Red bone's Arc

Chapter 5 of 12

The two men circled on the open snow. The rival chief fought with wild fear. He swung hard and fast, each blow aimed to kill before Red bone could land one of his own. The armored bear watched from the edge. The red hound circled wide, low and silent. Behind the chief stood his last loyal warriors, watching to see if their leader could win. Red bone did not rush. He blocked a wild swing and felt the force shake his arm. The man was strong, but desperate men make mistakes. One slip would open Red bone's guard and give the chief a killing blow before all those eyes. He kept his boots steady. He let the chief tire himself. The chief swung high. Red bone ducked and drove his shoulder into the man's chest. They went down together. The chief's axe skittered across the ice. Red bone rose first. He set his boot on the man's wrist and raised his own axe over the fallen chief's throat. The watching warriors held their breath. Red bone looked at them, not at the man under his boot. He wanted them to see the choice. Then he brought the axe down and ended it. The chief lay still in the red snow. A low sound passed through the loyal warriors. One by one, they lowered their weapons. "Your chief is dead," Red bone called. "I lead now. Kneel, or walk back to the cold alone." The men looked at each other. Then they knelt in the snow, as the shield wall had knelt before them. Red bone had won another clan. A heavy shape pushed through the kneeling ranks. It was Grok Skullcrusher, the dead chief's war-brute, a gray ogre with red eyes and a jaw split by broken tusks. He had fought at the chief's side for years. He did not kneel. He stood over his fallen master and snarled at Red bone. "You killed him fair," Grok said. His voice came out low and rough. "But I swore to guard his back. He has no back now. So I guard his name." He raised a club thick as a man's leg. The kneeling warriors scrambled back. The red hound bared her teeth. The armored bear rose onto its hind legs and roared. Red bone's arms still burned from the fight. His axe hung heavy. He faced a fresh enemy twice his size, and his warriors watched again to see if he would flinch. He did not step back. He planted his feet in the bloody snow and lifted his axe once more. "Then guard it," Red bone said. "And I will add you to my count."