Chapter Eighteen

Alexis

The moment I saw Deyro bounding up the stairs, I turned and loosed my first arrow. It found its mark and dropped the guard instantly. Grabbing a second arrow quickly, I fired it and watched it sail over their heads. A third arrow drove into a second guard, leaving three – and they were now running straight at me.

“Yeah, this was a good idea,” I muttered to myself.

Dropping the bow, I unsheathed my swords and prepared myself for combat. I found myself wishing I had Deyro at my side. Showboat or not, the man knew how to fight. And given that there were three of them and one of me, I didn't like the odds and could have used the backup.

But, I reminded myself, we were here to do a job. Our lives didn't matter. Only the job and our coalition back home mattered. If our deaths served to further the goals of our coalition, then it was all worth it.

Steel rang against steel as the first sword met mine. I barely blocked the blade of the second guard who came rushing in. The three guards surrounded me and I was spinning as quickly as I could blocking all of their thrusts and slashes – but I knew the situation was untenable. If I didn't get out of that hellish little circle, I was as good as dead.

I dropped and shoulder-rolled past the guards. Lashing out with my foot, I drove it into the knee of one of the guards. I heard a very satisfying crack as I did it and the guard dropped to his knees, screaming in pain and clutching his wounded leg.

Moving quickly, I grabbed and arrow out of my quiver and drove it into his back. His screams were silenced and a moment later, he fell to his side, completely paralyzed and out of the fight.

“You're human,” said one of the guards. “I recognize your stink.”

“What are you doing in Chondelai?” growled the other.

I held my swords at the ready, the two remaining guards looking at me with contempt in their eyes. They looked to their fallen comrade then turned their faces to me – and they were faces filled with rage.

“Taking out some trash,” I said.

The first guard roared as he rushed straight at me. I nimbly spun to the right, blocking his thrust with one blade and slashing him across the midsection with the other. He howled in pain and clutched at the wound. I knew it wasn't mortal and that he'd be back in the fight soon enough.

His partner came next, thrusting his blade at my face. I knocked his sword away with one of my own blades and drove the other straight into his midsection. He grunted in pain as my sword passed through his stomach, coming out the other side. Warm, sticky blood poured out of the wound, spilling all over my hands.

The growl of the other guard sounded behind me and I let go of my sword, letting the guard who was currently impaled by it to fall to the ground. I spun to the side, throwing up my second sword, barely deflecting the guard's blade. I redirected it, but he had such force behind his stroke that it gashed my thigh.

I cried out in pain as the wound opened and my blood began to spill out. I scrambled out of the way, rolling until I had put a little distance between the guard and me. Hopping to my feet, I tried to block out the pain of the wound, focusing on the task at hand. The guard rushed me again and swung his blade as hard as he could at my neck. Dancing backward, I avoided the blow – but it was close. I felt the wind of his sword as it passed me by.

The guard and I circled each other, our swords held up and at the ready. I was limping badly and felt the sock in my shoe filling with blood from the ragged wound on my thigh. The guard I'd impaled moaned miserably. He was wounded, but alive. The silver blade sticking out of his midsection was preventing him from shifting – and from healing right away. As I passed by the man on the ground, I quickly grabbed an arrow from my quiver and drove it straight into the wounded man's shoulder.

The point of the arrow buried itself into his flesh and a couple of moments later, he was still and silent – as unconscious and paralyzed as the others. The guard and I continued to circle each other, looking for a weakness or an opening that could be exploited.

“Looks like it's just you and me now, big boy,” I grinned at the man.

His face tight with anger, he rushed at me, his blade coming at me in a murderous arc that would have disemboweled me if he'd made contact. I spun to the side and slashed with my blade. The sword opened a wound on his lower leg, causing him to stumble. As he passed by me, I lashed out with my foot, kicking him square in the ass.

The guard stumbled forward and fell flat onto his face. His sword spun away from him, sliding across the stone floor with a metallic whining sound. I was on him in an instant, looking to end this fight.

The guard rolled over onto his back and started to fumble with a dagger on his belt. But before he'd even gotten his blade clear of it sheath, I drove the point of an arrow into his shoulder. I felt the flesh give way beneath the arrowhead and a moment later, the man was completely still. His eyes were open and staring at the ceiling above us.

My breathing was labored and ragged, and the wound in my thigh was burning. But, there was still a job to do. I heard voices and the sound of running feet coming my way – the reinforcements were arriving. As quickly as I could, I yanked my sword from the midsection of the guard I'd impaled and limped my way up the stairs. Once I reached the landing, I looked to the right and to the left – and had no idea which way Deyro had gone.

Voices on the floor below told me that the guards had arrived and would be looking for me in short order. I had to make a decision. Turning to the right, I took off, moving as quickly as I could.

I had a fifty-fifty chance of being right and as I hobbled along, all I could hope was that I'd picked the right way.