Page 39 of To Kill a King
“Come on, girlie,” he said, waving his blade. “Give it up. Me boys deserve a satisfying breakfast.”
“After some fun,” one of the others called.
Elessan twirled his swords, warming up his wrists. Five on one weren’t great odds, especially with someone to protect. But unless one of the brigands was better trained than their exteriors suggested, he had a chance. An advantage, even, if Aliya could pull out her magic.
“Agreed. Entertainment.” The leader stared at Aliya as his lips split into a grotesque smile. “I’ll tell ye’ what, boy.” He waved his hand to one of the larger thugs on Elessan’s left. “One on one combat, against my best man. One sword each. Dravin!”
The man stepped forward.
Elessan eyed the human. He was stocky, but not overly muscular, and carried a lighter weight longsword, relying on speed rather than strength. “Very well.” He tucked one blade at his waist.
“No, not you.” The boss pointed beyond Elessan. “Her. Girlie fights to keep her money. That’ll be more…entertaining.”
“Among other things,” one of the bandits murmured, raising chortles from the rest of the group.
“No.” Elessan’s immediate reply echoed off the trees. That was ridiculous. She had no weapons, no training…
“Elessan,” she whispered in Elven. “Can you win against all of them?”
“No idea,” he responded in kind. “Possibly. How’s your magic?”
She met his gaze with round eyes and a sharp shake of her head.
His blood chilled. Surely her spellcraft was more reliable than a five-on-one sword fight.
She stepped around him and addressed the man in charge. “I accept.” Her voice barely trembled at all.
“Aliya, what are you doing,” Elessan asked, still in Elven. “Have you ever used a blade before?”
Her lips thinned as she pressed them together and swallowed.
His stomach plummeted like a rock.
“If I start to lose, you can take the other four,” she whispered back.
“I don’t think this is a wise idea. You could get seriously hurt or killed. Royalty employ bodyguards for a reason.”
The leader shifted his weight from side to side, bouncing up on his toes. “Hurry up, girlie! Do you need to borrow a weapon, or somethin’?”
Elessan glanced across the clearing. Where was Zadé when they needed her? He met Aliya’s gaze. Her steely determination reflected back at him.
Valek. Of all the times for her to assert herself…
With a sigh, he handed her one of his swords. “Try to keep your back to the sun, don’t let him turn you around. That’ll make it harder for him to track your movements. Also, he’s going to be fast, so don’t take your eyes off him. I’ll mind the others.”
She pressed the blade back into his hands. “I might damage it.”
Abaddon save him from the misplaced priorities of nobility… “I’m more concerned about you,” he hissed. “Don’t worry about the steel.”
Holding the weapon in front of her, she turned to face the thug.
Aliya stepped into the improvised fighting ring, both arms shaking.
Dravin sneered. He twirled his sword in a circle with his wrist, much like Elessan did in practice. Her hold on the sweat-slicked handle was too tight to replicate the move.
The human smiled, displaying his few remaining teeth, and took a purposeful stride to his right. She countered by taking a step in the opposite direction. Elessan yelled something, but she ignored him in favor of focusing her full attention on her opponent like he’d instructed. Dravin took several more steps, until she was forced to squint into the sun.
He attacked. She brought the weapon up to counter, barely managing to block it. The vibration shook her fingers loose and she stumbled back, buying herself time to secure her grip.