Chapter 59: The last duel

Sylph had not expected anybody to take her up on that statement. Especially not Farron. Veria built herself up in front of him, bloodied tail raised. Sylph watched as he lowered his head and his tail flung itself between his legs. Compared to the standoff earlier, this merely looked like he was being scolded. But as Nahana’s apprentice, Farron was far from an idiot. First, he had defined his challenge clearly. “No champions, no death, basic rules,” Sylph repeated, and tiptoed over the bloodstained sand. “I accept the challenge.”

Veria shot her a sideways glance. “You don’t have to do that.” Her tail raised to block Sylph from stepping forward.

“If Nahana is bound by those rules, I am too.” Sylph stepped around Veria’s tail.

Farron nodded towards the gathered guards on the stands. “Yes, yes, you are. There is no ruler, only the rightful heir and the challenger that will not accept her for good reasons.” Until today, he had mostly tried to flirt and warn her to behave. Now he seemed different, with a clear goal in mind.

Veria lowered her head and whispered. “You really don’t have to do this. Screw their old royalty rules. They can not stop us from leaving.”

Sylph shook her head. “I think I may know what he plans. And to be honest, look at him. The sand was not dark and wet before you stared at him.” She snorted. “He went full Sol and submitted before it even started.”

Veria snapped back around and let out a slight chuckle as Farron flinched. “Then I will be your referee.”

Sylph gestured for Farron to follow her towards the middle of the arena. In a way she admired his bravery, facing Veria covered in blood like that takes guts. He caught up and walked beside her. “You have a life, a family. So don’t take mine. You already took my mistress and teacher. I will not let you take this town from me.”

Sylph’s muscles tightened in anticipation, and the burn down her neck painfully contracted. She was not in fighting shape, but she did not see herself losing to the likes of him. “You know you stand no chance against me?”

Farron flicked his chin upward and sent his jewelry tinkling. “Let’s grab the matter by the tail. You have zero clue what it is we are doing here and how we remain Prina’s antagonist to keep us safe. I can not let you be in charge in good conscience. You’d get us all killed by not respecting what we built. In this carefully crafted web surrounding the eastern desert, you are not a spider, you are a hornet.”

It sounded like an insult, but she was not sure if he meant it as one. “I saw the plans. I know you planned to bomb the city.” Her gaze narrowed. As her apprentice, Farron had to be involved. “How could I leave you in charge in good conscience knowing about that?”

Farron glanced towards the mound of dirt, courtesy of Dalian, that haphazardly covered what remained of Nahana. “Her plan, not mine. You ruined years of careful planning already by killing Tanno. Sylph, I know you did not want to stay. I am giving you a choice between banishing you, thus freeing you of all obligations you have as her heir, or putting me in my place as part of your council. Both would be favorable to us. But please, do not decide things on your own for all of our sake.”

She had even told Nahana to pick him instead of her. This was only about her choice. Stay and take Nahana’s place, or leave and be Sylph and put like that it was no decision at all. “All I have to do is lose?” Sylph smiled and lunged forward. Farron barely dodged. If she was serious, she would have followed and tackled him, leaving him no chance to get his footing. Instead, she watched him order his legs while trying to grab her. Nobody would believe her getting caught off guard by a move like that.

Sylph switched stances, ducked under Farron’s fumbled grab and head-butted him in the gut. He flinched and Sylph brought him off balance by pushing below his center of mass. Using his ribs as a guide, she grabbed his sides and threw him to the floor. Farron rolled and wheezed and held his abdomen and she figured she might’ve overdone it already. If she had aimed any lower, he would be out cold.

Farron convulsed and spat out some sand and bile.

“Come on,” Sylph motioned, “make me lose.” A flash of pain spiked through her head and seared down along the burn. She clenched her teeth to manage the throbbing. Perhaps her handicap would make Farron’s win a bit more reasonable.

He propped himself back up and charged. Sylph partially dodged his finishing swipe, slowed down by the pain encompassing her head. She wished she had faked it, but her vision throbbed and muscles ached in unison. Farron’s pfod hit her and his claws dragged through her scales. The searing scratch barely recognized in her head as older wounds flared back up. She might be in worse shape than she thought.

Farron followed his swipe with another grab. Her dragonheart flickered with power as he grabbed hold of her shoulder and belly, but instead of fighting him, she guided his pin.

He stood above her, holding her down, breathing heavily. Drool and bile dripped from his teeth. His face contorted in about as much pain as she felt, but Sylph pushed all of it deeper down to snort a laugh. “I never had to try so hard to lose.” Staying motionless like this, her own pain subsided as quick as it appeared.

Farron caught his breath, before yelling to address the entire crowd. “As the new Master of Senbo, I banish Sylph.”

“But, know this.” Sylph pushed herself off the ground and Farron away like an annoying fly. She braced for the pain of moving, but it never came back. “If you ever plan to blow up a city, I will come back here, and skin you from your tail up. All right?”

He nodded, but a pained grin interrupted his affirmation. He held his stomach. “I will have enough to deal with keeping this town running smooth after what you did. But I promise life will not get worse for those that live here.” His face turned into a cocky smile. “The banishment is mine to revoke as I wish, of course. So if you ever plan to visit, we can have that discussion about revoking your banishment in the baths.”

Sylph snorted. “I can not see myself returning in the near future, especially not for a bath. Nobody is allowed to bathe with me.” She turned away to return to Veria, Brandon, and the rest. This outcome was for the best. She got to go home, Farron got what he wanted, and the town would continue to be a place for dragons in this part of the desert.

Veria grinned down at her. “Judging by that performance, we have to work on the basics again.”

“Perhaps Brandon can give me some acting advice.”

“Actually,” Elina said, “I have one more thing to take care of. I’ll be right behind you.” She took to the sky and Biscuit followed.

Veria watched the two of them fly off, looked at Sylph, then at the walls of the arena. “Is it okay if I carry you?”

Sylph nodded. Brandon stood face to face with Dalian, who had asked the same. He didn’t really seem happy about the decision, but agreed.