Incarceron

Behind them he saw the dog-slave, creeping closer on its chain.

Everyone looked at Jormanric.

He moved instantly. He pulled a thick ugly knife and the sword from his back, and was on

Keiro before anyone could yell.

Fi

Jormanric's face was red with rage, the blood pulsing in the thick veins of his neck. Right into Keiro's face he spat, "You're dead, boy." Then he attacked.

The Comitatus howled with delight; they whooped and closed around in a tight ring, clashing weapons, stamping in unison. They loved to see bloodshed and most of them had felt the whiplash of Keiro's arrogance; now they'd see him brought down. Fi

"Hell be killed!"

"If he is, it's no loss."

Keiro was fighting for his life. He was young and fit, but Jormanric was twice his weight, old in warcraft, berserk with a battle frenzy that came on him rarely. He hacked at Keiro's face, at his arms, following up with quick slashes of the knife. Keiro staggered back, colliding with one of the Comitatus, who shoved him heartlessly again into the ring; off balance, he nailed forward, and Jormanric struck.

"No!" Fi

The blade sliced across Keiro's chest; he whipped his face aside with a gasp. A spatter of blood hit the crowd.

Fi

Fi

Despairing, Fi

Breathless, Keiro flicked one look of terror sideways; Fi

And staggered.

For a moment, just a second, he was off balance. Then he fell, a crashing, inexplicable fall, his feet whipped behind him, tangled in a chain that slid between the feet of the crowd, looped around a pair of filthy hands muffled in rags.

Keiro leaped on him. He slammed a bone-crunching blow down on the Winglord's mailed back; Jormanric howled in fury and pain.

The shouts of the Comitatus died abruptly. Arko let go of Fi

Keiro was white with strain but he didn't stop. As Jormanric rolled, he stamped on the

Winglord's left arm; it cracked, an ominous sound. The knife spilled onto the floor.

Jormanric heaved himself up to his knees, head down, groaning over his shattered arm, swaying.

From the corner of his eye Fi

Fi

The Winglord still clung to his sword, but another callous blow to the head laid him out; he crashed spread-eagle, a pool of blood at nose and mouth.

The crowd was silent.

Keiro flung his head back and screamed with triumph.

Fi

Then, deliberately, he turned back, put the point of his blade to the vein in Jormanric's neck, and pushed.

"Keiro," Fi

Keiro's eyes swung to him. For a moment it seemed as if he had to struggle to recognize who had spoken. Then he said hoarsely, "He's finished. I'm Winglord now."

"Don't kill him. You don't want his pitiful little kingdom." Fi

Down the shaft, as if in answer, a warm breeze drifted.

For a moment Keiro stared at Fi

"For more. For everything."

"A lot to ask, brother." Looking down, he lifted the sword blade away, slowly. The Winglord took a deep ragged breath. And then with one vicious jerk Keiro stabbed the sword down into Jormanric's open palm.

The Winglord howled and flailed. Pi

"Leave them!" Gildas's yell came from behind them. "The Prison!"

Fi

It was a Lockdown.

The Comitatus split, pushed, fragmented into a panicking mob, and as the wall slots slid open and light ca

Fi

Keiro shook his head, shoved three rings inside his jerkin. "Go! Go!"

A croak from behind. "Did you think I killed the woman, Fi

Fi

Jormanric squirmed in pain. He spat the words like venom. "Not true. Ask your brother.

Your stinking, treacherous brother. Ask him why she died."

Laserfire flickered like steel rods between them. For a second Fi

Keiro was back, yanking him down. Sprawled on the filthy floor they crawled toward the shaft. The corridor was a sparking grid of energy; efficiently Incarceron restored order, slammed down grilles and doors, emitted a hiss of foul-smelling yellow gas into the enclosed tu

"Where is he?"

"There." Fi

"Leave it! It's diseased." Keiro shouldered past, flinched at a burst of fire that seared the roof, and jumped for the ladder. In seconds he was racing up the darkness of the shaft.

"He's right," Gildas said heavily. "It will slow us."

Fi

I will never dare show kindness to a stranger again.

Instantly he stooped, hauled the creature onto his back, and climbed.

Keiro was clattering above, Gildas a wheezing mutter below. As he dragged himself up the rungs, Fi