“The moment the blades came out, the party folks backed off to give us some room. Duels didn’t happen every day, but they were common enough with this crowd that they knew the score.
“As we maneuvered for position, occasionally swinging at each other, we gradually moved to the front of the ship. It was more wide open up there, more flat. It’s what they used for a dance floor sometimes. And I started to wonder what I got myself into.
“I’d been a decent swordsman that last time we’d met, though it was more luck than skill that kept me alive that time. But my two years with the sand-walkers had really honed my skills. Those boys don’t mess around when it comes to sword training. And the constant attacks by the dune apes meant I got to practice for real almost ever night.
“But Slaggorn was no ape. And as I found out later, he’d spent the last two years fighting border skirmishes against Myratas. So while I was getting good, he was getting even better.”
