Page 153 of Promises to Keep

I glanced from the corner of my eye as a man’s voice emitted from the royal skybox. Ian the Troublesome had stalked to the rail and spoke loudly, “Fraoch, who do ye fight for? I believed twas for yer mother and yer king.”

Fraoch kept his eyes on the far arena, he said, “Aye, Yer Majesty.” Then he stalked tae his weapons rack and pulled off a hammer. He tossed it from hand tae hand checking the balance. He picked up the second hammer and tossed it up, flipping through the air, and caught it easily by the handle. He looked tae be checking the heft.

I watched carefully, he was pretending tae inspect the hammers but from the corner of his eyes he clocked the position of the guards near the doors, Lochinvar’s stance and distance, and then verra quickly, almost imperceptibly he glanced at the skybox.

The arena was filled with a verra loud clamor.

Hayley yelled, “Fraoch, I love you!”

He nodded, and without lookin’ up at us, tapped his chest with the fingers of his right hand over his heart, lightly, and then put his arms out, and boomed, “Are ye ready tae fight, boy?”

“Aye, auld man, ye ready tae die?”

Fraoch laughed, “Och nae, I am Fraoch, I never die, I am near invincible—”

From the skybox there was a commotion.

Colonel Quentin said, “Uh oh, something is... they’re looking at the door, do you think Lady Mairead is trying to get in their skybox, holy shit, she is wild!”

I glanced. Ian was up on his feet, Agnie was up, they turned toward the door at the back of the skybox.

My eyes returned tae Fraoch, who spun so fast it was breathtaking — his arm went from his side, and a hammer was loosed, hurled, barreling across the sky, slammin’ intae the head of Ian, and smashin’ his skull with a burst of blood splatterin’ across the wall.

The blow felled Ian over the back of a chair.

A scream went up from Agnie, screams and mayhem from the video-projected crowds. Agnie dove ontae Ian’s body, as a second hammer slammed intae her shoulder, knocking her back.

I looked down at the arena floor, Fraoch was clutching at his throat. He looked like he was suffocating, his face turning purple. He fell tae his hands and knees clawing at the band. Lochie ran toward him, holding his hammer — Hayley shrieked, “No! Lochie, don’t hurt him!”

But Lochie swung the hammer at a guard, knocking him stumbling away. He made it tae Fraoch, guarding over him. They were surrounded. Lochie swung the hammer around, clearing soldiers away. “Get back! Get back!”

“Holy shit!” Colonel Quentin yelled over the rail, “Everyone drop their weapons! Drop your weapons!”

I glanced at the royal skybox: Lady Mairead had forced her way through the door. For a moment she was struggling with Agnie, they fell over the chairs, clawing and swinging at each other, but after a tense moment ye could see a flash of steel in Lady Mairead’s grip, and then her arm plunged forward intae the stomach of Agnie.

She stabbed again and again.

Then she drew herself away from Agnie’s clutches, blood everywhere, with her dirk juttin’ triumphantly from Agnie’s body. Her lifelong adversary was dead.

Lady Mairead’s act of murderous vengeance had been projected throughout the arena. The blood-thirsty crowd cheered. Lady Mairead shoved Agnie away and stood. She nudged the bodies of Agnie and Ian with her toe, tae make certain they were dead.

Then she smoothed down her hair with a bloody hand and raised her chin, standing in her skybox, verra proud of the moment.

She gave me a nod.

Gunfire sounded, my eyes swept the arena. Lochinvar was on Fraoch, grasping the back of his neck, takin’ off the band. More blasts.

Colonel Quentin said, “No one is fucking dropping their weapons!”

Guns sounded from both ends of the arena. Quentin yelled, “Down! Down! Down!”

Hayley and I dove behind the bulletproof rail. Bullets sprayed the wall above us.

I yelled over the ruckus, “The soldiers daena ken who tae take their orders from, the usurper has been overthrown! I need tae get down tae the floor.”

The handle on the door was shaking, then fists banged on the door, then General Wallace’s voice: “Yer Majesty, let us in!”

Colonel Quentin crawled over, unlocked the handle and General Wallace led guards in tae protect us.

---