swung my sword, barely blocking the incoming attack.
The clash knocked me off Brushfire. Pain shot up my back. My vision blurred. The guard raised his sword, ready to split me in two. I rolled at the last second. The sword gashed my left arm. I screamed. The guard growled and again lifted his weapon. I stared up in horror, realizing this was the end. The guard’s head fell off and landed between my legs. Blood shot like a red geyser from the body. Derrick emerged from behind the man and held out his arm. I grabbed it and climbed onto the back of his mount.
Grimacing, I ripped off a piece of my shirt and tied it around the wound. Metal clanged against metal, creating an eerie sonnet that played for the suns as they rose. Screams and war cries arose from the camp. I could smell death. My heart lurched when I watched Steven fall under the blade of a grinning solider. As Steven’s dying action, he took his killer down with a final blow to the chest, ripping it open. There wasn’t time for me to go to him. Steven would slip alone into the abyss.
Derrick’s horse jumped over a burnt out fire pit and headlong into a group of charging men. Before we touched down, I sent two arrows flying over Derrick’s shoulder. One man grabbed at the arrow protruding from his eye socket as he dropped to his knees. The other never had a chance to react. The feathered shaft stuck out from his neck as he toppled to the ground.
Derrick, beast that he was, clutched the reins in his left hand while his right wielded the claymore, which he swung into the closest standing man, decapitating him.
Does he ever hold back during our spars
? I thought. How else could I have so many victories over him?
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the twins, cornered by six guards. I nudged Derrick. “Stop here.”
Derrick halted the horse. We slipped off and ran. Nathaniel saw us approaching and taunted the attackers, grabbing their attention. The ruse worked. I shot one guard before any of them turned. Derrick sent his sword straight through another’s chest.
The twins were a blur of spark and metal, circling each other in perfect unison, an image of white fury.
“We need to find Jeslyn.” I panted. My lungs were on fire and it was getting harder to breathe, but I pushed past the pain and charged towards a nearby guard. I blocked him with my sword, dipped down quick and slashed his ankles with my dagger. The man howled and fell over. I jumped over him and plunged my knife into the back of another.
One of the wagons creaked and rolled away from the circle.
“Derrick!” I threw my sword into its sheath and strung my bow. I pulled back, lining up the shot. Once I locked on, I sent the arrow flying into the unsuspecting target.
Derrick pushed his way towards me, knocking out a man in the process. He glanced back, seeing my arrow land perfectly in the man’s chest.
“Nice shot!” Derrick cried. He rested his hands on his thighs, catching his breath. “What’s the plan?”
I pointed to the wagons north of us. “You check those. I’ll check the ones on the other side.”
He nodded and ran off.
My arms ached with fatigue, and the wound stung. I wanted to stop and rest, just for a minute, but I couldn’t. I ran in the direction of the other wagons where I was stopped by a stocky man with a goatee. He didn’t count on my quick reflexes. I dodged him. When our swords clashed, I noticed the rip in his shirt and a snake tattoo. Calli’s description rang back in my mind and my head exploded with anger. Standing before me was the man who’d stolen Jeslyn.
I growled and kicked his knee. Jeslyn’s kidnapper stumbled for a second and that was all I needed. I shifted my hands up the hilt and slammed the metal edge against his head. Blood trickled from the spot. I jabbed the hilt again and the wound gaped. Anger clouded my vision in a haze of red. I threw the sword, wanting to strangle the man with my hands. He glared at me with one good eye and
The clash knocked me off Brushfire. Pain shot up my back. My vision blurred. The guard raised his sword, ready to split me in two. I rolled at the last second. The sword gashed my left arm. I screamed. The guard growled and again lifted his weapon. I stared up in horror, realizing this was the end. The guard’s head fell off and landed between my legs. Blood shot like a red geyser from the body. Derrick emerged from behind the man and held out his arm. I grabbed it and climbed onto the back of his mount.
Grimacing, I ripped off a piece of my shirt and tied it around the wound. Metal clanged against metal, creating an eerie sonnet that played for the suns as they rose. Screams and war cries arose from the camp. I could smell death. My heart lurched when I watched Steven fall under the blade of a grinning solider. As Steven’s dying action, he took his killer down with a final blow to the chest, ripping it open. There wasn’t time for me to go to him. Steven would slip alone into the abyss.
Derrick’s horse jumped over a burnt out fire pit and headlong into a group of charging men. Before we touched down, I sent two arrows flying over Derrick’s shoulder. One man grabbed at the arrow protruding from his eye socket as he dropped to his knees. The other never had a chance to react. The feathered shaft stuck out from his neck as he toppled to the ground.
Derrick, beast that he was, clutched the reins in his left hand while his right wielded the claymore, which he swung into the closest standing man, decapitating him.
Does he ever hold back during our spars
? I thought. How else could I have so many victories over him?
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the twins, cornered by six guards. I nudged Derrick. “Stop here.”
Derrick halted the horse. We slipped off and ran. Nathaniel saw us approaching and taunted the attackers, grabbing their attention. The ruse worked. I shot one guard before any of them turned. Derrick sent his sword straight through another’s chest.
The twins were a blur of spark and metal, circling each other in perfect unison, an image of white fury.
“We need to find Jeslyn.” I panted. My lungs were on fire and it was getting harder to breathe, but I pushed past the pain and charged towards a nearby guard. I blocked him with my sword, dipped down quick and slashed his ankles with my dagger. The man howled and fell over. I jumped over him and plunged my knife into the back of another.
One of the wagons creaked and rolled away from the circle.
“Derrick!” I threw my sword into its sheath and strung my bow. I pulled back, lining up the shot. Once I locked on, I sent the arrow flying into the unsuspecting target.
Derrick pushed his way towards me, knocking out a man in the process. He glanced back, seeing my arrow land perfectly in the man’s chest.
“Nice shot!” Derrick cried. He rested his hands on his thighs, catching his breath. “What’s the plan?”
I pointed to the wagons north of us. “You check those. I’ll check the ones on the other side.”
He nodded and ran off.
My arms ached with fatigue, and the wound stung. I wanted to stop and rest, just for a minute, but I couldn’t. I ran in the direction of the other wagons where I was stopped by a stocky man with a goatee. He didn’t count on my quick reflexes. I dodged him. When our swords clashed, I noticed the rip in his shirt and a snake tattoo. Calli’s description rang back in my mind and my head exploded with anger. Standing before me was the man who’d stolen Jeslyn.
I growled and kicked his knee. Jeslyn’s kidnapper stumbled for a second and that was all I needed. I shifted my hands up the hilt and slammed the metal edge against his head. Blood trickled from the spot. I jabbed the hilt again and the wound gaped. Anger clouded my vision in a haze of red. I threw the sword, wanting to strangle the man with my hands. He glared at me with one good eye and
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