By the Sword - By Sara Flower Page 0,45

How in the world did he know that she was there?

Magic.

Talya leaped out of the brush and then yanked her sword out of its sheath.

Jalarn slowly turned.

Dressed in the usual Malinorian black armor and battle mask, only his glaring eyes showed any hint of humanity. He unsheathed his sword and took a step forward.

He eyed her for a moment.

Strange. Why is he just standing there?

Talya suddenly felt very self-conscious.

“You’re not in armor,” he said.

Then, he ran at her.

The forceful clang of their swords pierced the crisp night air. She attacked him with a series of thrashes. He blocked them all, but he had no opportunity to use a single counter attack.

“You’ve improved since our last duel,” he said.

“It was far easier for you to beat me back when I had been fighting other warriors for hours on end!”

“Good,” he said. “I did not neglect the rest of my dinner for an easy kill.”

Kill? That’s what you think.

He swung his sword toward her. She leaped out of the way, spun around, and placed a high kick into his chest. He stumbled backward.

Jalarn came at her with a powerful round of swings. It took all of her strength to block them. His intensity had increased. They fought back and forth for several minutes.

Some of the bushes around them began to rustle.

Talya’s pulse raced.

Is it more Malinorians?

Three large millipede-like insects scurried out and rushed between Talya and Jalarn. He severed one of them with his sword. The other two disappeared into the darkness.

Talya breathed a sigh of relief. It could have been much worse.

Jalarn stalked toward her again.

Talya blocked his swing.

“Just so you know, I have already spoken with the giants,” she said.

“You lie.”

Their swords collided. She dodged to the left and grazed his upper arm.

He cursed.

“They are on their way to join my army right now. So, it looks like you wasted a trip.”

So the little wretch had beaten him to the punch. She must have used some kind of trickery from her God – it was the only explanation. How else would the formidable men, known for their independence, join up with a random army without some kind of force? The reason no longer mattered. The bottom line was that Ittonifer would not be pleased with him.

Enraged, Jalarn swung his sword at the girl, but she blocked the attack. He needed her to be dead so that he could plan his next move.

I need to get my men together and go after the giants, but she won’t die! She hasn’t even weakened.

Jalarn lunged at her again with enough force to sever her slender torso in two, but she jumped to the side more quickly than his eyes could follow. As he rushed past her, she struck him with a forceful back kick that sent him face first into the dirt as his sword plugged into the ground.

Chapter Twelve

Jalarn got back up quickly. He gripped the hilt of his sword and yanked it out of the earth. His fury grew by the second. He could easily cast a spell that would make her freeze in place or become pathetically weak, but there was no pride in that. That was not the way he fought one on one.

It should not be this difficult to finish off this skinny excuse for a warrior.

She stood there, waiting for his next move. Her hands gripped the hilt of her sword. He could see it in her eyes, in her stance – the desire to conquer at all costs. He needed more of her sort in his army.

Then, she let her guard down like a fool. Something else stirred in the bushes nearby. She looked away from him for a moment. So typical.

Jalarn ran at her with full speed, bent on finishing her. A large blur from the brush caught his attention. Jalarn stopped cold as a snarling lion jumped in between them. It was facing Jalarn. The beast was nearly as tall as he, and it was more powerfully built than a bull.

Jalarn held his sword out in front of him, trying to ignore his pounding heart. He kept an eye on the animal’s throat.

The lion licked his chops and crouched, ready to attack. Jalarn braced himself as the animal leaped and slammed into him.

The lion wailed. Jalarn’s sword had penetrated deep into his shoulder.

Jalarn rolled over, got up, and leaped away from the lion’s massive paws. He slashed at the animal’s shoulder.

The beast roared and came after him again.

Jalarn stabbed him, but it seemed to