Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress' Knights Tournament

Chapter 47

Erica helped heal Caspian's wounds. Afterward, he spent the last half-an-hour of the one-hour break speaking with Cassidy, Derek, and, of course, Erica. Tiffania had fallen asleep with her head in Erica's lap, the sorceress titled "Succubus" tenderly stroking her hair.

When the one-hour break was up, someone came in and informed Caspian that it was time for the final match to begin. He'd bid the group goodbye before following the man back to the arena, where Instructor Murdok and his opponent awaited.

Many thoughts went through Caspian as he stared at Darin Shivals Merikh, his opponent, and the one who, for the past several years, had held the title of first place. But his thoughts weren't on his opponent. It didn't matter who he had to fight. No, his thoughts were on the one that he was doing this for. Regardless of whatever hardships he faced, for her, he would gladly stand against them all.

Just one more battle, Ele...

His eyes could not seek her out, for the viewing box that she stood in was behind him. Yet he imagined her gaze on his back. She was watching this, watching him. He couldn't make a fool of himself by losing now.

The cheering crowd made his ears ring. He did his best to ignore them, and instead returned his attention to where it belonged—on the here and now. His opponent. Darin. The last obstacle standing in his way.

"Are both Knights ready?" Instructor Murdok asked. Darin nodded as he placed a hand on his blade, grasped the hilt, and slowly pulled it from its sheath. Caspian merely unsheathed his sword with an unceremonious yank. "Then let the final match of the Sorceress's Knight Tournament... begin!"

Despite the words ringing out clearly for everyone to hear, neither Caspian nor Darin moved. An unusual silence settled upon the crowd as they continued to stare at each other. Hushed. Deathly still. A tension seemed to settle over everyone.

Caspian eyed the blade in Darin's hands. It was a plain sword. The blade was straight, double-edged, and glimmered with the slight dullness of old steel. The light silver tone shifted into a bronze quillions. Brown leather made up the grip, and a rounded pommel sat at the very end. It was a well-maintained blade. It also told him a lot about the one wielding it.

This is a man who prides himself on his skills with a sword.

Sweat trickled down Caspian's brow, but he ignored it, understanding that to look away now would give Darin the clear advantage. He wished he could see his opponents eyes, but that blasted fedora blocked his view. How could Darin even see in that thing? It should have rendered his vision impotent, yet Caspian had seen proof that his opponent was perfectly aware of their surroundings.

One thing is for sure, Caspian thought as the muscles in his back tightened, this is going to be a hard fought battle.

***

Lady Erica, Tiffania, Cassidy, and Derek had joined Elincia after Caspian left for his next match.

She had greeted them once they'd arrived, and stuck to Lady Erica like glue to keep the foreign dignitaries from talking to her. She felt guilty for using the woman as a shield, and she felt even more guilty for avoiding the nobles, but she still hadn't grown used to being the center of attention. It made her feel like locking herself in her room.

The battle had started some time ago, yet nothing had happened yet. Caspian and his opponent stood on either side of the arena, staring each other down, not moving an inch. It was like they were frozen in time. Elincia was growing anxious.

"What's going on? Why aren't they moving?" she murmured the question to herself.

"He who moves first loses," Derek said as if quoting lines from a book. "It's a fundamental rule of swordsmanship. While many people believe that sword fights are all about action, the truth is that there's a lot more involved. Patience is a necessary component in a sword fight. In this instance, Caspian and Darin are trying to see who moves first, because the one who moves first will be in the weaker position, and thus have to fight an uphill battle."