FIERCE: A Heroic Fantasy Adventure (BRUTAL TRILOGY Book 2) by James Alderdice

Author:James Alderdice [Alderdice, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lost Realms Press
Published: 2018-07-30T22:00:00+00:00

The Bloodletting

Gathelaus and Coco were allowed to visit the markets to have his KuKulacan costume fitted and to see the worker in iron. They had, of course, the eunuch as a guide and a troop of Tezomoc’s guardsmen as escorts.

The seamstress and her guild were given a drawing of Gathelaus’s Kathulian red dragon to work with. “I insist it look like this with a white field,” said Gathelaus. He didn’t care for the symbol of his enemy nation, but he knew the effect it would have on these people.

“It will be done in time for your tournament,” said the seamstress, after taking measurements for every part of his costume. “You are a great man and do the Feathered Serpent honor. The people in the streets pray for you, that you will prevail over the force that opposes.”

“You are insolent woman,” snapped the eunuch. “You act as if the people are unhappy with Prince Tezomoc.” The woman shrugged and went to her work.

Coco looked on, irritated she could no longer understand anyone but Gathelaus.

The eunuch then took Gathelaus to his cousin, the iron smith near the edge of Chalco. His workshop sat as a portion of the outer city walls, to easily be rid of slag and so that the noxious fumes would irritate as few people as possible. The guardsmen were nervous because if Gathelaus escaped it meant their lives. But the old eunuch assured them it was a reasonable request, still they kept Coco with them while Gathelaus and the eunuch went inside to speak.

“Greetings cousin, and this is?” asked the smith.

“Huitzilin, this is Gathelaus, a foreigner who is playing for Tezomoc’s ball team, he wishes for you to make him something for the games.”

“What? An amulet of KuKulacan? A ring?” inquired Huitzilin.

“How much iron do you have?” pressed Gathelaus, looking about the relatively tiny smithy. A small bellows and forge sat cold near a large flat stone that Gathelaus supposed served as an anvil. A few sheets of copper and hammered rusty iron were wedged beside a shelf.

“I have more than enough for any trinket you desire,” answered Huitzilin. “Your ball player is rude cousin.”

“I apologize,” said the eunuch. “But I am sure that whatever trinket he wants, Tezomoc will pay for.”

“I don’t want a trinket,” said Gathelaus. “I want you to craft bracers of iron I can strap to my forearms—both of them, thick as four of those sheets there. And I also want a knife if you can do it.”

Huitzilin’s jaw dropped “That would take all the iron I own in the world, never has anyone requested so much! Tezomoc could not possibly be willing to pay that much, not in a thousand cycles. This foreigner is mad.”

“What if I told you who will win the ball game?” grinned Gathelaus.

“No, you cannot,” spat the eunuch. But Huitzilin leaned in, licking his lips.

“I can and will to get what I want. Is this man not your cousin? Is he not worthy of our trust? Won’t the outcome

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