CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
It was a bit different running this time-no one was chasing me and trying to kill me. It didn t mean that I didn t have to worry, because I knew what would happen if someone in the temple caught me.
What it might mean for my sisters if they were implicated.
I ran around to the side of the dormitory, peering out to make sure the way was clear. There were raised voices rushing toward where I assumed Ahyana had started the fire. I hoped she was able to sneak back into our room, undetected.
Ducking down, I kept my body low to the ground so that I would be less noticeable.
My heart was beating so loudly in my ears that it made it a bit difficult to hear. I tried to calm my trembling legs and my ragged breathing but couldn t. I made it to the edge of the temple and was about to round the corner into the courtyard when I heard Kunguru loudly cawing.
He was just above me, on the temple s roof. I flattened myself against the wall, and two seconds later a guard rushed past me, on her way to the fire.
The raven had just saved me from being discovered. I was going to reward him with extra treats tomorrow.
Running through the courtyard was the scariest part, as it was the most open. There was nowhere for me to hide, no building I could duck behind.
I was exposed.
But I made it safely past the archway, and once I was out in the street, I pressed myself against the stone wall, waiting to see if I d been noticed.
I waited two whole minutes, where each second was an agonizing torment.
All quiet.
No one had seen me; I wasn t being followed.
I headed south, doing my best to keep to the shadows. I seemed to be the only person on the street. I was heading past well-lit establishments and could hear singing and lively conversation.
While I d initially planned on avoiding this area, wanting to go around it, I quickly realized that would be foolish. It was a straight shot to the labyrinth exit I needed.
But it was the exact neighborhood where I d lost Quynh. I slowed down when I reached the street where she d been taken from me. My instinct was to hurry past but I couldn t do it. I had to stand in the spot where she d had her last moments.
It wasn t hard to find it. It was forever seared into my mind. The image of her dangling over this very street would never leave me.
I swallowed down the heartache and soul-destroying sorrow I felt and knelt on the cobblestones. I ran my fingers across them. She d been right here. There weren t any bloodstains, though. The citizens must have been more diligent about cleaning them than the temple workers.
Or she d been suffocated instead of stabbed.
Quynh. I miss you. I think of you every day, I said softly. I hoped that she could hear me.
A door suddenly burst open not far from me and half a dozen men spilled out into the street, obviously drunk.
Get out! a woman s voice called. Go destroy someone else s business and leave mine alone!
I hesitated for a moment too long. I should have immediately run or found a hiding place. But I was in the midst of honoring my sister and had naively hoped the men would leave me alone.
They did not.
What do we have here? one of them said. He was large and already had a black eye.
Someone who didn t mind getting into a scrape.
You shouldn t be out here all alone. You never know what kind of men you might come across, another said, and the whole group laughed.
I knew the best way to end a fight was to not engage in one to begin with. They were drunk, which would give me an advantage, but they were large men. From their swagger and muscled arms, they might have even been professional soldiers.
Time for me to go. I turned around but the man who had spoken grabbed my cloak and yanked me back toward him. I asked you a question!
I quickly assessed the situation I was in. Their looks were predatory, instantly telling me their intentions. Nothing good was about to happen. As confirmation they began to spread themselves out. I couldn t allow them to do that.
When you have multiple attackers, keep them in a line so that you only have to fight them one at a time! Use their bodies to create distance and keep the other combatants at bay! Antiope s voice was the one filling my head at the moment.
I knew what to do. I had literally trained for this.
I d just never expected that those skills would become necessary.
The leader tugged me closer. Come here and give us a kiss.
When he leaned in, I used the front part of my skull to headbutt him and was rewarded with a sickening crunch when I broke his nose.
He swore and then said, Get her!
I twirled around to jerk my cloak from his grasp and withdrew my xiphos at the same time. I backed up, taking small, quick steps, forcing them to follow. It prevented them from being able to surround me.
Because if they did, I was done for.
This was an area full of taverns and brothels. I was sure no one paid any attention to a woman screaming for help here.
I would have to deal with this on my own.
And I had to attack first so that I could control the situation. I wouldn t be able to defend myself from multiple directions.
There s no such thing as a fair fight, Antiope reminded me. When your life is on the line, anything goes .
A calm settled into my limbs. I knew what to do. My breathing slowed, my body ready.
I feinted at the closest man and he responded the way I d hoped-he lurched forward, intent on grabbing me, and I used the element of surprise against him. I reared back and kicked him square in the chest, right into the attacker behind him.
