noon
The blue-white of Rigel shimmered off our suits and the arcs of our blades as we cut and guarded -- each wary now , realizing that a touch meant death . As that terrible sun climbed upward in the sky , its heat was almost overpowering . The sweat poured off every inch of my body , and I gasped for breath . And still we fought on , two glittering metal monsters under the big blue star sweeping up to its noon . * * * * * I knew now that I could never kill Garth . I could not go back to Kelvar with his blood . Yet if I simply defended , sooner or later he would wear me down .