‘Your corpse will receive a position of honour above my throne!’ he shouted at Bek, as he rose from his throne, descending the steps to the floor opposite the hulking young warrior. Pointing at Bek in challenge, he shouted, ‘Never has any warrior challenged me within my own demesne!’
Pug used his arts to pick up the last two Deathpriests and fling them across the room, ending their magical threat. He saw Magnus return to stand on the stone floor, untouched, though he like everyone else in the room was smeared and spattered with orange blood.
Bek saw the TeKarana’s challenge, and swept aside those remaining guards between himself and the ruler of the Twelve Worlds. He was unrelenting, coming straight at the TeKarana.
Valko and the remaining Deathknights of the White finished off the remnants of the TeKarana’s Talnoy guards on the flanks, and as Bek lashed out and the clash of swords rang out through the hall, all eyes turned to the struggle. Two terrible figures of power now battled.
Pug raised a hand to add his magic to the attack on the TeKarana, but Martuch reached out and yanked him by the shoulder. ‘No! You must not interfere!’
Pug saw that none of the other Deathknights, including Valko, were rushing forward to help but instead were all watching with rapt attention as the two titanic figures battled. Each blow was answered and the sound of it was as if a mad god of blacksmiths worked steel on a massive anvil.
For minutes Bek and the TeKarana struck back and forth, evenly matched, as each blow was received and answered, each thrust met with a block or riposte, and no injury was given or taken. For what seemed a long time to Pug, the room was silent except for the sound of the two combatants, as metal rang upon metal and grunts of exertion punctuated gasping intakes of breath.
Then the balanced shifted. Bek was in rapture as he fought, each strike seeming to empower him and make him stronger, while by contrast the TeKarana’s breath became more laboured and he began to slow. The first sign of the inevitable was a strike to the TeKarana’s upper left arm as Bek’s sword cut through his orange armour as if it were paper.
‘Impossible!’ said Hirea.
‘No,’ said Nakor, quietly. ‘Watch and you will see something remarkable.’
Valko stood beside Pug, holding his sword and Pug could see the conflict in the young Dasati lord’s face. Pug realized that Valko had assumed that he was the prophesied one, the warrior destined to destroy the TeKarana and prepare the way for the Godkiller, not this human warrior in the guise of a Dasati.
Now the TeKarana swung wildly and over-extended himself, and Bek levelled him with a back-handed blow, the metal clad gauntlet of his left hand striking him squarely on the side of the head. The TeKarana’s helm went flying and this was the first time that any who were not of his inner circle had seen his face since he gained the throne.
He looked… ordinary. His build was massive and powerful, but there was nothing in the face of the Ruler of the Twelve Worlds that spoke of any special quality. His expression was dazed from the blow to his head, his nose ran orange blood and he blinked furiously, as if trying to will his vision into focus as he held himself up on all fours, defenceless. Bek took one step forward and kicked the Dasati full in the face, sending broken teeth and more blood flying to splatter the floor.
The TeKarana was stunned, but not incapacitated: he rolled away from danger, then came to his feet with a belt-knife in his hand. He made a menacing feint with it and reached for his sword with his free hand, and Bek swung down hard, causing sparks to fly when his blade struck the stone. The TeKarana barely withdrew his hand back in time.
‘It’s over,’ said Martuch.
‘Not yet,’ said Nakor.
Bek laughed, and it was a harsh, chilling sound that filled those listening with the madness of battle. Even Pug felt the desire to grab a weapon and join the struggle, as alien a feeling as he had ever experienced. He looked at Magnus and saw that his son felt the same way. He nodded to him once and both magicians incanted a quick spell which freed their minds of intruding thoughts and emotions.