Focus, Ethan told himself, doing his best to keep his adrenaline from running away with him. He felt much like he had on D-Day. With heart pounding, he gripped the hilt of the sword so hard his knuckles popped.
“Take it easy,” Markus said. “Don’t lose your head. You can do this.”
Ethan had heard these words from Markus before. His reassuring tone and steady nerves had bolstered his courage the very first time they had seen battle together. Now, they were having a similar effect. He drew in a deep cleansing breath. As if to order, his hands ceased trembling and his heart rate slowed to an even rhythm.
It was still beating steadily a few moments later when the door burst open and slammed into the wall just in front of him. As a soldier rushed inside, Ethan swung his blade hard. His steel split the cuisse wide, cutting deep into the enemy’s thigh. The man let out a cry and fell forward, his sword falling to the floor.
Markus leapt into the doorway to thrust his blade hard into the second soldier’s chest, forcing him outside. After pulling it free, he spun left to attack the third who was just a few feet behind.
Ethan looked back to the man he had wounded. He was scrambling for his lost weapon, a look of pain and terror in his eyes. This time Ethan knew what he had to do – but not exactly how to do it. With a heavy grunt, he struck at the soldier’s outstretched sword arm. The blade cut deep and there was the crack of bone breaking. He stepped back and saw that his blow had very nearly severed the limb completely at the elbow. The soldier thrashed and writhed, desperately clutching at his wounded arm. Blood was spewing everywhere, soaking the floor and showering the walls. The stricken man tried to mouth the word please, but Ethan struck again, this time at his exposed neck. The blade lodged in his spine and Ethan was forced to plant his foot on the man’s chest and pull hard to remove it. The scraping of his blade on bone made his skin crawl. He looked down at his handiwork. The soldier was still twitching and shuddering, blood spurting from his neck in time with the remaining beats of his heart.
The loud ring of clashing steel from outside tore his attention away from the macabre scene. As he exited the tavern he could see that Markus was engaged in fierce battle with the remaining standing soldier. The other was on his knees a few feet away, clutching at the wound in his chest. Ethan moved in to finish him off. He raised his sword high, but the soldier saw him coming and rolled to one side just in time. The blade thudded into the ground and his momentum sent him stumbling forward. Even though the soldier’s face was contorted with pain, he still managed to struggle to his feet and lift his weapon. Blood covered the front of his armor, obscuring his crest.
Ethan struck again, but the soldier skillfully deflected his attack and stepped back. After a few more unsuccessful attempts it quickly became clear that, even wounded, the soldier far outmatched him. Had he not been injured, the fight would have already been over.
The soldier countered – and though his blow was accurate, the loss of blood was slowing him down, allowing Ethan to jump clear. However, his opponent’s longer blade was preventing him from doing anything more than moving left and right, feigning attacks and then withdrawing.
Frustrated, he reached for his dagger and threw it as hard as he could. The hilt smashed into the soldier’s brow. For a moment he simply stood there, stunned. Then his legs wobbled and he dropped to one knee. Ethan charged in, swinging his sword wildly. The blade struck the soldier’s collarbone, forcing him down onto both knees. Another swift blow settled the matter.
Meanwhile, Markus was still fighting hard, though by now he had managed to inflict several small wounds on his opponent. Ethan was just about to move around to the soldier’s back when he spotted another one appear from the corner of a building a few blocks away. His heart sank. He had only been able to defeat the two men he’d faced so far through sheer luck and surprise. He would not get either of those advantages against this one. But unless he could prevent him joining the