Ash-colored Despair (12)
- Get up immediately!
Lucas, who had buried his face in the pillow, flinched from a sharp cry and jumped up, throwing his head up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he saw his ever annoying little sister standing by his bed like a sentry.
He clutched his temples, which felt a dull pain, and muttered with annoyance:
- What is this... How many times do I have to tell you - don’t break into my bedroom without permission!
- There’s no time for decency now! Get up! Emergency!
Raina shook him by the shoulder and screamed so hard that his ears were blocked. Lucas waved her away and squeezed his throbbing temples with his fingers.
Even at dawn, he, along with his peers from Wolfram, galloped through the hunting grounds, and then sat down in a tavern, where he drank a fair amount of ale. My head was cracking as if from a blacksmith’s hammer, and this one was again with her hysterics.
He narrowed his eyes and stared gloomily at his sister:
- What's this time? Did the Zraminians attack Raedgo Castle?
“Why don’t you stop talking nonsense and stand up right now?!”
Raina stamped her feet and roughly pulled his arm.
- Everything is very serious! "Southern Black Bear" challenged our brother to a duel!
The sleep left Lucas instantly. He stared at his sister in shock:
- Who was going to fight with whom?
- Yes, so that you...
It looks like her patience has run out. Raina angrily threw his hand away and walked towards the door.
Lucas stared after her in confusion for a couple of seconds, and then jumped out of bed, grabbed a tunka that had been hastily thrown on a chair and threw it over his naked body. He followed his sister into the corridor.
Servants with lanterns scurried along the corridor, hurrying in all directions. He, looking around in bewilderment, caught up with Raina, who was already descending the stairs in two leaps.
-Are you serious? The elder brother really agreed to the duel?!
- Yes, I’m telling you - seriously! “Raina snapped without slowing down. Lucas frowned.
He knew that important people were visiting Raedgo Castle today. But he couldn’t understand why the heir to the Siyekan family was suddenly fighting with one of the most influential lords in the southeast.
He, wincing from a headache, muttered:
“And why did they suddenly decide to cross blades in the middle of the night?”
-What would you expect? Raina clenched her teeth furiously. - The embodiment of discord has quarreled everyone again! Imagine - she burst into the hall, poured wine on Sir Gutvan and... slapped him in the face!
Lucas's jaw dropped.
- “She”... Wait, do you mean... The Second Princess?
- Who else?! — Raina clasped her hands, almost rolling her eyes. “Because of her, a quarrel broke out between our brother and this “black bear,” and then a duel is just around the corner!
She crossed the hall in no time and ran outside, not letting up:
- I told you so! She said that she would only cause trouble!
Lucas rolled his eyes, buttoning his open tunka as he ran.
To be honest, my sister did not predict a violent madwoman throwing wine and slaps at knights, but a cunning intriguer pretending to be an innocent lamb in order to weave intrigues behind her back. But she was definitely not mistaken about one thing - that woman really was a problem.
“Be that as it may, the fact remains that the troubles have already begun.”
He ruffled his hair and, quickening his pace, crossed the wide courtyard. In front of the stairs leading to the training ground, hundreds of people were already crowding with torches and lamps in their hands.
He made his way through the crowd to the edge of the arena where the witnesses to the duel had gathered - the nobles and guards from Wolfram's elite. Seeing a familiar face, Lucas immediately headed towards him.
- Tyrone!
The knight who was talking with his subordinates turned around. He, it seems, also jumped out here straight from his vacation - a light cloak was hastily thrown over his naked torso. He looked at Lucas, then at Raina, and sighed heavily.
- Walking around at such a time without protection is recklessness.
- Stop the moralizing! What's going on?
“I just arrived myself, so I don’t know the details,” Tyrone shrugged casually. “One thing is clear: our future leader turned out to be much more militant than one might think.”
He nodded toward the far edge of the vast horse arena.
There, in the shadow of the torches, on a muscular gray stallion, Longboat waited - dressed in black armor, like one forged from darkness.
Lucas stared at him silently. Compared to the bulky figures of the other fighters, his brother looked like a statue carved by the hand of a great sculptor. His body, although not small, was distinguished by grace and precise movements. He looked more like a dancer than a warrior.
But his opponent... He was not a man, but an incarnate beast.
