Page 116 of King's Warrior

“You’ll see.” Cass grinned and followed the soldiers.

Rufe took one last look at the burning camp and retreated into the caves.

The defenders took position on another ledge outside another cave mouth. Though Rufe couldn’t see very far, murmurings from the surrounding woods, and below their perch, spoke of vast numbers of soldiers.

No wonder Niam said other armies would be hard-pressed to prevail against Delletina, though the interesting footwear took some getting used to.

“The enemy soldiers will be here soon. We have troops waiting to pick them off. Their numbers will be greatly diminished when they reach our full forces. Too bad night fell. Whreyn will miss most of the performance.” Cass grinned, his torch casting a sinister glow over his face.

Fat flakes of snow drifted down around them.

“Ah, reinforcements. Right on time,” Cass commented, turning his face upward.

Though they seemed light and innocuous, Rufe had witnessed how fast these gentle flurries turned deadly. The snow increaseduntil Rufe could barely see the road beneath them. Cass and the other torchbearers extinguished their flames.

After Rufe’s vision adjusted to the darkness, he spotted torches approaching. Craician curses reached his ears.

Cass tugged at Rufe’s arm, whispering, “They don’t know how to move in snow. They’d be better off in the forest. A layer of ice forms on the roads, the snow hiding the danger.”

Crack!

A soldier screamed, then another as torch after torch disappeared. Soldiers bolted back the way they’d come. Rufe peered through the darkness. What was happening?

“Now!” Cass shouted from the gloom. The combined forces of Delletina, Glendor, and Herix surged from the darkness. A tree blazed into a giant torch, providing light. A gaping hole showed in the road, the remnants of branches sticking from the sides. Trapped between the branch-covered sinkhole and an approaching army, the Craicians had no choice but to fight.

Another tree ignited, showing the Craician force.

“Come. Let’s not let them have all the fun,” Cass said in a conversational tone. “Yah!” he yelled, sword held high.

“Yah!” the soldiers around Rufe screamed. He and Draylon added their voices while following Cass down a downward-sloping trail, bypassing the sinkhole and joining the charge. They would have plunged headlong down the incline without the metal teeth on their boots.

A woman leaped out in front of Rufe, missing half her leather armor. An angry red burn marred her face. She must’ve been oneof those who escaped from a tent half-dressed. She thrust her bloodied sword at Rufe.

For a moment he was a stripling again, fighting his first battle, with no time to be scared. He parried the blow and feinted. She blocked a blow that never came, leaving her side exposed. Rufe thrust his sword into her side. The woman screamed and went down, taking Rufe’s sword with her.

A man shouted something incomprehensible and charged. Rufe flung his dagger, catching the man in the throat. The Craician went to his knees, one hand on the dagger hilt. Rufe retrieved his sword and dagger and finished the job.

He plunged back into battle. Vihaan and Draylon fought back-to-back, holding off three men.

Rufe charged in, evening the number. Blood smeared Draylon’s cheek. His own? Or someone else’s? Then, all thoughts fled but the man determined to hack Rufe to bits.

Unnamed Goddess, God of War, lend strength to my arm.

He clanged his sword with his adversary’s again and again. This fighter matched Rufe’s skill. The man brought his sword down. Rufe blocked, but a moment too late. Fire burned up his arm from a blow struck between gauntlet and armor. No time to assess the damage now—damage he likely wouldn’t feel the full extent of until later.

Blood trickled into his glove, yet still he fought, driving his opponent back. He caught the man’s sinister grin in the firelight and spun, catching another behind him in the chest with his blade.

The first man hurtled forward, sword high overhead. Rufe kicked the man’s foot from under him with all his might.

The man skidded, eyes going wide, mouth an “O” of surprise. He slid backward, arms windmilling as he fell backward into the sinkhole.

Rufe leaned against a tree, breathing hard, assessing the situation. Two Craician soldiers ran past him in plate armor—so likely wealthy or high-ranking—intent on attacking Draylon. Rufe swung at the back of the first man’s knee, sending him crashing to the ground.

The other man turned, though not quickly enough. Rufe dropped to his knees, ramming his sword into a weak spot in the man’s armor. He fell beside his comrade.

One after another came at him. Was there no end to the Craician forces?

The snow fell in earnest now, beginning to cover the fallen bodies. Rufe sought out Draylon and Vihaan, following them farther into the woods. Dead eyes stared at Rufe from a Craician's face, the man’s snarl intact even in death.

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