Palians, Ryden thought. They think of everything.
The noise was getting annoying now. Stavor was pacing restlessly like a leashed dog.
Ryden stood from his seat. "Silence," he roared.
His powerful, deep voice carried easily to every corner of the great hall. The ambassadors fell quiet at once, some with fearful looks on their faces, but Ryden had no interest in them. They were nothing to him. Only Stavor and the Fremma mattered.
He turned to the Koliar. "What about the Conqueror?" he asked.
The warlord gave him a measuring look. "If you submit yourself to the will of the council, your ship will be left unharmed," he said.
That brought a new clamor, but Ryden focused his attention on Stavor.
"You don't seriously expect me to bare my neck to you," he said, letting the council argue over their heads.
Stavor snarled. "Slay an unarmed man? What do you take me for?"
Ryden gave him a nod.
"Very well, then," he said. "We fight. And you leave my ship be."
The Koliar nodded grimly. Ryden knew he'd keep his word, considering the council an excuse as much as he did. They could say and decide whatever they wanted. Stavor had only looked for a reason to fight him, and Ryden was buying time. If the Koliar insisted on dying, that was out of his hands.
"This is not what we ruled," Klaen shouted to Stavor over the mayhem around them. "We have yet to decide the fate of the Conqueror and its crew."
"Everything is clear to me," Stavor said. "The general and I will settle this."
"This is not some duel!" Klaen called. "He must submit himself to the council's will."
Stavor laughed, the sound echoing across the suddenly very silent hall. The warlord turned to the council, letting his eyes take them in. Ryden knew Stavor hated them as much as he did, the lesser men presuming to decide their fate.
"Is that so?" Stavor asked the council. "I wonder if there is anyone here that thinks he will. If there is, I must suggest you give up your seat on this council right now."
Silence answered him, although a few were glowering at him for the insult. Ryden enjoyed the show of the council's guard dog turning against them.
"No, I didn't think so," Stavor said when the moment of silence lingered.
With those words, he stepped down from his podium into the empty area before the council seats. It wasn't ideal as an arena, but it would have to do, Ryden thought, following him.
He took a moment to look at Aria, who was watching him go with quiet dignity, even if she couldn't hide her fear from him. Then Ryden put her firmly to his back, so as not to get distracted in a fight with the man who often killed his enemies months after he'd fought them. The warlord's poisoned sword was already in his hand, ready to find any weakness in his armor.#p#分页标题#e#
It wasn't only a fight he had to win, it was a fight where he couldn't allow for a single mistake.
And he had beaten Stavor before. The trouble was, then the commander of the Gray Armada had been under the hive mind's influence. Clumsier, slower, at war with his own mind.
There would be no mercy this time. Ryden drew his spear.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Ryden
Ryden had been downplaying Stavor in his mind, even going as far as to boast, something which he normally didn't do. But the truth was that one didn't become a commander in the Gray Armada by chance. Stavor was deadly, strong, and clever. The hive mind might have been able to play with his head, but Stavor didn't need much strategy to outmatch him.
All he needed was one strike and Ryden would be no good for anything for the rest of his life, if he lived at all.
The Galaya Hall fell into revered silence as he approached his opponent. Stavor was waiting for him, silent and expectant. His gray armor was nearly as thick as Ryden's and he was about his height. Ryden couldn't underestimate him and the sword. The hive mind had been a different enemy, one that required a clear mind and cleverness to beat, but Stavor was pure power. It was a match of skill and speed, nothing more.
A simple fight, Ryden thought, stopping a few feet from the warlord. I've missed those.
Simple in concept, but not in execution.
He met Stavor's eyes for a second, acknowledging his opponent. It was a match of warriors, after all, not a brawl or an unmatched battle. They were equals and took a second to consider that before they gave themselves over to attempting to kill each other.
Stavor charged first, since it was his best chance to hit Ryden with the poison quick and hard. There was a shield in his hand, one that Ryden was familiar with. The Koliar shields were as legendary as the Brion spears, created with the same technology that powered the shields of their ships. It was, to say, unbreakable.
