It could not be a coincidence that this man, who was obviously from his Father's court or service, had appeared here. That meant that his Father was taking more active measures to have Griffin brought before him. Probably as a prisoner, criminal, or supplicant. There was no way Griffin would be 'presented' to anyone. Not now.
Maybe after Einar had first found him, Griffin would have allowed that to happen. But Griffin had set in motion events he needed to see through to the end. If he did not remain free and available to assist the Sisterhood and their allies, the Order would surely find and wipe them all out. Especially with their new brutal and aggressive attacks.
Fortunately, Griffin had been thinking back on what he had seen of his brother’s fighting style in the week he and Agatha had trained with Einar. It was an aggression focused fighting style. That meant that it had several weaknesses if he could force Agnar onto the defensive.
Moving to a clear area, Griffin turned to Agnar and asked, "Are you ready?" Agnar nodded and moved to a starting position ten meters from Griffin. Griffin turned to look at Brianna and Nin and winked. Brianna gave a weak smile, but Nin shook her head, with an understated smile, as if to say 'boys will be boys.'
Griffin was wielding the short sword in his right hand and the axe in his left. He did not really want to hurt Agnar. He needed the axe in his off hand as it would give him more opportunities to trip up the big Norskrinjar.
They started by circling each other, slowly closing the distance. Griffin suddenly charged at Agnar once they were within five meters of each other. Although this movement did not completely surprise Agnar, it put him on the defensive. Griffin hadn't even given a twitch or any other tell to indicate that he was about to make a move, depriving Agnar of the opportunity to set a counter charge.
Agnar was forced to raise his shield as Griffin's sword came in for a vicious cut to his neck. Griffin took this opportunity to hook behind the big man's ankle. Agnar stepped forward dodging the offhand attack but was forced off balance. His swing cleared Griffin's head by six inches. He found himself with Griffin's sword point against his gut before he was fully recovered.
His face went to red as he realized how easily Griffin had caught him in a trap in this first face off. He was nearly the same age as Griffin, although probably not as experienced in combat. After all, Griffin had made it his life's work hunting and fighting people. Griffin asked, “Do you yield?” Agnar grimaced and nodded, stepping back. Griffin kept his guard up as he stepped back. He had no idea how old or controlled the man was.
Over the next half hour, Griffin and Agnar kept training against each other as Agnar’s men and a small group of the Sisterhood that Sara believed she could trust trickled into the campsite parking area. It quickly became obvious that Griffin’s skill against Agnar impressed many of those who had arrived earlier than the final two vehicles.
Agnar was getting very frustrated in his fight with Griffin. He couldn't get through this former Paladin's defenses. This was not the man who had held off six Norskrinjar eighty years ago. He had kept training, adding to his repertoire, learning new skills, attacks, and counters. It was as if he had spent his entire life fighting.
He wasn't even working up a sweat. By this time Agnar had sweat dripping into his eyes. Griffin called the training bout.
"You have some skill," Griffin said to the man he was assuming would shortly try to take him into custody with his reinforcements. "At a guess, I'd say you've been training on and off for seventy or eighty years. But you've also had stretches of time when you were not focused on your skill at arms.” Griffin gave him a lazy smile as if to say 'I know something is off here' without confirming he knew something was going on in the shadows. Agnar's eyes narrowed. He had hoped that training with Griffin would tire him out. He had definitely hoped, still hoped, Griffin was in the dark about what was going on.
That part of his plan had backfired. While he wasn’t particularly tired, the training had definitely worn him out far more than it had worn Griffin. He could also see the awe in the faces of a few of his team. This was not how he wanted to capture Griffin. He had felt confident he could defeat Griffin with some ease. That Griffin had such an advantage over him in one-on-one skill not only surprised him but put him at a significant disadvantage. He now had to hope the loyalty of his team held firm. That being whether the King’s demands only affected King’s personal honor or also the honor of his Oathsworn.
