City of Swords by Alex Archer

Author:Alex Archer [Archer, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Action & Adventure, Azizex666, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373621590
Google: hpAGoA49kMcC
Amazon: 0373621590
Barnesnoble: 0373621590
Goodreads: 13706792
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Annja shifted her weight to the balls of her feet and reassessed her situation. The pair exhibited considerable skill, having the moves of fencers.

When they came at her again, she twirled away, nearly slipping when her foot touched a slick spot on the roof. The recent rain had puddled, and she skipped over a patch of water outlined by pigeon droppings. Annja crossed her feet, right in front of left, pivoting as she crouched, coming up and kicking out, catching Gaetan on the jaw. She heard a crack and saw him spit out blood and a tooth.

In pain and anger, he swung faster, turning the blade. He was no longer trying to hit her with the flat of it. But his temper made him sloppy and his rhythm was off. She dropped under the swinging weapons of both men, spinning toward the roof access door. Annja kicked out again, missing her target and again nearly losing her balance on the slick surface. But she regained her composure quickly and darted closer to Gaetan, who appeared only slightly less adept than his brother. Ducking again, she brought her elbow up when she straightened this time, jabbing him in the stomach.

Gaetan stumbled backward, and she followed, keeping a wary eye on the other one, bringing her sword up to knock away the saber and barely managing to avoid the swipe of the katana. Actually, not entirely avoiding it, she realized, noting a line of red forming on her arm and registering the sting. He stabbed both weapons at her, nearly connecting again.

She decided to pursue Gaetan first, get him out of the way, so raised her leg at a high angle and kicked at his head. The move succeeded in catching him off guard. She turned into him and jabbed him in the stomach again, at the same time avoiding the katana by a hairbreadth.

So far she hadn’t resorted to a lethal move against either of them. Killing them wouldn’t help get her answers. Neither man spoke, concentrating on flanking her. She raised her sword toward Gaetan, avoiding another blow from his twin.

They both wore chest protectors, a piece of fencing gear made of thermoplastic or Kevlar, the latter from the looks of it. In her T-shirt and flannel sleep shorts, she had no such advantage.

The breath rushed out of Gaetan as he lunged, and she parried with her own thrust. He circled her like a cat, his twin mirroring the move to retain the flank, both stepping back beyond her reach. Then the unnamed twin darted forward and almost managed to hit her twice. He would have—scoring himself points in an épée competition—if she hadn’t blocked him. Points instead to Annja.

Gaetan stomped his foot in a puddle, startling her. She sidestepped, at the same time feeling the other’s katana rip her T-shirt.

“Last chance,” Gaetan said. “Hand over the sword.”

“Is the sword worth your life?” his twin asked her.

It wasn’t.

“Is it worth yours?” she replied. They weren’t giving her much of a choice.

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