an unpleasant grin.
“Where ya goin’, pretty?” he said in a growling voice.
Quick as a snake, she drew her dagger and waved it an
inch from the man’s nose.
“Out of my way, unless you want trouble with every
cutthroat in this part of town!”
Men of Zakran, who knew this neighborhood, might have
taken that threat seriously. These foreigners did not. The man in front of
Inina took a startled step back, but the others roared with laughter and
charged.
Inina tried to duck around the man blocking their way,
but he leered and with one hand reached between her legs while with the other
grabbed the wrist of her dagger hand. She spun and wrenched it free, and with a
smooth motion plunged the dagger into the man’s belly. He howled in pain and
rage.
Then the others were upon them, clubs, obsidian
daggers and bronze knives drawn. Arjun drew his sword from his cloak and
slashed before them. The men stopped at the sight of the fine bronze sword.
One of them, with thick tattooed arms, glared at him,
“I’m going to rip that sword out of your hands, boy, and then we’ll all have
your girl while you watch.”
The man was interrupted as Inina ducked low and
slashed the tendons of his knee. He screamed and fell sideways. Another of
them, a man with a ragged scar across his face, aimed a vicious kick at Inina’s
ribs and sent her sprawling, curled on the ground in pain.
With the strength of fury, Arjun ran his sword through
the man’s chest. The man made a horrible gurgling noise, then collapsed with
blood spurting from his mouth. The remaining five unhurt sailors surrounded
Arjun. They laughed no longer, and there was death in their eyes.
They closed on him.
He dodged a dagger, and slashed his sword at the man
who wielded it, but the latter stepped back and the blade only whistled through
the air. Arjun felt agony as a club connected with his shoulder, barely missing
his skull. Another man slashed him with a knife, the blade gashing his side
with blood and pain, but not piercing his ribs. As he spun and tried to defend
himself, Arjun realized grimly that if not for the men’s drunkenness, the very
drunkenness that made them dare to start this, their reflexes would be better,
and he would already be dead.
The man Inina had stabbed in the belly was pulling a
knife of his own, and slowly advancing toward her crumpled form, his face a
sadistic leer. Arjun ducked between two of his enemies and leapt towards Inina.
As he did, she staggered to her feet, the wind knocked from her lungs only now
returning.
The wounded man was paying no attention to Arjun, his
eyes were locked onto Inina. He raised his knife and made a stumbling charge
that came to a sudden halt as Arjun’s sword pierced his kidney. The man fell
to the ground writhing and screaming in agony. The other five closed on Arjun
and Inina.
At that moment, there were yells from down the street.
The five men halted in uncertainty. Inina glanced over her shoulder, turned
back to them, and laughed viciously.
“See! Sons of whores and dogs, I meant it when I said
you’d have trouble!” she yelled.
Arjun thought that had the opposite of its intended
effect. The men snarled and charged. One of them, with a copper ring in his
nose like a bull, brought his club down on Inina. She failed to dodge in time,
but blocked the blow with an upraised arm. There was a cracking sound. She
staggered back screaming. Arjun ducked low and felt a dagger rake across his
back as he slashed his sword at the groin of the man with the bull’s ring in
his nose. The man howled, but did not fall. Arjun had only grazed his thigh.
But then Inina’s friends arrived. Fourteen young men
in bright but dirty clothes, brutal looking themselves, swarmed the sailors
with clubs and daggers. It was over in seconds. Inina’s friends were not
kindly. They stabbed, clubbed, and kicked the bodies of the foreigners until
nothing moved.
Arjun kneeled by Inina, his body was in agony, but his
will and
“Where ya goin’, pretty?” he said in a growling voice.
Quick as a snake, she drew her dagger and waved it an
inch from the man’s nose.
“Out of my way, unless you want trouble with every
cutthroat in this part of town!”
Men of Zakran, who knew this neighborhood, might have
taken that threat seriously. These foreigners did not. The man in front of
Inina took a startled step back, but the others roared with laughter and
charged.
Inina tried to duck around the man blocking their way,
but he leered and with one hand reached between her legs while with the other
grabbed the wrist of her dagger hand. She spun and wrenched it free, and with a
smooth motion plunged the dagger into the man’s belly. He howled in pain and
rage.
Then the others were upon them, clubs, obsidian
daggers and bronze knives drawn. Arjun drew his sword from his cloak and
slashed before them. The men stopped at the sight of the fine bronze sword.
One of them, with thick tattooed arms, glared at him,
“I’m going to rip that sword out of your hands, boy, and then we’ll all have
your girl while you watch.”
The man was interrupted as Inina ducked low and
slashed the tendons of his knee. He screamed and fell sideways. Another of
them, a man with a ragged scar across his face, aimed a vicious kick at Inina’s
ribs and sent her sprawling, curled on the ground in pain.
With the strength of fury, Arjun ran his sword through
the man’s chest. The man made a horrible gurgling noise, then collapsed with
blood spurting from his mouth. The remaining five unhurt sailors surrounded
Arjun. They laughed no longer, and there was death in their eyes.
They closed on him.
He dodged a dagger, and slashed his sword at the man
who wielded it, but the latter stepped back and the blade only whistled through
the air. Arjun felt agony as a club connected with his shoulder, barely missing
his skull. Another man slashed him with a knife, the blade gashing his side
with blood and pain, but not piercing his ribs. As he spun and tried to defend
himself, Arjun realized grimly that if not for the men’s drunkenness, the very
drunkenness that made them dare to start this, their reflexes would be better,
and he would already be dead.
The man Inina had stabbed in the belly was pulling a
knife of his own, and slowly advancing toward her crumpled form, his face a
sadistic leer. Arjun ducked between two of his enemies and leapt towards Inina.
As he did, she staggered to her feet, the wind knocked from her lungs only now
returning.
The wounded man was paying no attention to Arjun, his
eyes were locked onto Inina. He raised his knife and made a stumbling charge
that came to a sudden halt as Arjun’s sword pierced his kidney. The man fell
to the ground writhing and screaming in agony. The other five closed on Arjun
and Inina.
At that moment, there were yells from down the street.
The five men halted in uncertainty. Inina glanced over her shoulder, turned
back to them, and laughed viciously.
“See! Sons of whores and dogs, I meant it when I said
you’d have trouble!” she yelled.
Arjun thought that had the opposite of its intended
effect. The men snarled and charged. One of them, with a copper ring in his
nose like a bull, brought his club down on Inina. She failed to dodge in time,
but blocked the blow with an upraised arm. There was a cracking sound. She
staggered back screaming. Arjun ducked low and felt a dagger rake across his
back as he slashed his sword at the groin of the man with the bull’s ring in
his nose. The man howled, but did not fall. Arjun had only grazed his thigh.
But then Inina’s friends arrived. Fourteen young men
in bright but dirty clothes, brutal looking themselves, swarmed the sailors
with clubs and daggers. It was over in seconds. Inina’s friends were not
kindly. They stabbed, clubbed, and kicked the bodies of the foreigners until
nothing moved.
Arjun kneeled by Inina, his body was in agony, but his
will and
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