Page 80 of Cage of Destiny
Allyssa swung, trying to keep thesoldier at bay. If her father had some grand plan, now would be thetime to execute it. However, neither Neco nor Nathenek appeared. Ifit had been Hurit she saw earlier, he wasn’t here now. They were ontheir own.
Someone grabbed her from behind. Sheswung her arm back, plunging her dagger into her attacker. Hereleased her just as the man before her lunged. Stepping to theside, she easily avoided the hit.
“Duck,” Darmikhollered.
Allyssa ducked, andsomething whizzed by her head. The wind from a sword along withawhooshsoundedright above her.Blimey. She’d nearly lost her head. Two men circled her. Instead ofwaiting for them to strike, she stood and cried, “I surrender.” Shethrew her arms up in the air.
Both men sheathed their swords. As onereached for her arm, she spun and kicked his head whilesimultaneously throwing her dagger at the other one’s stomach. Allher training in a dress was proving to be rather valuable rightnow. The one she kicked stumbled back, but didn’t fall over. She’dforgotten how large and heavy Russeks were. The other one withdrewthe dagger from his stomach, his hands shaking and coated withblood. Knowing time was of the essence, she kneed his bloodystomach. He fell over, dropping to the ground. She bent down andpicked up her dagger.
The other man cursed, rubbing the sideof his face. He swung his sword and she stepped to the side, theblade slicing right past her. Allyssa needed a bigger weapon. Whenhe raised his sword again, she slid to the ground, grabbed thefallen soldier’s sword, rolled to the side, and stood. With bothhands on the hilt, she held the blade out in front of her, ready tofight.
The chaos reminded her of being inEmperor’s City at the markets. The energy, the loud sounds, theunpredictability was all the same. Nathenek had somehow known itwould come to this—a fight to the death—and he’d done all he couldto prepare her.
Kerdan, still without a shirt, wasknocking soldiers down as if swatting flies. His face was stony,his bare hands his only weapons. Darmik had managed to procure asword and was slicing through one opponent after another. She’dseen her father fight before, but that had been for practice orsport. This was something else entirely. He swung with lethal graceand efficiency, showing no mercy to any of his adversaries. WhileOdar also used a sword, he quite frequently used his fist as well.His movements were fast and unyielding.
“That sword is almost asbig as you are,” the soldier said as he advanced toward her. Heswung his sword, and she raised hers to deflect the blow. Her armsshook from the impact.
He kicked her stomach andshe flew backward, landing hard on the ground, the sword thrownfrom her hands. Stars exploded in her vision.Blasted. When she tried to get up,pain rippled through her torso, making her stomach muscles spasm.She couldn’t breathe.
The soldier walked over toher, his boots next to her head. Sucking in a painful breath, sherefused to go down like this. She fumbled for her dagger, took holdof it, and steeled her resolve.Hard andquick, she told herself.You can do it. When thesoldier raised his sword above her, she rolled and slid the daggeracross the back of his heel, severing the tendon. The man let out aragged scream, falling to the ground. Allyssa jumped out of hisway, facing another soldier as he advanced. Her stomach screamed inprotest, but she ignored the pain. She had to stayalive.
She glanced over at Odar wearing asoldier down with his sword, her father with bodies piled on theground around him, and Kerdan covered in a sheen of sweat as hedispatched soldier after soldier. Kerdan peered at her, hiseyebrows lifting as he smiled. Then he quickly looked away,focusing on his next attacker, the smile still there.
Allyssa fingered her last dagger. Thissoldier had some sort of leather armor covering his chest andstomach along with gauntlets. The only place she could feasiblythrow the dagger with any hope of injuring him was at the man’sneck. It would be the same kill her father had made.
“You know we’re justplaying with you,” the soldier said. “If we could kill you, you’dbe dead already.”
Ignoring him, she took a deep breath,attempting to steady her nerves. If her hands shook, she’d never beable to strike the target. For that was all his neck was to her. Atarget. One in which she intended to hit.
“What are you waiting for?”he taunted.
Exhaling, she narrowed in on exactlywhere the blade needed to land. She counted to three, and then theman suddenly fell forward, a sword protruding from his back. Odarstood a few feet away, heaving deep breaths. “You’re welcome,” hesaid. Then he stepped on the soldier’s back, withdrew his sword,and resumed fighting.
How could Odar have done that? Thesituation was under control. She had been about to throw her daggerat the man’s neck. However, Odar thought her weak, or incapable, sohe stepped in. She wanted to strangle him. That man was supposed tobe her kill. Hers. Not Odar’s. Why did he think she needed saving?Hadn’t she proven time and time again that she could take care ofherself? Blasted Fren and their backward ways.
The dagger was plucked from herfingers. A calloused hand slid over her mouth as a hairy armencircled her stomach, yanking her against a man’s chest. She’dbeen so distracted by Odar interfering when he shouldn’t have thatshe’d let her guard down. And now she was in the hands of a Russeksoldier. She slammed her foot on his, but the man didn’t evenflinch.
“Stop,” he bellowed. Theroom went silent. The man removed his hand from her mouth, slidingit to her neck. A blade pierced her side, and she grunted. “Thethree of you will put your weapons down or I will snap her neck.”He kept Allyssa’s body in front of his, trying to protecthimself.
Darmik dropped his sword, raising hishands in the air. Odar followed suit.
Kerdan, heaving deep breaths, wipedthe blood from his mouth with his arm. “What’s your plan, Tredek?”he asked.
“No plan. The queen told meto neutralize the situation. That is what I’m doing.”
Allyssa kept her eyes trained onKerdan, searching for any hint of what to do to gain the upperhand. Since he knew this man, he must know hisweaknesses.
“Stand down,” Darmik saidto Kerdan.
Kerdan nodded, his hands falling limpat his sides.
“I want the three of youover there so the queen doesn’t have to come near this bloodbath,”Tredek said.
Kerdan, Darmik, and Odar stepped overthe bodies—some dead, some injured—and stood before Jana in thecenter of the room.
“On your knees,” shedemanded. Red blotches covered her face. Tredek shoved Allyssaforward, around the fallen bodies and closer to Jana. The queenwiped the tears from her cheeks. “I suppose you had to takeeverything,” she said to Darmik. “My father, my home, my kingdom,my children, and now the man I love.” Her hands shook.
Allyssa surveyed the room. While theyhad managed to incapacitate a substantial number of soldiers, theywere still outnumbered and without weapons. They shouldn’t havestopped fighting on her account. Darmik should have let Tredek killher. Then he could have gone after Jana. Sacrificed his daughterfor the good of the kingdom. That was what she would have done. Herlife was a small price to pay for Emperion’s safety.
