Beguiled (The Fairest Maidens #2) - Jody Hedlund Page 0,32
him?
I’d spent much time over the past couple of weeks studying the fearless leader and trying to see into his heart. And I’d come to understand that although Irontooth was a seasoned warrior and his tactics were sometimes unnecessarily brutal, he wasn’t a killer.
I strode up to him and sent my fist flying into his face. At the crack of my knuckles against his cheek, pain radiated up my arm to my shoulder. But I unsheathed my spear and knife instantly, ready to fight.
Irontooth roared his anger and swung at me with his sword as I’d predicted.
Pearl shouted a warning, urging me to stop. But in all my recent analyzing, I’d surmised that the primary means of gaining his respect was by a show of force. He wouldn’t listen any other way.
Of course, I had no aspirations to usurp his leadership. But I couldn’t let him charge off in pursuit of the Inquisitor, not in his frenzied condition. Nothing good would come of leading with one’s heart without also using one’s head. And right now he was too upset at losing Felicity to think clearly.
He bellowed his pain and frustration, this time louder. Then he brought his sword down with an expertise and fortitude that gave me pause. This seasoned knight was a better fighter than I was. Had I jumped into the fray too quickly?
Even as doubts crowded in, I shoved them aside and forced myself to concentrate. In the wake of Irontooth’s loss of the woman he loved, he was weak and vulnerable, and I would bring him to his knees to show him so.
I dodged several blows and warded off more with my spear. I could sense his vexation growing the longer I evaded him. And I toyed with him a moment longer, praying he would make a mistake before I did.
When he raised his sword above his head and lunged toward me, his momentum was too swift and desperate. It was the crack I’d been waiting for. As he swung down, I sidestepped, spun, and thrust the hilt of my sword into his back. The pressure caused him to trip and sent him sprawling to the ground, his arms outstretched. His sword slipped from his grip and clattered out of his reach.
I wasted no time in hopping onto his back and pressing my boot heel into the sensitive spot between his shoulder blades, also brushing the tip of my spear against the nape of his neck. He struggled until the blade pierced his skin and drew blood.
Even then, I remained alert. The moment I let down my guard, he’d buck me off and begin fighting again. I needed to speak reason into him now before he plotted his next move. Or before one of his men attacked me.
Already, several of the outcasts were closing in, weapons drawn, ready to bring me down.
“No doubt the Inquisitor and his men have hidden along the coast somewhere.” I spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “They are hoping to draw us out by baiting us with the captives. If we leave now, we’ll fall prey to their trap and deliver more of our group into their hands.”
The men nearing me stopped, obviously heeding the truth of my words. I prayed Irontooth would as well.
“As hard as it may be, we must wait to go after the women.”
“That’s easy for you to say when your woman is safe.” Bitterness edged Irontooth’s voice, though he made no move to oust me.
Pearl had stopped a short distance away. Her weapons were drawn, and her brow creased. I wasn’t sure if she’d intended to join the others in trying to stop my battle with the fearless leader or if she planned to come to my defense. Either way, her eyes radiated worry.
“I don’t begrudge you your concern.” I hastened to reason with Irontooth. “If our roles had been reversed, no doubt I would have insisted upon leaving forthwith. But I also know you would have stopped me from acting impulsively and forced me to see reason. And later, I would have thanked you for it.”
Silence descended. Only the crackling of the bonfire filled the air.
“As it is,” I continued, “we must not allow the Inquisitor to fool us again. Instead, we must fool him and devise a strategy not only to rescue the women but also to put an end to his terror once and for all.”