The Blacksmith Queen (The Scarred Earth Saga, #1) - G.A Aiken Page 0,111
something so foolish?
The soldiers started to bind her and her sister’s wrists, to drag them to the brothel.
But before the men could tie those bindings tight, one of the mules lifted its head and that’s when she realized the animal’s throat had been cut. Its eyes were also red from blood and it . . . it was dead.
It was dead!
The mule swung its head toward her and her abductor and the man’s grip on her loosened as her captor went for his sword.
She yanked Efa away from the soldiers as the second—also dead—mule charged the men.
Both animals turned and began kicking at the men with their back legs, apparently still possessing that instinct even in their dead state.
She dragged Efa back toward the safety of the tunnels and shoved her sister inside. As she was about to follow, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. The attackers came in on horseback . . . she thought. But no. They weren’t on horseback. They were horses . . . and human.
Centaurs! Centaurs with bows and swords and deadly intent.
Grinning for the first time in ages, she followed her sister back into the tunnels.
* * *
Laila rammed her spear into one soldier, yanked it out, spun, speared another. She sensed a soldier behind her, and she kicked out her back legs, sending the man flying.
Caid leaped over her, tackling another soldier coming from her right. Quinn cut off the head of a mercenary to her left. The rest of her battle squad took down soldiers running in from the barracks.
Laila took off toward the longhouse where she assumed Straton was staying and where Keeley was headed to confront him. But a small unit of soldiers came at her from the side, startling her. She reared up on her back legs. One of the soldiers attacked her there with a spear, so she shifted to human, diving over the weapon. When she landed on the ground, she again shifted to centaur and kicked out with her back legs. Bones cracked and a body flew.
She tried again to get to the longhouse but more soldiers cut her off, blocking her from reaching Keeley.
“Gemma!” she called out. “Get to your sister!”
* * *
Keran swung her axe and took another head before she ran into the town behind Gemma. But she wasn’t meant to be fighting by the War Monk’s side. Keeley had given Keran very specific orders after they’d talked to those who lived outside of town and discovered what had been happening since Straton and his men had taken over. And Keeley needed that dealt with in case none of them made it out of here alive.
Samuel tried to follow Gemma, but Keran grabbed his arm and yanked him with her.
Together, they quickly ran down the streets but kept close to the buildings, hoping to avoid running into any soldiers. They reached their destination and Keran pulled out the axe given to her by the dwarves. She ran up the stairs to a front door and kicked it in, but she immediately stopped.
The soldiers assigned to keep an eye on the brothel were standing in the main room. All the women who’d been trapped there cowered behind them. And one of the soldiers, a big blond, had a blade to the throat of a sobbing young girl.
Samuel started to dart forward but Keran blocked him with her body and put down the axe. She held up her hands and said, “It’s all right, lads. No problem here. Everyone can stay calm.”
The blond nodded to one of his men and he came toward Keran. He pointed a sword at her belly with one hand and reached for the rest of her weapons with the other.
As he leaned in a bit, Keran looked over the shorter man’s shoulder at the girl currently being held hostage. She didn’t say anything. Didn’t even smile. Keran just stared and waited.
The girl’s gaze slid away, then back.
That was all Keran needed.
* * *
Straton stormed from his bedroom, putting on his chainmail as he walked.
“What is going on?” he demanded, hearing the warning calls and screams from outside the walls.
“We’re under attack, my prince,” one of the mercenaries announced.
Straton smiled. “My brother is finally here to face me.”
“No, my lord. Something else.”
Allowing his squire to finish putting on his clothes and bits of armor, Straton stared at the mercenary. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s not Prince Marius,” the man repeated. “But I did see Amichai.”