Agnar swept his gaze across all the recent arrivals. Meanwhile, Griffin turned his head to coolly assess the same men and women. Griffin raised his voice and said, "Who's next? Step into the training ring. I will take no one I assess as less than competent on this assault." Agnar scowled internally. He had to move now, for if Griffin showed his dominance one-on-one with yet more of his team, then Agnar risked all of them refusing to back him up. He now was certain he could not capture Griffin alone.
Taking a step back, and catching the eyes of his two most powerful subordinates, he drew on the planes. Acting in concert with them they attempted to cut, at least temporarily, Griffin's access to the planes. As they were doing this, Agnar stepped forward and said, "Griffin, on the authority of the Norskrinjar crown I hereby arrest you for crimes against Norskrinjar and all Godsborn. You must pay a price for those of your own kind you have hunted and killed as a member of the Order."
Griffin raised an eyebrow and looked directly into the face of Agnar. "You mean my father wishes to sweep his failure to act under the carpet and lay the blame on me." Griffin's response was icy cold. "That he wants to subvert the Sisterhood, replace the leadership with men he feels he can trust and probably either subjugate or enslave the female membership of the Sisterhood. I've heard how many of your people treat women. When I get around to it, I will challenge my father for the leadership of the Norskrinjar." Then he raised his voice to a loud growl, "THINGS WILL CHANGE! Women who are not warriors deserve as much respect as any other. That he refused to treat them so dishonors you all. That you allowed this treatment to continue dishonors anyone of the Norskrinjar blood."
Griffin’s eyes and birthmarks were blazing, he was obviously drawing on the planes significantly despite the measures that Agnar and his companions had taken. But Griffin continued, “As my father is not present, I demand my right as a child of Odin to refuse his judgment. Pick a champion to enforce his judgment, or accept my orders in this matter as the ranking member of Odin's bloodline present here today."
Agnar winced. Although what Griffin was asking had not been used for centuries, it was still an acknowledged tradition amongst the Norskrinjar. A descendant of Odin could refuse the orders and charges of another if the person giving the orders were not present.
But it had been centuries since that had last been used. Einar could not have told Griffin about it as it was no longer taught and had not been taught for at least a century and a half. Where had Griffin learned about this code? Griffin continued further, "Or are those present too cowardly to answer the challenge? Too dishonorable to acknowledge the traditions of our ancestors? Whipped curs that had their honor stripped long ago by my father's actions and are now beholden to his will above all else, be it common sense or honor?"
Several of the younger members of his team winced as their own courage and honor were questioned. Griffin had already shown that Agnar was not his equal in combat. There might be two or three members of the team who were more skilled than Agnar, as their more limited ability to draw on the planes had caused them to focus on the more physical combat arts.
It was then that Agnar noticed that one of Griffin's companions, the taller one of the younger two women, had focused her stare on his followers and had a vicious grin on her face. She was not Norskrinjar, at least not of any significant age. He did not recognize her at all, although by her looks she had Persian blood, possibly Galatian.
How would she know that code of conduct? Who was she? It suddenly occurred to Agnar that it was desperately important for him to know, but he had run out o
f time. He could almost feel the willingness of his team to back his actions slipping through his hands. He had to order them to act now. “Take all four of them into custody. Him for his misdeeds against his own kin and the other three for abetting his actions that could have doomed us all. None of the Conclaves can neutralize the Order alone. The plan may have had good intentions, but it has stirred up a hornet’s nest that could kill us all.”
Griffin scanned the crowd. Sara was staying out of this, which may indicate a glimmer of wisdom, or simple cowardice. Four others were looking confused, probably members of the Sisterhood who did not understand what was going on. That left nineteen, including Agnar, that were moving against them. Nine moved against him, two moved to intercept Joy, one had grabbed Brianna, and the remaining seven were moving against Nin.
