Silence settled over the training court.
Not the peaceful silence of an empty hall, this one breathed.
Every spectator could hear the ragged breathing of the two men standing inside the ring.
Master Baelor Fenris rolled his aching shoulder once before settling into the low stance of the Death Scorpion.
His robes bore fresh dust from the throw, and his left arm tingled where Hawk's lock had nearly dislocated it.
Across from him, Hawk stood with blood running down both forearms. His white shirt had become little more than torn strips clinging to his body.
Neither man smiled.
The duel had changed, it was no longer master testing stranger. It had become hunter against hunter.
Athenok folded his hands inside his sleeves. "Now… We witness why that man defeated Vidu."
Baelor moved first, not merely fast but blinding.
His feet skimmed over the stone without sound, covering six paces before most students realized he'd advanced.
His finger shot toward Hawk's throat.
