Wulf rolled instinctively, his arms scrabbled for purchase. He tensed for the killing blow that was sure to come.
Do not let me die with my back to the enemy, do not let me die without a weapon in my hand.
He gained traction and tried to rise and turn, determined not to die a coward’s death.
A concussive thump sounded behind him.
He felt a blow to his shoulder and wondered why the assassin had not aimed for his head... for the certain kill.
There was no pain, but he knew that it would come – fierce blazing pain would come – if he lived long enough to feel it.
Something fell to his left, caressing his arm as it passed.
He looked down into the open eyes of an assassin, whose lips moved with no sound whilst his eyes blinked rapidly. Below the man’s chin was a clean cut – it was as if a butcher had removed the head – the spine glinted white through the exposed meat of the neck, then blood seeped out and dyed it red.
“Secure the room!” A man bellowed commandingly. “Andiss, through the window. Get to the street. Alert the militia. No. Wait. Get to the Third; tell Father Conlan we are in need of his assistance. He is to come with a cohort at once. Then alert the militia. Go, now.”
“Yes, General,” said another, breathing heavily.
Wulf looked around, a man stood over him, the old man with black eyes, a white pommelled sword grasped in his hand.
Another man ran to the back wall, opened the window and lowered himself out, his hands releasing the frame as he dropped to whatever lay below.
Metrotis sat on the floor just inside the door. He clutched the dagger Wulf had given him in his right hand. His left hand pressed against a gash in his leg that oozed thick, dark, blood. Two other men stood facing the door, swords drawn and ready.
The man they called General looked down at Wulf briefly. He inclined his head in recognition, his dark eyes shone in the candlelight. Then he moved quickly to the woman lying prone on the bed. “Ella,” he cried, his voice breaking, “Ellasand!”
He shook her gently, then held his ear to her chest before withdrawing, a grim look on his face. “Metrotis,” he said, his voice calmer than before, and perhaps more commanding for it. “If you can walk, your aunt needs your attention.”
Wulf shook his head, still in a daze. Two more bodies lay at the foot of the bed. Optuss stood over them, he held his sword loosely at his side, blood dripped slowly from its tip.
The two boys stood in front of Optuss. Twins, Wulf realised. They looked shocked and exhausted but defiant. Their chests heaved with the aftermath of their exertion.
The black-eyed man called ‘General’ turned to face him “You are called Wulf?” he said, one eyebrow raised.
Wulf stood slowly. Blood dripped from a wound in his shoulder. Stinging pain surfaced in his consciousness and he welcomed it. Pain meant life. “I am Wulf.”
The man paused, seeming to consider something carefully. “I am Martius,” he said. “You saved my family. I am in your debt.”
Wulf gazed around. The room was as bloody as a charnel house. His eyes came to rest on the decapitated head at his feet. It blinked its eyes slowly as if to confirm his thoughts.
You are in a dream, his subconscious concluded. This is the shadow land that follows death.
But it couldn’t be true. It felt too real. The pain in his shoulder flared as if to confirm it. He looked at Martius. The man’s eyes bored into him as if they sought his soul. “I owe you life also, Martius.”
<<<<>>>>
Afterword
Dear reader,
I really hope that you enjoyed this episode. I welcome constructive feedback so please do feel free to reach out through the internet and let me know what you thought.
I feel like I should apologise for the cliff hanger ending, but it was necessary as the ‘Adarna chronicles’ are episodic in nature (I said this at the end of book one, but it never hurts to repeat yourself!). Book three (by far the longest in the series up to now) is due out in October 2014, so if you liked this book, then please do feel free to pop into your nearest book store or book vending website and buy a copy when it is released. It is also worth noting that book three will complete the first volume of the Adarna chronicles (so it will not end on such a cliff hanger).
Finally, writing is hard work, and selling books is even harder. If you did enjoy this book and you wanted to support a struggling writer, then please do take the time to pop over to where you bought it and leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long. Reviews will help other people to find and buy the book and help me, as a writer, enormously.
Thank you
Jason K. Lewis
August 2014
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Phoenix Rising Page 9
