Page 4 of The Sword & the Stone

I scrambled to my feet, Merlin a beat behind me. My knife hissed as I drew it from its sheath. "Not sorry enough," I growled. "You should have kept walking."

Reeno cracked his knuckles, the sound like snapping bones. "And miss a chance to repay you for that little stunt at the tavern? I don't think so."

Merlin shifted into a fighting stance beside me. His eyes were already too bright, and any second now, the mercenaries would notice. "Stunt?" he asked innocently. "Oh, you mean when I made you wear your ale? Purely an accident, I assure you."

Ames snarled as his meaty hand dropped to the hilt of his sword. "The only accident here is that you're still breathing, boy. A mistake we intend to rectify."

"Bring it on, you overgrown sack of horse dung," I spat, adjusting my grip on my blade.

Ames roared and charged, his blade flashing in the firelight. I lunged forward to meet him, steel clashing against steel. He was stronger than me, his blows raining down like hammer strikes, but I was faster. I ducked and wove, looking for an opening. Fighting with daggers wasn’t anything like fighting with swords, but I could manage.

Across the barn, Merlin and Reeno circled each other like snarling wolves. Reeno's fists were up, ready to pummel, but Merlin's hands glowed bright, arcane words falling from his lips. My heart sank to my feet. Now there was no choice but to kill these men. They’d run straight to the king with this information, and I couldn’t allow that.

With a shout, Merlin thrust his palms forward and a blast of golden light slammed into Reeno's chest, sending him flying back into the wall.

I didn't have time to watch him. Ames pressed closer, his blade a blur of deadly steel. I parried frantically, arms tremblingwith effort. He was so much larger than I was. Our blades locked at the hilt and he bore down, his fetid breath hot on my face.

"I'm going to gut you like a fucking pig, then fuck your corpse, princess," he hissed through clenched yellow teeth.

With a headbutt, I felt the crunch of cartilage against my forehead. He reeled back with a bellow, blood pouring from his nose. Pressing my advantage, I rained down blows as fast and as hard as possible. Small in stature, my speed was my greatest asset. Survival depended on it.

Behind me, I heard Reeno roar in rage and the crackle of Merlin's magic. The air smelled of copper and singed flesh. I prayed to any gods listening that Merlin was holding his own, but I saw the strain on his face. Magic took its toll, even on someone as powerful as him.

I redoubled my efforts, hacking at Ames with a ferocity born of pure desperation. I had to end this quickly before we were overwhelmed. Before I lost the one person who meant everything to me.

Ames stumbled back, his sword arm hanging limp and bloody at his side. I darted in, aiming a thrust at his throat, but he lashed out with a hidden dagger that I hadn’t noticed before. White-hot pain seared across my ribs. I cried out, faltering for just a second.

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted.

Fear rushed through me. He shouldn’t have been watching me; he had bigger problems at the moment.

In his moment of distraction, Reeno landed a brutal punch to his gut. Merlin folded, gasping for air. Reeno kicked him savagely in the ribs, grinning like a maniac.

Rage turned my vision red. With a wordless snarl, I threw myself at Ames, knocking us both to the ground. We grappled in the dirt and moldy hay, his dagger slashing at my face. I caughthis wrist and slammed it down once, twice, until the dagger skittered away.

Straddling his chest, I drove my fist into his jaw with a satisfying crack. His head lolled, eyes rolling back. I hit him again for good measure, blood and spittle flying. He went limp beneath me, finally unconscious.

I staggered to my feet, clutching at the gash in my side. Warm blood seeped between my fingers. Across the barn, Merlin blasted Reeno with another surge of magic, sending him crashing into the old horse stalls. Wood splintered and Reeno slumped as he was knocked out cold.

Merlin rushed to my side, his face pale and tight with worry. "Arthur, you're hurt."

"I'm fine," I gritted out. "We need to go before more of their friends show up."

As if on cue, shouts and pounding footsteps sounded from outside, barely audible over the raging storm. Reinforcements, no doubt summoned by the commotion.

Merlin cursed colorfully, slinging my arm over his shoulders. I leaned on him heavily, stars dancing at the edges of my vision from the pain. Together, we hobbled to the back of the barn, kicking open the ramshackle door there.

Rain and wind lashed at us the instant we staggered outside, the storm howling like a living thing. Lightning forked across the sky, illuminating the muddy field stretching before us and the dark line of woods beyond. If we could make it to those trees, we might have a chance of losing our pursuers in the dense Kingswood. A slim chance, but it was all we had.

I grunted in pain, my hand pressed tight against the freely bleeding gash across my ribs.On second thought…"Woods are too far," I panted. "We'll never make it, not like this."

Merlin's face was grim, his eyes glowing still. "Then we head back into Camelot. Try to lose them in the streets." It was a desperate plan, but what choice did we have?

Summoning the last dregs of my strength, I let Merlin haul me around. We stumbled through the mud, angling away from the main road and plunging into the warren of narrow alleys that made up the village proper.

The rain was relentless, turning the dirt streets into treacherous rivers of muck. My boots slipped and slid, Merlin's iron grip on my arm the only thing keeping me upright. Blood loss made my head swim, my legs feeling like jelly.

Behind us, angry voices echoed off the close-packed buildings, the orange flicker of torchlight dancing on the wet mud. They were close, too fucking close.

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