James Maxey - Greatshadow

“And if you knock her from her feet?” asked Relic.

“She is welcome to continue the fight,” said the boy. “My intention is to prove that she’s a fraud. I shall do so by breaking the woman’s bones until she confesses, proving that there’s no steel within her.”

“Fierce little bastard, ain’t he?” Reeker said with a chuckle.

“You will hold your blasphemous tongue!” shouted the Truthspeaker.

Reeker opened his jaw so wide I worried his cheeks would tear. He thrust both hands toward his mouth and grabbed his tongue in a death grip.

“This is the Golden Child,” said Ivory Blade, glaring at the skunk-man. “He is the culmination of generations of pious men and women who have faithfully adhered to the teachings of the One True Book. He is the perfect blend of body, spirit, and truth, untainted by falsehood.”

Father Ver placed his hand upon Blade’s shoulders. “Be careful with your words,” he counseled. “While there is evidence that Numinous Pilgrim is the Golden Child, we do not have the final proof. Perhaps one day he shall be the Omega Reader; first he must conclude the seventeen sacred tests.”

Numinous? I felt sympathy for the boy. His name was even worse than the one I’d been stuck with as a baby. Menagerie apparently found the name amusing as well, since he looked as if he was fighting back a laugh.

The Truthspeaker glowered as he saw the look on Menagerie’s face. “Do you have something to say, mercenary?”

The tattooed man gave Reeker a sideways glance. His fellow Goon was still wrestling with his tongue. “I’m good,” said Menagerie.

“Now that you know who I am,” said Numinous, “you know it is futile to attempt to deceive me.”

“Of course,” said Relic. “I wouldn’t want a person of your sacred esteem to doubt my claim. I accept your challenge.”

Infidel, standing beside Relic, casually placed a hand upon his shoulder. There was a faint crunching sound.

“If you’ll excuse me,” said Relic, speaking through clenched teeth, “I will require only a moment to fine tune the War Doll before battle.”

He hobbled toward the shadows, with Infidel clamped to his shoulder. Once they were out of earshot, she leaned close and whispered, “Are you out of your mind? I can’t fight a little boy!”

Relic nodded. His voice was barely audible as he said, “From the mind of Ivory Blade, I’ve learned that Numinous has already completed twelve of the seventeen sacred tests. If the boy truly is the Omega Reader, all our planning may be for naught. Your fear may be justified.”

“Fear? I’m not… look, I just won’t beat up a kid. I only fight people bigger than me.”

“You’ve fought pygmies,” said Relic. “You’ve slaughtered them and stacked their bodies like firewood.”

Infidel frowned.

Relic continued, “I know you don’t wish to be a bully. But if you fail to beat Numinous, we shall be exposed.”

Infidel glanced back toward the circle of light. The Golden Child stared into the shadows as if he could see them clearly. “He’s so skinny. I’m worried I’ll break him.”

“Break him if you can,” said Relic. “The Golden Child’s senses are uncluttered by falsehood. He can hear your heart beating. He can smell your sweat. He alone can expose you.”

“What about Lord Tower?” asked Infidel. “Have we fooled him? I thought I saw something in his eyes. I don’t know if it was recognition, or… or something else.”

Relic shook his head. “While he wears his armor, I cannot read his thoughts, let alone manipulate them.”

Infidel cocked her head. “You manipulate thoughts?”

“To a degree,” said Relic. “I’m no puppet-master, controlling the actions of others. But, I have the power to subtly guide the focus of men. Our ruse would crumble if Father Ver thought to ask you the truth of your identity. Fortunately, I’ve managed to keep his attention fixed upon me. Even though he can see you, he’s too distracted to focus on you. The same is true of Blade. Alas, Numinous and Tower are beyond the reach of my powers.”

“I wondered why I was being ignored in this outfit,” said Infidel.

“Back to the matter at hand: you need only knock Numinous from his feet to silence him. He’s given his word and dare not go back on it. If he is the true Omega Reader, he must never make a false promise.”

“I don’t think knocking him down is a real problem,” she said, clenching her fists. “This is going to be my shortest fight ever.”

Relic shook his head. “Don’t be overly confident.”

“C’mon. Let’s get this over with.”

They headed back toward the sunlit circle.

“The War Doll is ready,” Relic announced as they returned.

Lord Tower’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Infidel. She had a sword on one hip, a mace on the other, and still had my knife in her boot. The knight held up his gleaming gauntlet and said, “There’s no need to shed blood. Your gladiator must relinquish her weapons.”

“As you wish,” said Relic.

“This is an unnecessary precaution,” said Numinous. “Even if she was armed with the Gloryhammer, she could not harm me.”

Infidel’s face was passive as she handed Relic her weapons. I felt a shiver pass down my non-existent spine as he grasped the hilt of the knife.

The king’s men and the Goons retreated to the edge of the sunlit circle, forming an impromptu arena. I noticed that Reeker had finally let go of his tongue; apparently the Truthspeaker’s command wasn’t permanent. The boy stood in the center of the circle, his stance loose, his arms dangling. His eyes were fixed on Infidel’s face. She stopped about six feet away and raised her fists, planting her feet in a boxer’s stance.

Seconds passed into moments as the two studied each other. Infidel bobbed back and forth as she waited for the boy to make his move. I could tell she still worried about hurting the kid. With his placid face, Numinous looked more like a bored observer of the fight than a participant.

Infidel was the first to lose patience. She jumped toward the boy, kicking out, her foot aimed at his gut. Numinous stepped aside fluidly, placing one hand on her ankle, another behind her knee as she flew into the space where he’d just stood. With an ear-splitting cry of “Yiaiiah!” he spun her in the air, slamming her face-down into the gravel. Before she could pick herself up, he leapt into the air, shouted, “Hiaaayah!” and landed with his full weight on the back of her neck, burying her head deeper into the small stones. He bounced off, landing gracefully. He looked down at Infidel with a smug expression. Infidel didn’t move a muscle.

“That didn’t take long,” Ivory Blade said from the edge of the circle.

“It’s not over,” said Numinous. “She’s still conscious.”

As he said this, Infidel’s fists closed around big handfuls of gravel. In a flash, she sat up and whipped her arms toward the Golden Child, letting the gravel fly in a dangerous hail of stone shrapnel. Yet before the gravel had even left her fingers, Numinous dove toward her. His body twisted as he spun through the stony cloud, avoiding every last piece. The gravel sparked as it struck the boulders beyond.

Infidel was still sitting with her arms out when the boy reached her. His leg blurred as he kicked her three times in the throat with cries of “Hyia! Hyia! Hyia!” She went down, flat on her back, her arms limp. The boy landed, hopping on a single foot. His placid expression was replaced by an unmistakable frown. He winced as he placed weight on his kicking-foot.

Infidel sat back up, rubbing her wind-pipe. “Son of a bitch,” she muttered.

Among the king’s men, there was a simultaneous furrowing of brows.