Blocking Dagrún’s path to Ovrek, Cenric faced down the other man.“Best get to your feet, lord,” Cenric shouted, not looking away from the would-be assassins.
“Pig-humping cocksucker!”Ovrek yelled.
Cenric wasn’t sure if the king intended that for him or the traitor Egill.Possibly both.At his back, Cenric could hear Ovrek grunting and cursing as he found his footing.Maybe Cenric had shoved the king a little too hard.
Dagrún came at Cenric with a dagger that had been concealed in his cloak.He slashed sideways.
Cenric blocked the blade, catching it on the log.He swung for Dagrún’s head and the younger man skittered back.
Cenric shoved straight out with the log like a spear, putting his weight into the blow.
He missed Dagrún’s dagger hand, but he caught the man’s elbow.Dagrún yelped, dropping his weapon as he retreated out of reach.
A moment later, Dagrún had a second dagger in his left hand, right arm held protectively against his side.
Cenric picked up another log, but motion from behind Dagrún warned Cenric before two more men came rushing from behind the thrall sheds.Instead of daggers, these men carried swords.
It seemed Egill and Dagrún had come prepared in case they weren’t able to finish off Ovrek themselves.
“You dare attack me?”Ovrek roared.“Youdare!?”
Cenric leapt over one of the rows of chopped wood, still wielding a log as a makeshift weapon.
Ovrek was on his feet, hefting a woodcutter’s axe in both hands.It was worn and in need of sharpening, but iron was better than fists, as the old saying went.Cenric took up a fighting stance beside Ovrek, back-to-back.
The two swordsmen came at them, lunging for Ovrek.
Cenric piked another log for the legs of the first man.He missed, but the log skittered past him, tripping up the second.
Dagrún cursed from the other side of the wood pile, right arm still held protectively against his ribs.“Finish him off.Just get him!”
Egill had scrambled back to his feet and clawed toward them, blood streaming down his face, flowing in gory tracts along the scars on his cheek.
“I will feed your guts to the seagulls,” Ovrek roared, shaking his axe as he faced down the two swordsmen.“I will use your fingers to bait fishing hooks!”
The first swordsman reached Ovrek, chopping for the king’s head.Ovrek ducked, knocking the weapon aside with his axe.
Cenric stepped in front of Egill as the jarl came barreling over the stack of wood, his son at his side.Cenric kicked the stack from this side, wood pieces tumbled and rolled underfoot, tripping up the father and son.
Egill went down, still dazed from the blow to his head.Dagrún kept coming, his knife hand up.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cenric saw the second swordsman recover, reaching Ovrek.
Cenric threw a piece of kindling for the man’s head.It missed, but the man ducked, taking his eyes off Ovrek for just a second.
King he might be, but Ovrek had been a warrior first.The old king smashed his axe into the man’s collarbone, striking with a ferocity to make any skald proud.
In the moment Cenric had been distracted, Dagrún swept in close, a dagger stabbing for Cenric’s ribs.Cenric deflected the knife from his side with another log.He lunged forward, fist smashing into Dagrún’s jaw.
His knuckles stung with the impact, but Dagrún stumbled back.Cenric swung his improvised log weapon around again, smashing it into the other man’s chest.Dagrún went sprawling, tripping over Egill and stumbling on the shifting pieces of firewood.The younger man collapsed, gasping with the wind knocked out of him.
“Come at me!”Ovrek bellowed.“Come at me, you fatherless shit stain!”The king faced down the last swordsman, a grizzled veteran who scowled from behind a thick beard.Ovrek stood over the dead man, shaking his weapon in challenge.
Cenric snatched up the sword from the corpse.He shoved his last piece of firewood at Dagrún, smacking the younger man in the ribs where he still lay gasping.
Dagrún wheezed while Egill lay dazed.The jarl’s arms buckled as he struggled to push himself up.Those two could wait for a moment.
Cenric circled around the last remaining swordsman, his weapon drawn.Cenric attacked, lunging straight for the other man’s side.The swordsman backed away, raising his weapon in defense.
