Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2) by Jamie Sedgwick

clutched the wire-wrapped hilt of my sword so tightly that my fingers ached, but I hardly noticed. The archers gathered in the shadows behind Robie, creeping slowly towards the bridge, carefully avoiding the light of his torch.
    I became increasingly worried as Robie passed the halfway point and the Vangars failed to appear. I had hoped they would attack him sooner rather than later, so that the archers could fire from the safety of the shadows. This was no longer possible. To my surprise, the Tal’mar fighters were prepared for this contingency.
    Instead of staying back in the shadows or creeping along behind Robie at a safe distance, the archers went under the bridge, vanishing from sight. I didn’t remember that being part of the plan, but I don’t think anyone had expected Robie to get so far before the Vangars attacked. I caught glimpses of the archers here and there, moving along the timbers beneath the bridge. Up above them, Robie began whistling a tune, trying to gain the Vangars’ attention.
    Breathlessly I watched and waited. The anticipation was unbearable. Why hadn’t the Vangars attacked? What were they waiting for? Robie was little more than a distant silhouette as he stepped off the bridge and continued along the road and into the woods along the far embankment. Because of the light of his torch, I couldn’t even see what the Vangars were doing in the darkness around him.
    Just when I thought they might have decided to let him pass, the Vangars leapt out of the bushes, brandishing their weapons. Robie let out a yelp and started to run back towards the bridge. I couldn’t tell if he was acting or not at that point. Facing twenty heavily armed Vangars would have shattered the resolve of even the sturdiest warrior.
    Robie raced onto the bridge and flew back towards Tal’mar as fast as he could run. Behind him, the Vangars broke into deep rolling laughter. I caught my breath as one of the warriors hefted up a long iron spear and hurled it at Robie. The spear thudded to the ground inches away from its target. Then a cry went up among the Vangars and three warriors fell to the ground at once with Tal’mar arrow shafts embedded in their chests.
    The rest of the group fell into disarray. A handful of the warriors went after Robie, pursuing him back across the bridge. The others pulled into a tight knot, back to back, facing their unseen enemy in the surrounding woods. I couldn’t take the apprehension any longer. I raced out of the shadows towards the bridge, sword at the ready, prepared to fight the Vangars off myself if I had to.
    The moment Robie saw me, he stopped in his tracks. He drew his sword and spun around, lowering his stance, ready to face half a dozen enemies on his own.
    “Fool!” I cried out, racing onto the bridge. I don’t know if Robie heard me or not. He was parrying and dodging a windstorm of slicing steel blades. I reached his side and leapt into the fray.
    The Vangars were surprised to see me, a diminutive female wielding a sword against them like a warrior, but I quickly taught them that I was a force to be reckoned with. The first to acknowledge me was an older, gray-bearded man with a scar over his left eye. He gave me a horrifying stare and roared like a lion. He was wielding a huge battle-axe. He lifted it overhead to finish me in one crushing blow. I was less afraid than perplexed by his strange mentality. Apparently, intimidation was an important factor in the Vangars’ fighting technique. As the warrior hefted the axe over his head and roared like a beast, I drove my blade straight into his chest.
    His eyebrows narrowed in surprise. The axe slipped from his grip, dropping to the ground behind him. I stepped back, yanking the sword away, staring at him as he fell to his knees. For a moment, I pitied the savage barbarian. He looked too vulnerable; almost human. I could almost envision him like any other man, with a home and a family, with fears and dreams and hopes for the