The Four Swords

Chapter 123: Wayward Son

Lord Bleddyn looked like he had been kicked in the stomach as he looked at his son's glove on the ground. The flames that had ignited in the eyes and in his belly seemed once again extinguished. All hope left him.

Just then, soft footfalls could be heard approaching us. They seemed lively and purposeful. Maybe this person could help me save these men from a familial brawl. I turned to see Cali coming to join us.

"Father! Carrion! There you both are! Are you both trying to make a fool of..." Calista's voice cut off as her eyes found the glove thrown on the ground. Her tone turned dark and accusatory. "What have you done?" She said as she looked toward Carrion.

"Only what is my right as a member of the clan of Wolves! " Sir Carrion bitterly snapped toward his twin. Turning to his father he continued. "A challenge has been cast before the Swordsman of the clan of Wolves! You must answer it!"

It was at that moment that I understood the gravity of the situation. I was used to the clan of Bear where we voted on who would take the leadership role of Swordsman next. This method was not used by the clan of Wolves.

Brawn and bravery were considered the most important qualifications for the role among the Wolves. Carrion's challenge was not simply to end a family squabble with a bit of swordplay, but to challenge his father for the role of Swordsman. Most of these challenges that I had heard about ended with a death.

"I will not fight you, child," Lord Bleddyn turned his back toward the three of us standing before him as he continued cleaning weaponry. He picked up the sword of Canidae. This was the Sword of the clan of Wolves that gave Lord Bleddyn his role as Swordsman.

Carrion erupted in anger. A guttural yell emanated from deep within his being. "I am not a child!" He petulantly screamed as he grabbed the nearest hilt from the table of weapons and brandished it toward his father, sending all the other weaponry that was stacked around it flying in all directions.

Instinctively I grabbed Cali by the shoulders, embracing her so that it was my back toward the displaced weaponry and not her facing it dead on. We both scrambled a few steps away from her incensed brother before turning to see the result of Carrion's explosive behavior.

The two men stood with swords locked above their heads, one defensively and one in attack. One sword was famous for being one of a set of four. The other twisted into a style not crafted by any blacksmith I knew. Their faces were close. Bleddyn whispered something to Carrion as they glared at each other.

Barely audible, I managed to hear, "If you've come to stab me in the back, you'll find your mother beat you to it!"

The tension between the two blades slackened and the men broke their stances. The resolve that Carrion had to destroy his father in combat seemed to fade. His blade came down by his side for a moment.

"Is that what you think of me?" Carrion's tone was low and fuming. "A backstabber? You've been present but not completely here since you found out my mother is alive. Have you trained the men since the invasion? Offer anything in Council Meetings beyond listening? Done anything with a sword besides polish it? Not from what I hear."

"That is none of your concern." Lord Bleddyn dismissed the accusations coolly.

"It should be my concern. I did not backstab my clan. You did. If I take the Sword today, at least our family would be without the shame of an absentee leader! Fight with honor!" Carrion passionately argued.

"I will not fight you, but I will defend myself," Lord Bleddyn responded with no conviction in his voice.

"I will fight you!" Carrion started regaining his former vigor. "I will win the Sword to restore dignity to the clan of Wolves!"

"Yes, please win the Sword of the clan of Wolves. The clan that not an hour ago you were ready to renounce for higher ambitions." Lord Bleddyn quipped.

Carrion responded in fury by bringing his blade high and swinging with full force toward Lord Bleddyn's armorless head. Lord Bleddyn saw the stance of his son's feet and turned his own sword to swipe up to catch it. Although Lord Bleddyn was masterful with a blade, I could not see how his sword could move fast enough to block the blow before Carrion's powerful swing would make contact with him.

Cali came to the same conclusion I did. I had not considered her feelings toward the matter until this moment. Surely she did not want this potential bloodbath to happen. She must care deeply for both of these men.

"NO!" Cali screamed.

The frenzy of battle must have gotten to my head. For a moment it seemed that the scream confused Carrion enough to stop his attack midswing. That could not be possible, but Bleddyn took the opportunity to block the attack. Both swords clashed in the striking sound of metal hitting metal.

Having been the one to throw his whole body weight into the swing, Carrion seemed uncharacteristically surprised when the force of the contact threw both men back from the attack in opposite directions. Carrion stumbled, but kept his footing. Lord Bleddyn, however, was not as lucky.

The handle of the mace that had been thrown from Lord Bleddyn's workbench rolled under his foot. The man tumbled backward into more weaponry and his sword flew from his hand as he tried to catch himself. His legs were bloody from the sharpened instruments he stumbled onto and his sword was out of reach.

He caught his fall with his hands behind him, back facing his daughter and myself. Dirt and dust billowed around the fighting pair in a cloud as the Swordsman tried to regain his footing. As the dust started to settle, Carrion proceeded forward silhouetted with his blade in hand ready to attack. My hand instinctively reached for the hilt of my own sword, and the action triggered a memory.

"I yield!" Cried a bloodied Lord Bleddyn. I barely heard it over my own racing thoughts.

I had seen this image before. All of us who visited the Gnomes at the border had seen this image before.