A Dragon Born (33 page)

"You have many questions, Antal. I wish you the luck of the wind that the answers you seek will find you."

"All right, Lento," Aaron said. "Thank you for telling me a few things."

"Of course. Ask me what you wish to know. If I can tell you, I will." Lento smiled at him again, and Aaron was pretty sure that he was done answering questions. He was reminded of something that the pirate, Malek had said about the Ansari, that they often smiled on the outside.

Aaron turned when he saw a bright flash in one of the circles. The crowd cheered loudly as two sword fighters circled one another. One was a tall man with long, black hair, and the other a woman, who Aaron recognized as the sparring partner of the woman who had been cut in the face a short while ago. They walked slowly around the circle, their swords each held in one hand while their other hands conjured mage fire. The man with the long hair hurled a ball of fire at the woman, who leapt out of the way and sent a blast of fire back at him. The man rolled to the ground, dodging the flames but the woman leapt at him, her sword crackling with energy as it streaked toward his head. The man raise his sword to block but the energy from the woman's blade ran through his sword and he yelled in pain as every muscle and sinew in his body tightened in pain. The woman kicked the man in the chest, sending him flying to the dirt and she leapt at him, stabbing the point of her blade downward toward his neck. He rolled out of the way at the last second, avoiding what would have been a killing blow.

"Fighters in the circles use magic?" Aaron asked.

"You really do not know Ansari," Lento said, shaking his head.

"There are many things I do not know," Aaron told him, "but I am trying to learn. None of the fighters at Forsina used magic. I did not know it was permitted in the circles."

"Oh yes," Lento said. "It is not common in the circles like Forsina that border on the northern and western lands. The people in such places who have such powers that you call magic do not often become warriors. They are called mages, or priests, yes?"

Aaron thought about it and he realized it was true. In Maramyr, at least, mages were mages and soldiers were soldiers, though he had read some histories about kings and other important heroes who were warriors and also commanded magic. He supposed that he could do the same if he were willing to use his power, but it was strange for him to see sword fighters dueling in the circles and using magic.

He was distracted from the match by a commotion in the passageway to the warriors' quarters. A group of desert people emerged, carrying long staves and pushing and prodding at something, or someone, Aaron was not quite sure. The creature looked like some kind of lizard as it lay on the dirt where it had fallen, with its tail curled around it as it tucked its arms and legs in and huddled in a ball on the ground. One of the men struck the creature on its back and Aaron thought he saw some kind of magical energy come from the end of the staff, which was tipped with steel. The creature writhed and crawled forward toward he arena and away from the men with the long staves and Aaron saw that it was almost human and from the looks of its body, it was female.

"Why do you make such trouble?" one of the men yelled at her. "You will fight!"

"I don't want to. Please don't make me," the creature said, curling her arms around her and trying to cover herself as she glanced around at the stands filled with people, cheering on the fights that were ongoing in the circles.

One of the men held something out to her and whatever it was, it immediately had her attention. It was as though she had forgotten about the crowds and the staves the men carried and she pushed herself to her feet and walked toward him, her eyes never leaving what was in his hand. Her hand moved astonishingly fast as she snatched at it but it looked like the man was expecting her to try for it. He pulled his hand away and the others moved in with their staves, keeping her at bay.

"You want this?" the man asked, shaking his hand, and when the sleeve of his robe slid from his hand for a moment, Aaron glimpsed what he already suspected the man might be holding. It was a glass vial of blue liquid that glowed and shimmered as he dangled it in front of the creature.

"Give it to me," she said with a sharp aggression in her voice that contrasted with the helpless tone she had only moments ago.

"You will get it when you win the fight," the man said. The creature frowned and stared at the ground.

"I don't want to fight anymore," she said. "I never wanted to fight. Please, just give it to me."

"You want it, you fight," the man told her then he pointed. "Now go!"

The girl sighed and stuck out her lip, pouting much like the way Aaron had seen a few of the girls do at Ashford when he was a boy. She looked up at the man and her frown thinned as she hissed at him, then she turned and slowly began walking toward the empty circle that awaited her.

"Who or what is that?" Aaron asked Lento, who had just returned from seeing to the end of another match. Lento pulled a register book from his robes and opened it.

"Ah, yes," he said, excitedly. "That is a fighter called Lexi. This will be a special match at the request of the traders who hold the fighting contract."

"What is special about the match?"

"The traders have offered a very large prize of gold to any fighter who can kill the creature and it is an open circle."

"What is an open circle?"

"It means any fighter can enter."

"More than one?"

"Yes. It is a very special match. There are often very large wagers on such matches once the fight begins."

"Why would they do that?" Aaron asked. "Why would they make it a fight to the death?"

Lento shrugged. "I do not know. They hold the contract of the fighter. Besides, many of the fights in the circle end in death. It is often the way of things when steel meets flesh."

Aaron was angry about what the traders were doing. He remembered at Forsina when the traders had offered him potions that they said would make him faster and stronger and what Malek told him about what those potions did to the fighters, making them into slaves. When Malek had explained how the traders made their contracts, Aaron did not give it much thought at the time, but he now realized that it would not be difficult to force someone to make a contract if they were desperate for another potion the way the creature named Lexi appeared to be.

"Lento," Aaron said. "Is it possible to change fighters in a match?"

