." he shouted over the din and shook his head. The cry "Raziel" was faintly audible among the general cheer. It was stronger the second time, and the third time Raziel was certain it was not just his own men. Dumah bowed slightly. "Very well, I bow to your superior... cunning!" he said, and Raziel laughed. He grabbed his brother's hand and embraced him.
"Maybe we should do that again sometime," he said. Dumah nodded, smirking.
"You know you can't always --" he stopped abruptly, looking at something over Raziel's shoulder.
Raziel spun around, and recognised with a shock the white-haired figure standing in front of the slowly turning crowd.
"If the two of you are quite finished," Kain sneered. The crowd had fallen quiet. "I wish to have a word with you, Raziel."
Raziel nodded briefly, and followed his Lord. The crowd parted respectfully as they walked together to the outer wall. Kain stopped and indicated the steel ladder secured to the ancient brickwork. Melchiah's machine was turning them towards it slowly. Without another word, Kain closed one hand over the other and vanished with a flash of light. Raziel was momentarily confused, but spotted him on top of the wall. Grumbling, he grabbed the ladder as it came past and started to climb. Kain hated ladders, but apparently he had no qualms about making others deal with them. He wondered what the Master would want to talk to him about. Had he done the wrong thing again? It seemed that no matter what he did, it served to aggravate Kain further.
Raziel pushed his way into the congratulating crowd, and was joined again by his own party; Adoile, Axel and Rusanna. Adoile embraced him in her enthusiasm, it seemed the dark undertone of Kain's speech had been lost on her. She showered him in praise, but much of her words was lost in the tumult. Suddenly, Turel appeared in front of him, laughing heartily. Turel always laughed easily, and Raziel was happy to meet him.
"Good show, brother," Turel thundered in his ear as they embraced.
Raziel chuckled. "I'm glad you approve."
"Kain's blood! Of course I approve! This warmongery is madness; you were damned right to end it." He reached out and grabbed a full cup from one of the child-slaves. He drank deeply before offering it to Raziel. "Don't get me wrong," he continued, "I'm up for a good fight any night, but you in the south were turning bitter, and that will never do. It's just like you said. One clan, one king. Damned right." He grabbed the cup back from Raziel and drank to that.
"I had no idea you felt that strongly, Turel," Raziel said.
"I do," Turel said, the grin fading from his face for a moment. "Our allegiance lies with Kain, always. Not just mine, yours, but that of any of this rabble." His hand swept in a wide arc to indicate the crowd. Adoile dodged the blow only just in time, and stared at him indignantly, but Turel never noticed. "But we also owe allegiance to each other, Raziel. In times of trouble we must be free to call on each other for aid."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Turel," Raziel said, surprised. "You of all of us. I was afraid you would not see the need for cooperation."
"These are hard times for every clan, Raziel," Turel said solemnly. "My herds are moving away, the hunt takes my people further and further from home. There will be scarcity for all of us the coming decades, and the worst thing we can do now is fight each other over what we have left. If we ration and share, we can all pull through."
"Ah, so that's it," Raziel laughed. "It's my cellars you're after!"
"Well, yes," Turel admitted and laughed heartily. Then he took hold of both Raziel's shoulders and looked at him imploringly. "Raziel..."
"Raziel!" a thundering voice interrupted him. Dumah grabbed Raziel by the arm and embraced him roughly. Raziel was surprised at how much Dumah's stature had grown; the embrace pressed his face against his shoulderguard. Behind him, he heard Turel laugh again.
"Raziel, I have to congratulate you," Dumah said. "Not only did you crush Rahab, you made him sit up and thank you for it." He grinned maliciously. "You're a cunning snake aren't you?"
"Dumah! I did not make Rahab do anything," Raziel said, dismayed. "This treaty is meant to ensure we both get what we want."
Dumah laughed. "Ha, awfully convenient that Rahab wanted an invading army from you!"
"Dumah, you don't understand! I..."
"-- Are you saying I'm stupid?" Dumah interrupted, tapping Raziel on the chest briefly.
"No!"
"-- I'm on to you, little brother. Are you denying you're the one who set this whole thing up?" He swept his massive hands up to the ruined walls around them and stared at Raziel with wild eyes.
"Dumah, why are you picking a fight with me?"
"Oh, so you want to fight, huh?" Dumah thundered, making sure everyone around them could hear. Raziel noticed the twinkle in his eyes. "All right, let's have it out then," he grabbed Raziel by the shoulder and shoved him into the direction of the stage. "Up there!"
It dawned on Raziel that a fight was all Dumah was after, for whatever reason. He had no desire to fight his brother, but he had never walked away from any battle, and was not about to do so now. He hopped onto the stage and flicked his shouldercape back over the guard, to have both his hands free.
"All right, off with the sword, little peace-monger," Dumah said pointing at his side. "Let's make sure this remains a clean fight."
Raziel snarled at the implied insult and undid the belt around his waist. Inwardly though, he was laughing. Trust Dumah to set up a thing like this. He never could stand to be second, and now, with Raziel's success, he felt the need to reassert his own importance. Raziel hoped he would not also gain the satisfaction of winning, but he could not be sure. Dumah was a fearsome warrior. He tossed the sheathed sword to Adoile, who once again stood at the very edge of the revolving floor. She caught it and clunked it against her breastplate, a look of determination and pride on her face. "Get him, Raziel!" she yelled. Dumah laughed.
