Draggah (40 page)

Rafe moved forward as well, but slowly.  He watched his opponent, looking for clues to the other man
’
s fighting style, or weaknesses that Rafe might be able to exploit once they closed upon one another.

The crowd was quiet, watching every move the two combatants made.  Once they were almost within striking distance of one another, Rafe and his opponent began to circle.  Bu
’
yorgi feinted, but Rafe remained calm.  He expected the bigger man to try and intimidate him, but he refused to be drawn in.  Bu
’
yorgi swung his weapon at Rafe, but the big man was barely in range.  Rafe swayed back, letting the bronze blade whistle harmlessly by.  Then Rafe feinted; it was nothing more than head and shoulder movement.  He acted as if he were going to charge forward to counter strike, and Bu
’
yorgi side-stepped, bringing his sword around in a practiced defensive posture.

This time it was Rafe who smiled and Bu
’
yorgi
’
s eyes narrowed.  Rafe wanted the other man to be angry.  He wanted Bu
’
yorgi to make mistakes in his bloodlust, but whether he did or didn
’
t, Rafe wasn
’
t going to let his guard down no matter what.  He had been reckless the night before, taking too many chances in combat.  He
’
d learned his lesson and was willing to wait for the right opportunity to bring down his foe.  His goal in the Tuscogee was victory without loss or injury to himself.

When Bu
’
yorgi stepped closer, raising his sword, Rafe took a defensive posture, raising his own sword to ward off any overhead blow from his opponent, but he didn
’
t follow the brightly gleaming sword with his eyes.  Instead, he watched Bu
’
yorgi
’
s chest.  The bigger man
’
s body twisted as he lashed out with one foot at Rafe
’
s left knee.  The sword was just a distraction and luckily Rafe was ready.  He lifted his foot from the ground, so that the kick didn
’
t strain his knee when it landed.  Rafe then took advantage of his opponent
’
s high guard.

Rafe stepped forward quickly, keeping his blade high, but swinging the bronze pommel of the sword at Bu
’
yorgi
’
s face.  This time it was the raider who dodged backward out of Rafe
’
s range, but he was off balance.  Bu
’
yorgi struggled to keep from stumbling as he backpedalled away from Rafe.  At the same time he brought his sword down in a powerful chop that was meant to keep Rafe at bay.  Instead, Rafe deflected the blow, letting the bronze blades clash, but Rafe
’
s sword was angled away from his body, so that Bu
’
yorgi
’
s sword slid down and away.  Rafe then spun, moving toward his opponent
’
s exposed side and lashing out with the ancient weapon.

The bronze swords were made for slashing and chopping.  The tip of Rafe
’
s sword cut through Bu
’
yorgi
’
s arm, just above the elbow.  The slash was deep enough to sever muscle, but it didn
’
t reach bone.  The bigger man shouted in anger and pain, jumping backward and moving away from Rafe, who let the raider go rather than push the attack.  Rafe knew the cut wasn
’
t fatal. In fact, it probably wouldn
’
t have much impact in the outcome of the fight, but he remembered how the Rogu had brought down the huge Tamakas using only their small knives.  They danced in, cutting and slashing strategically, then dashing away again so that they were out of reach of the enraged animals.

Rafe guessed what was coming next.  Bu
’
yorgi had not taken Rafe seriously, but now he would.  The bigger man rushed forward and unleashed a flurry of blows.  Rafe trusted his training.  He wished he could hold the heavy bronze sword with two hands on the weapon
’
s handle, but it was too short for a double grip.  Instead, Rafe moved his body, so that the clash of the weapons didn
’
t drive him back or knock him off balance.  All the long hours spent practicing his footwork with his father were now paying off.  Rafe was careful how he moved, keeping his feet under him, turning his body, staying alert.

Bu
’
yorgi slashed from high to low, first on one side, then on the other.  He was in a frenzy, and Rafe had to move quickly.  He kept his own blade angled, not wanting to waste his strength absorbing the full power of each blow.  He raised his sword to meet his attacker, always allowing the blades to deflect and at the same time moving to avoid the blows.  After several intense moments, both warriors backed away from the other.  Bu
’
yorgi had exerted much more strength, but he wasn
’
t even breathing hard.  Rafe knew he couldn
’
t wait to wear the bigger man down.  They continued to circle while the tribesmen watching began to hum in unison.  It must have been a battle song, but one they all knew, even the raiders from the other tribe.

Rafe decided it was his turn to attack.  He stepped in toward Bu
’
yorgi, his sword held in front of him with one hand.  He flicked the tip of the curved weapon up toward Bu
’
yorgi
’
s face.  It was not a traditional tactic, and certainly not a killing blow.  Bu
’
yorgi stumbled back, trying to dodge the attack, but he was too late as Rafe
’
s arm extended and the tip of the blade scored a shallow cut across the bigger man
’
s cheek.  Bu
’
yorgi retaliated just as Rafe expected him to, slashing at Rafe with his sword in a horizontal swipe.  This time Rafe slid his free hand down the back side of the blade so that he held the bronze weapon at each end.  He caught Bu
’
yorgi
’
s sword in a parallel block that stopped the other man
’
s weapon in mid-strike.  Bu
’
yorgi was strong and he
’
d swung his sword with great power.  Rafe felt the shock race up both of his arms and sting his shoulders, but Bu
’
yorgi took the backlash of the shock in his good arm.

