Day 15 of Midwinter, Sunrise
Training Grounds, The Deep Realm
Annwn
“You look like chet,” Tethra teased. She had never been one to keep her thoughts from me, no matter what they were. We walked together and headed for the training grounds.
I shrugged. “I feel like chet, so that makes sense.” Tethra, back in her typical braided leather armor, looked downright refreshed. In the meantime, I apparently looked awful. Thinking back to my dreams, I wasn’t surprised.
She elbowed me gently. “You are much too worried about this duel, Béstin. I have trained with Corb all of my life. I know his weaknesses better than perhaps he does.” We stopped in front of an isolated circular stone training area. The training grounds were similar in size to the duel pit, but unlike the duel pit, weren’t sunk into the ground. “True, he is bigger and stronger, but I have always been faster and smarter.”
I placed my canteen on the ground outside of the carved perimeter marker, searching for the right words. “It isn’t that I doubt your skill. It is what might happen if you lose.”
“I am aware of our situation.” Tethra began dropping all manner of training weapons outside the marked line. As I watched her prepare for our sparring match, I felt the knot of worry in the deepest recesses of my heart expand almost painfully.
Tethra dropped a final, wicked-looking dagger to the ground before turning to face me. “I know you think Corb is untrustworthy, but he is still kin. He was raised under the same strict rules of our father as I.” She shot me a pointed look. “And you are not to do anything that would cast doubt on the validity of the final outcome.”
I couldn’t tell her that with every moment, I could see the tendrils of haze growing stronger around her. Some had begun to wind their way toward my own body. I met her eyes. “I know you would never forgive me…”
“…but?” She clearly could tell I was holding back.
“IF I saw him breaking the honor code, I couldn’t promise to stay idle.”
Anger flared in her unnaturally blue eyes. Her voice came out harsh. “You will do as I say in this matter, not only because I will be your queen, but because of the love you feel for me.”
I drew back, shocked. For four years, Tethra had been the one person I could always count on. She had been the one to collect me from the Heart-shaped Pool. Hers had been the first face I’d seen in the strange world I’d found myself in, horribly injured and without my memories. I was fiercely loyal to her and knew that she felt the same. We had eaten together and fought together. We had spent countless hours together, talking of the Fomorian culture and the world around us, talking about everything, it seemed… but we had never talked of love.
“Well, say something.” Tethra stood still, her expression defiant. It would have looked cold and stern to anyone else, but not to me. I knew every curve of face and could read her every mood. Right now, her eyes, while fierce, were pleading with me to respond. The silence felt heavy between us.
“You know that I do,” I finally said. “That is why I need you to promise when you fight him, you won’t treat him like a brother. He is your enemy. He is my enemy. He is the enemy to all of our people.”
She chuckled, breaking the strange, tense mood. “Are you really instructing a Fomorian daughter on how to do battle?” She raised an eyebrow as if daring me to argue. She stood still, her footing sure on the open stone floor. She looked like a cat who was biding her time until she lashed out with deadly claws. Orna was already in her hand.
I readied Fragarach, swinging my wrist to warm up. “I’m serious, Tethra. He will not treat this as a sparring match. Despite the traditional vows you will both say before the duel, this is not about honor for Corb.”
She held up the sword in a salute that I knew indicated it was time for us to begin. When her attack came, I parried, knowing from experience that the only way to counter her incredible speed was to actually anticipate her actions.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“What do you think it IS about then?” she asked. Orna sliced through the air, almost blindingly fast. Fragarach met her sword with a clash.
“It’s about power… over you… over our people. It’s about taking power back from Nuada. And I think it won’t matter what is left after he is done grasping for it.” I straightened from my fighting stance, willing her to listen. “He would burn it all down just to sit atop the smoking pile of ash.”
Tethra took advantage of my pose, springing forward with her blade. I quickly recovered, barely managing to block her attack. I had a feeling my left arm would be feeling the effects of that blow for weeks to come.
“What is the Mná na Mara take on Corb’s reappearance?” I asked. I darted in, feinting with my sword, then pivoted at the last second to deliver an unorthodox stomp to the top of Tethra’s booted foot. She responded with a hard punch to the top of my head. I shook my head, momentarily dizzy.
