The soldiers’ eyes filled with uncertainty. They shuffled backward. The sergeant thrust at Hacksaw’s belly.
Hacksaw banged the man’s metal aside in a fierce parry. He chopped the man in the shoulder. The sergeant went down to his knees with a painful howl. The other two imposters fled the deck. “It’s death for you, brigand!” Hacksaw put his sword to the man’s neck. “You better ask for mercy! You have but a moment!”
The sergeant bled heavily from the wound. “I-I-mercy!”
Inside the Oxen, it sounded like a bucking bull had been turned loose. The building trembled to the sound of thunder. Hacksaw moved up on the porch and peeked inside. The main floor collapsed into the basement. The bar looked like a ship half submerged. “Lords of Thunder!” He called out, “Nath! Nath! Where are you, man?”
The walls bowed and bucked. The entire building swayed as if it had been hit by a swift wind. All of a sudden, the floor above came down with a resounding crash.
Hacksaw dove off the porch into the road. A blast of dust, glass, and wood splinters hit him in the face. The city folk stood around with their jaws hanging. Some were wiping their eyes. Many were crying.
The murmuring broke out from the dusty, drunken faces. “I hope everyone made it out.”
“Where is Nina?”
“Who was that man that attacked her?”
“It was the man who kidnapped the princess. I saw his face. He is a demon.”
“I hope he’s dead.”
“Where is Nina?”
Hacksaw got up on a knee. He spit dust from his mouth. Green Tongue flickered like a burning emerald in his hand. The danger ain’t ended yet! Two men shoved through the crowd. One was a hard-faced dwarf, bald on top, with a look as mean as a rattlesnake. The other man was young, and moved with ease as he giggled at the collapsed building. Hacksaw knew immediately who they were—the Black Hand members Cullon and Worm. Their eyes fell upon him the moment the crowd said, “Councilman Cullon, this man killed our soldiers!”
Cullon glared at Hacksaw and pulled a battle axe from a sleeve on his back. “Is that so?”
***
Surrounded by darkness and half buried in the building, Nath pushed away the busted boards and debris. There wasn’t a crack of light anywhere, but Nath’s dragon vision helped him get his bearings. He pulled his hammer free and began crawling through clutter. The glow from the hammer’s gem cast light on his surroundings. Even though the building had collapsed, there were still pockets of space everywhere. His nostrils flared at the strong aroma of wine and ale.
Food dripped from the kitchen that must have been above him. He could smell baked pies and hot stew. There was a greasy smell too. Smoke wafted by his nose. A flame flickered somewhere behind him. The distinct crackle of flames caught his ear.
Oh gads, Riegelwood is about to have its biggest bonfire ever.
Deep in the darkness came a moan.
Nina!
Nath forced his way through the wreckage until he found her body, half buried and huddled around the bottom end of a broken post. He could see the woman’s chest rising and falling. Her breath was raspy. Nath might have hated Nina, but he didn’t want her to die. Suffer, yes; die, no. He crawled over some broken boards and scooted toward her. He grabbed her.
“Nina,” he said, “can you hear me?”
“Yes,” she said in a raspy voice. “It’s like poison in my ears. I wish you were dead. You destroyed my inn.”
“This inn is the least of your worries now. We need to get you out of here before the entire building turns to flame.”
“Let me burn with it. I have nothing to live for now. You win, Nath. My arms and legs are pinned down and I can’t move. I’m drained.”
“Don’t be a quitter. I’m getting you out so I can see you put in prison.” He started pushing away boards. He could see her body, but her arms and legs were covered underneath planks and beams. The glow from the Gauntlet of Goam was nowhere to be seen. “Don’t try anything.”
“Why would I go to prison?” she said without making so much as a wriggle. She just lay there, limp as a fox belt. “You escaped prison. You are an escapee. You kidnapped Janna.” She let out a long, ragged sigh. “You come from nowhere, of nothing, and have no leg to stand on. I am a councilwoman here. You endangered all of our guests and patrons. Do you really think you will come out of this unscathed?” She coughed a laugh. “You are still naïve.”
Looking her in the eyes, he said, “You make a very sound point. And I’ve given it plenty of consideration. But, regardless of your ill will toward me, I’m going to help you to safety.”
