Sumi laughed. “Someone cue my fear pheromones.”
The referee held his hand up then stepped back. “Begin!”
Dariana came at her with everything she had. Sumi met her strokes, but quickly realized one thing.
Andarion women were as strong as their men.
And Dariana hit like a sledgehammer.
“Hauk?”
He stopped rocking his sleeping daughter at the sound of Darling’s voice in the doorway. “Yeah?”
“There’s a Dr. Pera Duece here to see you. She said her father was the one who treated you at the hospital and she wants to check on you to see how you’re doing.”
Hauk frowned. “I thought that was tomorrow.”
Darling shrugged. “Want me to tell her to go away? I can and will do that.”
“Nah. It’s fine.” While he mostly saw the father, he’d been treated a few times by the daughter. She was a strange female, but he had no issue with her. Might as well get it over with.
He stood and placed Kalea in bed. “Will you watch her until I get back?” he asked Darling.
“Sure.”
Hauk headed for the stairs. “El? Where’s the doctor?”
“In your office, Hauk. Would you like me to have her move to another room?”
“It’s fine.” Yawning, he went in to find her reviewing his old trophies that lined the wall case.
Jerking around, she smiled at him. “Hope you don’t mind my snooping. Are all these yours?”
“Most. So what can I do for you, Doctor?”
“I’m just here to do a quick health check for my dad. He’s been worried about you.” She pulled her bag from over her shoulder. “If you’ll take a seat and remove your shirt, I’ll be out of here in a few minutes.”
“I thought your dad was coming tomorrow.”
“Something came up. Since I was nearby, I told him I’d check in with you.”
Hauk removed his shirt and took a seat while she pulled on a pair of exam gloves.
“So how have you been feeling? You look rather tired.”
Because he had yet to sleep. But he didn’t want to go into that with her. “Fine.”
“Any pain?”
“Not really.”
She moved to stand behind him. “That’s a shame.”
He frowned at her words. “Pardon?”
She answered by shooting him in the back with an injector.
Hauk cursed at the unexpected action, and tried to move away, but his head spun like crazy. One minute he was in the chair. The next, he was sprawling on the floor.
The doctor kicked him over. “I should have known better than to pay an assassin to kill you. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” She knelt by his side and shot him with something else while she covered his mouth with her hand. “Shh… just close your eyes and die like a good boy.”
Sumi staggered back as Dariana shoved her whole weight against her sword. Her entire arm was numb from holding her ground. At this point, Sumi was short-swording and using her weapon more like a small staff. Which was working well since Dariana couldn’t break through it to stab or cut her.
But it really wasn’t helping Sumi to win the fight. How aggravating that Andarions didn’t believe in a shield. They relied on their sword skills alone. And since the swords were shorter than human broadswords, yet longer than daggers, with large, ornate hilts, using them was more akin to axe fighting than actual sword fighting. It was a whole different style than anything Sumi had ever done, and it was using every muscle in her body to deflect and stay sharp.
Shrieking in frustration, Dariana finally made a strategic mistake. She lifted her sword to slice. Sumi twisted hers sideways so that when Dariana brought her blade down, it caught in the curved hilt of the Hauk Warsword. Faster than the Andarion could react, Sumi twisted Dariana’s sword out of her hands and captured it.
She kicked Dariana’s leg and knocked her down to one knee so that she could grab her throat and pin her.
Dariana tried to break free, but this was something Sumi had perfected in League training.
Sumi increased the pressure. “Yield!”
“Never!”
Sumi looked to the judges. “She’s defeated. And while I’d hate to kill her and the child she carries, I leave that decision up to you.”
The judges conferred for a few seconds before the head one spoke up. “She is defeated. Her claim on Dancer Hauk is cleared. The War Hauk heir is yours, Princess. The gods have ruled it so.”
Sumi released Dariana, and saluted them before she twisted the sheath down to her side and placed the sword in it then returned it to rest on her back. Ecstatic beyond belief, she headed for Fain and Darice.
Darice’s smile faded as he looked past her. Before she could turn, he jumped into the arena and shoved her back. The moment he did, a small knife buried itself into his shoulder.
“Darice!” Sumi grabbed him to her.
“No!” Dariana screamed as she realized she’d struck her son instead of Sumi.
Guards ran to arrest Dariana while Sumi lowered Darice to the ground. “Dare?”
He sucked his breath in sharply between his teeth. “How do you and Dancer stand it? This really hurts!”
She laughed as she realized it was just a flesh wound. While it wouldn’t be comfortable, it wouldn’t kill him. “You are ever my hero.”
Syn ran over and quickly removed the knife so that he could stop the bleeding and seal it.
Dariana was shrieking in Andarion as royal guards removed her from the arena.
Sumi ignored her completely as she stayed focused on Darice. “I’m so sorry you were hurt.”
“Better my shoulder than your throat.” Biting his lip, he looked at Syn. “The scar won’t be visible after it heals, will it?”
Syn rolled his eyes. “It’ll barely be there. If anyone is close enough to you to see it, you better be pledged to them, kid.”
Darice let out a relieved breath. “Thank the gods.”
Sumi snorted. Andarions and their vanity.
As Syn finished tending Darice, his link buzzed. “Yeah?” The color faded from his face as he listened.
Dread tightened her stomach. By his expression, she knew it was bad. Had Kyr taken Kalea again? “What?”
His breathing ragged, Syn stared at her in disbelief. “Hauk’s dead.”
CHAPTER 36
Sumi’s entire world came to an end with those two words. “Don’t fuck with me, Syn. I mean it!”
By the look on his face, she knew he wasn’t.
Her universe shattered as she struggled to breathe. Syn was calling orders to others that she couldn’t understand. Not while her mind tried to get some kind of handle on what was happening. On how it’d happened.
Dancer couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t.
Not her huge, strong Andarion. It was a mistake. It had to be.
Syn and Nykyrian rushed for the doors. She ran after them. Nykyrian grabbed an airbike and waited for her to join him. She slung her leg over the back and put her arms around his waist. He flew them through the streets, back to Dancer’s house, at a speed that was illegal on every known world. And still she couldn’t focus.
Over and over, she saw Dancer in her mind. His large, intrepid nature that fought on, no matter what was thrown at him. He couldn’t go down. Dancer wouldn’t let himself. Not while he had Kalea to protect.
He’s just wounded. That was it. Syn was mistaken. He had to be. There was no way her Andarion Tactical Assault Monkey would be dead. He was too strong for that.
Too intelligent.
As soon as they were parked, she ran from the bike into the house. She didn’t have to ask Eleron where Dancer was. Darling’s angry voice carried plainly through the house. She followed the shouts to the office, where Darling, Maris, Ryn, and Drake were gathered around Dancer, who lay shirtless on the floor.