Gears' gauntlets hit Threxian in the center of the chest.
The floor cracked under both men, and Threxian moved half a step.
That was all, but every Black Bull in the room saw it.
Ty saw it too, and the small movement mattered more than the crack in the stone. Threxian had wanted the first hit on camera. He had wanted the room to see him take it. Gears had made the king spend a foot to do it.
Gears drove his second fist toward Threxian's ribs.
Threxian's forearm came down and turned the strike aside. Metal scraped across royal bracer. The gauntlet vented heat against Threxian's sleeve, and the cloth browned at the edge.
"Faster, Gerald. Your entrance promised more than this."
Gears rolled his shoulder and came back in. "I charge extra when kings start giving notes."
"Then earn your fee before I close your account."
