Page 74 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

“Not my fight?” He caught Huxor’s reaction, noticed the smirk that appeared and disappeared in an instant. His old friend was well and truly gone. Only the evil of Iphocles remained.

Bain gave him a nod. He’d noticed it too. “Go on, Tearloch. We can handle this.”

“What?” Dower was nonplussed. “He’s our brother! He’s back to himself. If we all fight together, we can get out of this madhouse!” He gestured to the sidelines. “Go ahead, brother. Change Sweetie back so they’ll believe you.”

Huxor nodded. Without hesitation, he reached toward Sweetie and mumbled a curse. Tearloch wouldn’t have been surprised if his big friend turned fully into a bull. But no. The horns disappeared. Sweetie’s shoulders, head, and face returned to their original size. He was a man again.

Tearloch exchanged a knowing look with Bain. The sorcerer couldn’t be trusted. His compliance was only a trick to get them to let down their guards. Yes, he was grateful, but he wasn’t stupid.

Bain nodded once again and Tearloch backed away. Huxor dismissed him as a threat and watched his brothers instead. Once Tearloch reached Minkin and Sweetie, weapons were once again thrown into the arena. Huxor walked calmly to the far side to pick up a long sword. Bain ran to claim two others, along with a grimthorn, then hurried to Dower to force a hilt into his hand.

“Yes, it’s him,” he told his younger brother. “Yes, he was once our kin. But Huxor is only the shell, Dower. Only the shell. We have to kill what’s inside that shell, do you understand? If we don’t, we burn.”

Still in a daze of hope, Dower watched Huxor advance, shaking his arms and stretching his neck, preparing to fight. “You wouldn’t hurt us,” he said, more than asked.

Huxor shook his head. “’Course not. But we must put on a show, mustn’t we? We’ll wait for a distraction, then make a run for it. No one can best the three of us.”

Dower disagreed. “We can’t go without the others. Sweetie and Minkin?—”

“They’ll have to fight their own way out. This time, numbers won’t be a strength but a weakness. They’ll understand. And they’ll have Tearloch.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Bain warned. “That’s Iphocles, lying to you, trying to sound like Huxor. But when did Huxor ever suggest we abandon the others? Never, that’s when.”

Huxor cursed. “Because we’ve never needed to leave them behind before. But this time it’s different. I have to save myself, but I won’t leave without my brothers.”

Satisfied, Dower turned to plead with Bain. “You see? Huxor would never—” The blade coming through his chest prevented him from finishing his thought. He hit his knees, still confused, and thankfully, he collapsed never fully understanding his eldest brother’s betrayal.

“No!” Asper’s cry cut through the cheers, and Tearloch’s watery eyes found her just as Ciro roughly pulled her back to her seat.

Half a dozen guards held blades to his and Sweetie’s necks, rendering them immobile when they both would have rushed onto the floor to end Huxor’s life, with their bare hands if necessary.

Bain was on his own, facing a man they all knew was better with a sword, better with any weapon. Every skill in Bain’s arsenal was learned at the knees of Huxor, Tearloch, and Sweetie. The younger man’s only hope was luck.

And at this point, they might not have any luck left.

* * *

Asper…

Huxor! The man who had killed Demius!

I saw it replay in my mind, saw it more clearly than before. How could I have ever confused that devil for my heartbound?

For Tearloch, I’d abandoned my plans for revenge. But now that creature had wounded Dower, his own brother, cut him down from behind! If that blade destroyed his heart, could he recover?Oh, how they all must be suffering!

Standing behind the wall, helpless with all the blades holding them at bay, Tearloch, Sweetie, and Minkin looked on in anguish. If Huxor killed Bain, and took Dower’s head before he could rouse, he’d be allowed to live. Madness!

Huxor abandoned the sword he’d buried in his brother’s back and took Dower’s weapon instead.

“No emotion, Bain,” Tearloch shouted. “Take your time! Wear him out!”

But Bain’s face revealed all his emotions, his pain, his devastation, and all his hatred for the one possessing his brother. Self-control and patience were beyond his reach. Soon, we would see if that fact would serve or destroy him.

Despite Tearloch’s encouragement, he and Sweetie grimaced while they watched. Minkin closed her eyes, perhaps a sign that she was trying to intervene. Lears and Poole cheered Bain on, their shouts swallowed by the calls of the crowd.

The dueling brothers circled again and again, taking turns attacking each other, neither of them landing a blow. All the while, Huxor’s mouth moved, either casting some spell or trying to distract the other man. He spoke too low to hear.

To everyone’s surprise, Bain suddenly stopped and straightened. He dropped to his knees and the mob quieted.

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