“Or maybe I’ve taken too much from you,” I hypothesized. “Did you draw energy from those whom you held in captivity here? My cleansing must have really put a damper on your mood then. But no matter. We’re the only ones left now. What do you say we make this interesting?”
The Umbral did not react to my offer, their icy stare lingering on me till I continued.
“A friendly wager, as it were. It would seem to me that we are evenly matched in many regards, so let us settle this dispute likedignifiedhumans do.”
“What do you propose?”
Still no change in their expression. Would they actually agree to it? The idea was something born of desperate necessity. I knew that if the Umbral truly wielded the power of Sancha’s magic, then there was little chance I’d ever best them in overall strength. But what if I could lean into my own talents?”
“A duel of blades. The first to three points wins and concedes the demands of the other.”
“And what exactly would you demand of me, young Acolyte?”
I wagged a finger. “No, no. That secret stays just so, till the victor is chosen. If it is within the loser’s power, they must grant the request.”
The Umbral pondered this.
“You’ll not find a better offer,” I egged them on. “This is your chance at victory.”
“Or I could snap your neck here and now.”
“Intuition tells me if that were an option, you would have already done it. What is it, Umbral? Is there something holding you back?”
The smallest twitch in their expression told me I’d landed in the right area.
“Come now. It’s this, or we go back to trading glancing blows till we’re both completely knackered. Which one sounds more fun?”
I closed the distance between us, holding out a hand in offering.
Their mouth pulled tight as they considered the choices.
Finally, they took my hand, their flesh ice cold against mine in an agreement.
“Let us seal this offer in the ways of old,” they said, their grip on my hand tightening as they muttered a stream of words that buzzed around my head like a swarm of insects. Chains, razor-thin and the color of blood, wrapped around our arms, binding us together as they spoke the final words of the incantation.
Once they fell silent, the chains dissolved, smoke trailing above our heads and gathering into a formless cloud that lingered along the domed ceiling. In their place, the chains left an etching of their likeness on the flesh of my forearm.
“The pact has been made,” the Umbral concluded, raising their left hand out into the open air as a saber of pure shadow materialized. “The conditions agreed upon. Should either of us go back on our word, the pact will strike them down. Once avictor emerges, they are free to state the terms of their victory, and the binding magic will compel the other to compliance. Now, draw your blade, Lightbringer, and I will have my vengeance before the day is through.”
“Hold out your hand, Acolyte. I have another blessing to give.”
I did as I was instructed, mirroring Sancha’s stance as a flash of light filled the chamber. Appearing in my hand was a stunning epee sword, the hilt etched in glowing stone that pulsed with each beat of my heart. The thin, triangular blade was polished silver, and the guard gleamed with quiet determination.
“The light is not a weapon, but that does not mean it is toothless.”
I chuckled under my breath, brought back in an instant to the sun-streaked gardens of Chateau Greene and the copper-haired boy who served as my sparring partner. This bout would not be like our childish games of cat and mouse, but the residual warmth of that memory stilled my shaking hands, offering some comfort to my exhausted form.
The Umbral readied themselves, standing a few feet away and taking a familiar stance. Sancha and I had only sparred a handful of occasions in my time as her Acolyte, yet I had not forgotten the ferocity of her offensive. If the Umbral was relying on the Cardinal’s skills, then my victory would be anything but assured.
I corrected my stance, taking the opportunity to swipe my new blade through the air. It was lighter than I expected, which would be to my advantage, but still, it was unfamiliar. I would have to be cautious in my first approach.
“Are you prepared?” asked my opponent, crouching deeper into their stance.
My muscles ached as I sank into my own readied position.
“I am.”
“We begin.”
