- Chapter 6 -

Varmo eased back in the chair set out for him on the practice grounds. He was quite pleased by Theo's challenge. Though Halron professed to have no interest in fighting, Varmo could sense that his built-up anger was itching to release itself. This bout would be good therapy for him.

More importantly, the spoils of his victory over Theo was that no one could again declare a formal challenge to his leadership - at least not on Irinod's behalf, and there were no other contenders for the post. Furthermore, he'd have again proven his ability to resolve problems without loss of life. His position would be more secure than ever.

Varmo wondered if Theo had any inkling of the great favor he was doing for him. Probably not. Do-gooders tend to be blind to everything but their own good intentions.

Halron arrived on the field and purposefully moved to stand in front of him. Varmo frowned as he watched him come. Something seemed wrong; his friend's eyes appeared to blaze.

"Halron?" he probed.

"Where is he?" Halron asked in an impatient tone.

"Getting ready, I guess. He'll probably get here in a few minutes." His friend's only response was a grunt. He didn't even comment on his lapse into his old manner of speech.

Varmo shrugged it off. He was near an important victory; what could possibly stop him now? Whatever the matter was with Halron, it was nothing to worry about.

Theo turned up just moments later. He was flanked on one side by the castle gardener, and on the other by the girl he'd seen him with at the ball. He briefly wondered if he was doing this to impress her, but dismissed the notion; the human was too pure-hearted.

"We don't need to do this, Varmo," Theo said as he took his place in front of Irinod, loudly so that all who had gathered to witness the fight could hear. "If you just send out a rescue party for the missing troops, I'll drop the challenge. I'll gladly be part of the party."

"No," Varmo said. "We need all battle-worthy men here, to guard the castle."

"All we'll need for the rescue party is ten men."

"Those ten men could be the difference between whether or not an attack from Iom is repelled. I can't spare them."

"Come on. We could even do with just eight men."

"No."

"Six men," Theo persisted. "Just let six men go, and we'll bring our troops back safe and sound."

Varmo wavered a moment, but concluded, "No. To send only six would be condemning those six to death."

"Like you've condemned General Mayfair and the others?"

Varmo was tempted to let a pause fall in order to call attention to the rudeness of Theo's question, but he remembered the advice Halron had given him on dealing with the human. "If Theo's as well-liked as you say," Halron had said, "...you'll have no success in vilifying him to the crowd. You could even make yourself look bad by trying." Baring his lips, Varmo responded, "I have condemned no one to die. If they are still alive, they do not need our assistance. You are wasting your efforts."

It was a risky argument; Theo might actually listen and withdraw the challenge. But Varmo needed the people to see him as the reasonable leader. Theo answered, "I won't accept that. They're alive, and we owe them all the help we can give."

"You're being stubborn."

"Yes, I am." He gave a shake of his head. "Let's get this over with."

His words were bold, but Varmo noticed he was slightly trembling.

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Before Theo could take his position, Vyra suddenly galloped up, blocking the way. "Theo, you mustn't do this. If you won't think of yourself, think of Jane! She cares about you."

Theo lowered his head, struggling with himself. "I'm sorry I let her get close to me at a time like this," he said to Vyra, voice trembling with shame. "But if Jane wants me to give up, all she has to do is ask. She's actually supported my doing this."

Vyra scraped at the ground with a hoof. "If you won't withdraw the challenge, then... let me take your place."

Theo looked up at her in surprise. "Why the change of heart?"

"Because you've returned Jane's affections. I don't want to see her lose you."

After a second's thought, he smiled at her and shook his head. "Thanks for the gesture. But Jane needs you more than me. She's only gotten close to me recently; I can't give her support like you can. Besides... from what I hear, no one can match Halron for strength and fighting ability. The only area we can beat him in is agility. You're a centaur. You wouldn't last five seconds." He gave Vyra a friendly pat on her equine frame. "Us humans are renowned for our agility. I still think you would've been the better choice against Varmo, but against Halron..."

"So, you believe you can prevail over him?"

"I would have withdrawn the challenge if I didn't. I swear I would have."

"Enough dallying, lad," Eru cut in. "If you have any doubts at all, withdraw the challenge. If you don't, now's the time to step up."

Theo nodded; Vyra was already backing off. But suddenly a voice cried out, "Wait!" Eru groaned at the new interruption, and Theo turned to see Dave breaking through the crowd. The youth stumbled up to him and gasped out, "You can't fight Halron. Binuto was bullying him just now; he's in a bad mood times ten. He said something about crushing worms... Theo, he's ready to kill someone."

