The Legend of Eli Monpress(354)

“Powers,” Eli muttered. “Sted’s going to carve him into little slices if this keeps up much longer.”

“It is a difficult fight,” Tesset said. He was standing at the arena’s edge just like Nico and Eli, watching the fight with keen interest. “Liechten is the superior combatant, but so long as Sted keeps regenerating, he has the upper hand. Your swordsman will have to land a finishing blow soon or Sted will simply outlast him.”

Nico clenched her fists, her eyes glued on Josef as the combatants went around again. Tesset was right; Josef was bleeding freely from a dozen small cuts. His movements were still lightning fast, but Nico had been watching Josef closely since the moment she woke up on the mountain, and she could see the telltale signs of exhaustion creeping in: the way his eyes narrowed even in shadow, the sloping set of his shoulders as he swung his swords, the slight hesitation when he jumped. The two men had been going full tilt for almost twenty minutes at this point, and while Sted seemed as ready as ever, Josef was pushing his limits.

“Let’s hope they finish it soon in any case,” Sparrow said, swinging Eli’s leash from side to side. “Fantastically entertaining as it is to watch two grown men try to kill each other, we’ve got a schedule to keep. What do you think you’re doing?”

This last bit was a shout as Eli suddenly dropped to his knees and reached down into the arena.

“Helping,” Eli said, grabbing the shoddy sword on the wall below him. “He’ll lose unless he can get a blade that will actually be able to finish Sted, and no one benefits if Josef loses.”

“Put that down!” Sparrow shouted, jerking Eli’s leash. But the rope unraveled in his hands, slipping off Eli’s neck with a snicker.

Eli looked over his shoulder and gave Sparrow a wide grin. “Don’t ever forget who you’re dealing with, bird boy. Next time, you should listen to Miranda.”

“Tesset!” Sparrow shouted. “Grab him!”

“No point,” Tesset said. “He’ll just get out again. Besides, if he was going to run, he wouldn’t have slipped the rope here where he’s cornered.”

“Excellent observation,” Eli said, nodding sagely as he sat down on the arena’s edge.

Sparrow had no answer. He just stood there, sputtering, as Eli placed the warped sword in his lap. Nico leaned in to watch as Eli began knocking on the blade with his fist.

“You’d better wake up,” he shouted. “You’re missing everything!”

For a moment nothing happened. The sword, its uneven surface a mottled mix of gray and black, just lay there. Eli kept knocking, harder now, and shouted again. “You’re missing the chance of a lifetime!”

The sword rattled in his hand, and then, very slowly, a tiny voice said, “What?”

“At last,” Eli said. “I was beginning to worry you’d sleep right through it.”

“Right through what?” the sword said, sounding more alarmed.

“The fight of your life,” Eli said. “Look down in that arena. You’re going to be in the hands of the greatest swordsman in the world, the Master of the Heart of War itself!”

The sword’s anxiety began to wane. “The what?”

Eli rolled his eyes. “The greatest awakened blade ever created. Do you have any idea what an honor you’ve been selected for?”

He waited for an answer, but the sword remained silent. A second later, Nico realized it had fallen back asleep.

“Damn small spirits,” Eli grumbled, whacking the blade against the arena wall. “Come on, wake up.”

“What?” the sword said again.

Eli shook his head and tried a different approach.

“Are you ready?” he said, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Ready for what?”

“To fight,” Eli said. “You’re a sword. It’s your purpose.”

“I’m a sword?” The sword rolled back and forth in his hand. “Since when?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Eli said, grabbing the sword by the hilt. “Now, I want you to go out there and give it your all.”

“Powers!” The sword rocked itself toward the arena. “Do you see what’s happening down there? Look at all those broken swords!”

“Failures,” Eli said. “Listen, everything depends on this. Don’t fail me. And don’t go back to sleep. You stay together, no matter what it takes, do you hear me?”

“I’m not going down there!” the sword shouted.

“Forget those other swords,” Eli shouted back. “They were weak. You’re different. You’re going to win!”