“Why isn’t Leo wearing any armor?” she asked.
“He normally would in a real battle,” the general told her. “But his power is so high right now, if he wore any metal it would become infused with his power. If Bougaire struck his armor with a sword, the power would travel up the captain’s sword and most likely kill him.”
Luciana winced. So Leo had to put himself at more risk in order to keep Captain Bougaire safe?
The captain made the first move, bellowing out a war cry as he charged toward Leo. Luciana held her breath as the captain’s sword sliced down. A clashing sound echoed through the courtyard as Leo blocked the blow and forced Alberto back.
The captain attacked again. And again. He pranced about, displaying his skills, his sword flashing in the sun. He leaped. Spun about. Sliced high at Leo’s head, cut low at his knees. No matter what he did, Leo remained calm, smoothly fending off one attack after another.
Luciana frowned. Did Leo not know any of the fancy moves that the captain was showing off? He didn’t seem to be trying very hard, for he was repelling each attack with a minimum of movement. She couldn’t decide if he was lazy or incredibly skilled. “Excuse me, General. Is this a … normal swordfight?”
The general and her father chuckled.
“Leo looks a bit bored,” the duke said with a wry smile.
The general nodded. “He’s biding his time.”
Tatiana snorted. “He’s no match for my Alberto.”
Luciana sighed. At this rate, the fight would last until the sun went down or Alberto finally gave out from exhaustion. Even the crowd was starting to grow bored and restless. Some of them pulled bread and cheese from their knapsacks to snack on.
The two swords of the duelists clashed together, and with a screech, they scraped against each other till the two men were only inches apart. With a push, Leo shoved the captain back, then sliced the air above Alberto’s helmet, neatly cutting the three plumes in half. As the feathers fluttered to the ground, the crowd roared, once again excited about the match.
With an angry shout, Alberto ripped his helmet off and tossed it aside. “I’ll kill you for that!”
Leo merely sauntered to another spot and readied himself for the next attack. In his new position, Luciana could see his face. He did, indeed, seem bored.
“What is this plan you mentioned before?” her father asked.
The general rubbed his beard. “If you will recall the night the assassin stabbed your daughter’s bed, his scent was picked up by Brody.”
“Brody?” the duke asked. “Who is that?”
“He’s over there with my son, Nevis.” General Harden pointed to the right side of the courtyard.
Luciana surveyed the crowd till she spotted Captain Harden. “Oh, he has Pirate with him.” She’d been wondering where the dog had disappeared to.
“Pirate?” the general asked.
“My pet dog,” Luciana explained. “I call him Pirate because of the black patch over one of his eyes.”
General Harden snorted. “His name is Brody, and he came here with my son before the army arrived. Leo knew you were in danger, so he sent Brody to guard you.”
Luciana’s mouth dropped open. “Then Pirate, I mean Brody, is Leo’s pet?”
The general chuckled.
Luciana didn’t know how the general could find anything amusing at a time like this. She glanced at Leo to make sure he was all right. The captain was spinning about and performing a series of leaps while the crowd applauded. Leo was watching with a wry look on his face.
The general cleared his throat. “As you know, we suspected the assassin was one of the guards. So yesterday morning, before Leo met Your Grace, he and Nevis took Brody through the barracks, so Brody could sniff out the assassin.”
“Did the dog find him?” the duke asked.
“No.” General Harden shook his head. “Then they took Brody to sniff around the chapel in case the assassin was one of the new priests. No luck there, either.”
“So the first assassin is neither a guard nor a priest,” her father concluded.
“That’s right,” the general agreed. “And that’s one of the reasons Leo challenged Captain Bougaire to a duel. He knew it would draw everyone here.”
“And then Brody could detect the assassin.” The duke smiled. “Brilliant.”
Luciana glanced over at Captain Harden and Brody. They were carefully weaving through the crowd.
“And that’s why Leo is biding his time,” the general continued. “He can’t let the duel end until Brody has uncovered the assassin.”
So this was the plan Leo had mentioned last night, Luciana thought. She glanced at him. You’re clever. I like that. “You said this plan was one of the reasons Leo had for the duel. What are the other reasons?”
General Harden grinned. “Isn’t it obvious? He wants to be rid of the bastard.”
Tatiana gasped. “I knew it! He wants to kill my Alberto.”
Down in the courtyard, Brody barked and leaped on a man. As the man tried to scramble away, Captain Harden jumped on him and pinned him down.
“We got him!” General Harden announced.
The duke leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “I think he’s from the stables.”
Luciana’s heart raced. One of the assassins had been found! She glanced over at Leo to see if he’d noticed.
He had. He leaped into action, charging toward Alberto, and within seconds the captain’s sword was flying across the courtyard. It landed with a clatter as Leo knocked Alberto onto his back and pinned him down with a booted foot on his chest. Leo grasped his sword’s hilt with both hands and lifted the sword in the air with the point aimed at Alberto’s neck.