Page 96 of The Last Warrior

Neither was supposed to kill the other, or so the Creator had decreed so long ago. But there were some instances where a man had to do what he had to do.

The Thunderer threw a jab with his knife. Black Lion ducked, grabbed hold of his enemy around the waist and pulled with all of his strength.

The mighty Thunderer toppled, but only for a moment. Gaining his feet, the Thunderer lunged forward and thrust out again with his knife, and it would have been a fatal stab had it met its mark, but Black Lion parried it by hitting out at the Thunderer’s arm. The Thunderer went down again.

He was vulnerable and exposed. Now was Black Lion’s time to strike, and he very well might have plunged his knife into his enemy’s chest, when…

“No!”

Black Lion recognized the voice. It was his wife.

What was she doing here? Distracted, he dropped his concentration. It was a fatal mistake.

The Thunderer seized advantage, coming up over Black Lion, and, taking hold of his own knife, he plunged it deep into Black Lion’s body.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

As she stood alone on the prairie, Suzette’s intuition would not be ignored. Watching Black Lion ride away, she knew she couldn’t stay here. She was needed there, with him. Somehow, in some way, she had to be there.

Since access to a horse was all but impossible, she picked up the edge of her skirt and stepped quickly toward the show.

Smoke filled the already cloudy and gray sky. It pervaded her lungs, and she could only imagine what those souls breathing the filth of it down there were feeling, they being likely to choke. Voices, screams, shouts echoed through the air, and the urgency filling the heavens prompted her to hurry.

In the distance, a rider broke free from the complex, and even as she watched, he was speeding toward her. Was it Black Lion, who had come back for her? Did he realize he needed her after all?

Her spirits rose.

As the rider sped in closer to view, she discovered it was not Black Lion.

A man pulled in rein as he drew near her. “I am Two Bears. Your husband has asked me to see to you and defend you if necessary.”

She nodded. “Good. Could you give me a ride? I need to be down there.”

Two Bears appeared doubtful. “I do not believe my friend asked me to bring you to him.”

“And yet I must go there. If you will not take me, then I’ll go on my own.”

He looked uncertain and hesitated. She said, “He would have taken me with him had he not needed to rush.”

At last Two Bears nodded. “Hau. Waste. I will do it. Come closer.”

She did so, and Two Bears, reaching down, brought her up behind him onto the pony.

“What is happening down there?” she asked, as they set out over the prairie. “I have heard screams and shouting, I can see the fires, and there is so much smoke in the air.”

“It is the Thunderer, my kola’s enemy. He has come here in the flesh, and he is angry. He tried to kill me. My friend, your husband, saved me. But this is all I know with certainty. Your husband, my kola, asked me to ride out to you and to take care of you.”

“Yes.” She bobbed her head.

It seemed to take forever to get there, and when they did at last arrive, the air was so heavy with debris and smoke it was hard to see, let alone breathe and know what to do.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“He is in the arena with the Thunderer.”

“Please take me there, quickly.”