For a moment Cathal froze. Then, in a whirl of movement, the two men met again, and an instant later Aidan was on the ground on his back, with his adversary on top of him and both wrists pinned over his head. I looked for Cathal’s knife and saw, to my astonishment, that at some point he had slipped it back in his belt. Cathal’s grip tightened. Aidan’s right hand opened and his weapon fell to the ground.

“Enough,” said Johnny calmly, stepping forward. “Technically very good, Cathal, but you came close to letting your guard down. You must learn to block out your opponent’s taunts. Aidan, get up.” He reached out a hand to help Aidan to his feet. “If you have not already learned that anger is a hindrance when you fight, now is the time to do so. We are professionals, whether in an exercise such as this or on the field of war. A cool head, impeccable technique and perfect focus are the keys to success. The two of you will settle your differences before nightfall, and there will be no more dispute between you.”

Cathal and Aidan looked at each other. Cathal put out a hand, but his expression was stony. After a long moment, Aidan grasped his friend’s hand briefly, then turned his back.

“Very well,” Johnny said. “Last bout, Cathal. What’s it to be? After that fright, I think our audience might prefer that we avoid anything sharp.”

Aidan was watching me. He had gone to stand with Sigurd and Mikka, but I could feel his gaze and it troubled me. What was it between him and Cathal? Had this really been all about Aidan leaving out one critical detail in his account of his personal circumstances? That might matter to me, but it seemed unlikely that it would have ignited such a dispute between the two friends. Not only had this revealed a darker side to the placid musician I had been so drawn to, but even the impenetrable Cathal had seemed disturbed by it. Not by the fight itself; he’d handled that as coolly as Johnny would have done. It was that comment about fathers that had rattled him. The two of them knew exactly how to upset each other.