"The usual Yllar strategy." Javier flipped his visor back down and took his long sword from Kiram. "Keep watching them."
A new opponent entered Javier's ring and Kiram hurried out. The next two fights went quickly. Lower ranking students were eliminated and withdrew to the stands, leaving many of the dueling rings empty. Soon, only four undefeated men remained: Hierro and another Yillar student, Elezar and Javier.
Master Ignacio and the Yllar war master called for a parley and met with two judges. Kiram saw them write names onto slips of paper and then hand them over to the judges. A moment later one of the judges approached Javier and bid him to choose from the three pieces of folded paper in his hand. Javier took one, unfolded it, and grimaced.
He read the name aloud. "Elezar Grunito."
Kiram's heart sank. Elezar scowled but both Hierro and his fellow Yllar student grinned at each other. Elezar and his squire, Ollivar, walked to Javier's dueling circle.
"Long sword and shield." Javier's left arm trembled slightly as he accepted the heavy shield. Kiram tried not to think of the wound running along Javier's wrist.
Elezar chose his long sword, which he held in his right hand, and his short blade, wielded by his left. He regarded Javier evenly, then asked, "Sure you're up to this?"
Despite his joking tone, serious worry showed in his expression. He had to know that Javier had been given muerate poison.
Javier arched a brow. "Well, I might suffer a little guilt after I beat your ass into the ground but I think I'll be able to deal with it."
"All right then, Tornesal. No mercy." Elezar closed his visor. Javier followed suit.
The judge gave his signal and they charged each other. Elezar's blade smashed into Javier's shield, embedding into the black sun and driving Javier back several feet. Javier released his shield, letting its weight pull Elezar's long sword down. He lunged forward, aiming a blow at Elezar's chest. Elezar blocked with his short sword and then swung his long sword, with Javier's shield still dangling from it, into Javier's side. The blow sent Javier stumbling and threw Javier's shield out across the grounds. Kiram sprinted out to retrieve it. A roar went up from the crowd.
While Elezar and Javier circled and pounded each other with deafening blows, Hierro and his fellow Yillar student flipped a coin. Hierro remained in his dueling circle. The other Yllar student bowed to him graciously and stepped out of it.
"Shield!" Javier shouted and Kiram sprinted into the dueling ring. He thrust the shield up and Javier raised it just in time to block another of Elezar's resounding blows. Splinters of the shield and Elezar's blade flashed as they flew through the air and fell to the dirt floor.
This close Kiram could smell both sweat and blood emanating from beneath Javier's armor.
"Out of the ring!" Javier commanded. Kiram darted away.
A moment later, Elezar hammered his long sword through Javier's shield, cracking his blade apart as he rended the shield in two. Elezar hurled the broken long sword at Javier and then thrust at him with his short blade. Javier dodged the long sword but barely blocked the thrust of Elezar's shortsword. Sparks skipped across the both Javier's and Elezar's blades as the edges ripped into each other. Kiram and Ollivar raced back to the stands to secure other shields and swords.
Elezar broke blades and cracked shields, but he rarely landed a direct blow to Javier's head or chest. In his own way Javier fought as relentlessly as Elezar. He drove in again and again, enduring the savage blows, to land swift strikes. He moved fast and struck from behind when he could. They crashed together and when their blades broke, they pounded each other with their armored fists.
Kiram watched with growing horror as the duel dragged on. Dirt and blood streaked their armor. Javier's left arm hung in a disturbingly lifeless manner. Elezar limped noticeably. And yet neither of them relented.
Hierro and the other Yllar student both looked bored. Their squires brought them water and little bowls of cut fruit. Some people in the stands roared and cheered but many simply stared in silent awe as Javier and Elezar steadily ground each other to exhaustion.
When the end came it was clumsy and brutal. Elezar punched his blade through the left shoulder of Javier's armor. Javier caught the blade and jerked Elezar forward onto his own cracked short sword. Blood poured from Javier's shoulder, but his blade drove into Elezar's breastplate, shattering the enamel bull there.
"Tornesal!" the judge shouted.
Elezar released his blade at once and stumbled back. Javier fell to his knees, curling his hands around his bloody shoulder.
Kiram rushed into the ring and knelt beside him. He reached out to free Javier from his armor but Javier pulled back from him.
"I'll be fine," Javier said even before Kiram could ask. "It's just a scratch."
"Let me help you back to the stands. Scholar Donamillo should-"
"It's fine!" Javier growled.
"Javier?" Elezar's voice was tremulous, almost frightened. He knelt down beside Kiram.
"What?" Javier snapped his visor open with his right hand. Annoyance more than pain showed on his face.
"I didn't mean to-" Elezar broke off. "I was sure you'd dodge."
"I know. That's why I won, you idiot." Javier rolled his eyes. "For God's sake pull yourselves together, both of you. We still have to beat those smug Yillar bastards."
"Right." Elezar straightened slowly. "We'll take them down."
Javier pushed himself up to his feet and Kiram moved to his side, steadying him.
"I'm fine," Javier said.
"So you've said," Kiram replied. "And I still don't believe you."
Javier winced and pulled his head back slightly.
"You see," Kiram said. "You're hurt."
"No, I'm not," Javier replied. "It was just your medallion. It was flashing right into my eyes."
"Sorry." Kiram caught his lotus medallion. As he tucked it into his collar, bright afternoon sunlight reflected off its golden surface and briefly flashed across the dirt.
"Is there anything you need?" Kiram asked.
"Another long sword but not a heavy one. Ask Master Ignacio for a cielyo. Hurry."
Kiram went and procured the sword, though Master Ignacio gave him an odd look when he asked for it and questioned the wisdom of Javier's decision more than once before handing the thing over.
The ceilyo's hilt and pommel were small, delicate and engraved with a curling ivy motif. It weighed less than even a short sword and just carrying it back across the grounds Kiram felt the thin blade flex and bounce with his steps. Elezar would have snapped such a sword in half. But Hierro fought in a much more restrained manner. And looking at Javier, Kiram knew he was too exhausted to wield the weight of a normal long sword. At the same time a short sword wouldn't offer the range Javier needed to fight a man with Hierro's reach and speed.
"Cielyo blade." Kiram handed it to Javier. "Master Ignacio told me to tell you that it's the only one he brought and you're a fool if you think it will hold up for long against a real sword."
"Did he?" Javier didn't sound surprised. "I suppose he expects me to be dancing around with a broadsword after that match with Elezar."
"If he does then he's an ass." Kiram hated how much Master Ignacio's opinion seemed to matter to Javier.
"Refreshingly honest as always, Kiram."
"Well, he is," Kiram replied but he didn't go on.
Hierro strolled into Javier's dueling ring with his squire, Ariz, following silently behind. When Hierro held out his hand Ariz provided him with a long sword. Hierro waved aside the proffered shield.
"You know, Tornesal," Hierro called to Javier, "there is no shame in accepting second place."