With a grin, I said, “Then you can see my logic for coming here.”
A pirate approached Roden. “The tables are ready. A space has been cleared for you.”
Roden looked over at me. “If you back out now, I promise to make your death quick. It’s the best that I can do.”
“No, the best thing you can do is leave this place.”
“Make me,” Roden taunted.
“As you wish.” Planting my good leg as solidly as possible on the ground, I raised my sword again. “Your time as a pirate ends tonight. Either you will come with me as the loyal captain of my guard, or I will kill you here.”
Roden scoffed. “On one leg?”
“It’s hard to defeat you unless I use at least one,” I said, smiling. “Come with me instead. Make that choice.”
Roden pulled his sword from his scabbard and swung it in a full circle around him. He handled his weapon with an ease that lifelong warriors would envy. “I won’t give you another choice, Jaron. Unless you surrender now, I will kill you.”
And the fight began.
Walking wasn’t an option for me, so I had to use what was available. I nearly fell over in smashing the wooden sword against a large rock on the ground. It splintered just as the other sword had, leaving me with an end much sharper than the point of a blade, even though it was still made of wood and an inferior weapon.
Roden’s objective was clearly to knock me off balance, but I ducked most of his harder swings and held steady with only slight help from my injured leg. When he caught onto my strategy, he swung lower, forcing me to block him with the wooden sword, near the hilt where it was strongest. Each time he did, though, he had to raise his sword back again, and I used the moment to scratch him with the shards of my broken blade. I never got him deeply, but all of the longer tips had blood on them, so for now, I was still keeping up.
“Roden, this isn’t what you want,” I said.
“I’m a king here.”
“You’re a lion ruling a nest of maggots. There’s no glory in that, no honor. You are better than this.”
“You’re only trying to trick me,” Roden said. “You’ve become so desperate that this offer is your last hope.”
“When I’m desperate I’ll ask Tobias for help. This is no trick.”
He swung again for my chest. I ducked but it cost me my balance. Roden used the chance to push me to the ground. The fall sent tremors of pain through me, and gave him time to put a foot on my sword, crushing it.
“Now, see that move?” I said. “It was brilliant. You’d be an excellent captain.”
He didn’t even smile, but instead swung his blade harder at me. I dodged it and then kicked him with my good leg. He stumbled back a step before he raised his sword again. I leaned forward and grabbed his legs. He tumbled beside me and his blade grazed my shoulder.
I reached for the knife from Imogen and stabbed Roden’s thigh. He yelped and leapt away. “Those leg wounds hurt, don’t you think?” I said.
Roden caught me on the jaw with his fist, but as I fell back I kicked him in the neck. And because I thought his punch was a dirty trick, I kicked him extra hard again. This time, as Roden reacted, his grip on his sword loosened. I dove for it, but he recovered and scooted away, then stood.
“Get up,” he said, heaving gasps of air. “This is a sword fight, not a wrestling match.”
I held up a hand while I caught my own breath. Roden lowered his sword and took my arm, helping me up.
“Why me?” Roden asked. “There’re others you can choose, men of experience, warriors.”
“Anyone fierce enough to threaten an attack on Carthya is fierce enough to defend it.”
“But how could you ever trust me?” Roden asked. “After everything between us.”
“Because you could’ve killed me just now.” I locked eyes with him. “I know everything about how to make an enemy but very little about friendship. Still, I think we were friends back at Farthenwood, until Cregan poisoned your mind.”
“Cregan only wanted me to become the prince.”
“But that’s the problem. If you accept that you never had a chance to become the prince — never — then you can start to look at everything you could become.”