Garrick wanted the bout fought beside the cooling bay, where everyone could see whether Iven’s new strike worked against a shield.
Senna wanted it fought somewhere that did not contain her equipment.
“The yard,” she said.
“The yard has no footing,” Garrick replied.
“The yard has a great deal of footing. It’s the only thing in the forge I can afford to have you hit.”
Mara read the written challenge. It offered a purse supplied by Rovan’s company and claimed that the bout would demonstrate whether an independent restorer could safely operate in a furnace district. She handed the paper to Iven.
“That’s a generous description of a fight,” she said.
Iven read the terms. A held fall or pin, surrender, or a clear strike that either fighter could not continue through. No attacking spectators. No deliberate damage to the forge. The winner would receive the purse. A separate sentence said the result would be entered into the company’s assessment of Iven’s qualifications.
