Page 118 of A Tribute of Fire

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. InsteadI 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?”

CHAPTER FORTY

I blinked several times, making sure I wasn’t imagining this. Had one of those drunken louts knocked me out and I was actually lying in the street dreaming of Jason?

“Good evening, Lia. Have you tried to feed yourself to any dragons lately?”

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