"Is that your second-in-command?" he taunted. "Oh no, save us from the mighty Razielim warriors! Ring the alarm, it's Raziel and his army of girls!"
Raziel knew it would have been wiser to await Dumah's attack, but he could not let that insult lie. He dashed at his brother, staying close to the ground and directing a blow at his midriff. Dumah blocked the slash, and the follow up, and swung his claws down at Raziel's head. Raziel had anticipated it and tried to slip around Dumah, but the blow still scraped his shoulder. It staggered him, and he jumped back to avoid another swipe aimed at his chest. He knew he could not have blocked that if he'd tried. Dumah's strength was monstrous.
Dumah advanced, keeping up a string of hard and fast attacks. Raziel managed to stay just out of his reach every time, but Dumah knew he would reach the edge of the platform soon enough. Raziel realised this too, and charged. Dumah met him with a straight thrust, but he ducked just under his claw, and Dumah got his knee up to block the swipe aimed at his side. Dumah spun around -- the little devil was so quick -- and warded off another flurry of attacks. When Raziel jumped at him again he took his chance and planted a fist square into his chest, knocking him flying. Raziel's claws missed the side of his face by a hair.
Raziel landed on his back, close to the roaring crowd. He did not have time to recognise their faces. He kipped back to his feet and met Dumah again in the middle of the stage. He knew he could not break the momentum of Dumah's strongest blows, but he could at least see them coming. He leapt back to avoid a swipe from Dumah's right hand, and immediately closed the gap again to attack Dumah's now exposed side. But Dumah was already out of the way. Instead of his unprotected side, Raziel's claws met a corner of Dumah's cape. Raziel grabbed on and pulled, throwing all his momentum into trying to pull Dumah off balance. Instead, the cape ripped and tore into two pieces. He backflipped out of Dumah's reach and held up the scrap of fabric. The crowd cheered, and Dumah roared.
"You will pay for that, brother!" He rushed at Raziel again, and this time, Raziel didn't dodge quickly enough. He caught the blow aimed at his chest square in the face, and stumbled back, clamping one hand to his bloodied face and the other up in front of him in a plea for a moment's respite. Dumah held up his claw and slowly licked the blood from his second finger. Below the high-pitched cheering around him he heard a familiar roar, "Dumaaahr!"
Rahab stood, unmoved, in the midst of the din, watching the fight with amusement. A deep voice suddenly sounded near his ear.
"Tell me, Rahab, why is it that Raziel and Dumah are rolling around like a pair of fledgelings?"
Rahab smiled. "I believe it's for old time's sake, my Lord," he called over his shoulder. "Something about an old debt."
Kain snorted. The crowd roared again, Dumah had knocked Raziel up into the air with a blow to the stomach, and Raziel landed crashed down on the unforgiving paving stones once more. He curled up in pain. Dumah raised his bloodied fist, taking his time to drink in the cheers.
Raziel rolled up into a crouch and looked at Dumah, who was a couple of paces away. They stared each other down for a moment. Raziel knew that if he was going to win this it would have to be soon. Dumah was far more powerful, and now that he was getting worn down, Raziel was losing speed. He jumped to his feet and Dumah charged him. Raziel rolled under his blow at the last moment, reversed his momentum with all the strength he could muster and kicked Dumah in the back. This was enough to send Dumah hurtling into the crowd, where he was caught by many hands to keep him from falling amidst them. Dumah struggled for a moment to get free and back to his feet, as the ground turned away from under him. It was all Raziel needed.
He pounced on Dumah, stabbing the claws of his right hand down into the side of his neck. His teeth followed immediately, biting down on the wound already opened. He tasted Dumah's dark, bitter blood on his tongue and knew that he had won. He drew it out for a moment before he pulled back, ripping the would open further. A spray of blood arched through the air and splattered the first rows of spectators. He walked backwards to the center stage, one hand raised in the air. The noise was deafening, drowning out any intelligible sound. Dumah got to his feet and turned around. He spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders, acknowledging Raziel's victory.
"In the back, brother..." he shouted over the din and shook his head. The cry "Raziel" was faintly audible among the general cheer. It was stronger the second time, and the third time Raziel was certain it was not just his own men. Dumah bowed slightly. "Very well, I bow to your superior... cunning!" he said, and Raziel laughed. He grabbed his brother's hand and embraced him.
"Maybe we should do that again sometime," he said. Dumah nodded, smirking.
"You know you can't always --" he stopped abruptly, looking at something over Raziel's shoulder.
Raziel spun around, and recognised with a shock the white-haired figure standing in front of the slowly turning crowd.
"If the two of you are quite finished," Kain sneered. The crowd had fallen quiet. "I wish to have a word with you, Raziel."
Raziel nodded briefly, and followed his Lord. The crowd parted respectfully as they walked together to the outer wall. Kain stopped and indicated the steel ladder secured to the ancient brickwork. Melchiah's machine was turning them towards it slowly. Without another word, Kain closed one hand over the other and vanished with a flash of light. Raziel was momentarily confused, but spotted him on top of the wall. Grumbling, he grabbed the ladder as it came past and started to climb. Kain hated ladders, but apparently he had no qualms about making others deal with them. He wondered what the Master would want to talk to him about. Had he done the wrong thing again? It seemed that no matter what he did, it served to aggravate Kain further.