By the Sword - By Sara Flower Page 0,57
a battle, and this battle was the most important one of his life.
Uittan had left yesterday without even an encouraging word regarding Talya. Edandir knew that worrying about her would not help her. Then again, neither would staying up all night.
I always thought that I would get wiser with age.
Shaking his head, Edandir turned to walk back toward the camp.
“Halt!” shouted a voice.
It echoed through the crisp evening air like a whiplash.
General Edandir spun around with his sword already in his hand. He faced a masked Malinorian guard that stood only a few paces away.
“What are you doing here?” demanded Edandir.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
“There is nothing here that belongs to you.”
“I was betrothed to Ittonifer’s daughter, but the wench took off on me. I know she’s with you. If you give her back to me, I’ll leave you in peace.”
“You mean Chrissa?”
“Yes.”
That frail, raven-haired girl was Ittonifer’s daughter? His heart broke for her all the more. She must have been through unspeakable pain being the child of that man.
Edandir pointed his sword at the dog, his heart racing with anger. The brute of a man had to be at least thirteen years Chrissa’s senior. No wonder the girl had run away.
“You take your filthy self away from this camp before I kill you where you stand.”
“Not until I take my prize,” he hissed, withdrawing his own sword.
I should not be surprised that Ittonifer would throw his young daughter away to a dog like this.
“You can’t have her back. That child never was and never will be yours.”
“Child?” spat the guard.
Edandir lunged at him and grazed his enemy’s left forearm.
The Malinorian grunted in pain and then came at him with several fast, aggressive strikes. Edandir blocked all of them.
“By the way, we happen to have something of yours,” said the Malinorian.
Edandir swung for the oaf’s neck.
“Our new prisoner is a pretty little thing. Talya’s her name, I think. Sound familiar?”
Hot, sheer rage surged through Edandir as he stabbed at the man’s leg. He missed this time.
My daughter is right in the enemy’s castle? Dear God!
“They say that Jalarn’s got a bit of a thing for her, but he’s going to torture her until she agrees to side with us. It turns out that even Ittonifer is impressed with her warrior abilities. Can you imagine – a woman? Ha!”
Jalarn has Talya! How dare they use their cruel methods on my beautiful young daughter! I have got to get in there.
Edandir roared in fury and leaped toward his foe.
“Where in that cursed castle is my daughter?” shouted Edandir.
“Why does it matter? You will never see her again anyway. Soon she will be one of us. If not, she will be dead. As will you.”
The blades of their broad swords clashed, and Edandir spun around to strike again, but the rocks under his feet loosened and caused him to fall.
He reached frantically for secure boulders to grab onto as he rolled down the hill. Just as he finally grasped hold of a sizable rock, the Malinorian was standing over him. His last vision was the gauntlet of his enemy smashing into his skull.
Edandir slipped into a world of black.
Naeshi grinned down at his fallen enemy. The general had put up a good fight, but now it was time to make the kill. Naeshi raised his sword, intending to take off the man’s head, but a searing pain permeated his left foot. He howled.
An arrow had been shot clear through his foot. Naeshi growled in anger as he broke the end off and pulled the arrow out from the bottom of his foot. His foot throbbed as his boot became wet.
Naeshi searched the darkness for the coward.
“You had better leave,” said a young man’s voice in the darkness.
“Show you face, you arrow-shooting dastard!” Naeshi yelled.
A slender lad emerged out from behind a boulder. He looked like he was ready to take another shot.
“I see why you’re an archer. You barely have more muscles than a maiden!”
“I suggest that you leave before you find yourself impaled… again.”
“How can you call yourself a man? Fight me hand to hand!”
The lanky archer shook his head and continued to inch closer.
Naeshi realized that the wimp could finish him off with only the release of a finger. He backed away.
“I will leave, but mark my words: I’ll have that wench back if it’s the last thing that I do!”
“She is not a wench. She is a brave girl who did nothing to deserve a monster like you,”