The Clovel Destroyer by Thorn Bishop Press Page A

Esterblud saw the men, suspicious of
an ambush, looking closely at the forest which lined both sides of
the trail. Two of the riders pulled a spear from behind their back
while the rest satisfied themselves by pulling their short swords.
They came to a stop several paces in front of the Esterblud, their
ossanes snorting and rearing their heads high above the riders. The group knew the colors of the warrior in their way, and it gave them a slight pause.
    A short man with thick arms, speaking in broken
Esterblud with a jeering tone spoke, “Move aside and we might let
you live .” There was a laugh from the group
which quickly faded as the young warrior remained quiet, his eyes
carefully looking for the most dangerous of his enemy. The man with
the thick arms stood out as the leader. However, the Esterblud
spotted another warrior showing long gray hair flowing beneath his
helmet. That man concerned him first.
    “ F ighters who
become old through skill and cunning. To survive long, you must
watch out for them.”
    The words of his father filled his head as he kept
careful watch of the old warrior. But his attention quickly shifted
to the spear holders in the back of the group. They spoke in whispers, and the Esterblud could make out
parts of the Aberffraw tongue. He felt their eagerness, wanting to prove themselves. The warrior slowly gripped
his Clovel Sword.
    “ I’m Urith of the Penhda clan. I give you fair warning. You can leave, or you can die,” the giant suddenly spoke to the
group. “It’s your choice on this day.”
    As he expected from his deliberate provocation, the
Esterblud saw one of the men holding a spear grow dark with rage.
The spear flew toward the warrior who dodged the projectile. There
was a fleeting instant before the Aberffraw with the thick arms
suddenly attacked.
    Urith could hear himself yelling the battle cry as
he pulled one of the spears from the ground, swiftly embedding it
into the chest of the oncoming ossane. The dying animal pitched
forward, sending its rider into the dirt of the trail as the Clovel
Destroyer finished off the rider by driving his sword into the
man’s back. His instinct and training since childhood guided the
Esterblud giant as he stood next to the body, ready for battle. The
expected onslaught came as the remaining warriors came at him. A
spear struck his shield, glancing off as he ducked away from a
sword blow swung at him by one of the passing riders. Urith felt the blow on his exposed back as another raider hacked at him. The impact of the blade
sent him staggering, but fortunately, it failed to cut through the
chain mail. Catching a glance at another rider coming in close, the
Esterblud crouched low to avoid the short sword. He swung the
Clovel Sword into the legs of the ocean, which fell to the ground.
Both animal and rider screamed as the helpless creature panicked,
rolling over onto the man, crushing him in the saddle.
    The giant warrior used the melee to his advantage,
sprinting over a few paces to his spear still stuck in the soil. He
turned just in time to launch his weapon at one of the Aberffraw’s
bearing down on him. The Esterblud spear entered the man’s abdomen,
pushing through his back. The man lost control of his ossane and
the animal suddenly ran toward the Esterblud. Urith barely dodged
the cloven hoofs which left him vulnerable to an enemy who waited
for the right moment. Before the young Esterblud realized what
happened, a sword tip passed between the face guard on his helmet.
He tasted the blood and felt the impact of the iron blade striking
into his teeth and bone. Blood splattered inside his helmet,
blinding him. Dazed from the blow, Urith spun away from the brunt
of the attack, sending his longsword slicing
high through the air. He felt the sword strike something hard, and he heard the groan, although he was
not certain of the source. Unable to stop himself, he fell to one
knee, unable to see his enemy. The blood poured from his face