“Why would you do that? You can’t be that big of an idiot.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. You’re helpless, and what kind of man would I be to see a woman perish in the flames?” He unburied her left arm. The gem on the Gauntlet of Goam shone dimly on her hand. Nath looked in her eyes as he held his hammer in position for a quick strike. “Don’t try anything.”
“Oh, believe me, if I could knock those golden eyes out of your head, I would, but my shoulder is busted thanks to the fine timber that fell upon it. My arm’s not moving, but at least I can feel my fingers.”
Nath lifted the beams from her legs, uncovered the rest of her body, with a little push from her, and freed her from the debris. He put his arm around her waist, supporting her on her weaker side. “We’re going to have to squirm out of here, but we can make it.” He coughed as the burning smoke thickened.
“Stop talking and let’s go. As if you didn’t make it stuffy enough in here. And I can walk on my own. My shoulder’s busted, but not the rest of me.” Nina coughed.
“Just stand back.” Nath swung the hammer left and right, clearing a path through the havoc. The choking smoke filled his lungs. His eyes burned.
“There,” Nina said, coughing and choking, pointing her right arm over his shoulder. “That’s the cellar exit to the outside, head that way. Hurry.”
Nath knocked more boards aside. They stooped down into a small tunnel that led to stairs leading up. A pair of heavy wooden double doors waited. Nath shoved on them. “Locked from the outside.”
“Well, there’s nothing for anyone to steal now. Give it a whack with that hammer of yours before we both suffocate!”
Nath punched through the doors using the might of the hammer. Arm in arm they climbed out of the stairs, sucking in the fresh air. The crackling and popping fire spread over the tavern. Nath huffed out a breath as he came to his feet and helped Nina up to hers. “That was close.”
Looking down in his eyes, she said, shame-faced, “I suppose I should say thank you for saving my life.”
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
“Well, Nath, there is something that you need to know first.”
“What’s that?”
Her back straightened, her left arm cocked back. “I’m a great liar!” She busted him hard in the face, snapping his head back and sending him head over heels. “Fool!”
Nath crashed into a storage bin. Stars filled his eyes. He couldn’t move. His vision was obscured as Nina stormed right at him. “My shoulder was not busted!” She grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up face-to-face. “Now, I’m going to do to you what you did to my tavern!”
CHAPTER 69
“That’s a fine length of steel you carry,” Cullon said to Hacksaw.
Sword in hand, Hacksaw’s eyes slid from Cullon to Worm. He shifted his feet into a fighting stance. Nath told him about Worm and his ability to displace. Hacksaw would have to watch the man carefully. He faced the dwarf. The scars on Cullon’s bare forearms and forehead told him that the man was a seasoned warrior. He’d fought alongside many before in his time. They never stopped until the fight was over, with or without their limbs. “Why don’t you come a little closer and I’ll let you kiss it,” Hacksaw replied.
“Bold words for a man whose bones rattle.” Cullon advanced a step, flipping his battle axe from side to side. It was a cruel-loo
king device, double-bladed with razor-sharp batwing edges. A full squad of soldiers made a ring around the three men. “Back off! I’ll handle this upstart!”
“As you wish, Counselor Cullon,” the sergeant in arms replied. “Back away, men. Let our champions handle this. Perhaps you’ll learn a thing or two.”
Hacksaw pointed two fingers at Cullon. “You are a disgrace to your kind, dwarf. A thief. A slaver. Your time has come.” Audible gasps came from the crowd. Confused glances were exchanged among the soldiers.
“He speaks lies,” Worm said with a sneer. His hands were hidden inside his loose clothing. He paced smoothly, in a short walk, back and forth. “This stranger rides into town, kills our soldiers, and tells inflammatory stories. It will be a certain death for him if he does not surrender.”
Hacksaw pushed up his sleeve, revealing his tattoo. “I’m a knight of the legionnaires. Everyone knows we don’t lie.”
The big-eyed soldiers leaned forward. Grumbling broke out among the people.
Cullon fired back in his gruff voice, “Infidel imposter! I’ll cut your lying tongue out!” He charged Hacksaw. Their weapons clashed in a loud ring of steel. Back and forth in battle they went in a violent series of thrusts and parries.
