We were so close I could smell his sour breath. At that instant something triggered in my memory. Smells can do that. It’s like there’s a direct link from your nose to your memory. It wasn’t a happy memory either. I looked into the guy’s wild, brown eyes and saw something that made my heart race even faster, if that was possible. We were so close, I was the only one who could see. His eyes changed color. They went from deep brown to lightning white. My mind didn’t accept it at first. It was impossible, right? Wrong.
“Welcome to Zadaa, Pendragon,” the Ghee warrior whispered. His voice was suddenly calm. Gone was the rage. He was totally in control of himself…and me. “Let’s put aside all the intrigue this time and show each other how we really feel, shall we?” he said.
In that instant I saw his eyes return to brown as he tossed me down on the ground. I was too stunned to react. The Ghee warrior reached behind his back and pulled out his wooden stave.
“Pick up the weapon!” the warrior bellowed, showing rage once again. Though now I realized it was all a show for the spectators.
Reality had finally settled in. The good news was, I had found Saint Dane.
The bad news was, I had found Saint Dane.
JOURNAL #20
(CONTINUED)
ZADAA
Saint Dane had taken the form of a Ghee warrior. It didn’t matter what side he was on. He could have chosen to be with those loyal to the royal family of Zinj, or put in with the rebels who wanted war with the Rokador. Right now, that didn’t make a difference. He was a Batu. I looked like a Rokador. We were enemies in the eyes of everyone here…and we were about to fight. I shot her a quick glance to see that Loor was being held firm by three of her fellow warriors.
“Loor,” I shouted while keeping an eye on Saint Dane. “It’s Saint Dane.”
Loor gave a quick, surprised look to the tall, dark warrior who had called me out. Saint Dane returned her look, gave her a quick nod, and actually winked at her.
I saw Loor’s eyes grow wide. “Who is that Ghee?” she shouted to the other warriors. “I do not know him! He is not one of us! We must summon the commander and-” The Ghees holding her clamped a hand over her mouth. She struggled to get away, but it was hopeless. I was on my own. I looked at Saint Dane. He gave me a quick shrug, as if to say: “Guess you’re on your own, pal.”
The only choice I had was to reach down and pick up the weapon.
You guys know, I’m not a fighter. Up until that moment I’d managed to survive by luck, and with the help of my fellow Travelers. The one serious fight I’d been in was on Eelong, but that was against a prisoner who was half my size, and so starved and weak that it was a joke. I was now looking up at a warrior who towered over me, with biceps like you’d see in a graphic novel about gladiators. If that weren’t bad enough, it was Saint Dane behind all that muscle. My enemy. The demon who was trying to lay waste to Halla. I was scared, obviously. But I was also confused. Why was he doing this? This wasn’t his style. For him, fighting was too…simple. Unimaginative, even. I had some vague shred of hope that he had another reason for doing this, other than to beat me up. There was a chance this fight would never happen.
“Are you serious?” I asked, trying not to sound as scared as I was. “Isn’t fighting beneath you?”
His answer was to lash out with his stave and clock me on the side of my head. It was so fast, and so violent, I wasn’t sure if I was more hurt, or shocked. I stumbled, but stayed on my feet. The crowd of Ghees cheered. Saint Dane circled in front of me, relaxed and smiling.
“If there is one thing you should have learned by now, Pendragon,” Saint Dane said, “it’s to expect the unexpected.”
He lashed out with his weapon. I ducked, but it was a fake. He never swung. The Ghees laughed. I backed away. Saint Dane stayed with me.
“Come now, Pendragon,” Saint Dane taunted. “Don’t you want to hurt me? This is your chance. No pretense. No illusion. Just the two of us.”
“Yeah, right,” I said. “You can turn yourself into a studly warrior with armor and all. I’m just me. Is that fair?”
Saint Dane laughed. I hated it when he laughed. “Fair?” He chuckled. “What has fair got to do with anything?”
I caught a glimpse of Loor struggling to get away from the Ghees. They held her firm. She couldn’t bail me out this time. This was all about me…and Saint Dane. I thrust my stave at his gut. He knocked it away as easily as if he was batting a moth. He then cracked me across the back with the other end of his weapon. I stumbled forward. It hurt. He wasn’t fooling around.
“Come now, Pendragon,” he taunted. “Show a little enthusiasm.” He flicked his stave up quickly, catching me on the chin, making me bite my hp. I tasted blood. “Where is your rage? Think of how miserable your life is because of me.” He punctuated this with a quick jab that clipped my shoulder. He was playing with me. He was enjoying this. I wasn’t.
“Don’t you miss your family?” he jeered. “Don’t you want revenge for those you’ve lost? So many have died in your futile crusade. Surely that makes you angry.”
He flipped one end of his stave toward me; I actually knocked it away with my weapon and was smart enough to know another blow would quickly follow. He spun away from me and whipped the other end of his weapon backward, like he was paddling a canoe. But I was ready for that one too. I dodged out of the way. It was the third attack I wasn’t ready for. Saint Dane spun back around and jabbed at me underhanded, catching me square in the gut. Oof! It hurt, but I was okay. So far. The crowd of Ghees watching didn’t matter to me anymore. They were nothing more than a blur on the edges of my vision.
“You can’t keep this up.” Saint Dane chuckled. “You’re going to get hit. Like Kasha did with that rock that crushed her skull.”
He was baiting me. He wanted me to attack. I realized if that’s what he wanted, it was the one thing I shouldn’t do.
“Your uncle couldn’t avoid me either. Was there much pain when the bullets tore through his heart? Did he die quickly? I certainly hope not.”
That one hit too close to home. I lost it and swung my stave at him in anger. He took a simple step back and danced out of the way. I had swung for the fences and missed, losing my balance and nearly falling over in the process. I sensed that the Ghee warriors were once again laughing, but I didn’t care. I had to force myself to get my act together.
That’s more like it,” said Saint Dane, chuckling. “Rage is such an exhilarating emotion, no?”
He flipped his stave again and clipped me on the knee. I staggered, but I was back in control. At least of my emotions, anyway. I had to be. It was the only chance I had. Saint Dane was making me look bad, but I was beginning to think that making me look foolish was exactly what this fight was about. To embarrass me. To show his power over me. There was no question that if he wanted to, he could knock me silly. But he hadn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the knocks I was taking hurt, but they weren’t serious. I figured I’d be black and blue the next day, but I’d survive. It made my confidence grow. I figured I knew what this fight was about. I decided it was time to fight back.
So I laughed.
“You find this amusing?” Saint Dane asked with a touch of confusion.
“Getting hit, no,” I said. “But when you try this hard, all it says is you’re getting desperate.”
He didn’t expect that. He jabbed his stave out at me, but I dodged it.
“Four times,” I continued, trying not to let the pain creep into my voice. “That’s how many times you’ve tried to control a territory, and how many times we’ve stopped you cold.”
He spun around and swung his weapon at me. I ducked. He missed, but it was so close I felt the wind rustle
