Throwing her arms wide. Very aware that if this didn’t work, she would be landing on her face. For once the Gods favoured Alia, there was no time for Cadell to shift his planted feet and target her at the same time, so he remained still, betting his speed against her. She heard the thrum of the arrow release, felt a sharp bark of pain somewhere in her lower back… more precisely in the left buttock region. Right at this moment, still airborne, she couldn’t afford to care or pay attention to the new pain. Very afraid this was all for nothing.
Was she going to fall short? No, as her head and shoulders slammed into Cadell’s ankles, she wrapped her arms around his legs and brought him crashing to the ground.
She was taller than he was. Heavier too. Thankfully. And heartily sick of all the giantess jokes being tossed around at her expense today by these murderous money grubbing idiots.
Thump. Cadell hit the ground gratifyingly hard. Releasing a curse and then several more as Alia clambered up over his body. Ensuring all her elbows and knees made hard contact with his groin, stomach and throat.
“Get off me… you cruddy giant bitch-”
Breath expelling from his chest as Alia sat upright, high on his chest, well, not sat exactly, her left butt cheek was throbbing, so it was more a lean, but all her weight was currently rested upon Cadell’s upper torso. Perhaps explaining why his face was turning red and he was making a gasping sound. One of his hands grappling futilely at her chin, trying to push her away.
“Hah, imagine if we’d wed.” Alia gave a little bounce, enjoying watching Cadell’s eyes almost explode out of his head. A soft, pain filled groan escaping his blue tinged lips. “I doubt you’d have survived one night in the marriage bed.” Another little jump, bringing all her weight back down, his eyes even wider now, wracked with pain. “I’d have squished you like a bug.”
Thankfully she wasn’t enjoying her moment of revenge upon Cadell so much that she didn’t see his other hand come around, the one holding an arrow that must have fallen out of his quiver when he crash landed. Aimed for her exposed throat.
Grabbing for Cadell’s wrist, Alia shifted her weight, giving Cadell a split second to suck in some precious air and buck sideways. Sending the two of them rolling, Cadell trying to press his advantage and bring the arrow he was holding home. Alia biting back a yelp of pain as the arrow in her butt cheek snapped on initial contact with the ground and burrowed deeper into her soft flesh as they rolled once, then again. Cadell on top for a brief moment, trying to put his entire weight behind the arrow he was holding in order to thrust it in to any part of Alia he could reach.
She strained, holding him off, turning her face to the side as his other hand came up and those dexterous fingers of his searched for her eyes.
Heaving herself upright, Alia swung a leg over his body and sent the two of them rolling once more. Back the way they’d come. Over the smashed remains of the bard’s quiver, her jacket at least protecting her from the pointed tips of strewn arrows lying about. Cadell it seems wasn’t so lucky, wincing, cursing, as sharpened arrow edges ripped into his tunic, embedding themselves in his flesh.
His curses music to Alia’s ears. Now, if only she could reach the knife in her boot, she could finish him off. But this was turning out to be one of those undignified grappling fights that you can’t ever really train for.
In the practise ring, everyone is too polite, too respectful… to really know what lengths they were willing to go in such a close contact fight. Eyes. Throats. Groins. Ears. Lips. Nothing was off limits. And unfortunately, though Alia was strong and could keep Cadell from stabbing her with the arrow he still held, she couldn’t seem to break his hold either, and give herself a moment to fetch the knife sheathed at her ankle.
If she truly were the Beast of Gloomenthrall, with razor claws and sharp teeth, she’d just rip his throat out with her fangs. However, merely being a woman had never stopped Alia from achieving whatever goal she set for herself either. And though she couldn’t wrench the arrow from Cadell, or retrieve her knife, there was one sharp object within reach she could utilise… though it was going to hurt like hell. But then pain was fleeting and would soon be forgotten. Death however, there was no coming back from that.
“I always loathed your songs. You can sing, yes, but, Gods man, your rhymes are atrocious and your metaphors belaboured and cringe-worthy.”
“What?” Hissed Cadell, his face red with the effort of trying to inflict as much pain as possible on this woman. Who kept smacking away his free hand, as if it were a bothersome insect, and holding his wrist like a vice, trapping the arrow he held several frustrating inches away from her flesh. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“I just know I would kick myself five minutes after your death if I don’t say anything.” To distract him further, Alia repositioned slightly so it seemed like she intended to put more effort behind pushing the arrow he was holding back in Cadell’s direction. Now for the tricky bit, making it appear as if she was falling off of him, so that she had an excuse to wrench her spare hand back. Grabbing the broken shaft, not easy as it was so slippery with her blood already… she so hated the Gods right now, because this was going to hurt.
“Conceited. Not as handsome as you think.” Taking a deep breath. “Lazy.” Gritting her teeth in anticipation she pulled, hard, she was not going to be tentative or missish about this. Better to do it quick if she was going to do it at all. Oh, damnation. Blinking back tears.
“And above all else, I regret not killing you that day in the woods… I should have listened to the children.” Alia whipped back her hand and thrust the gore covered arrow that had been buried in her ass deep into the base of Cadell’s throat. Instantly his strength seeped away, but just to make sure the job was done, Alia wrenched his wrist around before he could drop the arrow he was holding and sunk that in next to the broken arrow shaft.
Ugh. She could feel his hot blood coating her decolletage and throat, already turning tacky and cooling. Repulsed, Alia pushed herself up and away, wincing. Scrambling up and off Cadell’s body, limping a little, her balance off, her butt cheek protesting the weight of her leg. Sending pulsing little sharp jabs of pain up her back, letting her know it would much rather she did nothing much of anything right now. Heavens, she would give all the money in the world for some of Perri’s numbing poultice.
But Alia didn’t have that luxury of seeking out medical aid or resting. Swinging around sharply.
By the nine circles, the scene that met her gaze causing the breath to catch in the back of Alia’s throat. Perri on her knees, Regal standing over her, about to deliver a deathblow. Deacon and Levi being swept into the river, the boys still tied and gagged. Brandth clutching at one arm, pain etched on his face as he followed them in to the churning water. And Talac, like her, only just having dispatched Elliott Heathscote, faced with the same nightmare, although three steps ahead of her.
“You save the boys! I’ll get to Perri.” They had to divide in order to conquer. Whipping her knife from her boot, Alia began running, aware time seemed both frozen and was moving too fast at the same time.
Please, Gods, just this once, look favourably upon the women of Gloomenthrall.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ten minutes earlier…
“Go. See to the boys.”
Perri knew in the depths of her heart it was the right thing to say to Brandth, as all hell broke loose in the clearing. Arrows flying. Followed swiftly by the thud of bodies being tackled. But it was the most difficult five words she’d ever uttered.
Her baby was in danger. But Brandth was a trained swordsman. If anyone had a chance of seeing Levi and Deacon to safety, it was him. He was an honourable, noble man, and he would do everything in his power to save the boys, even at the cost of his own life.
No! She would not go there, not believe the Deities above could be so cruel as to tear her son and the man she loved from her in a single moment.
