Tassin followed, a crowd of eager spectators jostling her. She solicited bets on the pale-eyed warrior, and found a favourable response. It seemed the bearded man had a reputation as a good fighter, as well as a frequent picker-of-brawls. She bet as much as she could, knowing she would not have to cover the wagers.
The street was deserted, except for a few beggars who made their homes in doorways, the throngs of merchants and shoppers gone with the sun. The crowd surged into it and formed a noisy circle. Tassin, her bets laid, wriggled to the front. The two torches at the inn’s doorway lighted the scene, and a few spectators brought more torches as the tall Olgaran waited for Sabre to produce a weapon. When he did not, the Olgaran shrugged and lunged, and Sabre dodged with a swift sidestep. He leapt and spun, one foot lashing out.
The Olgaran ducked, receiving a glancing blow that sent him reeling into the crowd, which caught him and pushed him back. The Olgaran shook his head, scowling, then lunged at his foe again. Sabre swayed aside, allowing the knife to skim past his ribs. Stepping closer, he landed two stiff-armed jabs to the Olgaran’s solar plexus, sending him stumbling back. The Olgaran went down with a grunt, clutching his stomach, and the knife fell with a tinkle.
Sabre turned to leave the circle, but the crowd closed ranks, refusing him egress. Apparently in this land, a fight was not over until one contender admitted defeat. He turned back to his opponent, who eyed him with newfound respect, nursing his belly. The Olgaran picked up his weapon and rose to his feet, his expression wary. He circled, tossing the knife from one hand to the other in the manner of a skilled knife fighter with a yen to show off. Sabre moved closer in a flowing motion, aiming a punch at the Olgaran’s head. The man ducked, and the knife flashed. A line of blood appeared on Sabre’s chest. The Olgaran was fast.
Sabre chopped at the bearded man’s wrist, but he moved swiftly, slashing again inside Sabre’s guard. Another cut appeared on the cyber’s belly, and Tassin frowned. The crowd cheered, laying more bets against the pale-eyed warrior. Sabre advanced and kicked the Olgaran in the chest, sending him staggering into the throng, which thrust him back into the circle again. The Olgaran rubbed his chest with a grimace, then lunged at his opponent. Sabre skipped aside and landed a blow on the back of the man’s neck. The Olgaran stumbled, but his hand flashed up to inflict a shallow wound in Sabre’s side, and more blood flowed.
Tassin bit her lip, wondering why Sabre moved so slowly, and allowed the Olgaran to injure him. As if reading her mind, Sabre’s eyes glittered, and he spun. His right arm snapped out, striking his opponent’s arm as the man raised his weapon again. There was a sharp, distinct crack of breaking bone, and the knife spun into the crowd, evincing a yelp from an unfortunate spectator. The Olgaran lurched back with a stifled cry, clutching his broken arm. He glared at Sabre, who turned to the crowd, which parted to let him through.
Tassin wormed into the throng in search of the men who owed her money as Sabre’s eyes hunted for her. She collected most of it, although some punters had slipped away. Sabre took her wrist and towed her towards the inn. He dragged her to the room, his expression thunderous. Shoving her onto the bed, he folded his arms. Tassin rubbed her aching wrist, eyeing him.
“Just exactly what did you think you were playing at?” he demanded.
Tassin returned his glare. “We need the money, and you refused to fight.”
“So you just instigated a fight with a knife fighter.”
“I did not know he was a knife fighter! Besides, you said you can beat any man.”
“I can,” he retorted. “But usually they die, and if I try not to kill them, I can get hurt. As it was, I had to break his arm.”
“I did not know that. Maybe you should have explained it properly?”
Sabre’s eyes frosted. “Maybe I should shake some sense into you, or better still, leave you to fend for yourself.”
“You would not dare!”
“Wouldn’t I?” He stepped closer, then swung away with a growl when she shrank back, going over to the table to pour a cup of water from the pitcher.
“We made a lot of money,” she said.
“Great, now you can buy your fancy clothes and go shake your butt for the King.”
He slammed the cup down and stalked towards her again, his manner threatening. “Let me explain it to you, Your Majesty. Cybers are killing machines. We’re a great deal stronger and faster than the average man, or even, for that matter, a skilled fighter, armed or not. That means it’s an effort not to kill or seriously injure them.”
He held out a scarred hand. “I can crush a man’s skull with one blow. To me, it’s like an eggshell. I can punch through four centimetres of hardened duronium, the strongest metal known to man. It’s all in the natty brochure that comes with a cyber when you buy one. But you don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? A normal man might break his hand before his opponent’s skull was fractured, because the skull is stronger than a normal hand. Every blow I land, I have to control.
“I could’ve killed that guy in a couple of seconds, just as the cyber would have killed your King Torrian if he hadn’t been wearing armour, and as it did kill those soldiers in the gorge. This is a primitive culture. Hell, it’s a restricted world! I shouldn’t even be here, and your spacer buddy broke quite a few laws when he brought me here. These people will think I’m using magic, just like you did. I don’t want to end up fighting the entire City Watch because they think I’m a damned warlock, or something ridiculous. Holding back isn’t easy, and I don’t want to kill a local hero and make a lot of enemies. Understand?”
She nodded, staring at his hand as it clenched under her nose.
“You were lucky, you know,” he continued, turning away. “You ordered the cyber to defeat the men at the fair. If you’d just told it to fight them, it would have had the lethal option, and it would have used it, because my bio-status at that point was very low. For a cyber, it’s easier to kill than to defeat a man. Even so, a cyber only kills when necessary, like the soldiers at the river, or when ordered to. I was used to kill four assassins before I came here, and again with those twenty-two soldiers. I hate killing!”
Tassin huddled against the wall, hugging her knees. Sabre sat on the bed and stared at the floor, his face grim with anger and something else, which, she realised with shock, was self-loathing.
He said, “I can’t change what I am, or what I’m capable of, so don’t play your silly girlish games with me, okay? I’ll help you, but don’t instigate fights.”
Tassin nodded and buried her face in her knees, blocking out his angry face. He touched her hand, and she looked up at him. The coldness and anger had left his expression, leaving only bitterness, and a yearning she did not understand.
“Don’t be scared of me,” he said. “I won’t hurt you. I’m not a monster, although they tried to make me into one.” He touched the brow band. “In spite of what they did, I’m still mostly human. That was an idle threat, okay?”
She snorted. “I am not scared of you. The cyber would not let you hurt me.”
He jumped up. “You’re the most maddening, smug, selfish female I’ve ever met! Here I am thinking I’m putting the fear of god into you, and you’re laughing at me!” He loomed over her again, a finger raised. “Don’t rely on the cyber, Missy. You could get a nasty surprise if you make me mad enough.”
She climbed off the bed and faced him. “Go on then, let us see if the cyber will let you.”
“I wasn’t talking about...” His mouth twisted. “You’re a real little cow, you know that?” He strode out, slamming the door.
Tassin sat down again, wondering if he would return. Deciding that he would, she pulled out the money she had won and counted it. She had more than enough to buy a good quality outfit and pay for lodgings for several weeks. Sabre did not appreciate her forethought, and she did not understand his reluctance to use his abilities. As far as she knew, warlocks and witches were respected in Arlin, and, she assumed, the other kingdoms.
&nbs
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