The Cyber Chronicles - Book I: Queen of Arlin by T C Southwell Page B

cyber dived aside as
the weapon whistled down to strike sparks from the stone where he
had been an instant before. He rolled to his feet, spun and leapt,
one foot lashing out to strike Torrian a glancing blow on the side
of his helm that staggered him.
    The King
growled and slashed at Sabre's legs, forcing the cyber to leap over
the blade. As he landed, Sabre lunged in a fluid motion, his fists
striking a hammer blow to Torrian's midriff. The King sprawled with
a great crash of metal on stone, his armour saving him from serious
injury. The soldiers, seeing their monarch in mortal danger and
Sabre no longer able to use the blue fire, charged with a roar,
swords raised.
    Tassin gasped,
certain that he would be cut to pieces, but he leapt aside and
chopped the closest man in the throat. The soldier coughed and
dropped his sword to paw at his neck, falling to his knees. Sabre
ducked under a sword stroke and punched its wielder in the chest,
sending him flying backwards to lie winded and writhing. The cyber
swayed aside to avoid a thrusting blade, which grazed his ribs and
sliced through his harness. He punched the man in the face, and he
dropped and lay still, blood oozing from his crushed nose and split
lips.
    Sabre skipped
back, blood running down his side, and Torrian's men charged after
him. Sabre swayed back to avoid a blade, whipped around and kicked
the man in the gut, sending him flying with a coughing grunt.
Diving under another swinging sword, Sabre sprang to his feet close
to a soldier and chopped him in the throat. He dropped his weapon
and fell backwards, writhing and making horrible gurgling noises.
The men fanned out to encircle the cyber.
    Sabre jumped
back to avoid a blade, ducked under the swing of a sword behind him
and kicked backwards, sending the soldier sliding over the cobbles
with a glitter of sparks. Stepping closer to a man, Sabre landed a
spinning straight-armed blow on the side of his head, denting his
helmet. He sprawled with a crash, and the remaining soldiers
snarled and pressed home their attack in a mass of brawn and
sharp-edged weaponry. Sabre moved in a blur, avoided a sword and
sent another soldier sprawling with a kick, accompanied by a
sickening crunch of breaking bone.
    The rest
impeded each other in their eagerness to cut him down. Sabre
deflected a blade with a lightning-fast punch, ducked under another
swinging weapon to lunge at a soldier, and dropped into a crouch to
punch the man in the ribs. The warrior staggered sideways and fell,
his armour dented. Sabre flung himself backwards as a sword skimmed
over his chest, landed on his hands and jerked up his legs. His
foot cracked into the underside of the soldier's jaw, jerked his
head back and sent him rolling. Sabre thrust himself back onto his
feet with a powerful push of his arms, twisting to avoid the stab
of another blade. His hand flashed up to grip the soldier's wrist
and yank him forward, driving his sword into the man on the other
side while Sabre swayed back to avoid the swing of the second man's
sword.
    Tassin gasped
as the injured man staggered away to collapse and the cyber snapped
the first man's wrist with a savage twist and a sharp crunch. The
soldier howled and recoiled, dropping his weapon to clutch the
fractured limb.
    Torrian sat up,
spat blood and shook his head, spied the brawl and roared, "He is
mine!"
    As the men
retreated, Sabre swung to face the King, who stood up and raised
his sword again. Torrian kept the weapon pointed at Sabre as he
circled, looking for an opening. Tassin glanced around at Niam's
soldiers, who watched in patent amazement as an unarmed man took on
the armed and armoured King, whose reputation as a swordsman was
unrivalled. The fact that Sabre had already defeated fourteen armed
warriors and emerged almost unscathed was not lost upon them,
however. Becoming aware that her mouth was open, she closed it. A
few of the men Sabre had knocked down climbed to their feet,
looking dazed and clutching