Bang! Clang! Slice!
Cullon pressed the attack like a ravenous wolf. His chops came short and powerful. He thrust with ferocity. There was no error in his movement. The strokes he unleashed were fatal. Hacksaw’s sword arm labored to bat the blows aside. He countered with quick slashes across Cullon’s eyes. He stabbed at the stocky man’s gut.
Cullon swatted the blow away and let out a grunt-like laugh. “You tire quickly, Gray Hair. Don’t worry, you shall rest soon.” He unleashed a double-handed side swing that would take a tree down.
Twisting his hips and sword around at the same time, Hacksaw blocked the blow. The collision of blades shook his arms to the shoulder. His fingers went numb. Cullon was right. Hacksaw hadn’t had a hard fight in decades.
Lords of Thunder! If I were a younger man I’d have turned the bearded toad into dog food by now!
Fighting to keep up with the tireless dwarf’s heavy-handed blows, he lost sight of Worm. The rogue would appear in the corner of his eye, only to disappear. On the defensive, he backpedaled. The crowd cheered the dwarf on.
“Slay him, Cullon!”
“Run your axe through him!”
“No, split his skull open!”
The harsh comments fueled Hacksaw’s efforts. He stabbed, backpedaled, jab-stepped forward, and stabbed again. Green Tongue flickered back and forth, a striking snake, keeping the wary-eyed dwarf at bay. Hacksaw lunged, pulled back and away from Cullon’s parry, adjusted his swing, and cut the dwarf in the shoulder. Cullon hopped back. Eyeballing his bleeding shoulder, he spit.
Hacksaw smiled. The moment gave him a breath too. The hair on his neck rose. A chill went through him. The air shimmered. Worm!
The rogue whispered behind the old knight’s ear, “Surprise.” He thrust a dagger down.
Hacksaw jerked away. The blade sank deep into the meat of his shoulder, right through his ringmail armor. The blade felt like it plunged to his abdomen. He flung his head backward. Skull cracked on cartilage. Worm squealed. Hacksaw turned, swinging at the same time, determined to cut the rogue in half.
Holding his broken nose, Worm vanished into thin air.
Hacksaw yanked the knife out of his back. He flung it to the ground and said to Cullon, “Let’s finish this dance, dwarf.”
A shrill voice cut through the wintery air. “Rebel Riders! Rebel Riders! Reeeeee-Bell!” Thundering through the streets came a group of men on horseback. Their faces were half covered by handkerchiefs. Carrying long bo-sticks like lances, they plowed into Riegelwood’s forces, knocking flat-footed soldiers on the ground. A horse and rider cut between Hacksaw and Cullon. He lost sight of the dwarf. The horse reared up. The man in the saddle screamed. “Rebel Riders! Rebel!” The horse lunged forward. The space between man and dwarf momentarily cleared.
Cullon was gone.
Violent fighting erupted all over the streets.
Laboring for breath, Hacksaw dashed the sweat from his eyes. With heavy limbs, he stepped up on the broken porch of the Oxen Inn. A fire began to spread. He called down into the smoky basement, “Nath!”
He traversed the wreckage that burned in several places. Plumes of yellow smoke made chimneys in the air. The heat built as he searched for an opening in the floor or any sign of life. Crossing from one side to the other, he noticed that horses were being led out of the stables, away from the flames. A scuffle in the shadows caught his eyes.
Nath!
Nina had the young warrior pinned against the shed. Her gauntlet radiated with star fire. Hacksaw took off running at a full sprint. All he could see was Nath’s face being busted by a giant woman who punched harder than a mule kicked. Nath’s body sagged against the shed. His head was loose on his shoulders. The sledgehammer lay dim at his side.
“Say goodnight forever, Nath Dragon!” Nina launched the fatal punch.
Hacksaw closed the gap. He chopped Green Tongue down hard and fast. In a bright arc of light, the shimmering sword cut clean through Nina’s forearm. Slice!
Nina gaped at the wound. She let out a bloodcurdling “Noooooooooo!”
***
Nath saw a streak of green light, but it was the ear-wrenching scream that lifted him out of his haze. Strong arms pulled him to his feet. Those same hands stuffed his hammer and something else into his arms. As his senses quickly cleared, he said, “Hacksaw!” He pushed the man away.
