Chele quietly departed, giving Addie a vague impression of not being into this whole contest thing, and took the sleepy Oh’na with her. Illied and Melmie stayed put.
“My mate will fight, too.”
Addie turned to Melmie, somewhat surprised. “Are you going to cheer for your father, Melmie?”
Melmie looked startled.
“Melmie’s father died a long time ago, Addie. Wixab is my second mate.” Illied said nothing else, and instinctively Addie knew not to pry.
Finally, the contestants finished their bout and vacated the court.
Chemmusaayl pointed his finger at the red-haired young warrior who reminded Addie of a dog with a red nose.
“Oh’nil!”
The named warrior picked up a club off the rack and walked into the court.
“Are they free to choose their weapons?” Addie asked Illied, eyeing the axes that rested next to the clubs.
“In contests, they use clubs or nothing at all. They aren’t fighting to kill.”
Addie felt marginally better. She wasn’t looking forward to watching the losing party draw their last breath.
“Wixab!”
The second warrior went in, and Addie regarded him critically. A stocky male, not too tall by the local overblown standards but powerfully built, he bristled with angry, aggressive energy. He swung his club in a circle and tapped his foot, impatient to begin.
The two squared off, presenting Addie with an excellent side view. They were both ripped, but the red-headed Oh’nil looked noticeably slimmer around the neck and upper body. Nothing to sneeze at, but something… there was an airy quality to him that the other warrior lacked. Not a very young guy, Oh’nil appeared young.
Chemmusaayl clapped his hands twice, and without any other warning, the men in the court collided.
Addie jumped. ”My god, they’re fast,” she muttered.
The speed with which they moved was astonishing. The sudden clack of the club against the club reverberated around. Small puffs of dust rose around the warriors’ feet from their furious sidestepping.
Wixab attacked in a rush of hot air, the war club swinging. It connected with Oh’nil’s club and bounced off. Wixab himself bounced off of Oh’nil, almost losing his footing.
He righted himself and barked something that sounded suspiciously likeWhat the fuck. There was a brief moment of silence from everyone, during which Oh’nil deftly clubbed Wixab on his fighting arm, nearly succeeding in making his opponent let go of his weapon.
Shaking off his surprise, Wixab attacked with a roar, mad as hell at having suffered such a humiliating setback from someone obviously beneath him in rank.
Addie’s hands went to her mouth as she watched Oh’nil deflect and evade, more in control than the burlier, hoppity Wixab.
Shouts swelled, and it was impossible to say if the men and women supported Oh’nil or Wixab. Some women cheered, drawing Addie’s attention to the spectators. The lush Queen Qalae stood frozen, her face devoid of any expression, all eyes on the court, on the battling men. She no longer appeared indifferent; a feverish intensity burned in her inhuman eyes. Was Addie mistaken? Was the queen, after all, a huge contact sports fan?
Next to her, the one named Vircea stood quietly, her face intent and a little pinched.
On the other side, Chief Net’ok and his bud Vuskas observed the fight with an expert eye, sometimes exchanging words that must have related to the technique the warriors inside the court were displaying.
Addie avoided looking at Zoark, but curiosity gnawed at her. What did he get out of watching his fellow tribesmen go at each other? He, who, with his health issues, likely couldn't fight.
Unable to resist, Addie cast another quick glance in his direction, hoping he wasn’t paying her any attention.
He wasn’t. He was watching the fight in the same way Net’ok and Vuskas were watching, alertly tracking the men’s moves. She used this chance to study him while he was distracted. He stood in repose, arms crossed like the chief’s, but the loose tunic he wore concealed his upper body. She wondered if he wore it to hide under.
Oh’nil continued to move around the court in flashes of red hair, his left cheekbone swollen and discolored from where it had met his opponent’s club. He had a smooth flowing way about him that indicated prior training. He knew his way around the fighting court, but he was running out of steam.
Wixab went on the offensive and brought his club down on Oh’nil. Oh’nil blocked, but he was visibly tiring and slowing down.
