Page 75 of What Fury Brings
Gods, she was ruthless. She was something else to behold as she fought.
An arrow loosed, striking the horse that she hid behind and sending it bolting. Olerra didn’t hesitate before leaning over to pick up the unconscious guard she’d just dispatched and use her like a meat shield. Two more bolts landed, hitting their accomplice instead of the queen potential of Amarra.
He was so caught up that he forgot escape should have been foremost on his mind. Shaking himself for his distraction, he exited the opposite door of the carriage as she had, closing it quietly behind him. Not that Olerra was likely to do anything if she heard it.
Sanos took in the scenery before him. A copse of trees waited a hundred yards off. If he could reach it, he would have cover as he made his escape.
But for some reason, he peered around the carriage. Just to get one more look at her.
Another assassin was down, and Olerra had discarded her meat shield. She’d gotten another rider off her horse, and the two battled with swords. As they spun, Olerra looked in his direction and spotted him.
“Run for the cover of the trees,” she told him, returning her eyes to her opponent immediately. “Keep yourself safe. I’ll find you when I’m done.”
What the fuck?
She wanted him to run. She’d given him the key so he could be safe from the fighting. She knew he would go to the trees. She intended to come after him.
He ducked back around the carriage to look ahead of and behind the direction they’d been traveling. Was there somewhere else he could go? Somewhere she wouldn’t expect him to travel to? Someplace he could finally be free of this woman?
Out of his periphery, he spotted a new assassin entering the fight. Someone who hadn’t originally attacked them. Someone who had hung back, obviously intent on catching Olerra unawares. Sanos looked around the carriage again, just to ensure she saw the newcomer. Then he’d see about freeing one of the horses from the carriage and galloping away.
She battled all three of the previously saddle-ridden assassins. They were on their feet, all holding melee weapons of one kind or another. The newcomer approached, a long spear in hand.
Olerra didn’t notice.
She’d be skewered.
Good, a voice muttered in his head.
The other part of him didn’t speak. It simply remembered her being beaten to a bloody pulp for him.
She’d shown him her city, the good and the bad. She’d told him her hopes for changing things for the better. Her hopes for how things could be between them.
He couldn’t leave her to die.
Sanos snarled in frustration.
He unwound the nipple chain from his wrist and gripped either end tightly in both fists. Silently, he overtook the new woman and garroted her. She dropped her spear, scratching at the chain that dug into her neck. Sanos only pulled harder, despite the pain it caused in his own palms. The assassin reached her dominant hand over her shoulder, trying to get a grip on him, but it was no use.
When Olerra finally killed the last of the assassins circling her, she turned to find Sanos dropping the woman to the ground.
Her eyes did a quick count of the fallen guards. He could see her take in the spear and his makeshift weapon. Then her gaze turned to the guard in front of Sanos. He had to sidestep the body before he could see what she was looking at.
A drop of blood welling from the wound he’d made.
“I take it you’ll pardon that?” His voice came out harsh. He was angry with himself for not being on the road to Brutus.
“This was an attempt on my life. You’re permitted to defend me. You will get to regale everyone with the tale of how you strangled a woman with your nipple chain.”
She cracked a smile, but he found none of this funny. Gods, why wasn’t he turning away and running now?
She’d only catch me. She’s faster, and I’m barefoot.
“You helped me,” she said, as though it didn’t quite make sense.
He scoffed. “You meansavedyou.”
“I took out eight, Prince. You felled one.”
