The Unwilling Accomplice (Book 5) (17 page)

"Hear hear!" Canto yelled, and the crowd joined his calls. Ransan was not a popular fellow in the city, and to see him lose was the hope of many of the spectators.

Theowin held up his hands and silenced the crowd. "The Head Librarian has spoken, and we shall proceed with the duel. May the most skillful swordsman be victorious."

Theowin placed the pair five yards apart and stepped back. The air was tense as he raised his hand. The spectators didn't dare breath. Each combatant faced their foe, but only Ransan's tense but cocky expression was visible. Sins' eyes were narrowed, but nothing else could be seen beneath his hat and clothes. Theowin's hand paused a moment in the air, and then he brought it down. The duel had begun.

Ransan took a cautious step forward, but did not lunge. He wouldn't be the first one to make a move for fear of misjudging his opponent's arm reach and overstepping his thrust. Sins stood completely still and held the sword even with his body. His eyes watched Ransan dance closer to him, testing the air and distance for trouble.

"Are you frightened?" Ransan mocked Sins. He smirked when he received no reply. "Terrified to speak? Have you such little focus that you cannot answer me?"

Sins remained silent and Ransan's smirk died on his lips. He ground his teeth in vexation at being unable to draw out his opponent verbally or physically. There was nothing else to do but make the first move, so Ransan lunged at his opponent. Sins swiftly dodged the attack and knocked down Ransan's sword thrust, but Ransan's grip was strong enough that he didn't lose the sword. He jumped back and glared at Sins who resumed his posture of indifference.

"Have you no honor to fight when you have been challenged?" Ransan growled.

"You speak of honor as though you are familiar with the word," Sins commented.

Ransan scowled and thrust his sword at Sins' arm. Sins blocked the blow, but was thrown into full combat as Ransan attempted to jab his sword into various parts of Sins' body. He had difficulty finding specific parts as the cloak hid Sins outer extremities. Sweat dribbled down Ransan's forehead and his long hair stuck to his face as he tried again and again to break through Sins' defenses. Ransan jumped backward to escape a thrust from Sins, but he fell short of the safe distance and Sins jabbed him in the sword arm. Ransan stumbled back and clutched at the bleeding wound.

Ransan turned his attention to Theowin who stood nearby judging their conduct. "Castoring is strictly forbidden!" he yelled.

Theowin raised an eyebrow. "I saw no use of magic," he countered.

"No one's arm can be that long!" Ransan argued.

In the crowd came the distinct sound of a dwarf's chuckle. The companions looked to their short friend for an explanation. "That Ransan's an idiot if he thinks that's castoring," he commented.

"What do you mean?" Pat asked him.

Canto nodded at Sins who stood patient and erect. "Ah told him ta parry like a dwarf and thrust like a man, and by Phaeton he's doing it."

Ruth furrowed her brow. "What does it mean to 'parry like a dwarf and thrust like a man'?" she wondered.

"He keeps his arms close to himself when he's blocking to hide his arm length, and the cloak hides what he's doing," Canto explained. "Then he thrusts and uses his full arm length, catching that fool Ransan by surprise."

Ned chuckled. "Thus he keeps his arms short like those of a dwarf, and uses the length of his human arms to thrust. Very ingenious, old friend."

Canto puffed up and grinned. "Ah thought so," he agreed.

While they talked Ransan grudgingly resumed the match. Sins used the benefit of a cloak and the advice from Canto to keep the upper hand. The spectators and companions were so engrossed in the duel that none noticed that something was the matter with Fred.

CHAPTER 21

When the match started Fred watched the fight with less interest than the others of their group. His head throbbed with pain and he took a few steps away from the railing to be away from the more exuberant shouters in the crowd. He wandered backward farther than he expected and before he knew it he'd slipped far into the crowd behind them. The other spectators gladly let him through for the chance at bettering their own position, and before Fred knew what happened he exited the rear of the crowd. He clutched at his head and ground his teeth together as the darkness from before swept over him.

