Cadman's Gambit by D. P. Prior

Author:D. P. Prior
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy, Epic, Fiction
ISBN: 9781463737634
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
Published: 2011-07-18T19:35:33.925445+00:00

Barek spurred his horse on as the Imperial troops abandoned their breakfasts and ran for their weapons. Some were better prepared and unleashed a score of arrows into the front riders. A handful of knights dropped from their horses, and one of the beasts fell, its legs folding under it, an arrow lodged in its throat. Barek’s mount swerved to avoid it, but the knight behind crashed into the fallen horse and was thrown headlong from the saddle. Chaos rolled through the following knights and the charge faltered.

What the bloody heck was Gaston doing? Barek had assumed the plan would be to ride east of the encampment before risking a gallop across the open ground towards Sarum. A few men might have fallen to arrow fire, but most would have reached the city, where the soldiers wouldn’t dare follow.

A swordsman ran at Barek, slashing wildly towards his waist. Barek parried the blow, but numbness ran up his arm from its force. He rode on, knocking another man from his feet before following the path Gaston was cutting through the surprised soldiers. The five knights who had speared the charge with him were down, screaming, groaning, crying like babies. Gaston hacked about like an invincible god of war, but his horse was hit bad, lurching drunkenly, blood gushing from its flank.

Gaston leapt from the saddle and snatched up a sword dropped by one of his victims. He stood his ground armed with two weapons as a dozen Imperial troops closed in for the kill. Barek glanced back to see their fellow knights still struggling to regain control over their mounts, sorely pressed by fire from a group of archers. An arrow thrummed past his ear, lodged in the throat of one of the lads, red spurting like a geyser. Cramp took hold of Barek’s guts. He looked away, thought he was gonna shit himself.

Gaston roared something, fighting furiously, twin blades a silvery arc clashing against metal or ripping through flesh. He was hopelessly outnumbered, but was just about holding his own. He’d already put down three of the bastards.

Justin rode up alongside Barek, bleeding from half a dozen light wounds, his sword red to the hilt. ‘Gaston!’

‘I’ll go to him,’ Barek said. ‘You help the others.’

Justin heeled his steed towards the archers and Barek muttered a hurried prayer then charged the group surrounding Gaston. His horse reared up, smashing its hooves into a soldier’s head, shattering bone and spraying blood. Barek rolled from the saddle, jarring his knee as he hit the ground. He clambered to his feet, sword-arm hanging limp and useless. Two men sprang at him swinging steel. Switching to his left hand he parried the first and slashed clumsily at the second. The man leapt back, giving Barek time to find his balance. A whisper of movement to his right caused him to spin in time to see another soldier fall, blood pumping from a severed arm.

Gaston slid beside him. ‘You hurt?’ he asked, his eyes never leaving the half dozen opponents still standing.

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