But since it required huge amounts of energy to maintain, it wasn't very large—barely enough to cover Stavor's arm—but it was an obstacle. Every blow Ryden dealt to it, dodging and blocking the sword, was met with a clash that left his hand shivering. To hit the shield with his spear with full strength felt like slamming his fist against a wall.
He wondered what sort of a poison Stavor had chosen for him. Of course no matter what the particular concoction was, it was meant for a Brion. The Koliars were very specific about their weapons, always perfectly aware of their opponent. All their tactics, the different aspects of their weapons, it was designed around their enemies.
At a more peaceful time, Ryden had seen a Koliar armory once. Their preferred weapon combination was their shield and a sword, with a long and sharp blade, but it didn't mean they had nothing else. He'd seen walls upon walls of swords. Long, short, curvy, wide, ones with many blades and those with blades that warped.
He'd been very impressed. Brions would always appreciate warriors who took pride and care with their craft.
For the fight with him, Stavor was wielding a long, incredibly thin blade, but it didn't break even against the battle spear. Ryden didn't have a moment to look closer at such details, but for a second he could have sworn that the weapon was the same material as the shield.
Clever. Very clever. It's a pity our qualities make us better enemies than friends.
That applied to all Brions and Koliars, the tensions between them finally boiling over. Ryden wouldn't have chosen it to end that way, but Stavor didn't leave him another choice. He would have to kill him. And hope that whoever succeeded the warlord would keep his promise to not attack the Conqueror.
Stavor's sword grazed his shoulder guard and Ryden jumped back, bringing the spear up between them, eying the warlord warily. The Koliar looked pleased, a small smile on his lips. It was easier for him; he'd already fought Ryden once. And while it worked both ways, Ryden was hindered by the fact he wasn't really fighting the same man.
Stavor knew it, and was using the knowledge against him. He parried when before he'd dodged in the same situation, time and time again changing up his stance, waiting for his moment. And he was strong.
When Ryden locked them together, sword against the spear, keeping himself firmly away from the blade, he found his strength matched. In the end, they had to push off each other, both stumbling back, two forces equal.
It was an almost impossible task to win the duel without getting wounded. Ryden knew it forced carefulness into his actions, made him slower than he could have been. With the Host, it had helped to throw caution in the wind, but he couldn't allow a single second of distraction with Stavor. The warlord had years of fighting through the galaxy's worst under his belt, just like he did. It made him dangerous, practically a mirror image.#p#分页标题#e#
When the sword hit Ryden's shoulder guard for the second time, he realized what the other was trying to do. Stavor was watching him, studying his movements and had chosen to hit the place he most often left unguarded.
The general felt himself grin. It was a pity to kill a warrior like Stavor over a petty issue like that.
He compensated immediately, giving Stavor no more chances to cut the shoulder guard even deeper. Ryden saw the appreciative grin on the warlord's face, signaling he understood he'd been caught.
They were both out of breath now, circling each other, both finding their opponent a bigger challenge than they'd assumed. It delighted Ryden. Come what may, even if he lost, it was a good fight and Stavor was a worthy partner. But they both felt the end coming, worse for him than it was to the Koliar.
The two fighters kicked and wounded and tried to trick the other, but every warrior tired, even the best. There was a breaking point, starting from the moment when one of them felt the cold chill of death approaching from exhaustion, the worst killer in battle. It made a warrior slow, prone to mistakes, but in a fight like that, to make a mistake was to die.
Stavor broke before he did and they entered the death throes together. Around them, Ryden could hear the shocked gasps of the ambassadors. He'd nearly forgotten they were there. It didn't matter anymore until all at once everything snapped into bitter focus.
Stavor's sword became a blur, as did his spear. The weapons clashed together with enough force to leave both their hands numb, threatening to make them drop the blades and bring death in the next second.
They were turning. Stavor was trying to force him to face the council seats, hoping that seeing Aria would distract him, but that wouldn't work. Ryden was fighting for her. He'd never let her become the complication which cost him his life.