I slowly reach under the rough fabric to the cold steel that has been pressing against my hip for the last few hours of walking. The other two have both edged in front of me and so thankfully have missed the action. I will protect myself if I need to but if this is a false alarm it would still be much better to keep the blade hidden. We’re not at the trusting stage just yet, and besides, I haven’t even met their people, after being attacked and usurped from their homes they may not be as open to unfamiliar faces as Guy assumes.
TWANG.
My chin smashes into the dirt and I feel a little of my cheek come loose as my teeth snap shut on impact. Yells and a charge of footsteps off to my left, a different set of boots scuff the dirt into my eyes. Watering, I can just make out Edwyn above, or rather the absence of everything else, his enormous shadow casting down on me blocking out all apart from the faintest reaches of the setting sun. An arrow protrudes from his side, a bloody river already beginning to trickle downwards, tiny droplets impact the dirt inches away from me.
He saved me.
That arrow had been destined for a different target, I should be on the floor now, ready to welcome the darkness, instead the behemoth above me is swapping his bow in favour for a couple of foot-long wicked looking blades. A deep guttering growl accompanies his now animalistic features. It’s a miracle he can still stand, let alone ready his weapons, and without further hesitation, the hunter bounds over me and rushes to meet our assailants.
I whip out the knife now rising to my feet only to be hoisted for the last few inches as Guy grabs me by the arm pulling me towards the fray. We stumble after Edwyn who has already engaged the enemy.
Three men dart around Edwyn as we approach, he keeps them at bay, dodging and swinging whenever they try to advance. Thankfully he has the longest reach and it's too risky for any of the men to risk getting too close to the injured hunter. He manages to catch one’s leg and there’s a rustle of clinks as he falls to the ground, his sword relinquished from its owner’s grip. Each man is heavily armoured but even protected by the metal I know that Edwyn’s connections must carry a painful blow.
Guy has reached the one nearest us now, nimbly leaping onto the man’s back and plunging a spearhead into the crevice of his neck. The man tries to swing behind him with the sword, but the movement is awkward and Guy has already departed. The man is left to emit a gurgling scream, alerting the other two that the odds are now against them. As Guy moves to end the man’s suffering, Edwyn heads towards the last man standing.
“DUCK!” I cry, all these attackers had swords and I only now notice the archer many meters above us silhouetted against the sky on the looming clifftop. I am almost too late, Edwyn only narrowly avoiding the incoming projectile. He turns to me as he easily cuts down his opponents before his eyes widen and teeth grit, crumpling moment later to the dirt. One of the fallen soldiers has reclaimed his sword and thrust it through the giant’s calf in one last effort. As Edwyn falls to the ground, another arrow from above sails harmlessly over his head. Victoriously, the swordsman rises to his feet to greet me.
“EDWYN!” Guy launches his spear with shocking force from behind and I flinch as I watch the shaft reappear out of the soldier’s midriff, felling the last of our attackers. The heir rushes towards our protector’s side, pressing against the wound to try and halt the steady stream pooling around him.
I hurry to his side also, but with different intentions. The archer is likely notching his next arrow and after grabbing one of the injured man’s arms and attempting to heave the man towards the safety of some nearby boulders, Guy realises the situation and follows.
A sharp nip catches my ear as feathers burn my face, the archer’s latest attempt leaving a long mark down my cheek. We strain faster against the hunter’s enormous weight, eventually reaching the protection of the rocks. We’re out of sight for now, but we can’t stay pinned down like this for long.
“What now?” I gasp as I tuck Edwyn’s legs firmly out of sight. I’m lost as to how we’re going to make our way out of this, we cower behind a lone patch of boulders, all ways out will mean moving into the open.
“We wait, the sun will be down before long and then maybe we can move. Stay at the edges in case there are any more of them.” Guy replies
“But what about him? We can’t drag him with us, and we don’t even know where we’re going.”
“Go,” Edwyn rasps. We both look down at the wounded man before us. I’m a little surprised to see life still behind those eyes, his bare skin now sweaty, and pale, contrasting with the deep red blood gushing from his side and calf. The soldier cut him deep.
“No, we’re not leaving-” Guy is cut short.
“There’s an opening not much further. Please. Just-” Now it’s Edwyn’s turn to pause, the dying man is staring off into the distance. For a second, I wonder if he has passed and now stares off into the nothingness, but no, there is still intelligence behind that gaze, flickering feebly. We turn to face the attraction.
Lights.
There’s nowhere we can go, and they’re heading right towards us. I shove my knife back into my
