Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1480

Outside the bar, the two Thyanian martial artists exchanged a look of surprise when they heard Tarquin had accepted the challenge. They had expected him to refuse. They were surprised he’d agreed so readily. After all, anyone who knew the Punikon family’s internal drama knew that Punikon’s father had only opened a dojo in Zhinora because of some trouble that had forced him out of Thyania. He was by far the weakest link in the family. So, when Tarquin defeated him, the rest of the family wasn’t particularly shocked, nor did they think Tarquin was anything special. If the incident hadn’t caused such a public stir and damaged the Punikon family’s reputation, they wouldn’t have gotten involved. The challenge was simply a matter of restoring family honor. If Tarquin had refused tonight, they were prepared to storm the bar and humiliate him in front of his friends, calling him a coward. Now that he had accepted, they had no reason to cause a scene. The two Thyanian martial artists felt a pang of regret. They looked down at Lowell, their voices dripping with sarcasm as they spoke in broken English. “Did Mr. Bradford read the challenge letter carefully? It is a deathmatch!” Lowell frowned. “You should be more worried about yourselves. Don’t start what you can’t finish.”

“We aren’t businessmen playing games with contracts,” the other man sneered. “In the ring, your word is blood. Bradford accepted. If he tries to back out now, he'll be branded a coward, and his reputation will be dead long before he is.”

Lowell couldn’t be bothered with them. “Tarquin is in a good mood tonight, so he’s not going to stoop to your level. Now get out of here. Oh, and here’s my card. Call me if you need anything.” He turned and walked back into the bar. The two Thyanian martial artists glanced at the business card, then shot a disdainful look at the entrance of The Blissful Bar before turning to leave. As they walked, one of them made a call to Punikon’s grandfather. “Master, Tarquin has accepted our challenge.” In a grand house in Thyania, Punikon’s grandfather, dressed in traditional sparring gear, sat in silent meditation on the floor, his eyes snapping open into a narrow glare. “He has some nerve! Did you see him in person?” “No,” the martial artist replied. “We heard he was celebrating his birthday at a bar, so we delivered the challenge there. We met with his assistant.” “His assistant conveyed his message. He accepted the challenge!” “I don’t think he accepted because he’s brave. I think he was just trying to save face. He couldn’t refuse in front of his friends without being ridiculed.” Punikon’s grandfather said, “Regardless, it’s good that he accepted. You two are skilled, but don’t reveal your full strength in front of him yet. We don’t want to scare him off. It would be a great loss if he didn’t come to Thyania for the match.” “He shamed our Punikon family on that stage, so we must reclaim our honor on that same stage! If he is to die, it will be in a Punikon ring!” “Understood,” the martial artist said. “By the way, we saw Mantle. His injuries are severe. His hands and feet are crippled. He will never practice martial arts again.” Punikon’s grandfather scowled. “He has been useless for a long time. If I had known he would cause such a mess, I never would have let him out to embarrass us again! Did you see Punikon?” “We did,” the martial artist replied. “He’s had several teeth knocked out. He cried when he saw us, begging us to get revenge for him. He wants that kid, Evan Thorne, dead!” “Master, we won’t touch Mr. Bradford, but can we deal with Evan? We want to get even for Punikon! We are warriors. How can we let the son of a businessman humiliate us? If we don’t settle this score, Punikon and we will never be at peace.”