"You've got some nerve," Jane said, shoving him away from Theo. "Trying to scare him out of the fight. Lying to get your way is a new low for you."

"It's the truth!" Dave protested. "If you send him out there, it's murder. Theo, he'll kill you!"

"Would you -"

"Easy, Jane," Theo interrupted. In spite of himself, his heart sank at the words, "he'll kill you". The last thing he wanted was for them to fight about it. "I'm sure Dave believes what he says. But Dave, you're overreacting. Halron wouldn't kill me just because he was in a bad mood."

"Do you know him!? Huh?"

"My mind's made up, Dave. It's a risk I have to take."

As he turned back towards Halron, Jane caught him from behind and planted a kiss on his cheek, sending a flurry of feeling through his breast. "You can do it," she whispered in his ear.

Eru clapped a hand on Theo's knee. "No fear, lad. Fear will kill you every time; that's the way of battle. Just remember everything I taught you this mornin'."

Theo sighed inwardly as he stepped into position. He could remember it all, but wondered how much of it he could execute properly. There'd been no time to practice.

"Warriors," announced one of the judges, a young dwarf, "...choose your weapons."

"Bo," Theo answered. The choice of weapon was mostly formality, of course. A centaur already stood ready with a long pole of hardened bamboo, which he handed off to Theo as soon as he spoke.

The instant this was done, Halron said "Bo."

What... the...? With rare exceptions, beastmen never bothered to master weapons. Their bare hands could do lethal damage already, and were more intimately connected with their intent. The only beastman Theo knew to have wielded a weapon was Dantom, and he had probably adopted the sword mainly for its ceremonial value. What was Halron playing at? Theo looked to Varmo, as he was much easier to read. But the kyantol looked nearly as puzzled as he was.

It took several minutes to comply with Halron's unusual request, but at length they found a second bo. It was inferior to Theo's: roughly a foot shorter, and made of wood. While the judges read the rules of formal battles, Theo smiled awkwardly at Halron and said, "Sorry we have to get to know each other this way." The beastman said nothing. Theo noticed he had an improper grip on his bo, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that he was simply pretending to be unfamiliar with the weapon.

Varmo announced, "Well, the rest of it is just formalities, is it not? Are the participants ready?" They nodded. "Begin!"

They started at a room's width apart. Halron bounded across this distance in under two seconds. Panicking, Theo rolled away from his opponent, tucking his staff against his belly. He'd expected Halron to be fast, but not this fast. In spite of his quick maneuver, the beastman was upon him again in a second.

Theo brought his bo up over his head, stopping Halron's strike. The impact sent shudders through his bones. He stared at Halron's face looming high above him, and his throat went dry at the fury in those eyes.

Halron increased his attacks, striking on every side in quick succession. But the onslaught only served to restore Theo's hopes. He was comforted to find that Halron had not been feigning his inexperience with the bo; in spite of his speed, the blows were not difficult to deflect. It also made him realize how foolish his fear at Halron's strength was. So long as he wasn't clumsy enough to stop a direct blow again, he would never need to feel more than a fraction of that strength.

His skill could even be used to turn that strength against his foe. Theo parried a strike aside at the last instant, making Halron over-commit his momentum. Even with his beastman reflexes, he could not recover before Theo struck him a hard blow to the head.

Though the stroke plainly hurt, rage did not make Halron clumsy. He nearly caught Theo by surprise with an underhanded stroke. Halron was getting the idea of it pretty quickly.

Have to take the offensive fast. Focusing beyond his situation, Theo called to mind his store of techniques, devising a plan of attack. Halron was still predictable enough that he could plan in advance, and Theo executed his pre-conceived series of moves. Halron faltered, only narrowly blocking even feints, and in a moment Theo scored a trio of hits on both sides of his head and his shoulder.

He underestimated the beastman's speed, however, and his attack left him open just long enough for Halron to strike him at the right underarm. The blow rocked him with pain and sent him tumbling to the earth. Halron closed in.

Lying half-dazed on the ground, Theo quickly realized his danger: if he let Halron on top of him, it would be all over. He'd never be able to get out from under his strength. Noting that Halron's defense was still crude, Theo raised his bow and stabbed hard into his solar plexus just as he reached him. He tumbled to the ground, giving Theo time to get back to his feet.

He froze at the sound of a snarl coming from Halron's lips. Rising from the ground, Halron took his bo in both hands and snapped it in two. He held the two pieces like daggers. What would have been a laughable gesture for most creatures was frightening in this instance; with Halron's strength, he could thrust the jagged broken end of a bo right through his heart. There was no question now: Halron was out for his blood.

