Eternal Winter

Ringing Fortune: Part IV

Sammy was admiring his new dagger as I brandished it and showed him some moves. There was a subtle shift in the Earth under the soles of my boots as my only warning before I turned the corner. We stepped directly into trouble, with no way to back out. I could hardly take to the skies again, much less take more than two steps without having the soon-to-be hostile crowd fall on my heels. 

The soldier from last night had decided to return with a lot more friends this time. They were sharing several bottles of ale and wine amongst themselves. Eubert had met my eye the same moment I caught his. His eyes were unfocused, and his stare seemed uncertain—he was throwing wild glances between me and his friends. As his other friends picked up on my presence, though, the whispers began and quietly pushed Eubert to close the distance with a few, swaying steps. 

I immediately moved in front of Sammy, slipping him his dagger behind my back and out of sight of the bloodthirsty onlookers. "Just keep walking, Mister. We don't want this holiday to end ugly," I stated in a hushed tone.

Eubert threw a nervous glance over his shoulder, I could see the reluctance in his stare. It was very quickly won out by his craving for superiority, helped by his liquid courage. 

Although, his friends were of no help to me either, as their hearty cries and shouts egged him on from the sidelines. "What're you waitin' fer? Get'er Eubert! Teach her what it means to disrespect a soldier of Mysti!" There was a chorus of cheers as Eubert tried to shove me with one hand.

I slipped away from his clusmy touch, but I did not back down. I whispered through gritted teeth, trying to keep myself in check, "Don't do this."

But no word of mine would dissuade him any longer. He had made up his mind. "Ay, lass, you may have skimped out on the lesson last night due to that nosy chap, but he ain't around any longer," he taunted, becoming more and more eager with each passing moment. He swayed into a fighter's stance and held up two fists in front of him eagerly. A wild cry went up from the crowd. They had begun to creep around and close in behind Sammy and me. Eubert's stare was zeroed in on me, though, and it was all he saw. "Just you an' me. And I'll see to it you learn to have some respect for us hard-workin' lawkeepers." 

With that, he threw a clumsy punch at me. I stepped out of the way, shoving Sammy along to remain behind me as I moved.

My brother piped up then, "You insulted a soldier?" I kept my mouth clamped shut and only offered a shrug of my shoulders.

I danced around for a few more moments when I saw Eubert becoming progressively more frustrated, and his swings becoming more erratic, desperate to make a show. I took in a slow breath and thrust a quick jab into his abdomen. He doubled over retching, and then gasping for breath. I quickly turned and tried to usher Sammy on.

I was no more than a couple steps when my head was wrenched back, caught by my braid. Instantly, I lashed out with a blind kick, envisioning the attackers position. His grip loosened and I managed to free myself, but in that moment all his friends were on me, spurred on by drunken bravery. My training came back in a blind rush. I fought as I had with Teacher so many times, so long ago. These men were not Teacher, though, and they were not predictable in their movement. I held my own for a minute. 

I blocked my head and threw an elbow in return. 

I side-stepped a kick and lashed out with my own. 

I took a punch to my gut but replied with a harder force. 

I blocked and kicked and punched—but their sense of pain was dulled by liquor, whereas I felt each blow...I was wearing down too quickly in the crowd.

Everything stacked against me when my feet were swept out from underneath me.

On the ground, I was in a bad spot. Sammy was too far; I couldn't see him anymore. With a stars-inducing hit, my face shoved through the snow and hit the solid ground below. I felt my lip split. The metallic taste of blood flowed into my mouth along with the gritty mush. I shoved my hand straight into it, and then they tumbled one-by-one to the ground around me as Water interlocked into ice and threw them off balance. 

I got to my feet and tried to get to Sammy. My head woozy and my feet unsteady, I leaned against the nearby building for support. Sammy was suddenly at my side and helping to lead me away. There was no way we were going to outrun them and I couldn't hold them off again. We were quickly going to be overpowered.

"Get out of here," I said, spitting out a gob of blood. "I'll hold them off."

Sammy glared at me with fire in his eyes. "Do you know how stupid that sounds, right after you give me a dagger?"

I looked at him, agape. "But, that's..."

"No," he grumbled. "It's not any different." He unslung my arm from around his shoulders, letting me lean against the brick wall alone.

"Sammy," I cautioned, even as his back moved in front of me.

I could see his hand trembling, even as he unsheathed his new dagger with a white-knuckled grip. It was obvious by the jeers everyone else saw as well. One of the friend's stepped up to Sammy with a chuckle. "Put the knife down, boy. This ain't playtime."

"You're right, it's just business as usual—taking out the trash," Sammy quipped, the faintest quiver in his voice.

The man's smile fell off his face. "Gimme that," he growled as he reached for the dagger.

Sammy stepped back. "Back off!" he snapped, taking a swipe at the man.

The short dagger was no immediate threat to the man, as his range was longer and he was much bigger than Sammy. Within moments, though, that shifted...just as the dagger did when it bit straight into the man's arm. The man immediately jumped back, pulling his off and away from the blade with blood trickling down from the fresh hole. All eyes locked on Sammy and his changed dagger, now shifted into a sword.