Igor Ironbeast's Arc

Chapter 5 of 9

Igor stood at the edge of the sand and checked his axe one last time. The stone walls of the pit ringed him. Torches burned in iron brackets along the timber rail. Above, the gallery filled with the court and the keep's people. Dusk had come. He had no name for the man he was about to fight. He did not know the reach of the weapon or the shape of the guard. Walking in blind would kill him quick. He found Emberling crouched in the shadow of the gate. The small black dragon watched the far tunnel where the champion would come. Igor knelt. He set a hand on the dragon's warm neck. He pointed up at the gallery. Emberling's ember-lit eyes tracked the skeleton in the cloak and the masked rider on the pale wolf. Rattle Boneshire held his dagger loose. Shade Nightfang's wolf stood still as stone. Igor tapped the dragon's jaw once. Watch them. The dragon huffed smoke and slipped back into the dark. Kong's voice cut the noise from the gallery above. "Silence." The crowd fell quiet. Kong leaned on the rail, one good eye fixed on Igor. "Ready for death?" The far gate groaned open. The crowd broke into a roar. Borkul the Beast came out at a run. Half man, half animal, red mane wild, war hammer in his fist, shield already up. No name given. No bow. He crossed the sand before Igor could set his feet. The hammer came down. Igor threw himself sideways. Sand cracked where he had stood. Borkul was fast for his size. Fast and silent. Igor swung the axe low for the leg. The shield caught it and the shock ran up his arm. Borkul drove the shield forward and knocked him back three steps. Igor circled. He watched the shield. Borkul led with it every time. Left arm forward, hammer cocked behind. He fought like a bull, not a swordsman. He wanted the crush, not the cut. Borkul charged. Igor did not dodge this time. He stepped inside the shield's arc and hooked the axe head over its top edge. He hauled down with all his weight. The shield dropped. Borkul's chest opened for one breath. Igor drove the axe up under the ribs. Borkul stopped. The hammer fell from his hand. He looked at Igor with something almost like respect. Then he went to his knees and pitched forward into the sand. The crowd made no sound. Igor pulled the axe free. Blood dripped from the beard of the blade. He raised his eyes to the gallery. Kong stood with both hands on the rail. Rattle Boneshire had already turned away. The masked rider was gone from the wolf's back. Only the pale wolf remained, staring down at Igor. The court had not waited for the fight to end.