“I see what you are doing, Béstin, but if you truly want to prepare me, grow bigger and stronger.” Her eyes crinkled with laughter.
I charged forward, attacking with a flurry of blows. Our swords locked. While Tethra was bigger than me, I was more equivalent in strength to Corb than she was expecting. I leaned into my attack, finally forcing her massive blade crashing into her face. There was a crunching sound as her nose twisted, her eyes tearing with the sudden pain.
Pressing my advantage, I moved to deliver a brutal kick, hoping to catch her thigh and send her to the ground. Instead, Tethra snatched my foot from the air, using my momentum to toss me away. She wiped her eyes, narrowing them at me in irritation.
“The Women are under no illusions as to who Corb is and who he followed.” Her eyes tracked my movements.
“Then why do they let this happen?” I demanded. I leaped at her as the words left my mouth, trying a repeat of my earlier move. Her sword whipped up to parry mine. Sparks flew as she slid Orna down Fragarach to the cross guard. The blade flew from my hand. I stared dumbly at Fragarach on the ground between us, realizing that both Tethra and Orna had known my attack even before I had. I raised my eyes to Tetha. She smirked.
“The Women can see his strength,” she said, “and the only thing they value more than strength is honor. But many of them share his desire for revenge.” She took a step back, gesturing for me to pick up my sword.
I took my time, thinking. I had been trying to fight as I thought Corb would, using strength and unexpected attacks to throw Tethra off. It hadn’t worked. I knew he wouldn’t be allowed to use the ranged fire attacks from the Evil Eyes, but the innate abilities of Fuilgeir would make Corb faster and stronger. I pictured the double-bladed Blood Cleaver and thought back to the added abilities it would grace Corb with. How could I imitate those conditions?
I moved to pick up Fragarach, crouching and rolling smoothly into a striking position. Tethra took up a defensive low-block stance. Using my Transform Energy boon, I slowed her kinetic movements the way I had done with the cannonballs and arrows on the battlefield of Brú na Dallta. While her movements remained slow, I slashed with my sword, scoring a quick hit to her ribs.
Tethra roared, clearly having felt her speed being diminished. But I didn’t stop there. I spun and came at her again from behind. She turned, her movements still slower than normal. I moved in for a thrust, forgetting for a brief moment this was a training exercise. Even as I remembered, I forced myself to follow through with the powerful stab rather than turning my blade wide.
Tethra’s eyes widened as she sensed the dangerous nature of my thrust at her torso. Before my sword could strike true, I found my legs above me. My back struck the ground hard. She had swept my legs out from under me. Looking up, I saw my blade pinned underneath Tethra’s arm. We both were panting.
“I was trying to show you…” I began. The look on her face was terrible.
“You were trying to show me what it would be like to duel Fuilgeir. And you were fighting dirty.” She took a deep breath and extended me a hand. “But you forget what I told you. I am the better sword master.”
As I rose to my feet, she used the hand still holding mine to me in close. Her long arms wrapped around me. I stood in shock for a moment. Slowly, I let my arms rise to return the embrace. The side of my head pressed against her chest, and I could hear her heart race.
I let myself get lost in the rhythmic sound. I thought about the strength of the beat and the irregularities of the contracting muscles in her chest that made her immortal heart unique. I thought about the stamina inherent in a never-ceasing heart. A moment without one or two beats would stagger her. More than that would cause her death. Such a simple thing, yet so essential to life. She needed her heart, and I realized in that moment, just how much I needed it, too. “Tethra….” I began.
She released me suddenly, straightening to her full height. Her cheeks were flushed, whether from the unexpected embrace or the fight, I didn’t know. She stalked to the boundary marker and began to pick up her equipment. “Come, Béstin. There is something you need to see.” She began walking, clearly expecting me to follow.
I followed her out of the training grounds and lower into the depths of the city. Eventually, the lights of the city and the echoing sound of her heart faded from my senses, replaced by the lapping of gentle waves, the darkness of the deep, and the now almost tangible tendrils of haze that flowed between us.
Children of the Cold Moon is out now in paperback, ebook, and in audiobook format!