“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me,” I said.

“Someone has to do it, since you won’t.”

Ted spun the mace and swung at Hugh. Hugh blocked again and the mace head snapped the blade in half. Hugh slashed Ted’s arm with the broken blade and jerked his hand away. The broken sword clattered to the floor. Whatever that red aura was, it hurt like a sonovabitch.

“Did you know who she was?” Hugh repeated.

Ted swung his mace again. Hugh ducked, leaped over Richter’s corpse, and grabbed a shield off the wall.

“You didn’t. You still don’t, do you?”

Ted swung again and Hugh thrust the shield in his way. The mace connected. Boom. The shield rang like a gong.

“I would’ve thought your boys would have better intel.”

Boom.

“At least do your damn homework. Sloppy, Moynohan. Very sloppy.”

Boom. Hugh was waiting for Ted to fall into a pattern. Ted would hit harder and harder, trying to break through the shield with raw strength. Once an opponent fell into a pattern, they became predictable—and they could be defeated.

“When you get a power like that on your side, you move heaven and earth to hold on to it.”

Boom.

“But you didn’t, did you?”

Boom.

“Because you’re a moron.”

Ted swung, putting all his power into the blow, expecting to break through the shield. Hugh stepped right and turned. The mace whistled through the air a hair from his chest. Ted had put so much momentum into the blow, he couldn’t stop. The weight of the mace drove him down and Hugh stabbed him in the chest. If he didn’t hit the heart, he was damn close.

Blood surged. Ted’s eyes bulged.

“No,” Hugh said. “No, that was too easy.”

What?

Ted struggled to raise the mace. The red aura around him died.

Hugh clamped his hand to Ted’s chest. “Come back. You’ve got more in you.”

A blue glow flared around Hugh’s fingers. Something gurgled in Ted’s throat. Red bubbles expanded out of his mouth.

He was healing him. This was torture. “Just let him die!”

“No, not yet.” Hugh shook his head. “Come on. Come back to me.”

Ted’s arms shook. He sucked in a breath.

Hugh released him. The knight-protector stumbled back.

Hugh banged his gladius against the shield. “Come on, knight. Show me more.”

The carmine aura flared around Ted once more. He charged forward and slammed his shoulder into Hugh. Hugh flew back and rolled to a crouch next to the medmage. Steinlein had stood so still, all of us had forgotten he was even there, pressed against the wall and holding a small axe. Before Hugh could rise, the medmage swung the axe. Hugh moved, but not fast enough. The axe sank into his left shoulder.