The Serpent's Veil

Cold Steel

There, her ribs, she thought, and suddenly Rayta's braces were up to block the strike. Rehan twisted his wrist, bringing the other end of the blade down to strike her legs.

She will block it.

Rayta's sword met Rehan's, and again he moved to counter. Khaya's shoulders tensed.

Step back!

The arc of Rayta's next swing narrowly missed his knee, but she used the momentum to power her next attack.

He will block it with his left arm, and sure enough he did. Each prediction Khaya made came true just a fraction of a second later.

Rehan pushed Rayta back and posed to strike again, but Rayta made no move to block. Khaya wanted to shout, but did not dare. His attack was impossibly fast, but she heard the air cracking open. She knew where his mark was.

Rayta's heart.

Surely he will stop!? Khaya's eyes widened in horror when he did not. She squeezed her eyes shut the moment just before he would stab her.

A clang of metal on metal.

She opened her eyes.

Rehan had ripped a hole in Rayta's pale peach qamis. A shiny metal breastplate gleamed beneath it, moulded to the exact shape of her bosom. Rehan helped Rayta to her feet, then stepped closer as if to whisper something. Khaya heard it nonetheless.

"Must you always concede at the last second? You're ruining the fun of the challenge."

Rayta glanced over his shoulder at the women's watchful eyes. "You can't be seen losing."

Rehan scoffed, "You say that as if you know you will beat me every time."

"Just once is enough to discredit you."

He rolled his eyes, but knew she was right. "Thank you, then."

Khaya's eyes were narrowed in thought. She looked back at the Prince. So, she lost on purpose...

Rehan's idle eyes fell on her once again. She quickly looked at her hands, but could feel him still staring. A man entering the hall from the opposite side stole his attention, and Khaya let out a nervous breath.

"Commander Tahir!" Rehan's expression brightened and he spread his arms in greeting, "What a pleasant surprise, I was just about to put down my sword."

Tahir bowed. "Do not stop on my account, Sayyidi," he said.

His dark skin was sun-burnished, greying hairs peeked out from beneath his turban, yet he stood tall and sure. A seasoned soldier's posture. His qamis was ochre, cut shorter than most, and he wore a bright red sash with gold embroidery. There was no sword at his hip, nor any other weapon in sight.

He opened his mouth to speak but Rehan silenced him with a hand. "I insist on duelling with you. It has been months since we last had a proper fight."

"Sayyidi there is no time–"

"Nonsense," Rehan said, twirling his sword, "Besides, you know how much I hate politics before breakfast time."

"But–" he sighed, "As you wish, Sayyidi. May I have some braces?"

"Take mine," Rehan said, and beckoned an attendant forward with two fingers. He brought a set of gleaming braces fitted with retractable blades. Tahir strapped on the ones handed to him over the long sleeves of his qamis. He had no other weapon. Rehan on the other hand had the braces and his double edged sword.

Rayta gave her sword to the passing attendant and began unknotting her hair. "Do not exert yourself too much, husband," she said, then made her way to Khaya's side and sat down. She stank of exhaustion mixed with rose water, her bronze skin shining with sweat. Her eunuch immediately handed her a jug of water.

"What did you observe?" she asked.

"You lost on purpose," Khaya said.

Rayta jerked her chin, staring at her with disbelief. "How did you know that?"

Khaya mentally slapped herself. She had slipped so easily. "I– I just..."

The bell sounded, and Rehan's expression tightened. Tahir remained relaxed, arms by his sides. A pause, and Rehan lunged.

Khaya found the edge of the blade with ease this time, and traced its path to Tahir's ribs. At the last possible second Tahir dodged with a simple sidestep, a mere hairsbreadth away from the blade's edge. Rehan did not hesitate, turning and aiming to jab with his hidden blade at Tahir's cheek. He tilted his head back, again dodging by finger-spans. Khaya looked on, horrified by what she heard and saw.

Rehan's expression was different from before, colder and intensely focussed. Each of his strikes cut through the air with the speed of an arrow and the power of an axe. Now he was not fighting to win.

He was fighting to kill.

Tahir blocked, but was pushed back easily by Rehan's blows. The sounds of their strikes echoed so loudly in Khaya's ears she could hardly take a moment to breathe.

The next strike drew blood.

Tahir stepped back and raised a hand to his wounded shoulder, but his expression was blank as ever. He had hardly flinched.

Rehan dropped his sword and let out a grunt of frustration. "You are not even trying."

"Forgive me, Sayyidi. You gave me no time to warm up."

Tahir shot forward with alarming speed, arm pulled back for a punch. Rehan sidestepped but lost his balance. Tahir spun around to strike him with his elbow, exactly as Rayta had done before, but Rehan blocked and punched with his hidden blade, this time drawing blood from Tahir's cheek. Instead of stepping back, Tahir jabbed him in the ribs, pulled him over his shoulder, and threw him to the ground.

Just as Rehan had done to Rayta.

The bell sounded, signalling the end of the match. Rehan closed his eyes and laughed. Tahir extended a hand to him as the attendants rushed forward with water and towels. Even Rayta stood and approached them. Rehan had been beaten but had the widest smile on his face, while Tahir remained stoic. Khaya scrutinised his face, and her brows knitted.

His wound had disappeared. There was a stain of blood wiped off on his sleeve, but no cut. The splotch of red on his shoulder had not increased in size at all either.

What is going on?

She rubbed her eyes and looked again. She was sure Rehan had cut Tahir's cheek, yet there was no physical indication of it.

Khaya shook her head. "Zayan, who is that man?"

"That is Commander Tahir al-Barmaki," Zayan said, "He is a highly regarded soldier."

Al-Barmaki

They were engrossed in their discussion, which Khaya easily overheard but decided to ignore.

"Tell Princess Rayta I am taking my leave," she told the young eunuch.

Meia and Zayan escorted her out of the hall in silence.