‘Can’t you take the initiative and attack first?’ I asked.
‘Must I explain it again? There are rules, little Nessa, and I am bound by them. They vary from trial to trial, adjusted to take account of the number of purrai involved. But this is the situation here and we must abide by it. Firstly the grille will be removed and the Haggenbrood will climb out of the pit. Once its three selves are in position, the signal will be given to begin. I can only react to the attack, which could be aimed at any one of you. Alternatively, it may ignore you and launch an all-out assault on me. That way, once I am dead, the Haggenbrood can feed from you and your plump sisters at its leisure. Also, if it attacks you first and two of you die, I must surrender my weapons and let it kill me. Those are the rules of this trial.’
I couldn’t believe I was discussing something so brutal. ‘What weapons are you permitted?’
‘As many blades as I wish.’
‘Then cut me free and give me a blade. If I move, it might distract it and give you a better chance. We must get my sisters to safety.’
Again the words had flown from my lips without prior thought. But reflecting quickly, I perceived that they were wise indeed. It might just give my sisters a chance of life, and surely it was better to die with a knife in my hand than bound helpless to a post?
I saw the astonishment on the beast’s face. He frowned and seemed to be considering the possibility.
‘Would that be allowed?’ I persisted, breaking the silence that had come between us.
‘There is nothing in the rules that forbids me to cut you free,’ he admitted. ‘Your offer is generous indeed. But while the Haggenbrood is prevented by its conditioning not to leave the arena, you could do so. And therein lies the danger. If you did so, the trial would immediately be over and all our lives would be forfeit. How brave are you, little Nessa? Could you stand your ground when teeth and claws snap in your face?’
‘Yes,’ I replied immediately. ‘It might give us a chance.’
But could I? Would I really be brave enough to distract this terrible, fearsome Haggenbrood?
‘Even if you are not torn to pieces, the Haggenbrood has glands which secrete a deadly poison. If even the tip of one claw pierces your skin it results in kirrhos, which we call the ‘tawny death’. It is ugly to look upon and worse to suffer. There is no cure. So can you make your little human body obey your will, little Nessa? Terror may cause it to disobey you. Once you flee the arena, we are all dead. One small step would be enough!’
I took a deep breath. Yes, I would do it. Despite my dislike of Slither, the situation had made us allies and I would have to work alongside him to give my sisters some hope of survival.
‘I am sure that I won’t run. I want to give my sisters a chance of life.’
Slither stared at me hard. ‘To release a captive during trial by combat is unprecedented,’ he said. ‘It would be a complete surprise to everybody, including the Haggenbrood.’
Then, without another word, he tugged at the chain and led me back through Valkarky to his quarters.
USING A WHETSTONE, I systematically began to sharpen the blades I planned to use in the arena. I selected two daggers – along with Old Rowler’s sabre, which had quickly become my favourite weapon.
As I worked, Nessa watched me intently. I was considering her surprise proposal. She was, without doubt, brave – far braver than any other purra I had encountered, but there was a terrible risk in letting her stand in the arena unbound. If she fled, I would forfeit my life. I sensed that she was about to say something important to her, and was soon proved correct.
‘I would like to ask you a favour,’ she said at last.
‘Speak and I will listen,’ I replied, concentrating most of my attention on the task at hand but prepared to give her a hearing.
‘Could my sisters be bound to their posts without being awoken?’ she asked. ‘I would like to spare them the terror of the arena.’
‘That is impossible, little Nessa. It would not be allowed – it would deprive those who witness the trial of the pleasure of hearing them scream. And it is more enjoyable to watch someone who is conscious bleed and die. Asleep, they would provide no entertainment at all.’
As a youngster, I had once visited a trial. It had been over very quickly, but despite that I had enjoyed the manner in which the Haggenbrood despatched its victims, and the way the blood splattered, making delightful patterns against the white of the arena floor. But on my rare visits to Valkarky since taking up my vocation, I had never even considered attending another.
Now I was comfortable alone, working my haizda, and preferred to be far from the clamour of such events. I no longer found it comfortable to be close to so many of my people in one place.
‘Entertainment?! How can you use such a word when my sisters’ young lives might be lost? What kind of creatures are you?’
‘It is just the way things are, little Nessa. We are very different to humans. It is the way of my people, and I am bound by Kobalos customs and conventions. So I can do nothing to spare you and your delicious sisters the inevitable fear and pain that awaits you.’
It never ceased to amaze me that Nessa was prepared to sacrifice herself to help her sisters. Of course, for her to stand and face even one of the Haggenbrood’s selves in such a way, even with a knife in her puny hand, could have only one result. She would be dead before she realized what had happened. But I thought such bravery deserved a reward.
What would she most wish for now? I wondered. In a second I had the answer. Briefly I would suspend the solitary confinement of the three purrai.
‘Would you like me to wake your sisters now so that you can have a little time alone? It might be your last chance to talk together?’ I offered – very generously, I thought.
‘Yes, please, I would like that,’ Nessa said solemnly. ‘How long is it before the trial?’
‘Almost a full day, so enjoy yourselves and make the best of the time that remains. I will bring your two plump sisters here, then leave you alone to talk in privacy for a while.’
So, keeping my promise, I brought the three sisters together. Of course, I did not give them privacy because I was very curious to hear what they had to say to each other, so I made myself very small and slithered into the room using a drainage hole in the floor as my means of access.
‘I wish I had clean clothes and a blue ribbon for my hair,’ Susan said plaintively.