Chapter 74

The group of Shadowblood novices looked at the woman with some hesitation . Even if she was dressed simply, her calm confidence even when faced with mages suggested that she wasn’t just a random person .

“Who are you?” one of them finally asked, a young woman with large eyes and a pouting face .

“Who are you to ask?” the woman replied .

“I’m a member of the Shadowflame So—” the novice began .

“You’re a novice,” the woman interrupted her . “A novice who mistakenly believes he has enough status to impress others . “

The young novice looked at her angrily, but still, she held her tongue, wary of the woman’s identity and status .

“Well?” the woman said, with a cold look at the group of novices .

“Well what?” the novice said, some uncertainty in her voice .

“Why are your insipid little faces still staring at me?” The woman’s voice hardened as she spoke, and some anger could be heard in her voice . “Why haven’t you left yet?!”

“I… We…” The novice stumbled over her words, clearly unsure of how to respond to the woman who had so suddenly appeared . Finally, she said, “He crippled one of us!”

“One of you was an idiot who took on an opponent stronger than he could handle,” the woman said . “The question now is whether the rest of you are idiots, too . “

To this, the novice had no answer . Wordlessly, she stared at the middle-aged woman, her face showing a struggle between fear and anger . Fear seemed to win out, and she silently took a step backward .

“Leave . Now . Or that crippled fool will be the least of your worries . ” By now, the woman seemed to have lost her patience, and from her expression, it seemed that the Shadowblood novices were close to finding out who she was, in a most unpleasant way .

No longer hesitating, two of the novices helped up Arran’s defeated opponent, supporting him as he leaned on their shoulders, one of his legs hanging limply next to the other . Although his earlier screams had ceased, he was still groaning in pain, and there was a senseless look in his eyes, as if the pain left him unable to focus .

The others also finally took action, picking up the sword and seemingly getting ready to depart — clearly, they were unwilling to risk the woman’s ire, even if they didn’t know who she was .

“Wait!” Arran said loudly .

The novices stopped in their tracks, and the middle-aged woman gave Arran a puzzled look .

“What is it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow .

“His sword,” Arran said . “He said it was mine if I defeated him . “

Immediately, anger flared on the novices’ faces . “You shameless bastard!” one of them said in a furious tone . “You crippled him, and now you demand a prize?!”

“We all heard your friend bet the sword,” the gray-robed woman said . “And we all saw him get defeated . Are you saying he lacks even the dignity to honor his bets?”

The novices didn’t respond, and she added, “Besides, he doesn’t have much use for it, anyway . If he ever recovers, it will be years from now . Until then, I don’t imagine him being much good in a fight . “

Some of the novices’ faces showed some defiance at this last humiliation, but the one who held the sword simply stepped toward Arran and handed it over . Leaning over, he spoke in a low voice only Arran could hear, “You won’t have it for long . “

Arran did not respond, simply accepting the sword with a gracious nod . He gave it a few swings, and was pleased to find that it was both heavy and well-balanced — while it might not match up to the starmetal sword, he suspected it was a fair bit better than the sword he had used since arriving here .

When he looked up again, he saw the Shadowblood staring at him with murderous gazes . Had the gray-robed woman not been there, Arran was certain they would have attacked immediately .

Ignoring them, he faced the woman, giving her a respectful bow . “Thank you for the assistance,” he said . “I’m in your debt . “

In the corner of his eye, he saw that the group of novices was finally leaving, but he did his best to show any concern or worry . For now, he thought his best chance would be to avoid appearing vulnerable — the more dangerous the novices thought, the less likely they would be to attack right away . With a bit of luck, he might be out of the city before they took action .

The woman gave Arran a slight smile, then said, “There’s no debt . I’m just helping keep the peace in the city . “

Arran gave her a nod, then turned to Darkfire . “Perhaps it’s time for us to leave?” Even if the situation had been resolved for the moment, Arran was anxious to be away from the arena .

“Not so fast,” the woman said before Darkfire could respond . “First, I need the two of you to come with me . “

Arran hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded, even if he felt somewhat wary of the mysterious woman . She had just saved him from an extremely dangerous situation, and he would not repay kindness with rudeness .

“Of course,” Darkfire said with a slight bow . “Lead the way . “

With that, they left, following the gray-robed woman out of the arena . They walked in silence for several blocks, until suddenly, she stopped .

To Arran’s surprise, she let out a deep sigh, and her calm confidence seemed to disappear in an instant . “That was terrifying,” she said, a slight tremble in her voice .

“Lady Ellara,” Darkfire said, a huge grin on his face, “that truly was a performance worthy of applause . “

“You owe me for this, Darkfire,” she replied, giving him a dark look .

“I always honor my debts,” Darkfire responded . “But for now, perhaps we should celebrate with some drinks?”

Lady Ellara shook her head . “We’ll need to see my brother,” she said . “Immediately . What just happened here… he needs to know about it . “

Turning to Arran, she added, “What you just did may well be one of the stupidest things anyone has ever done in the history of this city . ”