Jurik Krone’s young disciple Duk Dodgson was my next opponent. He was tall and strong but had never won a Duelum because, at least to my mind, he was too cocksure to acknowledge that he had weaknesses on which he should work. He was handsome, though his mouth was cruel and his eyes arrogant. He clearly loathed me because his master did.
I was very glad I had drawn him in the Duelum. Getting even was not just fun; sometimes it was all you had.
Delph had beaten Dodgson in the last Duelum. He had told me that Dodgson would hang back and not attack right away, and that he had a bad habit of keeping his fists too low, which made his neck and head vulnerable. This gave me an idea, and I had snuck into Hospital the night before the next round and pinched a book. I pored over the pages late into the night.
At the next first light, I was up early and slipped on my cloak. I had left Harry Two at my digs.
When I got to the pitch, I saw on the betting boards that the odds were running fairly even, meaning as many coins had been placed on me to win as on Dodgson. I was on at the second bell this light. I placed my bet and then turned and nearly bumped into him.
Krone wore his black tunic like it was a halo of gold. When he spoke his tone was one of derision.
‘Do you like to lose your coin?’ he said. ‘You can’t have that much.’
‘Excuse me?’ I said curtly.
‘You wagered on yourself. My esteemed colleague barely lost to Delph in the last Duelum. You won’t stand a chance. Why not just surrender and we can take you away to Valhall where you belong.’ He made a show of handing Litches McGee twenty-five coins wagering on his ‘esteemed colleague’ to beat me.
‘Why don’t you simply give me the coins now,’ I said. ‘It’ll save McGee the trouble of handing them over to me when I’ve finished with your precious little Wug.’
Before he could respond I turned on my heel and stalked away to the pitch.
I watched Ted Racksport skilfully dispatch a quivering Wug who worked at the Mill in just under five slivers. As his hand was raised in victory, Racksport eyed me and smiled wickedly. He pointed at me as if to say I was next.
My pleasure, I thought.
The second bell sounded, and I marched towards my quad. Dodgson stood across from me, his shirt off and his muscles flexed in an intimidating manner. When the referee called us in for instruction, Dodgson eyed me and said, ‘I won’t hurt you too much.’ He smiled with those cruel lips, but the smile never reached his eyes. He next spoke in a voice only I could hear. ‘That was a lie. I am going to hurt you very much. You should be in Valhall. It is Krone’s wish and I serve him well.’
I didn’t respond to this. Instead I turned to look at Krone, who stood right on the edge of the quad to cheer on his Wug. I held up five fingers and opened and closed my hand five times representing his twenty-five wagered coins, and then pointed to myself.
I turned back to Dodgson. He had seen this exchange and his face was full of fury.
He flexed his muscles. ‘No mercy for you, female. None!’
‘I don’t remember asking for any,’ I said in a deadly calm voice.
With my battered face, I knew I looked scary. And right now I was perfectly fine with that. Because, as I continued to stare over at Dodgson, I could see something I had yet to see in one of my opponents.
I saw fear.
The bell rang, our bout began, and I charged straight at Dodgson. As Delph had said, he liked to hang back and he did keep his hands too low. I leaped and wrapped my legs around his torso and arms, locking my ankles together as I had done with Cletus in my first bout. By being forced to carry my weight too, he was thrown off balance just enough that when I twisted my body to the right, he toppled over. I squeezed my legs tighter, trapping his arms by his side. I gripped his neck and pinched the throbbing pipes of blood that ran up to his head. He struggled to break my leg lock, but I was a lot stronger than I looked and my legs were far stronger than my arms.
He did succeed in ramming his head against my face again and again until I thought I might actually pass out. I felt fresh blood run down my lips, and I tasted it in my mouth. I thought I felt my cheekbone crack and my good eye puff up. But I held on. I was not going to let this Wug go.
As the blood going to his head was constricted by my grip, his eyes fluttered once, twice, he stopped struggling and his arrogant eyes closed. I released my grip and stood. Dodgson remained where he was, senseless.
The book I had taken from Hospital had explained this little medical fact and I had employed it to full measure. Dodgson would rise shortly and be no worse off for it, except for his wounded pride and a splitting headache. The referee checked Dodgson’s status and then raised my hand in victory.
