The man crumpled.
“We have our winner!” the announcer yelled.
Ethenn wiped at his nose, his hand coming away bloody. While the announcer continued to talk, Ethenn left the Bloodwolf to pick himself up, exiting the ring. From their positions mixed in with the crowd, the troop watched him. Ilain stood among them, wide-eyed, with her brothers at her side. He couldn’t read the expression on her face but decided he didn’t care. He diverted his path to where Thom and Brea stood.
“That was sloppy,” Brea commented.
“It was intentional,” Ethenn replied quietly.
“Hm. You’re more like her than I thought.”
He met her knowing gaze in surprise.
“Ilain likes people to underestimate her, too,Slayer,” she said slyly.
Ethenn huffed and pressed his fingers beneath his nose to stop the bleeding. Two more fights passed. The Hammerfist and another man named Morgaan the Thunder won their separate bouts. The troop, sans Rafferty, who was managing bets, gathered around Ethenn. However, Ilain remained distant, her expression cold.
“You fight the Bludger next,” Brea coached as the first round ended. “He lacks skill, but he’s much larger than you. Taking hits from him will be more damaging than from the Bloodwolf.”
Ilain flinched, but Ethenn said, “I’ve had worse.”
“He fights dirty too,” Brea added. “I noticed he’ll try to choke his opponent if you let him get too close.”
“As I said,” Ethenn stepped forward as his name was called again, “I’ve had worse.”
Shaking out his arms, he prepared for the next fight. The Bludger stepped onto the floor to hooting cheers and chants of “Bludge him, Bludger.” The man’s burly arms and meaty fists were flexed for a fight. He eyed Ethenn disdainfully.
“Ye think ye can best me, boy?” he growled.
Ethenn didn’t reply. He darted forward, slipped under the Bludger’s grasp, and landed a hit under his sternum. It felt like hitting rock, but he heard the Bludger grunt anyway.
“Ye little scum.” He lunged forward, swiping with one hand and punching with the other.
Ethenn avoided the grab but caught the punch on the shoulder. He dodged another hit, then spun around the Bludger. He kicked the man’s ankle, causing minimal damage but agitating him greatly.
Ducking, Ethenn evaded the Bludger as he whirled around. He blocked a hit and struck the Bludger in the jaw. With a roar of fury, the man jabbed wildly enough to connect with Ethenn’s temple. The crowd erupted in excitement, but Ethenn only heard Ilain’s dismayed cry as his face burned. Heat rose along his back and collar, searing his insides. His vision was spotty, and he’d certainly have a black eye in the morning. Brea had been right; the Bludger hit far harder than the Bloodwolf.
But he wasn’t out of the fight yet.
Fire burning in his core, Ethenn dodged the Bludger’s next strike. He slammed his fist into the man’s inner arm as he swung again. Then he followed it up with an elbow to his jaw, the same side he’d hit before.
The Bludger roared with anger, and immediately, he went for his throat as Brea had warned.
Prepared, Ethenn pulled back, yet the Bludger caught the collar of his tunic. Violently, it ripped open in his vise-like grasp. Ethenn grimaced internally at the thought of those fingers around his throat. Killing wasn’t permissible in a brawl like this, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t choke someone into unconsciousness.
Nor did it mean that deaths didn’t occur.
Backing away, Ethenn’s head was slow to recover from the Bludger’s temple blow. He blinked away the floaters, thencharged before his opponent could. The tingle of magic cooled his core, reminding him of its presence, and this time, he reached for it. With impossible speed, he knocked the Bludger’s fist aside and struck with his own magic-strengthened punch. He felt the man’s nose crack as his knuckles connected, tearing the skin. Then he punched him again. And again.
The Bludger dropped to the floor, his face contorted and disfigured. With proper attention, the nose could be reset, but it would never look the same again.
An improvement,Ethenn thought coldly.
He flexed his bloodied fingers and stepped from the ring as the crowd gasped in shock. The announcer seemed startled as well but called the victory in Ethenn’s favor. He could feel the splatter of the Bludger’s blood on his cheek and chest. It had been a quick and brutal takedown. Murmurs passed through the room as he walked back to his group. He tugged free his torn shirt, discarding it on the floor.
Those last blows had been a mistake. The crowd now knew he was stronger than he appeared. And they wouldn’t bet so freely against him. Granted, Rafferty had almost certainly obtained the three crowns he needed to pay for his victory. He decided not to let it worry him.
When Brea moved to advise him again, Ilain pushed in front of her. “Are you bloody insane?” she hissed, her eyes blazing like fire.