Rafe let the momentum of the blow carry him forward inside Bu
’
yorgi
’
s guard.  He lashed out with an elbow that struck Bu
’
yori just below his sternum and drove the breath out of his lungs.  Rafe then brought his sword around in a powerful strike from high to low that caught on Bu
’
yorgi
’
s sword just above the hand guard.  Bu
’
yorgi
’
s hand was already stinging from the clash of his previous strike, and Rafe
’
s blow knocked the weapon out of the bigger man
’
s hand.

Rafe felt a rush of joy, and then Bu
’
yorgi
’
s fist smashed into the side of Rafe
’
s head.  The resulting pop felt like nothing Rafe had ever endured.  He staggered back, his vision wavering.  He could feel the swelling immediately.  His whole face ached terribly, and there was an intense pain in his right eye.  Panic threatened to overtake Rafe.  He kept moving back, his body bent at the waist, his sword dragging on the ground.  The song of the Hoskali intensified, but Rafe didn
’
t hear it.  All he could hear was the sound of blood rushing through his ears.  When he finally looked up, Bu
’
yorgi had retrieved his sword and was stalking forward.

Rafe glanced at Tiberius who was standing near one of the small fires that ringed the battleground.  Tiberius looked worried, which only made Rafe even more afraid.  His hand came up, touching his face.  The right side of Rafe
’
s head felt heavy, the skin pulling tight.  One touch brought agonizing splinters of pain lancing through Rafe
’
s head and eye.  His vision was blurred and Rafe knew that his eye would soon be closed from the intense swelling.

Rafe realized that he couldn
’
t keep fighting much longer.  He wouldn
’
t be able to see well enough to gage his angles and avoid strikes that came from his right side.  He took a deep breath and then rushed toward Bu
’
yorgi.

“
Rafe!
”
Tiberius shouted.  It was the one sound outside of Rafe
’
s pounding heart and ragged breath that he could hear.

Rafe let the cry galvanize him.   He saw the look of surprise on Bu
’
yorgi
’
s face.  The big man hadn
’
t expected Rafe to retaliate.  Rafe jumped into the air, raising his sword over his head but keeping the tip of the weapon pointed at his opponent.  As he came down he drove the sword forward in a powerful thrust.  Bu
’
yorgi was stepping back to avoid the attack, but even as Rafe
’
s weapon missed the bigger man
’
s body, Rafe continued to push his weapon down.  The point of the bronze sword caught Bu
’
yorgi
’
s left thigh.  It pierced down through the thick muscle and severed tendons, and arteries, before gouging through the side of the dense thighbone.

Rafe pushed the sword all the way through Bu
’
yorgi
’
s leg and ended his attack in a kneeling position.  The raider wailed, his sword swinging harmlessly over Rafe
’
s head.  Then Bu
’
yorgi toppled backward.

Rafe stood up, the whole right side of his face swollen and throbbing.  The throng of Hoskali watching the Tuscogee had fallen silent.  The only sounds were the raider
’
s grunts of pain.  Rafe looked down at Bu
’
yorgi, whose life blood was pumping out of the ragged wound on his leg and soaking into the moss.

“
If you
’
re going to save him,
”
Rafe said in a loud voice to Tiberius. 
“
You better hurry.
”

Tiberius rushed from the side of the battle area, but he ignored Bu
’
yorgi.  Instead he grabbed onto Rafe, who was shaking from the pain in his head.

“
Are you okay?
”

“
No,
”
Rafe said. 
“
But I
’
m not dying.  You can save him right?
”

“
The Tuscogee is a Hallinsae,
”
Te
’
sumee said, as he came up beside them. 
“
It is a fight to the death.
”

“
No one else needs to die,
”
Rafe said.

“
I
’
ll do what I can,
”
Tiberius said.

“
I need something to drink,
”
Rafe bellowed, and the crowd cheered.

The captured raiders all bowed their heads.  Their future was grim.  If their fellow raiders couldn
’
t trade for their freedom, they would become slaves.  The tribespeople rushed to their captives and caught them up in a joyous embrace.  The stolen items were returned and the Hoskali tribe began to celebrate.  The ground marked out for the Tuscogee was abandoned by everyone but Rafe and Tiberius, who was still working to save Bu
’
yorgi, and the small group of raiders who hadn
’
t been captured.

Rafe was beginning to feel dizzy, so he stretched out on the soft mossy turf.  He was tired and he wished Olyva would show up to fret over him.  Instead, it was Lexi who appeared out of the darkness.

“
You survived again?
”
she said.

“
Mostly,
”
Rafe said.

“
Tiberius is healing Bu
’
yorgi?
”

Rafe nodded.

“
He should have seen to you first.  That eye looks horrible.
”

“
Feels worse,
”
Rafe said. 
“
But Bu
’
yorgi was dying.
”