Eira could almost sense the stinging presence of the Archman's rapier at her throat, though it is still about an inch away from making any physical contact. She could feel a bead of sweat rolling down her temple, though it could have just as easily been from the midday heat rather than the tense atmosphere.
Her body is caught in a rigid stiffness which keeps her breathing shallow and her muscles strained. In spite of this, she finds herself able to keep a level head, almost as if her consciousness is removed from her corporeal form.
"Go ahead." The Archman proclaims directly at Kinsley, keeping a firm grip on Eira's left arm. Though his touch is clearly restrictive in nature, it isn't painful, or even all that uncomfortable.
The Archman locks eyes with Kinsley, an unamused expression plastered across both their faces, each being pulled downwards slightly by a furrowed brow.
Kinsley runs through several different tactics in his mind, trying to determine how best to proceed. He moves his hand from his rapier to the handle of a flintlock pistol secured in his belt, analyzing his chances of hitting the Archman. Given the distance from his target and the probability of accidentally gunning down Eira, he quickly decides against it. This places him back where he began, still no more certain how to contend with his foe. Suddenly, he is struck with inspiration.
"Seems we've found ourselves in a bit of a stalemate." Kinsley straightens his posture and speaks with a declaratory tone, to place himself on the same rhetorical echelon as the Archman.
"An astute observation." The Archman nods with a put-on candor.
"I have to say, I am disappointed to see you resorting to such a paltry scheme, taking an innocent woman hostage."
"Don't apply your insipid standards to me. What kind of man do you take me for?" The Archman rebukes with an abrasive demeanour.
"Well, if the famous poem is any metric to go by, I expected you to be a creature with the capacity for rational discourse, in spite of your depraved nature." Kinsley's provocative words spur the Archman's already dour mood in a very deliberate fashion.
"Tell your damn poets to keep their creativity to themselves." The Archman snaps back bitterly.
"Well, you can see now why I am disappointed." Kinsley incites the Archman further. "You are hardly the being your fables made you out to be."
"And whose fault is that?" The Archman retaliates with a calm but sharp lash.
"I'll admit to my false assumptions, but don't neglect the opportunity you have to live up to your title."
"Opportunity? I don't exactly see this as a favourable engagement." The Archman retaliates.
Kinsley unsheathes his rapier and holds it at his side with regal occasion.
"If you wish to prove you're capable of some modicum of civility and honor, then perhaps we could form an agreement?"
"What did you have in mind?" The Archman inquires with a skeptical reservation.
"Settle this feud with me properly." Kinsley raises his blade, pointing its tip towards the Archman.
"You want a duel?" The Archman inquires with a hint of curiosity in his voice, which slowly washes the suspicion away.
"Do you accept?" Kinsley asks with an evidently taunting tone.
The Archman takes several seconds to consider Kinsley's proposal. He shifts his sight down to Eira, who looks up to meet his gaze. They connect silently for a moment, then the Archman returns his glare to Kinsley.
YOU ARE READING
The Archman
RomanceWhile departing for London to meet with her fiancé, Eira Pryce finds herself taken captive by a living legend, the fabled pirate known only as the Archman. As it turns out, the fables may not have been so accurate in their portrayal of this mythic f...