He lunged for Theo, who parried to the side, narrowly dodging the sharp stakes. Jeez! Gotta disarm him... He made a wide, one-handed sweep with his staff, knocking the shaft from his right hand.

This time, it was Halron's skill he had underestimated. Even left-handed, the beastman managed a thrust that smoothly bypassed his defenses. Only by turning aside was Theo able to avoid a fatal cut. Instead, the broken staff plunged deep into his side, not far below his left arm.

For an instant Theo stared at it in shock, the pain immense, the sound of Jane's dismayed cry heart-rending, but neither able to match the simple horror of nearly a foot of tapered wood penetrating his body. A new anger flooded through him, a rage that was entirely personal.

He's trying to kill me! his mind screamed. I never did any wrong to him, and LOOK AT WHAT HE'S DONE TO ME! He slammed the end of his staff full-force into Halron's belly, doubling him over. He followed it up with a swing at his head.

Halron caught the staff before it could hit and punched Theo in the chest, knocking him back and pulling the bo from his grip. The landing tore Halron's crude pike from Theo's side, ripping out a chunk of flesh. This time, however, Theo refused to let the pain overcome him, immediately retaliating with a kick to the paw holding his bo. He caught it as it fell from Halron's sore fingers.

Anger fueled him now. He wasn't fighting Varmo any more; he was fighting Halron. For his survival, for his dignity. He reminded himself that there was the lives of Natasha and the others riding on this as well, and that intensified his will. Readying himself, he backed off and waited for Halron.

The beastman was unarmed now, making him more of a challenge than ever. He moved towards Theo, who responded by launching himself into a flip that landed him behind Halron. Without sparing an instant, he swept his bo over his foe's head and pulled it against his throat. He only managed to choke him a second before Halron threw him over his shoulder. As he landed, however, he slammed his staff back into Halron's jaw in a blind thrust. He immediately followed through by sweeping the beastman's legs out from under him.

It worked... my agility threw him off guard. My one advantage trumped his two. Theo aimed his staff for a finishing blow.

Then he froze. He saw his foe laying there, temporarily helpless, and recognized who he was. A man hardened by cold, cruel treatment from his peers... treatment he did not deserve. He'd never been given a chance. His rage, his distrust, were only defenses against cruelty and ostracism.

The pain that suddenly struck Theo's heart became irrelevant against the pain of Halron's foot punching into his chest. It was a calculated kick, and besides the searing pain, his muscles seemed to have lost all function. He fell face first to the ground. Halron's hand wrapped around his neck and lifted him off his feet. The beastman's face blurred in his vision. He struggled to do something, anything, to break free, but his body would not listen to his mind's instructions. The only thing to do was prepare for death.

Jane... I'm so sorry...

"Yield."

He blinked an eye. "Wh...whuh?"

"Do you yield?"

All that rage in his eyes... and he isn't going to kill me after all? "Yes..."

"The challenge is finished," a judge announced. "Varmo is the victor."

Halron deposited him on the ground. Jane was immediately there, holding him up into a sitting position. A healer was at the ready as well to end to the injury in his side. Varmo must have sent for one when he got hurt.

"Thank the gods," Jane said breathlessly. She looked up at Halron. "I was so scared... I thought you were going to kill him."

"Perhaps I would have," Halron answered. "But it would not have been fair; he did not truly lose the fight. It was his hesitation that cost him the victory... hesitation brought on by compassion, not lack of skill. I could not slay one who only lost because he cared for me." He cast a brief glance at Theo. "I pray that your injuries are soon healed, warrior." He turned and walked away.

Watching him go, Theo murmured, "He's lying."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked.

"He couldn't have -" He broke off for a gasp of pain as the healer pulled free one of the splinters lodged in his side. "...couldn't have made that move if he was as dazed as I thought. He must have rolled with my hits... he wasn't vulnerable to me at all, even before I hesitated." He looked sadly at Jane. "I think he was going to win anyway."

Jane bit her lip. "You mean... he spared your life... just out of thankfulness for one moment of compassion? Poor guy..."

Theo nodded. "I wish... I wish I'd known him sooner..."

"Man!" The two of them looked to see Dave approaching, Binuto hovering just behind. "You lucked out there somehow, Theo. Thought you were a goner for sure."

"Told you he wouldn't kill me just because of a bad mood. So you came to watch, huh, Binuto. Even though you wouldn't fight Halron yourself."

"Yeah." Binuto shook his head. "Very disappointing fight you put up there, Theo. Very disappointing."

Dave turned and looked up at Binuto, face slowly wrinkling in suspicion. "Hey, wait a minute... You wanted Halron to kill Theo!"

