The Bravest of Them All by Laurel O'Donnell

Author:Laurel O'Donnell [O'Donnell, Laurel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-08-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Luke raised his sword and pulled Nessa behind him. He should have known all the commotion would attract attention. But he had never expected this.

The man on the ground laughed. “Is a cat worth your life?” He cackled.

Luke circled away from the man on the ground. He tried to keep both men away from Nessa and in front of him where he could see them.

Ernest’s sword glinted in the rising light. He circled to their right, keeping his distance from Luke’s blade.

The man on the ground continued his insane laugh until Ernest lifted his blade and plunged it into his stomach.

Nessa gasped in horror.

The man gurgled and Ernest pulled his sword from his stomach. He turned to face Luke. “I didn’t want your blood to be the only one on my blade, Brackley.”

Luke attacked, swinging his blade from side to side and then thrusting. Ernest blocked his blows and then parlayed with his own set of swings. Luke ducked one of the swings and kicked Ernest back, away from Nessa. His biggest concern was that some of Urien’s men would show up to aid him. He had to end this. Now. Luke moved after Ernest, thrusting. Ernest swung, knocking the strike aside. Clangs rang out through the forest. The red of the sun’s rising rays washed the clearing in crimson.

Luke swung left, but quickly changed up his blow and came in from the right. His sword connected with Ernest’s shoulder. Ernest stumbled back. He put a hand to his shoulder and his fingers came away bloodied. He grimaced and rushed Luke, attacking with mad swings and arcs. Luke was hard pressed to fend him off. He whirled away from one of Ernest’s quick jabs, but it caught his side. Luke felt the striking sting as the blade sliced his skin. He quickly stepped away, but his foot caught on something and he fell, heavily.

“Luke!” Nessa’s cry pierced the air.

Ernest stood over him for a moment. Like a hungry tiger, he looked down at his prey, relishing the moment. He lifted his sword for the final blow.

There came a strange thunk. Ernest paused, his sword raised over his head. Then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed forward, toppling like a felled tree.

Luke rolled to his side to avoid Ernest as he crashed to the ground. Confused, Luke could only stare. Then, his gaze shifted to see Nessa standing where Ernest had just been, a large rock in her hand. She tossed the rock aside and rushed to Luke’s side, dropping to her knees. “Are you all right?”

Luke stared at her parted lips, the angled confusion of her brow. She had saved him. His awe slowly turned to anger and he pushed himself to a sitting position. She shouldn’t have had to save him. He should be the one impaling Ernest. It was his duty. Instead, he had to be saved by a woman. Self-disgust filled him. A sharp pain cut through his thoughts and

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