Dragon's Honor - Kij Johnson [41]
That order could only have come from Chuan-chi, Riker realized, recognizing both the voice and contemptuous tone. Some host, he thought, scowling. Then the full implications of the situation hit him with the force of a disruptor blast. If he darted out of Tu Fu’s path, then the huge warrior’s headlong rush would carry him—and his deadly talons—straight into the Dragon-Heir himself. Would Tu Fu be able to halt his charge in time? Riker doubted it. A vivid image of the Heir impaled upon the big Pai’s bloody claws flared to life in Riker’s mind, as clear as anything he’d ever seen in a holodeck. In the flickering light of the painted paper lanterns Tu Fu’s immense shadow speeded ahead of him, casting a pall over Riker and, behind him, Chuan-chi. Ten sharpened, foot-long fingernails zeroed in on Riker’s face. He had only a heartbeat to react.
He met Tu Fu’s charge with one of his own. Crouching low, he surged under the giant’s arms, slamming his right shoulder into the Pai’s midsection with all the force he could muster. The impact was not enough to fully overcome Tu Fu’s accumulated momentum, but he slowed the other man down enough to give everyone else a chance to get out of the way. He heard gasps and squeals and wild laughter behind him, but, thankfully, no shouts of mortal anguish. The Heir had been spared an “accidental” demise. Riker was just paranoid enough, or properly suspicious enough, to wonder for a fleeting second whether or not Chuan-chi had been the actual target all along. After all, in the middle of an unplanned, uncontrolled scuffle, anything could happen… .
Sharp, burning pain brought an abrupt end to Riker’s theorizing. Tu Fu’s nails dug into his back, rending fabric and flesh. Only the fact that the warrior was still off-balance from his interrupted lunge kept Tu Fu from taking full advantage of his position and sinking his nails even deeper into Riker’s body, perhaps all the way to fragile internal organs. Riker knew he couldn’t let Tu Fu get a better grip. Before Tu Fu could strike again, he grabbed hold of the warrior’s right leg just above the kneecap. Years of martial-arts training paid off when Riker flipped Tu Fu over his shoulders. The Pai grunted in surprise as he somersaulted over Riker, landing flat on his back where only moments before the Dragon-Heir had cheered him on.
“Excellent! No, truly sublime!” Kan-hi exulted, wedged between (and seemingly propped up by) his brother’s women. He did not sound, Riker judged, like a man whose assassination plot has just been foiled. Perhaps he’d been totally oblivious of his brother’s recent close call. Or maybe he was a very good actor.
Riker spun around on his heels, hoping to take the offensive before Tu Fu climbed back on his feet. Maybe he could still finish the man off before anybody really got hurt. To his dismay, though, he saw that some of Tu Fu’s friends had already hauled him upright. He glared at Riker with sheer hatred and bloodlust in his good eye. “Damn,” Riker muttered, contemplating the way Tu Fu’s allies gathered in his wake. Once the bachelors really started taking sides, this one-on-one could easily escalate into a near-riot. There was no way he could guard both princes in that sort of bloody chaos.
“Another five hundred cycees on the Federation man,” Kan-hi said boldly. His handsome face was flushed with wine.
“A thousand cycees and one hundred concubines on Tu Fu of the Dragon Empire,” Chuan-chi responded. Raucous cheers greeted his challenge.
Great, Riker thought sarcastically. Make this a matter of imperial honor. He only hoped a thousand cycees (whatever a cycee was) wasn’t worth killing over.
Beverly could readily see why the warlord’s daughter was known as the Green Pearl. The girl’s most striking feature was her eyes, which were large, bright, and chartreuse, while her smooth, unblemished skin was pearly white. The contrast between the brilliance of her eyes and the paleness of her face was the like the flash of phaser fire against the void of interstellar space. The Green Pearl wore a simple, sea green gown, surprisingly