with a new, devastating fury. His opponent could
barely keep his feet and protect himself. Suddenly
he lost his own shield, knocked away by a heavy blow, which had nearly
broken it in two. Now it was sword to sword and neither man seemed to
be able to draw blood.
114 Suddenly The City Speaker caught the edge of The Young Speaker's
guard, and knocked his weapon from his hands. It sailed upward,
flipped over, and stuck in the ground with a loud 'THUD.' The City Speaker backed away,
guarding his opponent's blade, but he had forgotten the shield lying
just behind The Young Speaker.
115 Diving down, The Young Speaker seized the shield by its edge, and
swung around with all the strength he had left. He came in low, and at
an awkward angle, taking The City Speaker by surprise.
116 There was the sound of cracking bones, and a great scream of pain
as the edge of the shield met flesh. But by the time it had made
contact, The Young Speaker had already let go. He came up and under his opponent's
sword arm, seized his wrist, pulled him down and bent over at the same
time. The bigger man went down on his back, hard, and The Young Speaker brought
his foot down into his stomach.
117 There was another great cry as The Young Speaker wrenched the sword
from his opponent's hands. Swinging around, he brought it down into the
side of his opponent's head. He had not used the edge of the blade, but
the flat side. His opponent lay stunned, and helpless. The Young
Speaker stood over him, holding his sword in bleeding hands.
118 Most of the crowd was on its feet, screaming "Kill! Kill!" But The
Young Speaker shook his head. "No," he said, "I know your game. If I
kill you, you become a martyr to your cause. That was your game. Die or
win, you've come out a hero to your kind. But simply being beaten, being humiliated will give you