Another man reached for me and I slashed at his forearms, making contact and dragging my blade through his flesh. He yelled in pain and I kicked at his left knee, knocking him to the ground. I punched him hard in the face and he fell back, unmoving.
One down, five more to go.
Always know where all of your attackers are, that Antiope voice said.
Blood pumped through my veins quickly as I continued my nimble steps to stay on the edge of their group, not letting them flank me. But one of my attackers darted to the right and moved past me at the same moment that his companion went to hit me in the face.
Raising my left arm, I easily blocked his shot, gritting my teeth against the impact. I turned slightly, elbowing the face of the man behind me before carrying the swing through to the attacker in front.
The man to my rear regained his balance and I felt him surging toward me. I ducked down, twisting myself out of the way so that his punch landed on the man who had been directly in front of me. I kicked out at the two entangled men and they went sprawling.
An attacker moved out of the way so that he wouldn t be caught up by his falling companions and lunged at me with his sword, thrusting forward. I veered left, grabbing his hand and turning his wrist hard so that he had to drop his weapon, and then I shoved him into his friends.
I spotted a narrow alley nearby and I blocked the incoming strikes from the other two men with my sword or my arm, keeping all of them at bay while I worked my way toward it.
When I found the alley, I backed into it. They wouldn t be able to swing their swords here, and it would ensure I only had to deal with one fighter at a time.
The first man tried to hit me, but his inebriation prevented him from realizing that he couldn t arc his arm around at me, and I took advantage of his confusion to hit him hard in the middle of his neck. He grabbed at his throat, making a choking sound, and I kicked him in the groin. He fell to his knees, letting out a loud moan of pain.
The attacker behind him jumped over his fallen friend and stabbed at me with his sword. I met his blade, turning it aside. He growled and tried again, but no matter how many times he came after me, I parried every one of his thrusts. He was breathing hard from the exertion but I didn t feel the least bit tired.
I continued moving down the alley while we fought. I landed one of my strikes, piercing him in the gut. He looked down in surprise as blood rushed from the wound.
He slumped against one of the walls, holding his stomach, but there was another man waiting to take his place.
As I emerged from the end of the alley, I had an overwhelming moment of panic as I realized that I had lost track of the leader. A second later that man came up behind me, trapping me in place. He had gone around to surprise me. He pressed his thick forearm against my neck and began to squeeze. He hadn t bothered to disarm me.
His mistake.
Not so tough now, are you? he taunted.
I clamped my teeth down onto his arm while stabbing him in the right thigh. He howled and shoved me away. I surveyed my immediate area, registering everything that could be used as a weapon, the places where I could position myself to have an advantage.
Another attacker swung out and I ducked and then reached up to grab his extended arm and shoved him into the leader. I held my weapon up and waited. There were three men left and all of them were bleeding.
They tried to fan out again, to triangulate around me so that they could attack at once. I wasn t going to allow that.
This needed to end.
Because the longer this went on, the greater the risk to me.
I went after the man on my left and, before he realized what was happening, stabbed him in the thigh. As he fell to his knees, I swung out a fist to connect with the side of his head, knocking him out.
The leader hung back, sending his last companion after me. That one rushed at me with his sword held over his head. I turned sharply to the left as he tried to hit me and pushed him into a nearby wall. He hit his head and slumped to the ground.
I am going to make you suffer and watch as the life ebbs from your eyes, the leader said, spitting a mouthful of blood on the ground.
Adrenaline was still coursing through me, giving me a rush. I smiled. You are not the first Ilionian who s threatened me that way and yet here I am.
I turned my body sideways to present less of a target and the leader roared as he rushed toward me.
When he got close enough, I dropped down and hooked my foot around his left ankle, using Artemisia s move to get him on the ground.
He fell and I grabbed a clay pot near the wall and hit him over the head, smashing it against his skull. He went limp.
I realized that I was breathing hard. I smiled again. I should have been worn out. I should have been sore and aching, exhausted. Instead I was completely exhilarated. It was like I d been made just for this purpose.
How had this fight been so easy? As much as I wanted to give the credit to Antiope and her methods, this hadn t been only because of my training. I had been equal to these men in strength and speed. Because they were drunk? I wasn t sure. All I did know was that it had been different from any other fight I d had against men before.
And I was primed to keep going.
Then I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders and I ducked down and turned, grabbing the man s tunic and throwing him against the wall, holding him in place with my left forearm, putting my xiphos to his throat.
I m pleased to see your old blade again.
Jason?