“Fight!”
The crowd erupted as Harrison charged Bishop. Bishop stood there, hands on her hilt and sheath, waiting. The moment Harrison got close enough to strike, she stepped in and drew her sword. Harrison had to change his attack to defense or be disemboweled.
Bishop didn’t follow through— she backed off a step and said something that was lost to Gregory in the roar of the crowd. Harrison’s lips pulled back in a snarl and he came at her again.
Mindie’s throat was tight as she watched the two magi fight. She was sure one of them was going to die, that she’d fail to get to them in time.
Jenn shook her head. “She’s not going full out.”
“No, she isn’t,” Yukiko said. “Having seen her fight repeatedly over the last few months, I agree with you.”
“It’s going to be over in a moment,” Gregory said.
Bishop looked sad as she continued to hold Harrison at bay. With a snap of his foot, Harrison flung sand up with his toes as he came in for another attack. Bishop leapt back, blinking furiously to clear her eyes. Harrison was wearing a triumphant smile as he slashed down at her.
That smile was wiped away when Bishop parried and riposted, her blade gashing his sword arm. Harrison’s sword fell from his hand and he dropped to his knees, clutching his arm as the wound pumped blood.
“Break!” Yunlo shouted, suddenly between the two magi. “Healers!”
Bishop backed up, producing a cloth and wiping her sword down.
Mindie had started running the moment Yunlo appeared between the fighters. Klim stayed where she was, as only one of them had been injured.
Harrison was glaring at Bishop as Yunlo announced her as the winner. He glanced at Mindie when she touched his shoulder, but went back to glaring at Bishop.
Bishop knelt down a couple of feet away and spoke to him. Harrison blinked at her, clearly shocked at what she was saying. Bishop bowed her head to him and stood up. She offered her hand to him, as Mindie was done healing him.
Harrison looked up at her, then took her hand and got to his feet. He said something before taking a step back, bowing to her formally, then collecting his sword and walking away. Bishop watched him go and bowed to his back.
With the fight done, the three apprentices walked back to the waiting room.
“She didn’t mean to do that,” Jenn said.
“The sand made her move to finish the fight,” Yukiko agreed.
“Did they just make up?” Gregory asked.
“No idea, but he seemed better after she talked to him.”
The sound of footsteps made them all look toward the stairs when Bishop entered the room. She met their eyes, pausing for a moment before continuing down the stairs. “I’m sure you know I didn’t mean to cut him as I did.”
“The sand?” Gregory asked.
“Yes. When he tried to blind me, I knew I had to end the fight,” Bishop said.
“He appeared calm afterward,” Gregory half-asked.
Bishop nodded. “I reminded him of a promise. If you’ll excuse me, you all need to focus on your fight. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” they said, bowing to her.
~*~*~
Gregory stood with Yukiko and Jenn in the hall, waiting for Yunlo to summon them. Mindie was standing a few feet away, fidgeting.
“Good luck to you. I hope you win,” Mindie said when Yunlo called for them.
Gregory gave her a grin and put his helmet on. “Thanks, Mindie.”
Leading the way, Gregory raised his hand in acknowledgement to the cheering crowd. He kept his eyes locked on the far tunnel, waiting to get a glimpse of who they would be facing. His answer came a few seconds later as Nick, Jason, and Parks came out of the tunnel.
“Three versus three...” Jenn said. “The odds are better than we thought it would be.”
“Are we still going with our plan?” Yukiko asked.
“Yes.”
Nick had his helmet tucked under his arm and a sneer plastered on his face. “The fringer leads his whores to fight.”
“Quiet!” Yunlo snapped. “The rules remain the same as they have been. Bow to the boxes.”
Gregory and his wives bowed formally to the Eternal Flame, showing that they could be respectful, but Nick and his friends didn’t bow back to them. That caused a stir in the stands, and Yunlo glared at the three Eternal Flame apprentices.
“Bow or forfeit!” Yunlo barked.
Nick grimaced. He bowed only a fraction, as did the two behind him. Yunlo snorted, but raised his arm.
When Yunlo’s arm went up, Yukiko ran to the far right wall, and Jenn to the far left.
“What? They can’t do that!” Nick snapped.
“Nothing says you have to start with your group together,” Gregory said. “They’re positioning, not fighting.”
“Pettit is correct,” Yunlo said. “Fight!” His arm came down and Yunlo was three dozen feet away.
Nick might have been flustered, but Parks and Jason weren’t. Jason rushed for Jenn while Parks tried to box Gregory in. Parks was only able to form a single barrier at a time, and with Gregory having aether sight and foresight going, he couldn’t keep him from slipping away.
Nick spat when he saw Gregory moving well past where he should have been boxed in, but instead of trying to catch him, he spun and threw fire at where Jason and Jenn were. “Fine! That one, first... watch her burn, fringer!”
Jenn saw the fire coming and managed to dodge the two balls of fire that came her way, giving ground to Jason in doing so.
Parks kept after Gregory, moving him farther away from Jenn. Gregory was wearing a grimace, but inside, he was laughing, as they had planned for this.
“Now!” Gregory shouted.
The evening sun was low and the shadows in the arena were long. They were long enough that Yukiko could be anywhere, and that