"It is possible, but not once it has started. As you know, once a fight has begun no one may enter the circle."

"Is it also possible to enter the circle but only to fight one match?"

"You mean, enter the circles not to become king?"

"Yes. Just one fight."

"We have done this before, for special fighters."

"I won against Kasha," Aaron said. "Does that make me special enough?"

Lento smiled at him. "You had a draw against Kasha but you have only fought in one competition, so it makes you a mystery. I will agree to this. Is there a prize?"

Aaron took out the bag of coins he had taken from Malek's ship. He held it out to the man.

"Thirty gold, fifty silver and six copper," Aaron told him, then he decided he might need a few coppers in case things did not work out. "Minus the coppers."

"Thirty gold and fifty silver? That is not a very large prize, but it is a respectable amount. Who do you intend to challenge?"

"Give me a moment," Aaron said. "Do not start the fight with that creature yet."

"I will wait a moment," Lento said, then he walked out toward another circle where a match had just ended.

Aaron ran over to the group of traders who were discussing the upcoming fight with a number of fighters who appeared to be interested in the prize. Aaron pushed past them and walked up to the man who had coaxed the creature into the circle using the blue potion, who appeared to be the leader of the group.

"I am Antal of Ashford and I would like to make a challenge," Aaron said loudly overtop the fighters who were discussing the terms of the fight. He noticed one of Lento's people standing nearby with a register, which the man opened at Aaron's mention of the name he had used in the fighting circles at Forsina.

"Good. There are many who seek the prize," said one of the traders.

"No," Aaron said. "I do not want the prize. I wish to make a different challenge."

"What challenge is this? The fight is about to begin."

Aaron looked at all the fighters gathered around.

"You all wish to kill that creature?" Aaron asked. The fighters all nodded.

"A hundred pieces is a lot of gold," said one of them. "Free food and drink is only good in Ba'shan."

"What is your challenge?" asked the lead trader, impatiently.

"This match seems cowardly to me," Aaron said, doing his best to look disapprovingly at the fighters. "I will fight on the side of the creature and I will add thirty gold and fifty silver to the prize. If any of you can get past me to the creature, then you get both prizes."

"So you are increasing the prize?" the trader asked. "What do you want from the arrangement? Do you wish to make a wager?"

"If the creature survives, then you keep your gold and I keep mine, but you will give me the creature's contract."

The traders conferred with each other for a moment, then spoke with the man with the register, and Aaron noticed Lento making his way to the circle where the blue scaled lizard girl stood just inside it, unmoving, with her head slumped forward and he hair hanging over her face.

"We will agree to this arrangement, if you agree to fight to the death. These fighters have already agreed to this term and we will not change it, so if you are not a coward, then you will also agree."

Aaron stared at the fighters.

"You have all agreed to this?"

"We are not planning on getting killed," said another one of the fighters, a grizzled looking man who was missing half of one ear and had a long scar running from his shoulder to his stomach underneath his heavy, leather armor. "Are you afraid to test your mettle, boy? Perhaps you're the coward."

"I do not want to kill you," Aaron said, and the fighters broke into laughter.

"You're already dead, boy," said one of them. "No one calls me a coward and lives."

Aaron looked at the angry faces of the gathered fighters and realized what he had gotten himself into. He turned to the traders.

"You will give me the contract and that potion you have hidden in your robes, if the creature lives and all of these men are either dead or unconscious."

"We agree to these terms, Antal of Ashford, though we think you are a fool. It is well known among the circles that your match against Kasha was one of luck."

"We will see about that," Aaron said. He nodded to the register. "Is the arrangement satisfactory to the registers?"

The man looked over at Lento, who was already waiting at the circle.

"It is satisfactory," the man said.

"Good. I wish you all an honorable fight," Aaron said then he turned and walked away from the laughter of the fighters toward the circle.

"You are an unusual fighter, Antal," Lento said as Aaron approached.

"I am not a fighter, Lento," Aaron told him.

"And yet you fight, seemingly without reason. I have a question for you now."

"What is it?" Aaron asked as he pulled off his desert robes and laid them on the ground outside the circle. He decided to keep the cloth wrappings around his face to make sure no one would recognize him.

"Why would you enter into such an arrangement as you have made?" Lento held up his register book. "You risk much and gain so little."

"Truthfully, I am not entirely sure," Aaron answered.

"Interesting," Lento commented, then he gestured toward the circle. "You must enter the circle now."

"Can you give me a moment to speak with the creature?" Aaron asked.

"A brief moment. The match must begin."

Aaron nodded at the man and walked into the circle, making for the lizard girl who stood at the far side.

"Hello," Aaron said. The girl did not move. "Is your name Lexi?"

She turned her head to look at him and he saw a wild look in her eyes that reminded him of an injured wolf or some kind of angry beast, fearful and deadly.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I am your ally," Aaron told her.

"I have no allies."

"Well, you do now. Don't ask me why, but I bet those traders you work for that you and I could beat all those men there and if we win, they will set you free."

"I don't work for them," she told him.

"I did not think so." Aaron

Her head tilted up and she squinted at him.

"Why would you help me?"

"I don't know. It just seemed right," Aaron said with a shrug.

"What does it matter?" Lexi said. "You waste your time. I will fight. I will beat them or they will beat me. I will go back in the cage, then I will fight again. I am a prisoner and that is my place in the world."