"Your operators won't live long enough to use it."

"How many can you kill?" he asked. "Ten? Twenty? Fifty? I have that many now, and I'm recruiting more."

"So much work," I said. "Wouldn't it be easier to let us leave? Perhaps you would care to make another proposal in which no one dies."

"Give me the castle and allow me to watch Renea die, and the rest of you can walk away," he said. "Otherwise you can all lose your little retreat and join the vast majority of humanity in mortality, and I'll still get the castle and know that Renea is dying or dead."

I looked away for a minute. "There's nothing you want instead?"

He leered at me.

"Right, like you'd give up your revenge for a night with me."

"Who said anything about one night?" he asked. "I was thinking a year."

"You're insane."

"A year of you as my obedient little sex slave in exchange for immortality for you, Renea and all your friends. But I still get the castle."

"You'd let them all go if I promised myself to you for a year."

"Oh no," he said. "You give me a year and at the end of it, I let them go."

I laughed. "I believe we have a trust issue over that agreement."

"But you expect me to trust you?"

"They would have a year to escape your spies. I'd be buying them time to get far enough away from you."

"Interesting. No, I don't think so. As tasty as the possibility you would give me your sweet ass, I don't trust you enough to think you'd pay off."

I stared him in the eye. "It's too bad you're such a fucking pansy or we could enter into some far more interesting negotiations."

He glared at me.

"Afraid of a girl my size," I said.

"I could break you with one hand," he said.

"Yeah, right. Fucking. Pansy." I licked my lips. "You got off on bullying me when I worked here, but you're afraid of me now. You were worried I might try to kill you. With what? My bare hands? I'm five-two and half your size, and you're afraid of me. Pansy."

"I'm not afraid of you, you fucking dyke."

"Big man, but afraid to prove it."

He slammed his fist on the desk. "Shut your smart mouth."

"Pansy." I spelled the word out. "Prove it. You and Jeremy against Petra and me, a week from Friday, a nice little wager settled the old fashioned way. Personal combat."

"Oh yes, your black belt instructor," he said. "I don't think so. You and Renea, now, that might be interesting." He paused. "We will wipe the floor with you." He looked away. "The castle is mine. You're fighting to leave. When we win, everyone else leaves, but you will give me that year. Your smart mouth around my cock sounds good to me."

"If I'm giving you a year, then everyone else gets to leave."

"Everyone but Renea."

"If we win, we walk away and you don't follow us."

"Agreed. Bitch."

"Fine. Noon, a week from Friday. How about the field next to the village where Jeremy killed all the villagers? I think you know it. Swords and knives only."

I got up and walked out. "Don't be late. Pansy."

Bought ItI walked into Petra's office. "He bought it. But."

"But what?"

"He won't fight you. He wants Renea. You can summon Sally and Karen, so she should be able to summon me. Will she be able to defend herself while I kill them?"

She smiled. "Oh yes." She started laughing. "Renea has had almost fifty years in Siriena. She has magic that Vincent can't match and won't expect." She paused. "And his intelligence obviously sucks, as Renea is an excellent swordswoman, far better than I am."

"Well, I did make him angry."

She summoned Andrea to her office. The three of us discussed the details. I didn't tell Petra I'd promised to give myself to Vincent if we lost. We weren't going to lose, so why let her worry about it?

I turned to Andrea. "Boss, I would like time to visit my parents before next Friday."

They both stared at me.

"Please, don't make a big deal of this," I said. "Just, you know. In case."

Andrea looked at me kindly. "Of course, Felicia. Take whatever time you need."

"I'll go next Tuesday," I said. "And take the fast flight back Thursday morning." I turned to Petra. "You are mine on Thursday. Plan on a lot of shared orgasms." I paused. "Aren't we due in the dojo?"

We all popped to the castle that evening. We brought practice swords and teamed up, Renea and me against Petra and Andrea.

"You two go all out," I said.

"They aren't as good as we are," Petra said.

"I don't care. I'm betting Vincent can't throw Jeremy, and even if he can, once Vincent is dead, Jeremy is going to run or die. Which of you is Vincent?"

"I am," said Andrea.

"I am also betting Jeremy doesn't give a shit about Renea and wants me to suffer," I said.

Andrea and Petra started at one side of the courtyard. Renea and I were at the other. Kelly stood well clear and dropped a scarf.

I instantly popped home and Renea had me immediately behind Andrea, but I was facing the wrong way. By the time I spun around, Andrea's sword was at my neck. Petra didn't see I was out and rushed Renea. They performed a serious exchange before Andrea could call a halt. Petra and Renea glanced at me with Andrea's sword resting against my neck.

I walked back to Renea and told her what had happened. "Try it again," she said.

The scarf dropped, I ported out and began a spinning strike for an opponent behind me. I popped back halfway through the strike, but Andrea parried and readily disarmed me before I could even think to pop away from her.

I walked back to Renea. "Put me in front of her, a half step outside striking range. Expect me to pop away. If so, put me behind her. After that, pull me back and we'll work at her flanks and back."

