Secret War: Upon Blood Sands

Chapter 14

The guardsmen didn't need any prompting to spread out a further three metres as Attelus and Kalakor circled each other. Attelus knew he, a short, long-limbed Throne Agent was ludicrously tiny compared to the huge Marine. Yet here he was forced to fight this monster.

Attelus sighed. "We're on the same side, right? So you won't kill me, okay?"

Kalakor sneered. "Are you admitting defeat already?"

Attelus shrugged.

"Of course he is!" yelled one of the guardsmen. "He's nothing but a fugging little fairy boy! He doesn't stand a chance!"

The rest burst out in laughter, and Attelus couldn't help roll his eyes. Deciding to neglect to say how easily he'd defeated their captain, who was being carried to their medicae tent. Attelus would've been angry, if at all insecure.

Kalakor didn't spare the guardsman a glance; attention fixated on Attelus.

"We fight until the first blow deemed fatal is landed," said Kalakor.

Attelus clenched his jaw; he wasn't an expert on Astartes physiology, but he knew enough to know such a feat was harder for him than Kalakor. Even without his frigging power armour.

"Are you ready?" said Kalakor.

Swallowing back his fear, Attelus gave the Marine a nod.

The next second, Kalakor was on him, slashing down vertically. Attelus slid aside and cut at the Marine's exposed side. Lightning-fast the Marine turned and parried. His riposte, a horizontal blow that forced Attelus to lunge back.

The Marine stabbed, and Attelus weaved beneath it darted onto the Marine's side, but Kalakor turned in his wake, cutting. Attelus ducked and slashed upward at Kalakor's chin. The Marine stopped it dead with the blade of his practise sword and almost sent it from Attelus' grasp with a snap of his wrist. But he'd underestimated the Throne Agent's strength as Attelus kept hold of the sword and let himself be flung away into a controlled roll and out of reach of a follow-through.

Attelus spun, just in time to sidestep the Marine's diagonal slash. Attelus knew Kalakor was holding back. The Space Marine withheld his true strength so it wouldn't kill. But it didn't affect his speed; this spoke of remarkable skill, even for an Astartes. If Attelus wielded his powersword, he would've cut into Kalakor's wrists, but that wasn't a fatal blow, so that it wouldn't help him now.

Kalakor carried on his cut, turning it into a horizontal slash; Attelus leapt over it, then back-stepped as Kalakor reversed the blow.

Attelus clenched his teeth. Their reach difference was ridiculous. He exhaled as Raloth's words filtered through his thoughts.

And he smiled.

For a full seventeen minutes, they fought their mock fight, two blurs of inhuman speed and skill. Attelus dodged and darted and cut, in and out, in and out. Kalakor parried, blocked and countered.

All those watching stood in awed, gaping silence—even Hayden and Delathasi.

Attelus, already weary from the earlier fight against the cultists, was on the cusp of collapsing; every inch of him ached, but he had to wait this long.

It was when he got the opening he needed.

Kalakor cut down vertically.

Attelus had dodged and weaved all of the Marine's attacks. Kalakor was used to it, expected it, so when the Throne Agent parried, it caught him off guard. Attelus slipped aside and, with all his strength, bashed his blade into the back Kalakor's, augmenting its power for a split second and into the sand. Attelus had clenched his teeth to keep from crying out as pain erupted up his arms as impact tremors tore through his musculature.