The Last Vanguard (The Sevordine Chronicles Book 1)

The Assassins

I want to run out and rescue my friends, but I'm absolutely terrified. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do or when the best time is to attack. I wish I could communicate with the others.

"Weren't there six of them?" one of the other men asks. "The one's down, but there's supposed to be a really big guy."

The man who seems to be in charge pauses for a moment before saying, "We'll have a good look for him once we're done here."

"And weren't there twelve of you?" Hemot asks defiantly.

The one in charge laughs again, and I recognize him as Searle, the man who spoke to the Regent. Any hope that maybe the Regent might be my friend is gone. "We always lose some along the way. That means when it comes time to divide the money, there's more to go around. One of the Vanguard put up a bit of a fight, and we lost a young guy who really hadn't been much help anyway. The other two have stayed back in case any of you escape our grasp. They'll pick you off easily."

I grip my sword tightly and prepare myself to charge. I hope my armor will keep me alive long enough to rescue my friends, but then I fear it might just keep me from dying. It won't stop me from losing a hand or a leg.

I close my eyes for a second and take a deep breath. I'm about to scream and charge when Rulf beats me to it, charging out of the forest to my left. He attacks two men right away. I hear what sounds like sticks breaking, but I'm sure that's the bones of the two men Rulf is twisting in his hands with his inhuman strength.

Now's the time. I charge forward just as my friends charge as well. I use my sword on the first man I reach. I don't want to kill him, so I don't drive the sword right into him. Instead, I slash the sword against the thick part of his armor at his shoulders, hoping to injure him with the impact rather than actually harm him. But when my sword strikes the man, I'm shocked to see that it not only slices right through the armor, but through the entire man's back and down to his hip. I watch in horror as the man falls in two pieces to the ground.

Another man charges me with his sword drawn. Without thinking, I swing my sword. He easily raises his own up to deflect the blow, but instead of deflecting my swing, his sword is sliced in two, and I feel very little resistance as my blade continues through the man's armor and through his chest.

I turn back to the others, trying my best to focus. I know we have to do what we can to survive. Ellcia and Marleet are wrestling a man to the ground, although it doesn't look like they'll hold him down much longer. Hemot has managed to pin down one of the men. Another of the assassins is on the ground with a bolt through his neck, which I assume was Mic's doing. Still another man lays at Mic's feet, and Mic is battling it out like a madman with yet another of the men, swords flashing back and forth. That man goes down a second later. Mic is good with the sword, but I expect the armor is making it difficult for the assassins to concentrate on him.

I want to go help the others, but I'm afraid my sword will just as easily cut through my friends as it will through the men. I find myself rooted to the ground, unsure of what to do.

Mic runs up to the assassin Hemot is fighting and finishes the man off quickly with his sword. I glance back at Ellcia and Marleet, just as the man throws them off. They land with a thud, and he draws his sword. Before he can attack, however, Rulf reaches him.

The man's sword clatters to the ground as his body is lifted into the air. The look on Rulf's face is a look of rage and hunger, and I watch in revulsion as Rulf attacks. I find myself at a loss for how to understand what I'm seeing, other than to say that Rulf... breaks the man.

I turn around and quickly count the bodies, keeping my eyes from landing on the ones I killed. All nine are accounted for.

I feel arms wrap around me, and it's Hemot. A moment later, Ellcia and Marleet join him.