Up on the raised wooden platform, Damon stared at the slim figure walking onto the field.

Damon immediately squinted his eyes.

He leaned forward slightly, resting his large hands on the wooden railing of the platform. He watched the way the black-clad figure walked. He watched the light, completely perfectly balanced steps. He looked at the slim shoulders and the narrow waist.

Damon knew every single soldier in his massive army perfectly. He knew Gideon was a giant mountain of a man.

Damon knew instantly, completely, and without a single doubt, that something was very, very wrong. That small, agile shadow walking onto the dirt field was obviously not Gideon.

Damon did not panic. He did not yell out loud to stop the fight. He did not want to show any weakness or confusion in front of General Howe and the massive crowd.

Damon slowly turned his head to the side. He gave a very small, sharp signal with his eyes.

He signaled Kade to step closer and bend his head down.

Kade saw the serious look in the General’s eyes. Kade immediately stepped forward and lowered his head, bringing his ear close to Damon’s mouth.

"Where is Gideon?" Damon asked in a very low, completely freezing, highly demanding whisper.

Kade looked out at the dirt field. He saw the slim figure dressed in black standing opposite the massive mercenary. Kade’s eyes widened in pure, complete shock. He realized the disaster instantly.

"I... I don’t know, My Lord," Kade whispered back, his voice shaking with genuine panic. He had personally left the giant man in the tent just ten minutes ago. "I swear he was fully ready in the back tent."

Kade quickly stood up straight.

"I’ll go and check right now," Kade promised urgently, bowing his head quickly.

Kade immediately turned around. He rushed quietly down the wooden stairs of the platform, completely disappearing into the back of the camp to find the missing man.

General Howe, sitting in his wooden chair, noticed Kade rushing away in a clear panic.

Howe turned his head. He frowned his thick gray brows a bit. He looked closely at Damon’s hard profile, and then he looked back out at the small, black-clad figure standing on the field.

Howe smirked softly. He thought Damon was sending a weak, scared boy out to die because Damon had no real fighters left. Howe felt his victory was completely assured.

Exactly thirty seconds later, Kade ran back up the wooden stairs. The aide was completely out of breath.

Kade rushed directly to Damon’s side. He leaned very close, hiding his mouth behind his hand so Howe could not see him speaking.

Kade whispered urgently directly into Damon’s ear.

"My Lord," Kade whispered, his voice full of absolute bewilderment and complete confusion. "Gideon is in the tent. But he is completely knocked out cold. He is lying flat on the floor, completely unconscious."

Damon completely froze.

He stared out at the dirt field. He looked at the slim, confident figure dressed in black, standing perfectly still, waiting for the massive mercenary to attack.

If Gideon, the strongest in the entire Benson army, was currently lying unconscious on the floor of the preparation tent...

Damon asked quietly, his deep voice carrying a very dark, incredibly dangerous edge suspicion. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Then," Damon whispered back, his eyes locking completely onto the slim figure holding the twin daggers. "Who is that man?"

~ ••••• ~

The loud noise of the massive crowd gathered around the dry dirt field was absolutely deafening. Hundreds of people were shouting, cheering, and eagerly waving small bags of coins in the air.

Standing right in the very front row of the excited spectators, safely behind the ropes, were Zade and Austin.

Zade was wearing a dark brown coat. His face still showed faint, yellow bruises from his beating in the lower city, but he looked completely healthy and full of energetic excitement. Austin stood right next to him, looking much more nervous about the violent spectacle they were about to witness.

Seeing the two fighters finally standing on the open field, the wealthy nobles and the commoners immediately started placing their final bets.

Zade watched the massive, terrifying, heavily armored mercenary from General Howe’s army swing his giant battle axe. Then, Zade looked at the very slim, completely covered figure dressed in black representing the Benson army. The size difference between the two fighters was completely, utterly ridiculous. It looked exactly like a massive bear preparing to crush a small, fragile rabbit.

Zade reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a clinking leather pouch completely full of shiny gold coins.

Zade turned to the large, sweaty man taking the bets nearby.

"I am betting completely for General Howe’s man," Zade spoke loudly, slamming his pouch of gold down onto the wooden betting table.

Austin’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly grabbed Zade by the sleeve of his dark brown coat, pulling him slightly backward into the crowd.

"Zade!" Austin whispered loudly, his voice full of deep disbelief. "Are you crazy? Aren’t you completely betraying your brother-in-law? You are actively betting against your own sister’s husband right in front of his own military camp!"

Zade shook his arm, pulling his sleeve firmly out of Austin’s nervous grip. Zade rolled his eyes, looking at his friend as if Austin was being completely foolish.

"Should I lose my hard-earned money just because I want to maintain polite family ties?" Zade replied logically, crossing his arms over his chest. He gestured his hand widely toward the open dirt field.

"Look at that fighter, Austin," Zade pointed directly at the slim figure dressed in black. "Why in the world would the great General select such a scrawny, tiny man to fight a giant mercenary? The boy has absolutely no muscles! He looks like a strong wind could blow him completely over!"

Zade shook his head in deep disappointment.

"The General must have completely run out of good fighters," Zade concluded confidently. "He should have just officially declared that he has lost the bet so that he can still keep some of his military reputation intact. But since he is foolish enough to send a boy to die, I am going to make some easy gold."

Austin looked at the betting table, and then back at the field. He felt very uncomfortable with the entire violent situation.

"Well," Austin replied softly, taking a step backward. "I am not interested in a gamble today. I don’t like watching people die."

"Suit yourself," Zade replied happily, counting the potential winnings in his head.

Austin turned his attention back to the dirt field. He squinted his brown eyes, trying to see clearly through the bright sunlight and the rising dust.

He looked very hard at the small, black-clad figure. He looked at the way the figure stood perfectly still, completely balanced, and totally unafraid of the giant mercenary standing opposite them. He looked at the narrow shoulders and the specific, light way the figure held their twin daggers.

Austin frowned deeply. A very strange, terrifying memory suddenly flashed clearly into his mind. He remembered the dark, bloody tavern in the lower city. He remembered a kitchen knife flying through the air.

Austin leaned closer to Zade. He bumped his friend’s shoulder.

"Zade," Austin whispered slowly, his voice completely puzzled and filled with rising dread. "Look closely at that fighter."

"I am looking," Zade said impatiently.

"Why does that man," Austin asked nervously, pointing a shaking finger at the slim figure, "look so much like your sister when she came to save us in the tavern that day? The way he holds the knives... the way he stands..."

Zade stopped smiling. He turned his head quickly and looked at the black figure again. He stared at the slim waist and the dark cloth covering the face.

Then, Zade burst into loud, completely dismissive laughter.

"Austin, are you completely seeing things?" Zade laughed, shaking his head. He slapped his friend hard on the back. "The hot sun is frying your brain! There is absolutely no way she could possibly be there. My sister is resting safely inside the mansion right now. She is a noble lady, not a gladiator. Don’t be ridiculous."

Austin bit his lower lip. He wanted to believe Zade, but he couldn’t shake the terrifying, familiar feeling.

Up on the raised wooden platform, General Howe stood up from his chair. He walked to the wooden railing, looking down at the two fighters. He raised his hand high into the air.

"The battle has officially begun!" Howe spoke loudly. His deep voice boomed across the entire field.