Thraxas and the Ice Dragon - By Martin Scott Page 0,72

has leaked out to the public that the Samsarinan Sorcerers are going to sabotage Makri. That would certainly make her a less attractive proposition to bet on.

As before, Bixo won't take a bet of more than 5000 gurans. I place this on Makri, then travel the short distance to Generous Ges's shop, and do the same again. I hurry back to the tournament, just in time to lead Makri out onto the field. Her reception is noisy, but still mostly hostile. Bhuralin gets a far better ovation. He's tall and broad, with some very noticeable scarring down one side of his face. He strides out confidently, looking like a young fighter on the way up, which he is.

As the Marshal prepares to start the fight I leave the field quickly. Already my senses are tingling. Now that I'm carrying Lisutaris's spell, I can feel sorcery everywhere. I take up position next to her. Lasat is not too far away, standing with Charius and two more of their Guild. Other rainbow cloaks can be seen all round the arena. The Marshal drops his flag. Bhuralin and Makri advance slowly toward each other. A great roar goes up from the crowd. Immediately I sense a spell heading towards Makri and try to deflect it. This causes the spell to hit me in the face and knock me over. I get to my feet, yelling angrily, to find Bhuralin retreating, having lost his footing. Lisutaris seems to have got a spell of her own in, perhaps as a result of me having taken the brunt of the attack. Makri closes with Bhuralin but as her blade flickers over the top of his shield she herself loses her footing, and stumbles backwards.

"Damn," mutters Lisutaris. Her fingers are twitching, as she tries to locate and deflect the huge amount of Samsarinan sorcery now flying around the arena. I sense another attack and manage to bring Lisutaris's spell into action, deflecting the bolt of sorcery away from Makri, but the effort sends me reeling backwards into the man behind me, who curses me for my clumsiness. So far I've taken two mighty blows, which is more than either of the combatants have, as they struggle to come grips with the other. People in the crowd are starting to wonder out loud just what is happening. Makri thrusts her sword at Bhuralin but the blade stops in mid-air, impossibly, and Makri is jarred backwards.

Suddenly a tomato flies over the crowd and hits Lasat in the face. To my great satisfaction, the tomato is immediately followed by several heavy yams. Charius the Wise finds himself assailed by a barrage of apples. The scene is repeated all around the arena, as every Samsarinan Sorcerer comes under attack from a hail of fruit and vegetables. There's some laughter from the crowd, even as Makri and Bhuralin continue their struggle

"What's going on?" says Lisutaris.

"My back-up plan," I explain. "I bribed the children."

It cost me forty gurans, which was more than I expected, but the youth in charge drove quite a hard bargain. Having said that, there's no denying he's organised things well. Children dart in and out of the huge crowd, armed with an assortment of yams, apples, cabbages and tomatoes, continually pelting the Samsarinan Sorcerers. The Sorcerers find themselves in an awkward position. They can't blast Samsarinan children with lethal spells. Even warding them off is difficult, given that there are people everywhere, and any spell directed at the children is bound to hit members of the crowd too.

"Now the fight will be fair," I say.

"To hell with that," mutters Lisutaris. She opens her palm, whispers a word, and discretely sends a spell into the arena. Bhuralin's shield drops out of position. Makri is on him in a flash. As her sword connects with his neck he crashes to the ground and his helmet flies off. Makri stands over him with her sword point at his throat.

"Lethal Stroke," says the Marshal.

"Never tell Makri I did that," says Lisutaris.

By now there is a scene of incredible chaos all around. Children are screaming and laughing as they run through the crowd, still throwing fruit. Sorcerers are yelling and running after them. Stewards pursue them all, with little success, as the children dart through tiny gaps where they can't be followed. Seeing their ragged little bodies go, and examining the mayhem they've wrought, I'm satisfied that my forty guran bribe was money well-spent. Lisutaris and I stroll into the arena to escort Makri