The Reformation Wars: Conflicts Rekindled

Chapter 14

Manfred barely recovered from his shock in time to sidestep Juan's initial attack. He found himself allotted only a few seconds afterward to unsheathe his own longsword and immediately swing it through a series of guard positions to block a flurry of his opponent's followup strikes. Juan retained a strong advance, constantly pushing Manfred toward the back wall. His saber blurred from the speed of its attacks. By some miracle, Manfred kept up and defended himself, exhibiting a surprising adeptness in the Torlenian style.

Still, Manfred's breath caught in his throat and his heart raced from the tension. Every incoming sword stroke looked to be his last, but he managed to block or parry every one in rapid succession. Juan wasn't letting up. But neither had Manfred's training failed him yet.

Manfred gasped when he backed into a chair and stumbled. Juan immediately took advantage of his faltering footwork to swing a heavy-handed blow. A quick jerk of Manfred's sword knocked the saber aside, but Juan had still succeeded in knocking him further off balance. He caught himself on a nearby table, but having taken one hand off his hilt to do so rendered his moves with his lengthy sword much more sluggish.

Juan came in for a blow to the chest, which Manfred blocked. But the older man redirected his blade with a quick pivot, and Manfred wasn't able to defend in time. The curved blade bit into his shoulder, drawing a hiss to his lips and blood to the surface.

Manfred stumbled away with his longsword in a guard position that covered most of his body. When Juan charged at him again, he kicked a nearby chair into his path. Sputtering curses, Juan tripped and landed on his hands and knees. Manfred rushed in to snatch the curved blade from his hand.

But a swift swipe of the saber kept Manfred at bay, and before he could advance again, Juan had already leapt to his feet. He kicked the chair back. Manfred cried out at the impact of wood on his shins. But he found himself forced to ignore the pain in favor of parrying a lightning-fast cut from his opponent. This time, he saw the pivoting return strike coming, so he warded that attack off as well.

Manfred and Juan continued in a mostly balanced fight consisting of strong offense countered by equally thorough defense. Due to inexperience, Manfred faltered here and there, but he always managed to recover in time to avoid serious injury. The slice in his shoulder bothered him constantly throughout the fight, but the thought that any mistake could mean far worse injury motivated him to keep going.

Juan's ever-moving sword confused Manfred at first when it swung in an X-shaped pattern so fast that it became invisible. But judging by the position of his opponent's arm, Manfred used the greater heft of his longsword to stop the smaller blade's momentum and temporarily throw Juan off balance.

Juan recovered so quickly that Manfred puzzled over if he had truly stumbled or not. Another attack whizzed at Manfred's eye, so he parried. His longsword blade swiveled around the other and tore halfway into Juan's neck. The nobleman's eyes widened, and a weak grunt escaped his lips. Blood spurted from an artery, and when Manfred yanked his sword away in shock, the flow only grew stronger.

The saber clattered from Juan's hand, and then he dropped to his knees with a loud crack. He weakly attempted breathing for another second before falling face first onto the floor. His growing puddle of blood reddened the wooden floorboards.

Witnessing his second death for the day, Manfred's heart beat erratically. He dropped his own sword out of shock and fell to his own knees, throat tightening so much he could barely breathe. A war broke out in his mind as he debated whether or not what he had just done was really right. What made him and Juan any different?

Manfred further lamented the fact that he hadn't just killed any traitorous knight; he had just slain Juan Feliz, Andre's father. How would he tell him? What would he tell him? Surely Andre wouldn't be easily swayed to the opinion that his father, the most respectable knight the order had to offer, was in reality a double agent with a hand in both Monterayne and Innutuk's coffers.