Fred tried to call out, but his voice was again swallowed in the shadows. He struggled to break free from the darkness, but his hands flailed at nothingness. There was only the small hope of light at the end of the invisible path. He raced forward only a few steps before he recalled Ned's word of advice for this dark area. Fred reached for his staff, but again the sticks were not to be found at his waist. He pressed his lips in tight determination and focused his mind on the light ahead of him. Nothing happened. The light stayed the same distance and the darkness the same blackness. Fred loosed his concentration and relaxed his muscles.

That's when the air around him trembled. Fred whipped his head to and for to see if something else caused the slight tremor, but there was nothing but darkness. He furrowed his brow and raised his hands palms upward. They were steady and relaxed. "Focus my mind," he whispered, and his echo returned the words to him.

Fred tilted his head up and glanced at the light that stood beyond his grasp mocking him. He breathed deeply and held out his hand toward the light as Ned had done for his staff. The air around him pulsed thick with energy, and above him the dark ceiling shook and flakes fell atop him. He ignored the changes and kept himself calm and composed.

The light inched closer, then jumped a foot. Fred reached his hand closer to the brilliance, and its speed increased. He felt as though he were flying forward rather than the light flying toward him as the exit grew brighter and closer. It barreled toward him now and Fred's eyes widened as he watched it cover the distance between them at an amazing speed. He dropped his arm, but the light continued on its hurried journey toward him. Fred lifted his arms in front of him and turned away just as the light crashed into him.

Fred felt cool evening around around him and his foot stripped on a loose stone. He opened his eyes and stumbled forward to fall onto his hands. The young man glanced up and saw he was at the wooden door in the hillside, but this time it was opened and the stairs were lit by torches that hung from the walls. In front of the opening stood Captain Lee with Ransan's sword assistant by his side. Near them sat one of the Diluvian Bee boxes on a crate. The assistant pulled a sword from his belt and brandished the weapon at Fred, but the captain set his hand gently on the blade and lowered it so it pointed at the ground.

"He's expected," the captain explained. Captain Lee knelt down in front of Fred and grinned at the young man. "Good evening, Master Fred. I hope you are prepared for the long voyage to your home," he commented.

Fred frowned and struggled to his feet. His body felt shaky and he guessed he barely had control of his movements. "What's going on here?" he questioned Lee.

Lee raised an eyebrow and stood. "Very interesting. It appears you aren't as unskilled as we assumed. In that case I must apologize for this." Fred's eyes widened and he reached for his staff, but Captain Lee jumped forward and knocked Fred upside the head. The young man crumpled, but the captain caught Fred before he fell to the ground and deftly threw Fred's limp body over his shoulder. He turned to Ransan's assistant and nodded at the box. "Release them when you wish," he instructed, and proceeded down the stairs.

Within a moment of his departure Fred's disappearance was noticed by both Ned and Pat. Pat saw his spot was taken by strangers, and turned her head to and fro. He was gone. She looked to Ned, and the creases on his face and his pursed lips told her he knew the same. "Did you see him leave?" she asked him.

"No, but-" Ned began, but at that moment a cry erupted from the crowd.

Sins had gained the upper hand in the duel and disarmed his opponent. By the rules of the duel Ransan was required to concede, so Sins stood over him and pointed end of his rapier against Ransan's throat. A tiny prick of blood pooled beneath the point. "Concede," Sins ordered him.

Ransan's face was twisted in disgust and shock at his loss, but his gaze flitted behind Sins and a smirk slipped onto his lips. "We will have to call this a draw," he commented.

Sins frowned and a cry rang up not from the crowd but from the terrace below the Dueling Grounds location. Everyone turned to the stairs where an elf maiden appeared. She was out of breath, but pointed at the direction whence she'd came. "Bees! Diluvian bees!" she shrieked.

Her words, and her steps, were followed by a rush of the creatures from behind her. They flew in large hive groups and the noise from their beating wings resembled drums of war. Espying the woman, they dove at her in all their fury. She screamed and ducked to the ground, but they flew upon her. A fireball erupted overhead and hit the center of the hive. The bees burst into flames and fluttered to the ground around her as balls of flickering fire.