Lucas turned his gaze to the opposite side of the arena and swallowed. The height of this giant was close to seven kilograms (about 210 cm), and its weight was more than 5 rands (about 175 kilograms), almost 6 rands (about 210 kilograms). If you also take into account the armor, it’s a completely living mountain.
The big man brought out to the middle of the area a horse to match himself - a muscular, powerful beast. The light of the fires picked out the frightening details of his appearance from the darkness, and amazed and delighted exclamations, mixed with reverent whispers, swept through the rows of spectators.
“This is crazy,” Lucas whispered.
Soon, four soldiers strained to bring him a halberd - more like a piece of an iron bridge. Gutvan picked up this monster with one hand and easily threw it above his head. The arena roared.
Raina, turning pale, grabbed Tyrone by the cloak:
- Why are you standing there?! Stop them immediately!
“We’ve been trying from the very beginning.” You see, it’s useless,” he waved in the direction of Longboat.
At his direction, Lucas noticed a short figure who was heatedly shouting something to his brother. The woman was furious and, judging by her intonation, scolded Barkas as a complete fool. Curiosity overpowered him, and he came closer - and then almost became deaf from the ringing voice:
-Are you crazy?! Or just an idiot?! You shouldn’t fight with someone like that, but press him with power! Or do you have no brains at all?!
Lucas just whistled. He didn’t think that besides Raina, there was another woman in the world who could use such foul language, and even in his brother’s face.
He stole a glance at Longboat - he, as if nothing had happened, was checking the harness.
The woman angrily hit him on the back with her fist.
- You probably slept during arithmetic lessons! See, he's three times heavier than you! Don't you even know that force is proportional to mass?!
“Bring me a helmet,” Longboat responded calmly, without deigning to look at her.
The angry woman rolled up her sleeves - it was clear that she was ready to slap him in the face. Daren tried to stop her in a panic:
“Your Highness, I beg you, there is no need to worry.” This is common among warriors. Nobody goes too far...
- Who cares about this idiot?! - She roughly shook off his hand. - I'm worried about myself! Am I going to become a widow immediately after the wedding?! My life is also at stake, by the way!
Daren backed away, amazed by her anger, and Barkas, as if nothing had happened, pulled on his helmet and easily jumped into the saddle.
- Give me the spear.
The squire handed him a glaive with a crescent made of silver metal. Longboat confidently grabbed the shaft and, without waiting for anyone to say anything, directed his horse to the center of the arena.
The woman rushed after him. Lucas, who was standing aside, didn’t notice how he rushed after her and grabbed her hand. In response, she gave him an icy look.
Lucas froze. Thoughts disappeared, only this strange, frighteningly beautiful mask of anger remained - and suddenly a trumpet call was heard over the arena.
He raised his head. Gutvan circled the perimeter, swinging his giant halberd with one hand. Each swing made a sound like a whip being lashed through the air.
Nearby, he felt the woman begin to tremble - almost losing strength. But there was no time to take care of her anymore.
Gutvan, as if demonstrating his power, turned his horse and spurred it. He rushed at Longboat like an angry bull at a deer. A cry of horror rang out from the crowd.
It really looked like a waterfall of steel falling on a thin figure. Lucas clenched his fists - he was sure that there would be nothing left of his brother.
But what he saw did not fit into his head.
The huge blade of the halberd flew to the side, as if bouncing off the blade of a sword - light and swift, like the flap of a wing.
Lucas opened his eyes.
The miracle didn't end there.
The longboat hit the horse with his spurs - and the enemy’s massive body rolled back, as if he had crashed into a wall. Longboat took advantage of this moment: his spear flashed like lightning and plunged straight into the enemy’s chest, piercing the cuirass.
Everything happened in an instant.
The longboat, without releasing his spear, rushed forward. And when the shaft went up, a massive body took off behind it like a rag doll.
The crowd gasped. He circled the arena, swinging the shaft with the pierced body at the end, and then slammed it into the ground with force.
The giant collapsed, and a dull thud echoed across the entire site.
There was silence.
Everyone stood there, unable to understand what had just happened.
The longboat drove up to the lifeless body, dismounted, tore off his helmet and with a calm face threw an order towards the audience:
- Call the priest. Let him have a burial.