Sir Henry raised an eyebrow and cast a troubled glance in Jack’s direction. ‘And how about you, Jack?’

‘I want the truth,’ replied Jack. ‘If Sir Toby won’t willingly tell me, then I’ll duel him for the truth.’

‘So be it,’ said Sir Henry with a sigh, ‘a duel to first blood.’

‘But he gave me the lie, so it should be to the death!’ Sir Toby protested dramatically.

‘My house, my rules,’ said Sir Henry firmly. Jack realized that his host wasn’t restricting the fight purely out of the goodness of his heart; Sir Henry had a personal interest in keeping Jack alive for the hoped-for trading mission. Besides, Jack had no desire either in killing Sir Toby. He only needed to force him into revealing Jess’s whereabouts.

Jack found himself being borne into the Gallery of Arms by the enthusiastic crowd. It seemed the whole ball wanted to watch, and Rose even had to keep some of the guests at bay with her shield as Jack readied himself for the fight. Yori took the Harlequin mask from him and Akiko presented his katana.

‘No foreign weapons!’ said Sir Toby contemptuously, as he selected the sharpest rapier from the rack on the wall. ‘This is a proper English duel.’

‘Use my rapier instead,’ said Signor Horatio, offering up his blade of finest Italian steel.

‘Pah!’ Sir Toby sneered. ‘Your sword won’t save him, Signor Horatio.’

Signor Horatio responded with an assured smile. ‘I’ve not only given Jack my weapon, signor, but my training too!’

‘Then you really are putting the poor lad at a disadvantage!’ scoffed Sir Toby, as he made several practice swipes with his sword, its tip whistling through the air. The guests laughed heartily at his jibe, but Sir Toby’s grim expression suggested he was more unsettled by Signor Horatio’s words than he let on.

Ignoring his opponent’s taunts, Jack weighed his sword master’s rapier in his hand. It was as light as a feather and quick as lightning. The grip felt like the handshake of a good friend, the blade was long and slender, and the hilt was expertly crafted into a helix of steel to deflect and catch an enemy’s blade. It was truly a magnificent weapon.

Akiko passed him a parrying dagger from the rack. ‘Remember,’ she whispered, ‘offence is defence. Parry and riposte. Keep your guard up before your face. Don’t overreach –’

‘I’ll be fine,’ Jack reassured her. But he didn’t feel fine. His heart thudded and his blood pumped loudly in his ears, his palms became slick with sweat and his breathing elevated. In this duel, he wasn’t fighting for his life; he was fighting for his sister’s.

37: The Truth