roast!” he yelled. He heard shrill screams of laughter behind him, too loud to be only the imps. “Come on down here, you overgrown cutlet.” The Minotaur just stood there, not reacting. “Come and fight me. You’re no bull, just an ox.” The laughter was thinner this time, as if the adult starfolk were pretending not to understand the reference.
When he ran out of insults, Rigel shrugged his shoulders, turned his back, and walked away.
The crowd started screaming warnings, which he ignored as if he did not hear them. He guessed that the Minotaur could move much faster than he could. He also knew enough to trust dear Elnath much less far than he could throw him, which would be about five nanometers. No doubt the Minotaur would keep to their bargain as long as the temptation to cheat was not too strong, but right now the temptation mustlook close to irresistible. Rigel had Saiph to warn him, and also shadows, for he was moving away from the morning sun.
Led by Izar, the imps leaped to their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs. Rigel stopped and cupped a hand—his left hand—behind his petite human ear as if he couldn’t make out what they were telling him. They shrieked all the louder. “
The Minotaur’s coming. The Minotaur’s coming!
”
Had it not been for Saiph, Elnath’s attack would have succeeded. No second shadow came rushing over Rigel’s own to warn him that the Minotaur was charging him from behind. Instead his bracelet yanked his hand aside so hard that he lurched out of the way as a rock the size of a baseball whistled through the space his head had occupied a millisecond before. He spun around to find his opponent almost upon him, wielding a great broken tree branch as a club. Rigel had not expected the enormous Elnath to move so silently, but now he knew what the brute had been doing as he skulked in the bushes prior to the match. No dumb ox, he. How many more missiles and weapons had he hidden away?
Rigel leaped aside and the blow missed.
The watchers in the stand screamed their approval.
The Minotaur slithered to a halt, spun around, and charged again. This time Rigel invoked Saiph so that he could slash at the tree branch, cutting it through while his opponent hurtled by.
More yells of approval from the audience.
Rigel dismissed his sword and started ambling down the slope again. He began to fiddle with the tie on the red cloak bundle, as if he was having trouble with the knot, pretending to ignore the Minotaur. Meanwhile, the Minotaur raced around him to get to the floor of the hollow first and intercept him.
The game had changed. Now Elnath was stalking his prey, great arms outstretched. Rigel dodged around bushes, all the time angling downhill, while pretending to concentrate on untying the red cloak. It was pure playacting, because Saiph stayed out and if the giant had really wanted to win, he could have stormed through the shrubbery like a tank. Rigel expected this mummery to deceive the starlings and amuse the adult starfolk, but even they seemed to be taken in, judging by their alternating cheers and screams of warning.
It would be nice to free the red cloak right in front of the grandstand and throw the audience into paroxysms of agony, but Rigel did not know if the magic would work that way, and had not suggested it to Elnath. Their choreography did not develop in that direction.
Instead, Saiph suddenly quivered and flashed into view. The Minotaur hurtled by, closer than before. “Blood me, you fool!” he said as he went by. Then he pivoted and grabbed at Rigel.
Rigel swung at him, striking his shoulder with the flat of his blade, but giving it enough of a twist to cut the skin. Elnath bellowed in terrible tsunamis of sound, clutching his wound and probably forcing it open to make it bleed more.
First blood! The starfolk screamed and cheered.
Elnath made another pass and Rigel slashed his other shoulder, this time a little deeper than he’d intended. It was still
When he ran out of insults, Rigel shrugged his shoulders, turned his back, and walked away.
The crowd started screaming warnings, which he ignored as if he did not hear them. He guessed that the Minotaur could move much faster than he could. He also knew enough to trust dear Elnath much less far than he could throw him, which would be about five nanometers. No doubt the Minotaur would keep to their bargain as long as the temptation to cheat was not too strong, but right now the temptation mustlook close to irresistible. Rigel had Saiph to warn him, and also shadows, for he was moving away from the morning sun.
Led by Izar, the imps leaped to their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs. Rigel stopped and cupped a hand—his left hand—behind his petite human ear as if he couldn’t make out what they were telling him. They shrieked all the louder. “
The Minotaur’s coming. The Minotaur’s coming!
”
Had it not been for Saiph, Elnath’s attack would have succeeded. No second shadow came rushing over Rigel’s own to warn him that the Minotaur was charging him from behind. Instead his bracelet yanked his hand aside so hard that he lurched out of the way as a rock the size of a baseball whistled through the space his head had occupied a millisecond before. He spun around to find his opponent almost upon him, wielding a great broken tree branch as a club. Rigel had not expected the enormous Elnath to move so silently, but now he knew what the brute had been doing as he skulked in the bushes prior to the match. No dumb ox, he. How many more missiles and weapons had he hidden away?
Rigel leaped aside and the blow missed.
The watchers in the stand screamed their approval.
The Minotaur slithered to a halt, spun around, and charged again. This time Rigel invoked Saiph so that he could slash at the tree branch, cutting it through while his opponent hurtled by.
More yells of approval from the audience.
Rigel dismissed his sword and started ambling down the slope again. He began to fiddle with the tie on the red cloak bundle, as if he was having trouble with the knot, pretending to ignore the Minotaur. Meanwhile, the Minotaur raced around him to get to the floor of the hollow first and intercept him.
The game had changed. Now Elnath was stalking his prey, great arms outstretched. Rigel dodged around bushes, all the time angling downhill, while pretending to concentrate on untying the red cloak. It was pure playacting, because Saiph stayed out and if the giant had really wanted to win, he could have stormed through the shrubbery like a tank. Rigel expected this mummery to deceive the starlings and amuse the adult starfolk, but even they seemed to be taken in, judging by their alternating cheers and screams of warning.
It would be nice to free the red cloak right in front of the grandstand and throw the audience into paroxysms of agony, but Rigel did not know if the magic would work that way, and had not suggested it to Elnath. Their choreography did not develop in that direction.
Instead, Saiph suddenly quivered and flashed into view. The Minotaur hurtled by, closer than before. “Blood me, you fool!” he said as he went by. Then he pivoted and grabbed at Rigel.
Rigel swung at him, striking his shoulder with the flat of his blade, but giving it enough of a twist to cut the skin. Elnath bellowed in terrible tsunamis of sound, clutching his wound and probably forcing it open to make it bleed more.
First blood! The starfolk screamed and cheered.
Elnath made another pass and Rigel slashed his other shoulder, this time a little deeper than he’d intended. It was still
Similar Books