“We don’t have time for this. We need to get out of here, Nath,” the old knight said.
Nath stole a glance at Nina. The distraught woman was clutching her decapitated arm. “Did you do that?”
“Yes.” Hacksaw shoved him toward the stables. “You have your gauntlet back. Now, let’s go.”
Horses bolted out of the stables. The fires from the tavern spread. People shouted as they scrambled for buckets.
Nath couldn’t take his eyes off Nina. He looked at the foreign object in his hands. “Gah! It’s her hand!”
“And your gauntlet. Now, keep moving. They’ll be upon us soon enough!” Hacksaw looked back at the inn that was fast becoming an inferno. “A shame. I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep in there too. And the pie was wonderful.” Horses raced by. They couldn’t catch any of them. “Where are my horses?”
A wagon, pulled by two horses, rode right up on them. Two people were in the seats, heads covered by their cloaks. A bright, familiar voice said, “Nath, quick, get in the wagon!”
Nath stepped back. It was a woman speaking. Very elven. A big man held the reins. Shaking his head, he said, “Pardon, but who are you?”
She dropped her hood.
“Maefon!” Nath said with exasperated shock. The blond elven woman appeared as radiant and beautiful as ever. His heart stirred within. “Is it really you?”
With dire seriousness, she said, “Of course it is. Now you and your friend get into the wagon! Your enemies will be here soon enough.”
“But,” he said.
“Just get in, Nath. Whatever questions you have, I’ll explain later. Right now, let’s get to safety before they overcome us.”
Nath could see back in the streets, on the other side of the flames, the soldiers appeared to be regrouping. He looked at Hacksaw. “Well?”
“She don’t have to ask me twice.” Hacksaw climbed into the wagon. He stuck out his hand. “I say we go.”
Nath climbed in.
The driver snapped the reins. The wagon lurched forward, rumbling over the road and disappearing from sight in the cold, early winter darkness.
CHAPTER 70
“Auuuugh!” It was Nina screaming. Cullon used a belt for a leather tourniquet around her severed arm. The dwarf stuck the stump inside the flames of her burning building. She screamed again. “Blast you, dwarf! Set your own self on fire!”
“Be still unless you want to lose the rest of your arm,” Cullon fired back. “And stop crying. It’s not dwarven.”
Face beaded in sweat, she retorted, “I’m not crying, and I’m not a dwarf, you ugly stump!”
Cullon released her. “It’s finished. It might stink for a while, but it will hold.”
Nina looked at her smoking stump. “Isn’t there magic for this sort of thing?”
“Not on hand,” Cullon said. There was blood on his armor from the wound Hacksaw gave him in the shoulder. “You don’t see me whining, do you? The truth is, I’m a bit jealous. Dwarves are revered for losing a limb only to keep on fighting. Back in Morgdon—”
‘Shut your mouth, you bearded braggart. I don’t want one of your stupid dwarven stories. I lost my hand! That’s a problem!”
“At least it wasn’t your sword hand,” Cullon replied. “And I’m going to need my belt back. It was my father’s.”
Worm giggled.
Nina shot a murderous look at them both. They had gathered behind the burning inn where Nina was wounded. The streets were still in chaos. The Rebel Riders, a group Nina had never heard of, were riding roughshod through the streets and assaulting the city lord’s guards. Nath and Hacksaw had departed several minutes ago. With unexplainable pain shooting through her body, she said, “Nath took the gauntlet. I can’t believe I lost it.”
“That legionnaire was a saint with a sword. A bit rusty, but a fine fighter,” Cullon said to her. “There’s no shame in falling to his steel. Green steel at that. Green as a shining snake.”
“Is that so, Cullon?” she growled. “And where were you when he blindsided me? Huh?” She shoved him backward with her good hand. Turning on Worm, she tried to shove him, but he slipped away. “Come back here, you… worm! I need to knock your heads together.”
“That’s going to be hard to do with only one hand,” Worm said. Nina lunged at him. He slipped away on feet as light as a cat’s, laughing. “Slow, so slow.”
Enslaved: The Odyssey of Nath Dragon - Book 2 (The Lost Dragon Chronicles) Page 21