Page 183 of Forbidden

Erik nodded, unsurprised.

“Have a hammer brought for me from the armory,” Erik said.

“If you wish,” Duncan said carelessly. “But if you choose to fight with sword and dagger instead, then you may do so.”

A howl lifted beyond the walls, a wolf’s throat crying Erik’s pleasure.

“Sword and dagger,” Erik said succinctly.

Duncan smiled with feral anticipation.

“Simon,” Duncan said, “bring shields from the armory.”

Without a word, Simon left. He returned quickly carrying two long, teardrop-shaped shields. One of them was emblazoned with the black outline of the Glendruid Wolf on a silver field. The other had on it the silver head of a wolf on a black field.

Two wolves circling, testing.

Cassandra went to Amber while the keep’s chaplain shrived both men.

“I would take your place if I could,” Cassandra said in a low tone, “live in your skin, feel your emotions, weep your tears, voice your screams, endure your pain…”

“Whatever passes, the blame isn’t yours,” Amber said. “Nor is the death that is gathering like a black river. And like a river, it will flow.”

The sound of Amber’s voice made even the Learned woman flinch. Cassandra laced her fingers together inside her long sleeves and gathered what comfort she could from her Learning.

When the chaplain was finished and both men were shriven, Dominic went to Duncan and Erik.

“You have made the challenge, Erik, son of Robert,” Dominic said. “Do you wish to give quarter?”

“Nay.”

“So be it. No quarter given. No quarter received.”

Dominic stepped back with a swiftness that made the black folds of his mantle swirl.

“Let it begin!” cried the Glendruid Wolf.

Erik leaped forward with a quickness that drew a gasp from the people in the hall. His sword swung in an arc so swift it was scarcely visible.

Duncan barely brought up his shield in time. Metal crashed on metal with a force that echoed through the hall.

A weaker man would have been flattened by the sudden attack. As it was, the force of the blow sent Duncan reeling. He went to one knee before he caught himself.

Erik’s sword whistled and descended with hellish speed. It was clear he meant to end the battle with the next blow.

Again Duncan raised the shield without an instant to spare. But this time he was braced for the blow. Even as he absorbed it, his other arm moved in a powerful sweeping motion.

The hammer began to sing.

The eerie steel moan quivered in the hall, making the hairs rise on Amber’s neck. Though her eyes were closed, the hammer’s death song told her Duncan had survived the first, incredibly quick moments of Erik’s attack.

Amber’s eyes remained closed when metal sounded on metal once more. Just as she hadn’t wanted to see Erik’s attack, the inhuman swiftness that killed with the speed of a peregrine, she didn’t want to see Duncan now, the hammer circling with vicious speed, driven by the unusual power of his arm.

Amber wouldn’t need to see either man’s death in order toknowhe had died.

The hammer’s song ended with a crash of steel on steel that drew cries and groans from the people in the hall. So great was the impact of the blow that it dented Erik’s shield and knocked him off his feet. He rolled aside and leaped up with a quickness that drew a surprised oath from Simon.

The hammer descended again. Erik spun with the shield, giving way even as the blow struck, taking the force from it. As he spun, he slashed with the sword.