Ned stepped out of the crowd with his staff clutched in one hand and Ruth, Pat, Canto, and Telana around him. Brother Birch hung back in the crowds cowering with the women and children. Theowin and Sins abandoned Ransan in the Grounds and met him near the stairs leading to the green. Sins reached the top of the stairs, glanced around, and slipped away from the others into the darkness of the coming evening.

"What is this?" Theowin exclaimed as he pointed at the pile of dead bees. Some in the crowd helped the woman to her feet.

Ned tilted his head to one side and frowned. "Only the beginning," he replied.

Pat heard the sound of more war drums, and turned toward the upper terraces. Several swarms floated through the houses and greenery, and when they espied the crowds near the Dueling Grounds their anger was riled. They swooped down the stairs toward the people, but Sins jumped to the forefront, removed his cloak, and caught one of the hives in his cloth. He slammed it to the ground, and Canto and he made short work of them by stomping on the writhing cloth.

Ned destroyed the other hive, but the sound of the buzzing war drums didn't diminish. On the contrary, it grew louder and more hovering hives appeared on the horizon above them and on the terraces below them. The air was filled with the screams of the few elves who hadn't come to the duel and were outside being attacked by the vicious bees. One of the victims, a guard, raced up the stairs from the lower terraces covered in the angry creatures. Their bare hands and face were swollen from the stinging and the elf cried out in agony as the bees continued their rampage on his body. Ned cleared the bees, but the elf collapsed on the ground. Pat and Ruth hurried to their side with Theowin close behind.

"The bees," the guard choked out. "We can't hit them with our magic. They dodge all our attacks."

"Don't speak. Rest," Theowin softly ordered him.

The buzzing sound returned, and Theowin and Telana jumped ahead of the crowd as another swarm came over the top of the steps.

Their hands glowed brightly with their magic and they threw blue flaming balls at the bees. The swarms easily dodged the straight throws, and the pair retreated backwards. Telana tripped and sent one of her throws in a spinning pitch at the bees. They tried to dodge, but the twisting and turning pitch created confusion among the hive and half ended up in the path of the flaming ball. The others caught fire because of their brethren, and the hive fell to the ground a flaming mess of dead bee bodies.

"Men, follow my daughter's trick! Everyone else take the children into the nearest home!" Theowin called to them. He turned to his daughter and clasped her hand. "Please go with them," he pleaded.

Telana shook her head. "No, I will stay here and take the lower terraces while you lead half of our people to the upper terraces," she suggested.

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Be careful, my daughter."

"I will," she promised.

At his command the crowd dispersed, but not in panic. The old and young were hustled into the buildings while torches were procured from homes, businesses, alleyways, and wherever else they could be found. The elf men stepped forward with their hands shimmering with light ready for the next attack. Theowin and Telana joined the ranks of the fighters and stood at the head of one stair and the foot of the other. They were none too late as more swarms swooped down and flew up the stairs, and the cries from the other terraces grew louder.

"Destroy them all and move to the other terraces!" Theowin commanded his fighters.

Canto and Ruth each grabbed a torch and helped with the battle. The old dwarf paused and looked at the crowd. "Where's those two gone off to?" he yelled to Ruth.

"Who?" she asked him.

"Percy and that confounded assassin! They've both fled!" he growled. Further complaints were cut short when they were bombarded by more bees.

In all the panic Brother Birch was swept up in the terrified masses, and he himself was not immune from yelling in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Lady Lamikan? Lady Lamikan!" he cried out.

While he strained his vocal chords and Ruth and Canto fended off the insects, Pat noticed Ned was gone. She saw a flicker of a cloak disappear up the stairs and flew after it. Pat reached the top of the stairs and her eyes fell on a trail of dead Diluvian bees that led into the depths of the houses. She followed the path at a sprint and was amazed not to catch sight of Ned until she saw him standing in the opening to the hill beside a Diluvian bee box that was mere ashes from Ned's magic.