The Lady Knight

Chapter XLIII: Doubts and Decisions

The Lady Knight

It was as if time had slowed.

There was a moment when the guards tormenting Nick and Richard beside me seemed to realise what had happened – that their Master had fallen – and ceased to move. However, it was for only a moment, for they began to attack the twins again with even greater viciousness.

Assured that James would not be able to stand up and fight me again, I proceeded towards the twins, who truly seemed like they needed help.

"Jules, please listen to me and leave now," Richard advised shortly when he noticed me approach, struggling with almost five men simultaneously, "you had your duel like you wanted. Now leave. Nick will murder me if I get you killed in this bloodbath."

His grave expression told me he was not jesting.

However, even before I could process his words, one of the guards fighting Richard grabbed me, locking his arms around my chest such that my arms were trapped. Another stepped forward towards me and punched me hard on my cheek. I had barely seconds to recover before another staggering blow was delivered to my stomach.

Clearly, my choice was made.

The second one raised his fist once more, but I was better prepared this time. Pushing my legs off the ground, I used the man holding me to balance and plunged my boots into the stomach of the second one, sending him flying across the chamber. He slammed against the wall and crumpled into a heap. Then, I threw my head back, hitting the man holding me squarely on the nose.

His arms unlocked at once, as they flew to his nose to halt the bleeding. On instinct, I used his momentary weakness to my advantage, and punched his face a fair few times to knock him out well and truly. Before I could even step away from him, however, I felt someone kick me in the back of both my knees with ferocity, thrice in quick succession.

A searing pain, unlike anything that I had ever experienced before, seized my knees at that with such astonishing intensity that I buckled down, falling heavily on the curtains that framed the windows. I heard something topple over, but I paid no heed, as I tried to move my legs so that I could stand up.

I could not.

Instead, I flipped on my back on the ground to see who had attacked me from behind, noticing a well-built man sneering down at me triumphantly. "Coward," I spat up at him, "a true warrior fights his opponent in front of her."

'Who cares?" he smiled viciously, as he lifted his sword threateningly towards my middle.

I was already about to hold up my own to block his approaching blow, when he suddenly froze. His eyes bulged, and the grip on his sword slackened.

Only when he fell face-first beside me, with another dagger plunged into his back, did I realise that someone else had stabbed him from the back – a very furious, injured and bloodied Nick. The first thing I noticed was that his right arm hang suspiciously limp by his side.

"What are you still doing here?" he rasped, offering me his left arm up, "come, you need to leave, Julie!"

I was about to take it, before I smelled something amiss. I sniffed again, hoping that I was wrong.

"Nick," I whispered, "there is a fire somewhere here."

He was not listening to me, as another guard had pounced on him at that moment, and he was fending him off the both of us while he continued to speak. " – you have to run, Julie. I will never forgive myself if something happened to you - "

"Nick, listen to me!" I shouted, sitting upright as I began to cough, "there is a fire! Can you not smell the smoke?"

He froze at that, as did the guard he was fighting. They sniffed the air, and Nick looked around, confused for a moment, before his eyes narrowed on something behind me.