Page 84 of The Sundered Blade

The sound of clashing weapons drew his gaze to the hill behind Vaniell’s position, where Karreya and Urquadi clashed once more—her swift, slender shadow against his looming, armored bulk.

The general wielded his halberd alternately like a staff or an axe, moving from form to form with dizzying speed. With each swing, Karreya danced within a hairsbreadth of death, and yet she remained focused. Swift and tireless. In complete control. As Vaniell watched, fear and pride mingled until he was uncertain which emotion reigned foremost. Perhaps he had simply exceeded his capacity for such emotions. Or perhaps his trust in her was great enough that he believed in her assurances that she could win.

“That,” Vaniell returned grimly, “is the general of the imperial forces. He has engaged in a ritual combat, with command of the imperial troops as the prize. Pray that he does not win this challenge, or our chances may yet be less certain than I would prefer.”

Vaniell saw the cavalry commander’s eyes widen as he watched the two combatants circle and clash, then separate only to circle again. How long could it go on? How soon would the larger man begin to tire?

And how angry would Karreya be if he intervened?

“There is no time to waste,” he reminded Commander Ibbley. “We must focus our efforts on defending the city and putting out fires. But watch your backs, and keep an eye out for the dragons. We have allies who can aid us, so if you see the dragons engage one another, do whatever you can to seek shelter and wait.”

“Understood.”

The commander wheeled his horse and waved his men on, and Vaniell let himself take a deep breath as the columns of cavalry spilled into the city. Perhaps there was hope for Hanselm after all.

He turned back towards Karreya, hoping for an end to the battle, but instead, he found the two of them still locked in combat. A cry of panic ripped from his chest as Urquadi dropped his halberd, drew a sword, and attacked anew, his blade whistling through the air with impossible speed. Karreya bent herself backwards to avoid the blade’s path, and without stopping to consider his actions, Vaniell began to run. Perhaps there was nothing he could do, but he was beyond thinking, beyond planning.

Because somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he’d heard the small, quiet sound of a voice not his own. One that whispered of victory at any cost. One that believed protecting those she loved was more important than her own life…

Without knowing how, without knowing why, he understood that it was Karreya, and that she was about to make an irreversible decision.

He might not be fast enough to stop her, yet he had no choice but to try.

CHAPTER22

Sweat and smoke stung Karreya’s eyes, rivulets of blood trickled down her arms and legs, and a cut along her ribs sent fire spreading across her side.

Urquadi, too, was breathing hard and bleeding from a dozen places, but his armor protected his vital organs and still he fought on, as if unaffected by his injuries. As if with every stroke, he sought not to injure but to kill. The challenge need not end in death—and indeed, Karreya had hoped her grandmother’s orders would make him hesitate to take her life—but that was no longer a matter of certainty.

She had known there was more to being named Third General than experience, and Urquadi had proven his title was well-earned. He was swift, tireless, and canny, and thus far none of her tricks had made it past his defenses decisively enough to cause significant damage.

The injury she’d taken in the battle with Inci already slowed her down, and blood loss was beginning to take its toll. If she did not end the fight soon, Urquadi might well prove the victor.

But she could not bring herself to accept defeat. Could not allow her grandmother to triumph this time.

“Yield,” Urquadi demanded, his voice harsh with command. “I will kill you if I must, before I allow you to interfere with the Empress’s commands.”

“I will never yield,” Karreya replied, her teeth clenched against the pain. “This matters far more than my life. If you must kill me in order to win, then so be it. But know likewise that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you never return to the Empire to report your victory.”

“You cannot win,” he growled.

“And I will not lose.”

“Then we will both water this ground with our blood!”

Urquadi suddenly dropped his halberd and drew a sword. Without a single twitch to telegraph his intentions, he swung in a blinding arc, the blade slicing towards her even as a dagger appeared in his off hand. He was no longer holding back, and his attack left no openings for Karreya to avoid the onslaught. So she did not try.

This was what it meant to know herself. To know not only what she was capable of, but what she was willing to do to ensure victory.

Survival was not essential. Winning was.

All thoughts beyond that moment ebbed away, leaving only the dance of life and death, the breath in her lungs, the blood in her veins, and the flow of her enemy’s blade. She embraced the future she had chosen, committed herself to this final attempt, and bent backwards, like a reed before the wind.

Urquadi’s sword passed within a hairsbreadth of her bodice, whistling through the air with the force of his swing. But avoiding its vicious arc meant placing herself in the path of his off hand dagger, and she did not flinch.

The shining steel blade bit deep through muscle and sinew, piercing her side with icy cold. Karreya heard a choked cry in the distance, but she did not falter on her chosen path. She spun away, building momentum as she turned, sliding off the blade and ending precisely where she’d planned.

Behind Urquadi’s guard.

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