The Nun and King

Chapter 27

Lugos frowns and steps forward, then again until the two of us are mirroring the other while moving in a circle. My eyes immediately search for any weak spots in his flashy ebony armor but other than the typical few behind the knees, the underarms, or his bare hands I find none. Suddenly he lunges forward and I parry a strike before countering. My blade slices at his protected shoulder but has done nothing. Not wanting to lose my momentum I twist and take another swing though he blocks it with ease. We take turns ducking, parrying, lunging, striking, and attempting combinations, all to no avail.

"Will you just die already," he mutters, attacking again. As we fight, it becomes clear that just because he chose to sit atop his horse the entire time--his armor remaining pristine--did not mean that the Bulgin couldn't fight. In fact I encounter many close calls as the two of us try to hack away at each other. Remaining on horseback has also allotted him more energy than myself and I struggle to keep up. Noticing, he smirks and takes a low swing at my ankles forcing me to hop over, throwing me off balance.

Anticipating this, he places his boot on my chest as I land and kicks me backwards sending me to the ground. Looking up, I can just make out his form which is obscured by the sun and instinctively roll out of the way. I heard his blade made contact with the earth with an audible thud. But before I can get up the old man rejoins Lugos looking bloody and battered. He grips my hair and forces me up onto my knees pulling at the roots. I feel the sting of a cool blade as he presses his into my throat. I also feel the warmth of my blood as it mixes with the temperate air before a slow stream runs down into my undershirt.

"Just say the words, my lord," the old man says.

Refusing to wait around and hear whatever Lugos will tell him, I pull out my second dagger from my waist band and drive it straight down into the old man's foot. He lets out a wail and releases me and in one swift movement I snatch the dagger and turn around before shoving it upwards into his side hoping for his kidney. The color drains from his face and I know I've hit my target as he collapses to the ground.

Retrieving my sword I pick it up and once again block a strike just in time from Lugos. "You are a magnificent swordsman, I'll give you that," he compliments in an annoyed tone. "Kniving too."

As we fight, his movements become more wild and less calculated and I learn to predict some of his moves. But as time goes on we each grow more exhausted and it's only a matter of who will slip up first. When my overhead swing comes down and slices off his left ear, I am left open and the tip of his greatsword catches my left hand as he drops his weapon in pain. There is a blinding heat that shoots up my arm and I stagger back, holding up my hand. Where my left pinky and ring finger was have been replaced with two bloody stumps. Panicking, I look at Lugos and am thankful to see that he has dropped his guard and fumbles with his ear that is hanging on by only a sliver of skin.

His eyes dart to mine and rips off the rest of his ear, tossing it aside. Lunging at me, he tackles me to the ground, straddling me. Blood coats the side of his face, his eyes wide with a crazed expression. His fingers find my throat and he begins to strangle me, crushing my windpipe. I try to pull his hands away but my strength has all but failed me and I can only paw at him with one good hand. He grits his teeth and lets out a strained laugh causing spittle to rain down on my face. My vision slowly fills with black flecks and I know I only have a few seconds before I'm unconscious. Giving up on trying to release his grip I reach up and claw at his face and I'm able to jam my thumb into one of his eyes. He lets out a bellow of pain and his grip loosens. Pulling my chin down, I crane my neck and sink my teeth into the flesh of his right hand causing my mouth to fill with the taste of iron. He finally lets go of my throat completely and I suck in a desperate breath of air, choking as my lungs fill with oxygen.