Rodrigo Zacara and the Mirror of Power

13. The Fight

They were trapped. Donegan had entered the infirmary without opening the door. He had simply appeared there, so the door was probably still locked. They couldn't escape through the window either as the blond knight had come to stand in their path. They were was no way they could escape. The only hope left to them was for Aisha to try to mentally contact someone and ask for help. Rodrigo glanced at her but he didn't notice the vacant expression she usually had when she was using her gift to communicate with others.

'That's enough nonsense, little ones,' said Donegan. 'Now, you're going to have to come with me.'

The blond knight began advancing towards them. His sword hung from his belt, still sheathed, but he always kept his hand near its hilt, prepared to use it at any moment. His eyes were fixed on the three of them, alert to any unexpected movement. Rodrigo, Oliver and Aisha started to retreat away from him, becoming cornered against Mirena's cupboards. Suddenly, they heard a bang, as though something had burst. Before they knew what was happening, Donegan had unsheathed his sword.

Rodrigo ducked down behind the bronze trunk and realised that Donegan hadn't drawn his sword on them, but on Balkar. The grand master had appeared at the door, which had been blasted to pieces.

'If I were you I would step away from those children,' said Balkar, raising his own sword to Donegan's chest.

'Well, look who's here! Our dear, grand master!' said the blond knight sarcastically. 'Did you really dare to come alone? Big mistake, my friend. You're going to regret it.'

In a flash, Donegan had directed a blow at Balkar's chest with such force that sparks flew when the grand master blocked it with his own sword. The power in the blow made Balkar stagger. He was about to fall back, which Donegan tried to exploit and deliver a second blow. This time, the grand master was more agile and, with a hand on the floor to avoid falling, he kicked his opponent in the stomach, giving himself enough time to get to his feet.

The fight continued for several minutes with an endless clashing of swords. Rodrigo felt as though the incessant cracks were piercing his ears as he remained crouching behind the trunk. Aisha was huddled next to him while Oliver was pressed against the cupboard of potions.

'Run!' Balkar shouted, trying to corner Donegan against the wall. 'Get out of here!'

Rodrigo considered the distance separating them from the door. They could cross the room in two or three seconds but just then, Donegan managed to move away from the wall and his sword once again began to slash the air, tracing wide circles that whistled endlessly. Trying to escape from the infirmary would be madness. Rodrigo attempted to think of a way to help the grand master when he suddenly heard the shrieking of clashing sword metal cease and, in its place, the sound of metal bouncing against the stone floor could be heard. He glanced up and saw Balkar on the floor. He had tripped over the sleeping body of Mirena and fallen, his sword slipping from his grasp. Donegan immediately approached him and pointed his sword's blade at the grand master's neck, stopping him from moving.

'Tell me what the last page said!' he ordered.

'What?' Balkar asked, taken aback.

'The last page of the diary, the one you tore out,' said Donegan. 'Tell me what it said!'

'Kill me, you coward!' Balkar replied. 'You know I'll never tell you anything.'

Rodrigo pushed his fists against the trunk in front of him. Donegan was about to kill the grand master and there was nothing they could do to stop him. He would kill him and then he would take them, surely to Arakaz. If he could just do something to distract Donegan, maybe Balkar could take advantage of the diversion to reclaim his sword. If he could just throw something...