“Coward!” Ulyanash cried, pointing at me with his knife. “Look how he runs from the fight!”
“You threw him up there,” Aber said. “Give him a chance to get back down.”
“Or,” I said, “you can come up.”
People began stepping off the stone on which I stood. Panting, I waited and thought about the fight so far. Clearly I needed a new strategy. He was stronger and faster than me.
My stone began to drift toward the floor. Ulyanash moved back, giving it room. He smirked. Clearly he thought he had me.
When the stone was two feet off the floor, I hopped down and faced him. He approached me carefully, circling, knife out and ready.
Then, with a triple feint and a blindingly fast thrust, he caught me off balance and cut my chest. It was a shallow wound, little more than a scratch really, but it stung and bled openly. Blood flowed up into my eyes, and I blinked through a red curtain suddenly.
“Wait!” Aber called. “Second blood!”
Wincing, I drew back. Good—I needed a moment's rest. Grinning, Ulyanash moved back a few paces.
“Are you satisfied?” my brother asked Ulyanash.
“No.”
“Are you satisfied?” he asked me.
“No,” I said calmly. I began a slight shapeshift, closing my wound and stopping the blood flow. I noticed Ulyanash staring at my chest. He frowned. Clearly he wasn't used to opponents healing so quickly and effortlessly.
That gave me an idea. Shapeshifting might be a weapon he wasn't used to—if the rules permitted it. Or even if they didn't.
“So be it,” said Aber. “Continue!”
I circled to the left, keeping my guard up, while Ulyanash sprang forward like a wolf scenting blood. I retreated before him, concentrating not on the fight, but on my body, on the change I wanted. Timing, timing, wait—wait—
I saw my opening. He lunged, and I let him catch my right arm with the tip of his knife. It pierced me so fast, I barely felt it, and his body continued on and over me. His left hand caught my right fore-arm so I couldn't counter. I could have driven the blade into his belly or chest otherwise.
I pulled him close, chest to chest.
“Big mistake,” I whispered in his ear.
I saw startled confusion in his eyes.
“What—” he began.
Then the shapeshift I'd already begun took place. My forearm lengthened, extending a foot, driving the blade of my knife up under his chin, into his skull.
His eyes widened. His mouth opened, and I saw steel inside, piercing his tongue as it reached straight through his palate and into his brain. He screamed soundlessly.
Like a tree toppling, he began to fall on top of me. I tried to pull back, but his weight bore me down. I moaned as the knife drove more deeply into my arm.
His shape-shift began to unravel. As he became lighter and smaller, what seemed like a hundred different hands pulled him off me, began helping me up. I let my own forearm return to normal.
A dozen voices were commenting at once:
“Incredible fight—”
“I can't believe you beat Ulyanash—”
“—never seen the like—”
“How did he—”
“Well done,” Aber said, crouching beside me.
Someone handed him a goblet of wine, which he passed to me. I took a deep swallow.
Freda was suddenly at my side.
Freda said, “The knife must come out.”
I glanced down. Its blade was still buried in my arm nearly to the hilt. Tiny drops of blood beaded and rose into the air around it.
“Do it fast,” I said.
“Not here,” she said. She looked around. “Aunt Lanara—I need a quiet place to work.”
“This way,” our aunt said. She had just reached us. Looking concerned, she led the way through the crowd—which parted for her—to the far wall. There, she opened a door to a small sitting room.
“We'll be out as soon as possible,” Aber promised her. “Oberon will be fine.”
“I promised you excitement,” I said, grinning.
“Yes.” She frowned. “But I cannot tolerate such behavior. No more dueling at my parties!”“
I nodded. “I'm sorry. It was forced upon me.”
She ushered us inside, then closed the door on her way out.
“Don't worry,” Aber said, “she loved every minute of it. Her party's going to be the talk of society for the next month. And so are you.”
“Just what I need…” I muttered.
“Sit down,” Freda said.
Finding a small overstuffed cassock, I did so. Aber used the Logrus to fetch bandages, needle and thread, and a small jar, which seemed to have salve of some kind inside.
“This is going to hurt,” Freda said.
“I've had worse,” I told her.