Page 51 of Only Cold Depths
“Well, well, we have an audience. Care to test your luck against some real warriors, Arrow?” Siya called out in a sarcastic voice.
I considered walking away. I was long past the point of letting an enemy goad me into a fight, except for Zane, who always slithered under my skin no matter how hard I tried to ignore him.
Siya kept smirking at me, as did the other Hammers. They wanted to fight? Well, I would be more than happy to oblige them. Perhaps my kicking their asses would make the warriors think twice about attacking Vesper and me again. Plus, my talk with Lady Verona had unsettled me more than I cared to admit, and taking my frustration out on someone else was always an excellent way of ignoring my emotions. My inner monster licked its chops in anticipation.
“I would be delighted to participate in your sparring session.”
Siya’s black eyebrows lifted in surprise, but she crooked her finger in a clear invitation. I walked through the center of the training ring, right past all the other warriors, eyeing them just as they were eyeing me.
The Hammers were a mix of men and women of all shapes and sizes. The youngest looked to be in his early twenties; the oldest was a woman in her sixties. I had never sparred with any Hammers, but Callus Holloway had spies everywhere, and from time to time, he showed me, Zane, and the other Arrows secretly recorded footage of the warriors’ training. And of course, the Hammers had had a few skirmishes with the Techwave’s mechanized Black Scarab troops that had aired on both the Erzton and the Imperium gossipcasts.
Rigel was here, leaning up against the castle wall just as he had done yesterday in Aldrich’s library. He nodded to me, and I returned the somewhat friendly gesture.
Siya gestured at a hoverpallet. “Pick your poison, Arrow.”
An impressive spread of wooden practice weapons covered the surface—swords, daggers, staffs, crossbows, and, of course, hammers. I was still wearing my stormsword, so I took it off and laid it on an empty spot on the hoverpallet, along with my blaster. Then I picked up one war hammer after another, testing their weight and balance. Even though the hammers were made of wood, their solid heft could still inflict serious damage.
I found a hammer I liked, then strode over to the center of the training ring and crooked my finger at Siya, mocking her earlier gesture. She growled, grabbed a wooden hammer, and stepped into the ring. The other warriors gathered around, except for Rigel, who maintained his relaxed position by the wall.
“The great Kyrion Caldaren.” Siya sneered, circling around me. “According to the Regal gossipcasts, you’re the best warrior in the Imperium and deal out death on a daily basis. I’m disappointed with the reality.”
I matched my steps to hers as though we were two vipers trying to bite the other’s tail. “What is the old saying? Never meet your heroes.”
“Oh, you’re no bloody hero. Just another Arrow assassin running around the galaxy and doing Callus Holloway’s bidding.”
“Like you aren’t doing the same thing for Lord Aldrich?”
Anger sparked in Siya’s hazel eyes, making them burn a bright, glimmering gold. “Aldrich is my father, and this is my House. It is anhonorto serve my people, and I will give my life to defend them. Can you say the same about any of your fellow Arrows?”
No, I could not. I had never been close to any of the other Arrows, given the Regal politics and constant jockeying for position that permeated the group. The other Arrows had simply been tools to ensure my own survival and avoid Holloway’s wrath, and I had certainly never cared about any of my fellow warriors the way Siya cared about her people.
Siya shot me a knowing smirk. “I didn’t think so.”
Without warning, she lunged forward, swinging her hammer and trying to catch me by surprise. I snapped up my own weapon to block her attack, and the force of her blow reverberated all the way up my arm.
My eyes narrowed. “You have a strength enhancement.”
A wicked smile curved her lips. “Among other things.”
She lunged forward again, and the battle began in earnest. Around and around the training ring we went, with Siya slamming her hammer into mine over and over. In addition to being strong, she was also fast—much faster than I expected—and she managed to break through my defenses and smash her hammer into my left ribs.
Even though we were fighting with wooden weapons, pain still erupted in my body, and the hard blow punched the air out of my lungs. I wheezed and staggered away.
“Not so tough without your stormsword, eh, Arrow?” Siya mocked.
The other warriors let out loud, approving claps and jeers, except for Rigel, who maintained his silent, watchful stance.
I ignored the taunts and drew in one deep breath after another, even as I slumped my shoulders and lowered my hammer, just a bit, as though I was more injured than I truly was. Siya took the bait, darted forward, and swung her weapon high overhead.
I might not be as proficient with a war hammer as she was, but I had learned a long time ago that I didn’t always need to be quicker or stronger than my opponent—just smarter. So even as Siya brought her hammer down, trying to break my collarbone, I went low, dropped to one knee, and spun past her. Then, before she could recover, I used my hammer’s long hilt like a wooden staff and swept Siya’s legs out from under her.
The other warrior landed flat on her back. The hard fall stunned her, and the hammer tumbled out of her grasp. I rose to my feet, twirled the hilt of my own hammer around in my hand, and pressed the spiked end up against her throat.
Siya froze. Even with a wooden practice weapon, I could easily crush her windpipe and kill her. The other Hammers froze as well, and their mocking jeers cut off. A tense, charged silence dropped over the training ring, and the only sounds were Siya’s raspy breaths.
“Do you yield?” I asked in a soft, dangerous voice.
Fury sparked in Siya’s eyes. She surged up, trying to use her speed to slip away, but I pressed the spike a little more firmly against her throat.
