looking for an opening to join the fight. At this point, I knew all was lost. Robie and I might kill one of the three Vangars, perhaps even two if we were extremely lucky, but three? There was no way. With Corsan’s revolver maybe, but I knew that if I spent any more time searching for it, they’d kill Robie.
The Vangars laughed as they saw me joining the fight. Here I was, a delicate half-Tal’mar female with a tiny cutlass that they could easily have broken over their knees. The very idea that I would fight them was laughable. One of them even nodded approvingly, as if he was impressed with my bravery. Then he lashed out at me with his sword and it was all I could do just to get out of the way.
“Get back!” Robie shouted at me. “Run!”
“No!” I shouted back. “I’m not leaving you to die.”
He stepped sideways, nudging me with his shoulder, knocking me off balance. I didn’t expect it, and he nearly knocked me over. “Get back you fool,” he said. “Run for the hills!”
I snorted. “Don’t be a hero on my account,” I said. “I’m not letting you die alone.”
One of the Vangars swung at him with a large battle-axe. Robie caught the weight of the blow with the sword in his left hand and pushed it aside. He lunged forward with the second blade, grazing the thigh of his attacker. As he did this, the Vangar to his right stepped in and brought the hilt of his sword down, smashing it over the top of Robie’s head.
Robie staggered back, shaking his head, and dropped suddenly to his knees. For a moment, I thought they’d brained him. Then Robie rolled back out of their reach and jumped back to his feet. He shook his head, clearing out the cobwebs as rivulets of blood streaked down his face.
I glanced at him, frowning, and back at the Vangars. They were smiling. I knew then that our deaths would be slow and painful.
“They’re toying with us,” I muttered. “They could easily kill us.”
“I’m not going to make it that easy,” Robie said defiantly.
The Vangar with the axe took a step forward, raising it over his head as if to split us in half in one easy blow. I knew what he was doing. He would swing the axe, and we’d move, He’d miss, but one of the others would sneak in and attack us at the same time. Not with deadly force, though. They’d slice us and stab us first. They’d wear us down like a cat playing with a field mouse.
I stared up at the axe wondering whether I should move or just stand there and let him finish me off. I hadn’t yet decided when the tip of an arrow suddenly protruded from the Vangar’s throat and blood splattered my face. I stumbled back, blinking in surprise. Instantly, a second appeared in his chest. The Vangar dropped his axe and reached for the arrow at his throat, and then collapsed on the ground before me. He was dead.
The other Vangars turned, searching the darkness behind them. Two more arrows came out of nowhere, the first lodging in the chest of the Vangar to our right, the second in the chest of the Vangar to our left. There was a moment of eerie silence as we all stood there, shocked, trying to make sense of this turn of events. They both fell to the ground and I lowered my stance, trying to make myself a smaller target as I gazed into the darkness.
“Who is it?” Robie whispered next to me. “Are those Tal’mar arrows? What do you see?”
I didn’t respond. I was watching the dim purple shape that appeared in the darkness just over the hill and walked slowly towards us. After a few moments, our Tal’mar savior came into view. It was Tam. He surveyed the scene, taking it all in.
“That man isn’t a Vangar,” he said, pointing at the general with the tip of his bow.
“He was my friend,” I said.
Tam knelt over the bodies of the fallen Vangar warriors, checking them for signs of life as he retrieved his arrows. “They die readily enough,” he observed
“You were following us,” Robie said accusingly. It wasn’t a
The Vangars laughed as they saw me joining the fight. Here I was, a delicate half-Tal’mar female with a tiny cutlass that they could easily have broken over their knees. The very idea that I would fight them was laughable. One of them even nodded approvingly, as if he was impressed with my bravery. Then he lashed out at me with his sword and it was all I could do just to get out of the way.
“Get back!” Robie shouted at me. “Run!”
“No!” I shouted back. “I’m not leaving you to die.”
He stepped sideways, nudging me with his shoulder, knocking me off balance. I didn’t expect it, and he nearly knocked me over. “Get back you fool,” he said. “Run for the hills!”
I snorted. “Don’t be a hero on my account,” I said. “I’m not letting you die alone.”
One of the Vangars swung at him with a large battle-axe. Robie caught the weight of the blow with the sword in his left hand and pushed it aside. He lunged forward with the second blade, grazing the thigh of his attacker. As he did this, the Vangar to his right stepped in and brought the hilt of his sword down, smashing it over the top of Robie’s head.
Robie staggered back, shaking his head, and dropped suddenly to his knees. For a moment, I thought they’d brained him. Then Robie rolled back out of their reach and jumped back to his feet. He shook his head, clearing out the cobwebs as rivulets of blood streaked down his face.
I glanced at him, frowning, and back at the Vangars. They were smiling. I knew then that our deaths would be slow and painful.
“They’re toying with us,” I muttered. “They could easily kill us.”
“I’m not going to make it that easy,” Robie said defiantly.
The Vangar with the axe took a step forward, raising it over his head as if to split us in half in one easy blow. I knew what he was doing. He would swing the axe, and we’d move, He’d miss, but one of the others would sneak in and attack us at the same time. Not with deadly force, though. They’d slice us and stab us first. They’d wear us down like a cat playing with a field mouse.
I stared up at the axe wondering whether I should move or just stand there and let him finish me off. I hadn’t yet decided when the tip of an arrow suddenly protruded from the Vangar’s throat and blood splattered my face. I stumbled back, blinking in surprise. Instantly, a second appeared in his chest. The Vangar dropped his axe and reached for the arrow at his throat, and then collapsed on the ground before me. He was dead.
The other Vangars turned, searching the darkness behind them. Two more arrows came out of nowhere, the first lodging in the chest of the Vangar to our right, the second in the chest of the Vangar to our left. There was a moment of eerie silence as we all stood there, shocked, trying to make sense of this turn of events. They both fell to the ground and I lowered my stance, trying to make myself a smaller target as I gazed into the darkness.
“Who is it?” Robie whispered next to me. “Are those Tal’mar arrows? What do you see?”
I didn’t respond. I was watching the dim purple shape that appeared in the darkness just over the hill and walked slowly towards us. After a few moments, our Tal’mar savior came into view. It was Tam. He surveyed the scene, taking it all in.
“That man isn’t a Vangar,” he said, pointing at the general with the tip of his bow.
“He was my friend,” I said.
Tam knelt over the bodies of the fallen Vangar warriors, checking them for signs of life as he retrieved his arrows. “They die readily enough,” he observed
“You were following us,” Robie said accusingly. It wasn’t a
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