Renea nodded.

The scarf dropped. I popped home and began a series of lunging steps. I popped just outside striking range and did a hop-hop-lunge. I actually caught Andrea by surprise, but she recovered before I could strike and I barely parried. I popped away and began a spinning strike for her behind me, which she parried easily and tried to riposte, but I presume her sword slipped through where I had been, as I popped home again. Next I appeared about midway to her, reviewed her stance, and immediately popped away, hoping that Renea saw the same opening I had. I began a strike for an opponent on my left, but Renea popped me to the other side. I barely avoided Andrea's swing and popped home.

Renea didn't pull me back. Finally I was pulled back and could tell it was Petra doing it. She put me on the field opposite Kelly. I turned around and saw both Andrea and Petra in front of Renea, Renea's sword on the ground.

We consulted. "As soon as Petra engaged me," Renea said, "I was no longer able to pull you. I was fighting for my life and couldn't spare the attention. Petra didn't need to beat me, just keep me busy until Andrea added." She paused. "The two of you are amazing together."

"They're better than Vincent and Jeremy," I suggested.

"Probably," said Renea. "But we can't count on it."

"Andrea, would I have beaten you eventually?"

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe. I'm fighting at the edge of my limits already. This is like fighting an insanely fast opponent but with poor technique." She paused. "Sorry."

"No, you're right. I'm outclassed," I said. "And not enough time to fix it. Petra could easily beat you with this advantage?"

"Oh yes," Andrea said. "No contest."

I walked away and started to quietly cry. I got it out of my system. They let me. I turned back.

"If Vincent weren't a fucking pansy," I said. "This would be easy. I could go for less lethal blows, and I know I can land those. It's that I have to make it a single killing blow that is hampering me."

They looked at me. "You're going for one-shot kills?" asked Petra.

"We all know if I get the upper hand, he'll just leave. We can't prevent that."

"I wonder what his men will think if he runs from a girl," Andrea said. "Honey, try to beat me slowly."

"You fight your hardest," I told her. "If you let me win, I'll know."

"That would be dishonest," she said. "And dangerous. I promise I will do everything I can to beat you."

Renea and I consulted. "This is going to take too long. Petra will be on you."

"I'll pull you back to help with Petra," she said. "I held both of them off for fifteen seconds, I'll last against any swordsman long enough to pull you back, and you won't be expected.

I nodded.

The scarf dropped. I popped and Renea put me behind Andrea. I did a hamstring shot that landed. I instantly popped away and was in front of her. I got a slash on her off hand. I popped away and was immediately across the field from Andrea. I didn't even look, I just did a spinning slash and barely pulled it before nearly taking off Petra's head. "You're dead, Petra," I said. I popped and barely missed a swing from Andrea, but the next pop took her sword arm.

"Did you let me win?"

"No. I didn't even let your landed blows affect me. That hamstring would have been the end of the fight with real steel. If you go for small blows, you will kick his ass."

We all consulted. "Was that a fluke?"

"I don't think so," said Andrea. Neither did Renea.

We did it three more times. The details were different, but Renea and I won easily each time.

"What if they both concentrate on me?" I asked.

They kicked my ass. Andrea managed to parry my first slash, and when I popped the second time, they both got me in a one-two.

I walked back to Renea. "When I pop, if they are both still standing together, then I expect to show up with an opponent on my right. Put me to the left. After that pop me around, always trying for a flank."

I never landed a blow. Andrea got in a glancing shot on my second pop, Petra on my third, and they both got me solid on the fourth. Both were bruises. I dropped my sword and hissed.

"I'm sorry," said Petra.

"No," I said. "Help me with the tunic and heal this, please."

Petra healed my bruises for me then we consulted. "If they're even halfway good, they'll kick my ass. I'm just not strong enough a swordswoman even with the advantage."

"Sorry, honey," Petra said.

I walked over to Kelly and grabbed a water she was holding. I poured it over my head. She offered a wane smile.

"I'm not letting you die!" I told her.

"I know," she said.

I collected Renea. "If they wait for us, we advance together. Throw me past them on Petra's far flank, our right side, as soon as I pop, and attack Andrea. I'll draw Petra off. Can you beat Vincent?"

"Probably. I don't know about Andrea."

"If I pull Petra off, can you bring me back behind Andrea?"

"Yes, just once. Yell loudly before you pop out, I won't be watching you."

I waved to Kelly. She dropped the scarf. Andrea and Petra waited for us. We approached cautiously.

Just outside of lunging range, I popped and began a hamstring swing. I popped in. Petra managed to block it, but she was off balance. So was I, but I retreated from her and she followed after me. I retreated faster, barely putting enough distance between us, then yelled, "Now" and popped. Renea put me behind Andrea. I readily took her sword arm, pulling the blow.

"Damn," said Andrea. "That hurt." It was her turn to get a healing from Petra.

We consulted. Andrea said, "If you can split them, then double team one of them and you win." Petra agreed. "If you can't split them, then it comes down to whether they're as good as Petra and me."