As I stood there, bruised and bloodied, I found Racksport’s gaze on me. I could tell by his amazed look that he had lost coin on the bout.
I rubbed a bit of blood off my face and pointed my reddened finger at him, just as he had at me, until he gave a nervous, hollow laugh and turned away.
And then I looked at Krone. I didn’t smile. I didn’t laugh. I didn’t say a word. I simply stared. And then I held my five fingers up five more times and pointed to myself.
His face filled with hatred, he stalked off, leaving his precious Dodgson still unconscious on the dirt. So much for ‘esteemed colleagues’.
After this round was completed, there would be only four combatants left standing. And after that, only two. I meant to be one of the two. And then the one of the one: the champion. I had never won anything in all my sessions. Now I was determined to win the Duelum.
I collected my winnings and walked down the high street with many slivers on my hands wondering what best to do with them.
As I passed the Golden Cask, the only pub in Wormwood, Thaddeus Kitchen ambled out, looking the worse for a pint or two or three.
‘No work on the Wall this light?’ I said.
He glanced at me and in that look I could tell something was wrong.
He hiccupped and said, ‘Me and Henry got sacked, thanks to your lot.’
‘My lot?’ I replied, stunned by this.
‘Cos of the Wa-Wall (hiccup) tumblin’ down on D-Du . . . That bloke whatsis—’
‘I didn’t make the Wall fall. Your lot doctoring the straps did. Who sacked you?’
‘Your brother, that’s who.’ He belched.
‘John sacked you? I thought he was the one who made the design change?’
‘He did. But what matter is it to mister (hiccup) high-and-mighty Wug that he is? And I got me a family to su-suppo . . . take care of, now don’t I?’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, though I really wasn’t. ‘But Duf Delphia lost his legs. You can always get another job.’
He wobbled about on his feet before regaining his balance. ‘Oh, can I now? Not with a bad reference from him, I can’t.’
‘My brother sacked you because you made something weak,’ I said angrily. ‘I’m sure when he found out what happened, he was furious with himself.’
Kitchen drew closer and leaned into my face. ‘He sacked us, female, cos we took you at your word and didn’t punch no more holes in them fancy straps-a yours. When he found out, that’s when he sacked us. He didn’t care a thing for poor D-Du-whatsis.’ He hiccupped again.
I said nothing to this because I could think of nothing to say.
Taking my silence for acquiescence, Kitchen belched again and said, ‘A pox on the house of Jane, I say. What good are you?’ He stumbled a bit and then refocused on me, a silly grin spreading over his face. ‘But I got a coin or two on you in the next round, Vega, so (hiccup) don’t let me down. Har.’
As he staggered off, I heard footsteps on the cobblestones behind me and I turned to see who it was. Roman Picus looked none too pleased. With him were Cletus, Ran Digby with his nose bandaged and, bringing up the rear, Non, who looked as bad as I felt.
‘Gotta question for ya, Vega,’ Picus said.
‘Don’t keep me in suspense, Roman.’
‘You’ve beat three males, including Non here. And you done this in your very first Duelum. Now, tell me, how can that be?’
‘I’m a quick learner and I got better.’
‘Non tells me before the Duelum you laid him out with one blow. And put a dent in his metal.’
‘So.’
Roman was still staring at me. ‘I think I’ll have a talk with Council. ’Tain’t right for no Wugs to have unfair advantage in a Duelum.’
‘I agree,’ I said. ‘So, the next Wug who outweighs me by more than a hundred pounds with arms bigger than my legs can just stand on his hands while I hit away.’
‘You’re missing my point, female.’
‘Then try explaining it in a way that an intelligent Wug can understand.’
‘I think you’re cheating!’ he snapped. ‘And so does every other Wug. A female beating the likes-a Non, what are the chances of that, I ask you.’
The fact that I had beaten all of my opponents without the aid of my special weapons made my face flame with indignation. ‘I’d say the likelihood is one hundred per cent, since it happened.’
‘I still say you’re cheating,’ Roman said.
‘Then take it up with Council. I’ll see you to collect my winnings after the Duelum is over. Why should I let Litches McGee have all the fun?’
‘You sound pretty confident of victory,’ he said suspiciously.
‘If I can’t believe in myself, who can?’