29. The Tooth of the Vine

Under a clouded dawn, Kinch readies for his forced, unarmed death duel with Malk. Refusing a slowing potion from Norrigal, he strips to fight, determined not to die shivering or confirm his reputation for cowardice. Captain Boltch treats the duel as sport, taking bets as the crew crowds the castles to watch.

When the signal drops, Kinch commits to li denchēct di lįan, the Gallardian “tooth of the vine,” clinging to Malk’s back to negate the larger man’s power. Over a grinding half hour, Malk batters them both against the deck and lands only glancing strikes, while Kinch methodically attacks weaknesses—breaking a small finger, slapping ears, and thumbing eyes—at great cost to his own ribs, eye, and tooth.

The crew grows hostile, booing and throwing small debris as the fight’s ugliness drags on. Malk taunts Kinch as a coward and “biter”; angered, Kinch finally bites back in desperation. A belaying pin strikes Kinch near the eye. He glimpses Norrigal propping up a barely steady Galva, who wields the horse-headed staff but will not intervene in the duel.

Pain and fury spur Malk to his feet with Kinch slipping off to the deck. In the same instant, the ship lurches at a wrong angle to the sea, shouts erupt, and a sailor tumbles from the forecastle. The crisis reveals itself as a vast tentacle rises alongside—the kraken has returned, abruptly overtaking the duel.