Her gaze darted to the fully formed Elemental.
“Where did you get that?” she demanded in a hiss.
“From your ancestor Wug,” I shot back. “She gave it to me. Before she died.”
Now I took a step forward and Morrigone drew back.
“What was her name?” I asked, holding the Elemental at the ready.
“You do not realize what you have done, Vega,” she said fiercely. “You do not!”
“Why not the blue light this time too, Morrigone? Why the red light? The same one you used on poor Delph.”
“You have no idea what you are doing, Vega.”
“I have every idea,” I shouted back.
“I will not let you destroy us!”
“Where do Wugs go when they have their Events, Morrigone? They have to go somewhere. And I think you know. And it sure as Hel isn’t Wormwood.”
She was shaking her head and backing up. “No, Vega. No.”
I raised the Elemental and positioned it to throw. “You know what this can do,” I said. “I have no wish to harm you.” Well, actually I wanted to turn her to dust, but I saw no good coming from telling her that.
“No, Vega, never,” she said again.
And before I could take another step, she was gone. I blinked and looked around in bewilderment. She had simply vanished. I looked down at Harry Two. He was whimpering with his tail between his legs. When I looked up, I saw it, slight, barely visible in the darkness. It was a trail of blue light that carried out the window. As I watched, it lifted to the sky and then vanished, just as Morrigone had.
I angrily waved my hand after this trail of mist. And the most extraordinary thing happened. My shattered window flew back together and became whole once more.
Having done this, I was thrown back against the wall by some violent force and I slumped down, my energy fully spent. I looked at my hands, then at the repaired glass and wood. How had that happened? How could I possibly have done what I just did? I reached in my pocket and pulled out the Adder Stone. I rubbed it over my body and thought happy thoughts. My aches from hitting the wall ceased and my energy returned.
Eon had said that the spirit of a sorceress had been embedded in the Stone, giving it its power. Had it somehow given me some of her power by its being in my pocket?
Well, if it had, I also had no real ability to control it.
I sat there thinking thoughts that were both terrifying and exhilarating.
TRIGINTA QUINQUE: The Battle Begins
ALL WUGS WERE required to attend the opening of this Duelum. I thought that a bit interesting since we were supposedly surrounded by bloodthirsty Outliers wanting to feast on our organs. The pitch was nearly encircled by a rim of trees that had evaded inclusion on the Wall, at least for now. After eating a bit, I showed up at first section of light. I had tried to sleep the night before but couldn’t. So I decided I would get down here early and see what I could see.
The pitch site was called the Peckwater Quadrangle after Ronald Peckwater, a long-ago mighty Duelum champion of Wormwood. The inside of the pitch was uneven and dented in innumerable places from large male bodies colliding violently with the dirt over the course of many previous Duelums. A wooden platform had been erected in the center of the pitch. Here would sit the VIWs, or Very Important Wugs. Behind the platform was a large board with all the names of the competitors, where the progress in the Duelum would be chronicled for all to see. There were also betting circles set up on the pitch’s perimeter, where wagers would be placed. The ever-enterprising Roman Picus ran a right successful betting pool through which he had relieved many Wugs of their coin over the sessions.
I had left Destin back at my digs under the floorboards. I was terrified that during the course of the fighting, I would unconsciously take flight and my secret would be exposed.
The air was fresh and warm and the sky clear. As the time to fight drew closer, the fairies in my stomach seemed to multiply. In my mind I went over and over what Delph had taught me. I felt stronger, more nimble and tougher because of his training. I had beaten Cletus up before, but not in a Duelum. And he had grown this past session to where he was far bigger than me. Still, he was a git and I simply refused to lose to a git.
The crowds started assembling near the end of the first section of light. Some Wugs smiled and gave me encouraging words. However, others shunned me. If I were to take a poll, it seemed that Wormwood would be split right down the middle on my guilt or innocence. It wasn’t that the Wugs against me really thought me bad. It was just that many Wugs accepted whatever Council told them. And, in all honesty, I had enemies here, even before I had been plunked in Valhall.
Many Wugs proceeded on to the small betting area, probably to wager coin on Cletus Loon bashing in my brains.
Delph showed up with his father in time to see Bogle and the carriage arrive. Morrigone, Thansius and John alighted and took their places on the platform along with other members of Council. Julius Domitar sat in the back of this group, along with Wugs I did not normally associate with because I was apparently not good enough.
Delph patted me on the shoulder and said, “How do you feel, Vega Jane?”
“I feel great,” I lied. “I can’t wait for it to start.” Now, that wasn’t a lie. I wanted it to start before my head exploded. I just kept telling myself that it would be terribly bad form to vomit on Cletus Loon before the fight bell had even rung. Though it would be enormously satisfying to see my sick on his shirt.
For expediency, there would be multiple bouts carried on at the same time in the quadrants of the pitch. There was no time limit on a bout. Wugs kept fighting until one no longer could. That was a stark rule and one that any sane Wug might have questioned. However, sanity seemed to be in limited supply these lights and nights in Wormwood.
I eyed the other females who would be fighting. They both looked sicker and paler than I probably did. I was not in the first set of bouts, so I sat on a small knoll overlooking the pitch and awaited Delph, who was in a first bout pitted against Digby. I was sure that most bettors had wagered on Delph, and when I looked over at the betting board, I could see that he was a heavy favorite.
Digby was in the process of removing his great, filthy shirt. I had always imagined him to be flabby and hideously dirty without clothes on. Thus, I was surprised to see him so muscular. Though I had been quite correct about the hideously dirty part.
Digby went through a series of stretches and then started running in place. His muscles rippled as he did so. Then he started to do a bit of practice pugilism, weaving and bobbing and punching. He seemed quite adept at it, very fast and very accurate. I glanced worriedly over at Delph. He had not removed his shirt and he was not stretching or pretend-boxing. He was just standing there with his gaze squarely on Ran Digby. And in his look I began to see a Delph with whom no one would want to tangle. His strong hands curled to fists and he kept looking at Digby with such fierce concentration that he reminded me of the jabbits after me at Stacks. I wanted to tell Delph good luck but I was afraid of breaking whatever trance he was putting himself in.
Thansius rose and addressed us. “Welcome to the Duelum,” he said in a booming voice. “And what a fine light for it. I want to wish luck to all fighters. We all want clean bouts and I have confidence in our referees to ensure that that will indeed be the case.”
I was really only half listening. My gaze flitted over to John and then away again several times. Finally, our gazes caught each other. I saw him actually smile at me encouragingly before Morrigone drew his attention away.