Ascendant by Craig Alanson

swell of water, just before they
plunged down over a fall, Koren saw a relatively still pool to the right, and willed the water to sweep him in that direction. As they fell, he kicked his feet with
all his might, before the swirling water spun him upside down, and he swallowed
a mouthful of water. Koren gagged and almost lost his grip on the girl as he
spat out water. He needed air. Desperately, he twisted to lift his head out of
the water.
    And found they
were floating in a pool, a backwater where the current lazily spun around. The
girl coughed, spitting out water. Koren swung his legs down and found he could
stand on a rock, with the last of his strength he waded onto a wide, flat rock
near the riverbank and pulled the girl to flop down next to him. The girl
rolled onto her side, coughing and choking out water. “ Help! ” Koren managed to cry,
between breaths.
    When he could
move again, he reached out for the girl, she was dazed, her eyes open but
unfocused. Her dress was torn, her arms and legs covered with bruises. Koren
tried to stand, and found his own limbs so battered and cold that he could
barely control his hands and feet. Blood seeped from cuts and scrapes all over
him, his already rough pants and shirt now ripped in so many places he could
never patch them together again.
    Koren was
startled by the faint scratching sounds of something, or someone, trying to
move quietly through the woods along the riverbank. And there was another,
louder sound, further away but drawing closer. Men ’ s voices, shouting, and
what Koren thought were horses making their way through the woods at high
speed.
    The bushes
along the shore above his head parted, and a man stepped out, followed by three
more men. They were the type of men his parents warned against, hard-looking,
carrying swords and knives, wicked grins on their faces. “ What have we here? A rich
girl, looks like, and her servant? I bet her parents would pay a pretty price
to have their daughter back, in one piece, huh, boys? ”
    Bandits! It
was Koren ’ s
bad luck to stumble across woods that bandits were using as a hideout. Truly
his life was jinxed! Koren rose unsteadily to his feet and pulled a knife from
his belt. “ Stay
away from her. ” He said in a voice hoarse from choking on water. He had never fought with a
knife before, but it was a good blade, dwarf-made, and everyone knew dwarves
were the finest metalworkers in the land.
    “ What? The lady ’ s pet has a sting? Forget
her, boy, drop that knife and we ’ ll
give you a share of the ransom money. More than you ’ d earn in a lifetime, I
think. ”
    “ Hurry up about it, Togan,
we ’ ve got
company coming. ” One of the other bandits said, as the sound of men and horses crashing through
the woods grew louder.
    The man called
Togan eased down the steep bank to stand on the rock on front of Koren. “ I ’ ll not say it again, boy,
stand aside. There ’ s
no need for- “ Togan struck, moving his knife in a slashing motion toward Koren ’ s face, expecting the boy
would flinch and back away. Instead, Koren ’ s
own hand came up faster than he could see, and his knife cut Togan ’ s wrist, forcing the
bandit to drop the knife.
    “ Argh! ” Togan held his bloody
wrist with his other hand. Koren found his ears burning red at the bad words
Togan was screaming, in front of a girl.
    “ Don ’ t curse in front of a
lady, mister. ” Koren scolded the man.
    “ What? ” The other bandits stared
open-mouthed at Koren, as if they ’ d
just discovered he had two heads. Who was this idiot boy? What kind of person
cared about being polite, when attacked by bandits?
    “ Kill him! ” Togan growled, as he
tried to scramble backwards up the riverbank. One of the other bandits grasped
Togan ’ s shirt
collar and pulled to help the wounded man up, but Togan slipped and fell
heavily onto the rock. “ Help
me up. ” Togan
ordered, as the sounds of men and horses crashing their way through the
underbrush