Broken Arrow

floor, unconscious. They'd been silently put out of commission by someone while their attention had been focused elsewhere.

Then he saw the culprit. Yet another hooded figure jumped from the top of an AFV, down into the small group guarding the hostages. He was dispatching soldiers with a sword, incapacitating them before they could get a shot off — slashing two across the face, then burying the end in another's shoulder before Tanek could blink. Once he had, Tanek raised his crossbow and fired.

The man stepped sideways, letting the bolt bounce off the metal of the AFV. He took out a knife and threw it at Tanek, where it embedded itself in his right arm. He immediately lost his grip on the crossbow.

More lights were put out, forcing the scarlet moon above to work harder. Everything was taking on a crimson shade.

The remainder of The Tsar's soldiers were climbing out of their vehicles, but were being picked off by the three Hoods who'd come out of the mist; moving forward and firing all the time. Weirdly, one was not using a bow and arrow, but instead had a shotgun.

Meanwhile, the Hood with the sword was helping the nurse get Mary to her feet — the gentle way he was holding the injured woman speaking volumes.

'Robert,' said Adele.

Tanek indicated that the women should move off into the mist, where another figure had appeared; a fat, bald man. The mystery arrow firer, Tate.

Tanek pulled the knife out of his arm, wincing only slightly. He felt pain, just didn't show it, he never did. As the Hood who'd thrown it — the original, of that he was certain — came towards him, he grabbed Adele and put the knife against her throat.

'Tell them to put down their weapons. Or I'll put it to use.'

Hood paused. 'Go ahead.'

Adele looked from Tanek to Hood. 'How can you say that?'

'Because you're his daughter! The Sheriff's!' growled Robert. 'Because you deserve the same as he got.'

'Take cover,' Tanek said to Adele and let her go. There was no point pretending any more. The only two hostages worth anything were getting away. But perhaps he could do something about that. Turning the knife around, he threw it at the escaping females. He had been aiming for Hood's pet, to put her out of her misery, but the nurse saw what was about to happen over her shoulder and positioned herself in the way. The blade slid easily into her back and she slumped forwards, falling on top of Mary.

Good enough, thought Tanek.

All around them The Tsar's men were falling — even those able to get off a round or two. The replica Hoods had revealed themselves now, hunting coats flapping open to show bullet-proof vests beneath. The first was the boy Mark, the other a girl Tanek had never seen before. Next, the farmer who'd shot him over a year ago.

Oh, there were many here who needed to be taught a lesson.

But first: Hood. He was coming towards him — was that a limp? — sword high, enraged at the attack on the nurse. Tanek braced himself to grab the man's forearm when he made his first swing. As it turned out, he didn't need to.

Hood's blow was blocked by another sword. One of the twins had eschewed the protection of the AFV, leaving her sister behind to guard The Tsar. Hood seemed taken aback, but not as much as when she lifted her leg and kicked him squarely in the chest. He flopped against the AFV, then slid down it.

Maybe I won't kill her so quickly after all, thought Tanek, in spite of the fact he knew she hadn't done it to save him, but rather in an effort to halt Hood's progress towards her precious Tsar. She can keep him busy while I see to other matters.

An arrow whizzed past him and he remembered there were still four of Hood's people out there. Picking up his crossbow and switching it to the other hand, he fired at the girl. It didn't matter if he killed her quickly, because it was the other two he really wanted to savour.

The boy dived across and pushed her out of the way, ending up taking the bolt in the thigh. At first Tanek was mad, but then he realised it was poetic justice. Payback for the bolt the boy had shot into his calf the last time they'd met.

'Oi!' came a call just off to his right. 'Remember me?' It was the other one. The fucking farmer.

'Oh yes,' said Tanek.

'Then you remember this, dontcha,' the farmer raised his shotgun and let off a blast.

Not this time, my friend. Tanek ducked sideways to escape the shell's bite. 'And you will remember this,' he said, firing a bolt at his enemy. It hit the man's gun hand, nicking the back but not penetrating. Nevertheless, this was enough to cause him to drop his weapon.

Tanek was up and running towards him moments later, issuing a terrifying, bloodcurdling roar. He put his head down and rammed the farmer, lifting him up into the air and launching him backwards.

This, thought Tanek, is going to be fun.

Robert moved just in time to avoid the blade, which clanked off the side of the AFV. Dammit, she was fast.

Here was he thinking that the difficult part had been creeping up and fixing The Tsar's men while Mark, Sophie and Bill created their little diversion. Or getting Mary to safety… except she wasn't yet, was she?

Mary.

Words couldn't describe how he'd felt seeing her alive. He thought the dream was coming true (it might still, he reminded himself, all of them dead; Jack probably dead already). He wasn't going to let that happen, even if he wasn't quite back to full strength — and how he'd recovered so quickly was still something Robert didn't want to question.

He recognised the woman fighting him from the dream. One of The Tsar's bodyguards. But only one, which begged the question where was the other? Would she attack when he least expected it?

Robert silenced the thoughts — he needed to concentrate, to keep dodging this twin's swipes. Over her shoulder he saw Tanek shoot Mark and go after Bill. If he could get rid of the bodyguard, he might be able to help them.

This time he met her sword with his and it sent shockwaves up his arm, across his chest and into his bad shoulder — strapped up under his coat and bullet-proof vest. He groaned, and this seemed to spur the woman on. She beat at his sword, hacking it like a woodsman chopping at a tree. Each time the pain was tremendous.

Robert waited for her to do it again, then pushed forwards, hooking their hilts together and headbutting her. He tried to wrench the sword from her grasp while she was dazed, but it took her seconds to recover and she disentangled the swords with practised ease. He was woefully outclassed. Here was someone who'd spent years studying with this weapon, while Robert — in spite of this coming naturally to him — had only been using his a little over a year. Good enough to tackle machete-wielding cultists, but out of his depth with a true professional. He had to get that thing away from her before she-

Another swipe, this one slashing his combats, almost cutting into his good leg. He was just about managing on it, but if she wounded that one as well…

Spinning round, she came at him again. No respite, no pause for breath. Robert found himself being forced backwards, losing ground. He couldn't hold her off much longer.

Suddenly, she drooped. Something had struck her from behind and when she fell to the side Robert saw what it was. Tate had bashed her over the head with his walking stick, the hard wood still wet with her blood.

'Now Robert!' For a moment he thought the Reverend was advocating killing this woman, but Tate quickly clarified: 'Disarm her, now!'

Robert brought down the hilt of his sword on her clenched fist, which opened like a sprung trap.

A thought struck him. If the Reverend was here, then who was watching Mary? Robert searched for her, zeroing in on the spot where Lucy had been murdered, brought down on top of Mary. Tate had at least managed to pull Mary out from under the dead woman, but now Robert saw Adele approaching her. And she had a gun. One of Mary's Peacekeepers in fact.

Shit! He began to go after De Falaise's daughter, but before he could move, he felt a presence behind him —