"Hear me!" Komso bellowed. "Hear me!"
The quarreling stopped abruptly.
"I challenge the demon to single, bare-handed combat!"
Barry gulped. He had wanted for a long time to get his hands on Komso, and now the opportunity was here.
"I accept!" he said firmly.
Xintel's face was ashen; her lips were trembling.
"Barry! My father believed the Leaders used poison under their fingernails; the slightest scratch means death," she whispered.
Barry dared not back down now. He watched Komso advance.
The priest swam upward and stopped, slight motions of arms and legs holding him there. Barry recognized it as a clever move. Komso had seen what the Earthman's muscles could do when he was able to plant his feet solidly.