Nin had reversed her spear so she could use it more like a pole or staff. She really didn’t want to kill any of these people, but the etiquette she had taught Griffin, and that all of them had agreed to follow, meant that she couldn’t use the planes unless they were used against her. Well, technically as her lifemate, she could use them if Griffin was attacked with them, but Griffin had nixed that. He’d pointed out that the rules she was using, by her own admission, were old enough many of those attacking them would barely know them. Trusting that they would know the loophole was madness.
Griffin turned back and charged Agnar. He had a measure of the man now. After training with him for half an hour, he’d better. He’d been careful to batter the shield and not attack the man’s head. All leading to this. He feinted low with the axe. Agnar shifted the shield low uncovering his head, as Griffin had surmised and twisted the axe blow towards the chest with such speed that Agnar was forced to interpose his sword. Stepping forward, Griffin smashed the pommel of his shortsword down onto Agnar’s helmet with enough force to drive the man to his knees. A second blow knocked him unconscious.
Griffin tried to stop this once more, shouting, “Your leader is down. You cannot achieve your goal. Throw down your weapons!” Although one or two of the men his group was facing looked like they were wavering, the rest closed with a grim silence. Soon the waverers followed. At least Agnar was the only one who had a shield. The rest might be a little easier to defeat and knock unconscious, Griffin thought. It was then he felt, finally, the assault on his draw, his connection to the mystical. They were using the planes, so he could.
Drawing on the planes was harder with the effort probably all eight were putting into closing his link. The smells created by so many people pulling in power made it impossible for him, with his inexperience, to trace the two smells that burnt with power. So he focused on cutting all their links. The pressure they were putting on his own was already making his skin burn slightly. He finally had an understanding of what Brianna had been talking about. The link was a part of him, as much as an arm or a leg. He didn't want to think how painful it would be if they severed that link.
Brianna was feeling very affronted and slightly ill at being grabbed so roughly by the man who attacked her. He had a bear hug that lifted her feet off the ground, and she wouldn't stand for it. Feeling his chin up against her neck she swung forward then viciously back into his nose. He grunted, and his grip on her slipped, allowing her feet to touch the ground. As soon as he had dropped her far enough for a foot to touch the ground, she swung the other one sharply between his legs. She hit him so hard that all he could manage was a whispered groan as his knees dropped to the ground and he released her.
She quickly snapped a kick to the side of his head to make sure he was out of combat for the rest of this fight. Then she looked at his belt and softly cursed. The only weapon he had there was an axe, and she had no proper training in how to use it. Looking up she saw that Joy was quickly being flanked by her opponents. It was obvious from what she saw that Joy was in the most danger. She had seen the speed and efficiency with which both Nin and Griffin dealt with their opponents previously in a fight. She quickly moved to threaten one of Joy's enemies, forcing him to split his attention.
Joy was cursing herself for not having kept up with her training. She was fairly confident that if she only faced one opponent, she would have been more than equal to the task. She had not even sparred against two opponents for years. This made her less confident she could defeat both of them, although they seemed to be less skilled than their leader. This made her decision and choice of action simple. She would have to defend against both aggressive Norskrinjar until someone could come to her aid. He glanced across as the opponent on her right-hand side started nervously glancing past her field of vision.
She saw Brianna, who had left her weapons in the car on both Nin and Griffin's suggestion for her safety, approaching her female opponent with a procured axe. Brianna was holding it in both hands, keeping her hands a foot or more apart, showing she had some competence with it. So one of her opponents was forced to split his attention.
Sara was almost cowering at the sudden explosion of violence. The four Sisterhood members, apparently her followers, circled the combat to reach her and provide protection. She had not expected the violence. Being so obviously outnumbered she had expected Griffin and Joy to capitulate. She hadn’t even thought to inform her followers about what was happening, not because she doubted their support, but because she was confident that Agnar had known what he was facing and had adequately prepared. She cursed herself for believing his confidence was justified.
