B’dall began to advance once more as the crowd, which clearly favored Vio, continued to buzz in amazement. This time B’dall just continued to press forward, working his way in as close as possible before striking Vio hard on the left hip, and then quickly on the right shoulder, using almost the exact attack Gwaynn had warned her about. She tried to back away, berating herself for falling for a technique she had been told to watch out for, when her left foot slipped out from under her. Her right hand flew up but not fast enough and B’dall’s right kata struck her full in the side of the jaw. Vio saw stars as blood and pain filled her mouth. She was only dimly aware of another blow coming down on her left collar bone breaking it, before another struck the bridge of her nose, and then another on her right shoulder.
Gwaynn watched with horror as B’dall struck blow after blow, not stopping, not relenting before an obviously defenseless foe. He managed to strike her six times before Tar Endid stepped in and stopped the contest. Gwaynn was surprised to find he was on his feet, not moving, making no sound, just staring at the Vio’s prone body lying on the floor of the arena. She was not moving and at first he feared the worst, but then his attention was diverted as B’dall made another lunge for her, but was held back by Tar Endid, then B’dall backed away and looked up directly into Gwaynn’s eyes.
“Your next,” he mouthed or possibly said. It was hard to tell with all of the noise in the arena. Some booed, some cheered but it seemed everyone present was yelling something and then Pugg rushed in and was at Vio’s side.
“Come. Let us leave now,” Nev yelled almost directly into Gwaynn’s ear, but Gwaynn made no move. “We can make our way to the hospital tent and meet her there,” his Master added and gradually he got Gwaynn’s attention. Gwaynn looked at him and nodded. They quickly picked their way through the crowd, followed closely by the Tars Kostek and Amon.
Their progress was relatively unimpeded because for the most part the crowd remained in their seats, most shouting, booing, cheering or screaming incomprehensibly. Once on the mulch covered ground they were completely unhindered and exited the arena without delay. They reached the hospital tent before Vio and Pugg, and it was all either Nev or Kostek could do to keep Gwaynn from running back out to find her. As it was, he paced the tent continuously, never pausing even for an instant.
“Quite a scene you’re putting on for a young Deutzani woman,” Nev finally said with a tilt of his bushy head. The comment surprised both Tar Kostek and Gwaynn, who immediately stopped pacing and just glared at his Master.
“She will be fine,” Nev said leaning close and whispering into Gwaynn’s ear. Gwaynn wondered how he knew, but moments later Pugg pulled back the tent flap and held it in place as two other men brought Vio in on a stretcher. She was conscious, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She broke into a rueful smile, which made her wince, when she spotted Gwaynn waiting for her. There was a bulge in her nose and a good deal of drying blood on her chest and neck, and her eyes were beginning to blacken, but Gwaynn thought she looked wonderful and couldn’t help but smile back. She tried to sit as soon as the stretcher was placed on a table, but a sharp pain in her right shoulder insisted that it might be better to lie still.
“How are you?” Kostek asked only slightly more worried for her than he was for B’dall, his other student; the one who had lost complete control.
Pugg moved in closer to examine her once more in the privacy of the tent, keeping her from answering her Tar directly. He worked on her for nearly ten minutes, examining nearly every part of her body, much to her embarrassment. Finally he spoke to her as well the others present. “She has a broken left clavicle and wrist and her right shoulder has a very deep bone bruise, as does her hip bone. She has a broken nose and she lost a tooth, but thankfully her jaw was not broken, other than that I would say she will live.”
Everyone sighed with relief. But Pugg was still frowning. “Master Kostek, what could possibly have gotten into that boy? I believed he meant to kill her.”
Tar Kostek shook his head and then rubbing the back of his neck, looked up at the physician. “I’m not sure,” he said and then motioned for Tar Nev and the doctor to follow him outside, leaving Vio and Gwaynn alone.
“I’m sorry,” Vio mumbled, and Gwaynn could still see that there was blood in her mouth. He turned and from a table behind him grabbed a small linen cloth, then moved back to Vio.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” Gwaynn replied, desperately trying to hold in his emotions. “Can you open your mouth?” he asked and she complied very gingerly. He carefully dabbed at the blood on her teeth and beneath her lower lip, before she reached up and took the cloth from him and moved it farther back, closer to where the kata had struck her jaw. She pulled away the cloth and it came out bloody so Gwaynn retrieved another for her and this one she held in place for a long time. Gwaynn pulled up a stool, and just sat with her, lost in his thoughts and unaware for a long time that she was crying silently.
“Is it the pain?” he asked when he finally became aware of her tears. She shook her head negatively and gently pulled the cloth back out of her mouth. It was still bloody but a good deal less so than the previous one.
“I am no longer Deutzani,” she said after a long moment of trying to control her self, still her voice sounded shaky and weak. “They tried to kill me. I know it was not B’dall’s idea…it came from my King. He was angry when I told him of my intentions to stay on Noble Island and become a Tar.” She watched Gwaynn’s face closely, but did not see the hurt she was hoping would appear there. She began crying once more, this time a bit harder. Gwaynn struggled to find the right thing to say or do, feeling very uncomfortable, but in the end he just sat quietly with his head down.
“We could never be together could we?” She asked.
Gwaynn’s head jerked up and he glanced at her, but her eyes held his with such intensity that he found he could not look away. His mind raced as he tried to find a way not to hurt her yet again, but then, like rapids coming upon a deeper channel, his mind grew quiet and he smiled at her.
“No. I cannot see how,” he whispered. “I will be the King of Massi one day. I’m not sure my people would accept a Deutzani Queen.”
She lay quietly in her bed, still looking at his face, but now her eyes darted about as if trying to take him all in at once. “I thought a King could do as he pleased.”
Gwaynn actually laughed a bit. “You’d be surprised. It is not the position of freedom that most think it is.”