"Huh?" Jane exclaimed. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"He hates Halron because of what happened to his parents," Dave explained, still glaring at Binuto. "He knows how well-liked Theo is. So he taunted Halron... got him all riled up... so that he'd kill Theo in the fight. If anyone out there had any love for Halron at all, they sure wouldn't after that! That's why you wouldn't take on the challenge against Varmo! You wanted to shame Halron before you killed him."

"Oh, please!" Binuto said, his voice laced with anger. "I'm sick of your paranoid rants, David. Did it occur to you that I might have been getting Halron angry so he'd be careless and predictable, making him easy to defeat? Theo couldn't even get that right. Next time you should think before you open your mouth," he finished, poking Dave in the chest with his index finger. He turned and stalked off.

"...Man, I hate that guy," Dave muttered, loud enough for Theo to hear. "I'd challenge him to a duel right now, if it weren't for the fact that just a look from him makes me soil myself."

"Theo..." Jane said. "Do you think Dave's right about him?"

"I..." he gasped out as the healer worked at pulling free the last few splinters, "...I'm sorry, but... I just don't care about that right now."

"Oh, right. Sorry." She lightly massaged his shoulders. "You're so tough."

"I guess." He sighed. "Jane... people like you and me don't really change anything, do we?"

She looked like she didn't know what to say, so he went on, "We're not like Natasha or Yeesha or Varmo. I mean, look at this fight... I've accomplished nothing here. Nothing but causing you and Vyra and Dave a lot of grief, and picking up a lot of bruises. And Halron nearly bloodied his hands because of me..."

"No, he didn't!" Jane returned. "You showed him that someone could care about him. He would never kill someone who did that. You did the right thing for him." She kissed his sweaty mop of hair. "It doesn't matter if we don't really change things; we have to be who we are. We have to keep trying. 'Cause someday, it might make a difference. Maybe you even made a difference for Halron."

"Yeah..." he said, finally managing to raise one of his arms to wipe some of the blood from his mouth. "Maybe you're right."

"Wonderful," Dave remarked dryly. "So neither of you has learned anything from this whole mess. Well, what can I expect." He shrugged and walked off.

Jane frowned. "Someone needs a serious attitude adjustment."

"Jane..." Theo reached out and lovingly clasped her free hand. "Thank you so much, for standing by me in my foolishness - or heroism, if you'd rather. I don't know what I'd have done without a lady like you by... by my..."

Their eyes met. Neither moved as silent words passed between them. The stillness remained for long moments, until Theo, in a fit of bravado, raised her hand to bestow on it a kiss. Vyra, who stood nearby, smiled in pleased amusement.

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"Well done, my friend," Varmo complimented Halron as they headed towards his quarters. "Though there was no need to hurt him. He is above all a loyal Cypressian, and I'm sure he won't make any trouble now that his chance to overthrow me is lost." He grimaced. "If I have people unnecessarily brutalized, that makes me little better than Woldol. You weren't under the impression that I'm... bloodthirsty, were you?"

"No."

Varmo studied him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"...I feel like I just lost a good friend."

Varmo smiled. "I'm right here."

"So you are." Yet somehow, that didn't seem like anything to cheer about anymore. Varmo had been good to him, and for that he was grateful. But the kyantol was arrogant, frivolous, and sometimes tiresome. There was no use denying it: he didn't like Varmo all that much. Now he knew that he could have chosen a better friend, but it was too late.

"By the way, did Apex of the World ever turn up?"

Halron scowled. "Binuto stole it. And destroyed it."

"What? ...You're sure?"

"He did it right in front of me. In his childish little way."

Varmo shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear it. Well, what would you like for his punishment? We can even arrange an 'accident' if you feel that strongly about it."

"I want nothing done to him yet, thank you. I plan to deal with him myself. His time will come."

"Very well. However, if your book's been destroyed, then there's no reason not to give you this now." Coming to a stop, he reached into his robes and took out a book. As Halron accepted it from him, he read the words on the cover: "Apex of the World".

"How...?" he got out, astonished.

"I found a copy in King Nicholas's personal collection this morning. It seemed like a good reward for dealing with Theo." Varmo made a lopsided smile. "Of course, if His Majesty should return, we'll in all likelihood have to restore it to him. But for now at least, it's yours. Sorry that I couldn't do better."

Halron opened the book to a random page, ascertaining that it really was the same book in readable condition. "...Thank you," he said in a choked voice.

"You're welcome. Now come on," Varmo said, picking up the pace once more. "Our little victory calls for a celebration, and I think I've still got some of that wine left."

END