Nin could feel a slight burning from the attempts of these interlopers in severing Griffin's link to the planes. Evidently, the mating bond was also an artifact of the ability to draw the planes. She visibly grimaced as the pain hit her. That pain spurred her into action. Although she had no real desire to hurt these misguided fools, she would not allow harm to come to her lifemate. The two in front of her were wary. The other five surrounding her moved in to attack with less caution. Suddenly, in a burst of action that surprised even herself with its speed, she spun and shifted her grip back, so the point was at the striking end. She struck out a dozen times on the three opponents behind her. She winced as she felt the spear penetrate the chest of one of them. The other two were merely crippled. Without knowing the true severity of the wounds, she could not tell if that damage would be more or less permanent.
Swiftly she spun to face the remaining four of her attackers. However, as Griffin completed pulling in the power he needed to turn the tables on his attackers, the battlefield froze in shock. Those who could draw on the planes and use their abilities against Griffin were hit with a stunning shockwave, with such force that everyone who had such abilities for miles around would have been able to feel what he did. Four of his remaining attackers dropped to the ground screaming in agony, their talent not merely blocked, but severed.
Of all people in the immediate vicinity, the quickest to recover and act were Brianna and Nin. Brianna used the moment that her opponent was frozen to quickly charge him. She hit him in the head with the flat of her appropriated axe. Her blow was hard enough to not only knock him unconscious but also dislodge his helmet. The aftershocks of the mighty, and unwise, blow were sufficient to dislodge the axe from her grip.
Nin, with similar speed, quickly shortened the spear, spun and struck two of her opponents - who had clustered just a little too closely - in the temples with the butt of her spear. One of them fell to the ground unconscious, the other to his knees in obvious pain and confusion. She quickly followed up with a butt stroke coming down on his nose. His pain and confusion were ended, for now. The speed with which Nin and Brianna had taken the remaining Norskrinjar pushed them completely off guard, leaving them stupefied and frozen.
Sara screamed them, “What are you doing?! Take them into custody as your leader commanded.” The authority of her order was marred by the high-pitched shriek and high pitched tone. The four members of the Sisterhood who had clustered around her stared in shock. Two of them backed away from her as if she was a contaminated person. The American Sisterhood ha
d not wanted to get involved in any external disputes. Although those two followers agreed with her in the philosophy of a more centralized leadership, they were appalled that she would arrange for two factions of outsiders to have a confrontation with her connivance.
Unfortunately, the third individual to break from their reverie was the remaining Norskrinjar facing off against Joy. Although she had believed she knew the strength and power that Griffin wielded, she had grossly underestimated it, and it had shocked her deeply. The Norskrinjar took advantage of Joy’s momentary distraction, darted in and sliced her brutally across the chest with his sword. She collapsed to her knees and tried to hold the wound closed as the Norskrinjar turned to face Brianna, who was now unarmed. Joy bravely reached out with one hand and grabbed his ankle as he moved to face Brianna. He viciously responded as she tripped him with a blow that severed her wrist. Her agonized scream, after a fight that had been punctuated by soft thuds and groans in comparison, paused the fighting yet again.
Griffin's response had been slowed by the effort he had expended in severing, not just blocking, the links to the planes of the four attackers. He was brought out of his temporary exhaustion by Joy's scream of agony. In a commanding tone, he bellowed, "You are no match for us. Throw down your weapons, submit to my orders, or face my personal wrath for harming another of my companions!” Without intending to or knowing how, in his anger, he drew in the combination of planes that added authority to his voice. Everyone on the small battlefield froze. Sensing his advantage, he continued with a parade ground order, "Now!" There were a light pattering and thud of weapons hitting dirt has they were abandoned by their wielders. After checking that Nin had Joy's wounds well in hand, he noticed Brianna glancing at him. She had also been forced to kneel, something he regretted. He nodded at her, somehow instinctively releasing her from his compulsion
A-Viking (Betrayed by Faith Book 3) Page 19
