Spear of Destiny by James Baldwin (little bear else holmelund minarik .TXT) 📕

with males of my own kind, let alone humans. Your appearance, your destiny, your weapon… all of it piques my curiosity.” She slipped down to rest on the cushioned divan. “In Meewhome, spear fighting is a woman’s art, passed from mother to daughter. It is one of the three sacred weapons of our people.”

“What are the other two?” Suri asked her, standing at ease.

“The jilan, the welded claw sheath.” Solai extended one foot and flexed her toes, miming the disemboweling strike her enhanced claws were capable of enacting. “And the scimitar. To become a Priest-Queen, you must be a master of all three weapons. To be considered a master, you must show you can defeat any and all comers—including the Priest-Queen herself.”

“Okay?” I glanced at Suri, not sure where this was headed. She shrugged.

“My second wish is to duel you, Paragon.” Solai pointed at me. “A duel in which I am able to get the measure of you. What do you say?”

I rolled my shoulders and motioned with my head. “I’m game.”

“Wonderful!” Solai put her hands together as the courtiers around her throne murmured and purred in approval. “And that leads to my third wish. I wish to spend a night with you, involved in entertainment and pastimes, such as befit a queen. Should I win, I shall choose how our night proceeds. Should you somehow best me, you shall scheme whatever delights you wish to show. Does that sound suitable?”

“Karalti would probably be up for taking you on a flight,” I said. “How does that sound?”

Solai squeezed her eyes in contentment. “No, do not tell me your plans. I wish it to be a surprise. Do you accept?”

“Sure. Just me?” I gestured to the others.

“They shall be well-taken care of tonight,” Solai affirmed, stretching languidly as she rose to her feet again. “You shall have food, drink, music! We have so many things you may try here. But first...”

She looked to one of her slaves, who bowed, then strode over to a gong at the end of the arena. She picked up a mallet and struck it three times. The trio of combatants on the sands stopped, panting for breath, while the murmur of conversation around the room died down.

“The Priest-Queen has chosen a challenger!” The slave called, raising her voice to be heard out in the antechamber, as well as the sanctum.

Solai held her arms out expectantly, and her handmaidens got to work. Two of them stripped her of her fine jewelry, unhooking her joined nostril ring and earring, sliding her bracelets and armlets from her limbs, and unlacing the back of her golden girdle. They then removed her silk clothing, except for her loincloth. While she undressed, I stepped back and unequipped my armor down to the flexible doeskin leggings I wore under my breeches. Several of the female Meewfolk behind me tittered.

“Jeez.” Suri’s mouth quirked. “Look at you, Mister Popularity.”

“Mr ‘Has no fur, no tail, and looks like an alien’, more like it.” I stretched my hands. “Hold onto my gear for me?”

“Am I your slave now?” Suri arched both eyebrows. “Starting to get ideas, Your Grace?”

“Please, Your Grace?” I flashed her a toothy grin.

Suri made a show of sighing and rolling her eyes, then snatched my pack off me.

Solai stood patiently as her handmaidens brought a glowing, finely made torque to her and fitted it around her neck. To my surprise, one of them came to me with a similar item—an open-faced collar made of gold, crawling with traceries of magic. Curious, I scanned it with my HUD.

  Royal Guardian Torque

850 Magical Armor

+50% Fire Resistance

+50% Air Resistance

+50% Resistance to Piercing and Slashing Damage

Grants Immunity to Fear, Nausea, Blindness.

Special: Soul-Bound (Priest-Queen Solai).

My eyes popped when I saw those stats. This little thing gave 850 armor? I wouldn’t even be able to scratch someone wearing this thing with a normal attack.

“The rules of the match are as follows,” Solai said, accepting her weapon from a servant—a bluesteel spear with a tapered, leaf-shaped blade. “The goal is to knock your opponent to ground and keep them at spear-point for a count of five seconds. If the fight drags on, the first to fall below half health will lose the match. Shall we make it the best of three?”

“Hell yeah.” I bounced on my toes a few times, then called the Spear of Destiny to my hand and quickly spun it over the backs of my knuckles before catching it. “Can we use Combat Abilities? Or normal strikes only?”

“Normal strikes only, I think.” She squinted at me. “It would be unfair to you if I was to wield my full powers as the Chosen of the Sun.”

I laughed. “Right. Any formalities before entering the ring?”

“Yes. We fight beneath Lua’s Golden Moon tonight. Say a soft prayer to your ancestors in your mind, and bow on entry.” Solai gave me a thoroughly sultry look as she rolled her spear over her knuckles, passed it over to the back of her other hand, then spun it around behind her and threw it like a javelin into the center of the arena.

The Meewfolk around us yowled and cheered as their queen sauntered in after her weapon. She put her delicate hands together and bowed from the sternum, stepped into the ring, then slapped her thighs and slid out into a wide, low-slung stance. The fur of her back and tail fluffed out, her eyes widened, and she pulled her lips back to bare her teeth in a demonic, skull-like grimace, her ears pinning flat against her skull. When Solai’s health meter came into focus, the ring filled up five times. Two black skulls appeared beside her name to either side. I couldn’t remember ever seeing an NPC with two black skulls before. That meant she was at