The Guardian

Chapter Fourteen

There were three of them. Nora was in no mood to be bothered now. Her heart was breaking more with each breath she took. She was losing Jack. She needed to repair the damage done to their relationship. But now, she might not get that chance.

True, apart from a lucky shot, it was unlikely either of them would be killed. But a serious injury would slow them down. It wasn't that she was in any particular rush to get to her father's home—as she had no idea what she would find there—but it felt now like they were being proactive. Surely, there would be some answers there.

Two of the bandits set upon Jack and a third one grabbed her by the arms. Jack dispatched one of his attackers quickly with his dagger, but the second was larger than he was and proving more difficult to dispense with.

For a moment, Nora froze. All her training immediately melted from her mind. What should she do? What could she do? The attacker held her arms. He obviously didn't expect any trouble from her. That would be to her advantage, but how? The man wrestling with Jack pulled out a pistol. "We just want the girl," he said. "You don't need to die. I can knock you out and be long gone when you awaken."

"You'll have to kill me first," Jack roared.

"I can do that." The man boasted.

"You can try!"

Jack's fight continued, but the threat shook Nora out of her frightened haze and spurred her into action. She sagged against the man holding her, feigning a faint. He loosened his grip on her just enough. When he thought she was about to fall, she jerked back up and slammed her head into his face. She heard the scream and crunch of bone. She stepped on his insole and shoved her elbow into his stomach. The man staggered away from her cupping his face just long enough for Nora to free her dagger.

"The wee bitch broke my nose!"

Before Nora could get away, the man dove for her, and they fell to the ground as the struggle continued. He grabbed her wrist that was holding the dagger and began to slam it into the ground, trying to force her hand open so the knife would fall out. Nora held onto the dagger for dear life. The man tried to pin Nora's other wrist, but the blood from his nose—that was now falling on her—made his grasp slippery.

Nora reached out with her free hand, searching the ground for anything she could use as a weapon. When her fingers met stone, she closed her hand and smashed the rock up against the man's head. When the man listed to the side, his grip on her dagger hand faltered and Nora reached out and swung her arm around and down as hard as she could, planting the dagger in the man's back. Her aim was true and the dagger landed between the man's shoulder blades. He fell atop her in a dead heap.

Her arm radiated with pain from the death blow, and she struggled to extricate herself from underneath her fallen attacker. When she finally did, she staggered to her feet, still holding the rock and the dagger. She looked down at her hands and stared in amazement. The stone in her hand was the Philosopher's Stone. The hidden pocket in her cloak must have torn loose during the struggle and freed it. She had never imagined the stone as a weapon, but that was exactly what it had just proven to be. She stared at it, transfixed. She had been hiding the stone in her cloak for years. It had never come loose before—not once.

Jack's continued struggle pulled her out of her thoughts when she heard him order her to run. Run? Was he mad? Did he not think she could protect him, as well? She had just killed a man. He continued to order her to go. She watched his struggle and seethed with rage. He may be furious with her now, but she was not about to leave him to die.

She quickly assessed his fight. Both men were gaining and losing ground with the same rate of recurrence. One man would gain the advantage and then quickly lose it. She considered launching herself at the man and making the odds two against one, but she suspected that would be more of a hindrance. Instead, she shoved the stone into another hidden pocket in her cloak that held a small amount of emergency money and ran for the cart. She pulled out the bow and arrow they brought with them for hunting. Her skills were strongest with this weapon, and she could use it from a distance. She notched an arrow, drew and waited for her moment.