again.
“Surrender!” Alto challenged both the goblins
and the men behind them. He didn’t know if the goblins could
understand him but he had to give them a chance. “We’ll help you
escape. You won’t have to see your boss again.”
“Kill him!”
Alto jumped forward, kicking one goblin
between the legs and smashing his hilt into the face of another. He
lashed out while the others were stunned, killing one and then
driving his blade through the parry of the last one in an overhand
strike that left his sword stuck in the goblin’s skull. Alto had to
plant his foot in the corpse’s chest to yank his blade free.
The two men had climbed through the cave-in
and were rushing toward him, both with swords in hand. Alto held
his ground, doubt gnawing at him. Facing goblins was one thing.
They were little better than the wolf he’d wrestled. Humans were no
different than him. Even if they held different reasons and
beliefs, they could be as skilled and as dangerous.
Alto remembered Kar’s words pointing out that
he hadn’t beaten Tristam. He’d made the seasoned warrior yield, but
their weapons hadn’t been real. These men had steel that gleamed in
the light that danced behind them and cast long shadows. Their
bodies were covered in metal-studded leather, and over that they
wore tabards with the Kingdom’s seal on it.
Alto gasped. He stumbled backwards, buying
himself time while he tried to make sense of it. Kingdom guards
working with goblins? Commanding them, even? And referring to their
boss whom they couldn’t escape?
“Traitors!” Alto growled and came to a stop
in the tunnel.
The men slowed. The one closest to Alto
laughed. “Traitors? Oh, the uniforms. You thought we were your
king’s men? Ha! Fool. Why, you’re nothing but a boy. A child with a
sword, playing soldier.”
“Careful, he’s big,” the other man
warned.
“Probably still wets the bed,” the first one
said. “Imagine his mother crying when she can’t tuck him in
tonight!”
Alto charged forward, smashing his broadsword
into the hastily raised defense of the man taunting him. He heard
him grunt from the impact and felt the pretend soldier’s blade
drop. He bore down on him, forcing the sword down farther until it
rested on the man’s chest.
“You are strong,” the man wheezed as he
struggled against Alto. “But are you—”
Alto slammed the fist not holding his sword
into the man’s face, knocking him back. Alto’s adversary kept his
feet and raised his sword back up to show a semblance of defense.
He turned and spat out blood, and then had his sword smashed free
from his hand by Alto’s battering blade.
The man’s partner saved him, slipping past
his partner and lunging at Alto. Remembering Trina’s move earlier,
the farm boy spun in hopes of driving the man back. Rather than
forcing a retreat, Alto’s blade glanced off the chain coif the man
wore, knocking him to the ground. His head crashed into one of the
rocks that had been pulled free of the cave-in. His body came to
rest without any further movement.
The other attacker had grabbed his sword and
was straightening to face Alto. He lunged forward, hacking at Alto
so crudely even the sixteen-year-old could knock the strike aside.
The sword struck the rock wall, bouncing back of its own volition
and hitting Alto on the hip as he stepped into his next attack.
Alto’s sword was blunted by the metal studs in the man’s armor but
the force of the strike knocked his foe to one knee and left his
sword arm hanging limp at his side.
“Surrender!” Alto said, leveling the wide
point of his blade at the man’s chest.
“This is a quicker death,” the goblin handler
wheezed, drawing his dagger in his left hand and lunging toward
Alto. The weight of his body and the speed of his leap forced
Alto’s sword to plunge into his chest. His dagger fell from his
hands and he slumped forward, gravity pulling him back off the
boy’s sword.
Alto stared down at him, shocked
“Surrender!” Alto challenged both the goblins
and the men behind them. He didn’t know if the goblins could
understand him but he had to give them a chance. “We’ll help you
escape. You won’t have to see your boss again.”
“Kill him!”
Alto jumped forward, kicking one goblin
between the legs and smashing his hilt into the face of another. He
lashed out while the others were stunned, killing one and then
driving his blade through the parry of the last one in an overhand
strike that left his sword stuck in the goblin’s skull. Alto had to
plant his foot in the corpse’s chest to yank his blade free.
The two men had climbed through the cave-in
and were rushing toward him, both with swords in hand. Alto held
his ground, doubt gnawing at him. Facing goblins was one thing.
They were little better than the wolf he’d wrestled. Humans were no
different than him. Even if they held different reasons and
beliefs, they could be as skilled and as dangerous.
Alto remembered Kar’s words pointing out that
he hadn’t beaten Tristam. He’d made the seasoned warrior yield, but
their weapons hadn’t been real. These men had steel that gleamed in
the light that danced behind them and cast long shadows. Their
bodies were covered in metal-studded leather, and over that they
wore tabards with the Kingdom’s seal on it.
Alto gasped. He stumbled backwards, buying
himself time while he tried to make sense of it. Kingdom guards
working with goblins? Commanding them, even? And referring to their
boss whom they couldn’t escape?
“Traitors!” Alto growled and came to a stop
in the tunnel.
The men slowed. The one closest to Alto
laughed. “Traitors? Oh, the uniforms. You thought we were your
king’s men? Ha! Fool. Why, you’re nothing but a boy. A child with a
sword, playing soldier.”
“Careful, he’s big,” the other man
warned.
“Probably still wets the bed,” the first one
said. “Imagine his mother crying when she can’t tuck him in
tonight!”
Alto charged forward, smashing his broadsword
into the hastily raised defense of the man taunting him. He heard
him grunt from the impact and felt the pretend soldier’s blade
drop. He bore down on him, forcing the sword down farther until it
rested on the man’s chest.
“You are strong,” the man wheezed as he
struggled against Alto. “But are you—”
Alto slammed the fist not holding his sword
into the man’s face, knocking him back. Alto’s adversary kept his
feet and raised his sword back up to show a semblance of defense.
He turned and spat out blood, and then had his sword smashed free
from his hand by Alto’s battering blade.
The man’s partner saved him, slipping past
his partner and lunging at Alto. Remembering Trina’s move earlier,
the farm boy spun in hopes of driving the man back. Rather than
forcing a retreat, Alto’s blade glanced off the chain coif the man
wore, knocking him to the ground. His head crashed into one of the
rocks that had been pulled free of the cave-in. His body came to
rest without any further movement.
The other attacker had grabbed his sword and
was straightening to face Alto. He lunged forward, hacking at Alto
so crudely even the sixteen-year-old could knock the strike aside.
The sword struck the rock wall, bouncing back of its own volition
and hitting Alto on the hip as he stepped into his next attack.
Alto’s sword was blunted by the metal studs in the man’s armor but
the force of the strike knocked his foe to one knee and left his
sword arm hanging limp at his side.
“Surrender!” Alto said, leveling the wide
point of his blade at the man’s chest.
“This is a quicker death,” the goblin handler
wheezed, drawing his dagger in his left hand and lunging toward
Alto. The weight of his body and the speed of his leap forced
Alto’s sword to plunge into his chest. His dagger fell from his
hands and he slumped forward, gravity pulling him back off the
boy’s sword.
Alto stared down at him, shocked
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