Page 103 of Clash of Storms
"So be it," Kristoff said, with a faint sigh. He bowed his head as he drew his own sword. "May the Goddess welcome us with open arms. I'll see you on the horizon, my prince."
* * *
In the end,it was Roland who attacked first.
And Roland who fell, his head separated from his body in a neat, precise flick of steel.
Two of the others lunged toward Sirius. Steel rang on steel. The hallways were twenty feet across here, and there was room for them to try and flank him.
Sirius gave himself over to the battle rush. The hallway faded away, his focus narrowing until all he saw was his enemies coming at him. Heart pounding, he parried and thrust, both blades moving in his hands like a whirlwind of metal.
The second he saw an opening, he took it, cutting down thedrekion the right. Another rushed to fill its space, and then he was facing three of them. Four. Sirius cut them all down with impunity, and that was when he started breathing hard.
"You don't have to do this," he told Kristoff as they faced off, twodrekicircling around behind him. More scrambled out of the throne room. "I don't want to kill you."
Kristoff gave a faint shrug, wielding both sword and knife. "What manner ofdrekiwould I be if I feared death?" He nodded, as if they were about to duel. "Have at, my prince."
Sirius swept the first blow aside, and smashed his shoulder into Kristoff. Kristoff staggered back, and the others rushed in. It was the matter of a minute to cut them both down, and his chest was heaving as he faced Kristoff once more.
Their blades crashed together again. Kristoff deflected the first blow. The second. Fighting for his life with all the skills he owned and knowing—from all their sparring—it would not be enough.
Sirius caught a hint of movement reflected in Kristoff's eyes, and stabbed one sword back, encountering resistance. Threedrekiattacked from behind. He was hard-pressed to keep them off his back, but Kristoff gave him space as if the idea of attacking four-to-one sat wrongly with him.
MoreZinithanZilittu, this one.
Blood splashed across the walls, and Sirius's biceps began to ache as he kept them at bay with massive, ringing blows. When one fell, another took his place, until the floors were slippery with blood.
Sirius slid to his knees, sliding beneath the flash of silver. It sliced through the tips of his hair, and as he spun he cut through the back of thedreki'sthigh.
A scream.
He didn't pause to enjoy it. Instead, he whipped both blades back the other way, locking them against a sword plunging down toward him. With a surge of his thighs, Sirius shoved to his feet, the swords breaking apart.
Thedrekiwho faced him staggered into the wall. Sirius took one menacing step, but the bastard glanced at his feet and the bodies lying there and took off down the hallway.
He caught a glimpse of Kristoff's green coat and spun, driving his elbow into the male's face. Sirius lowered his sword, light vanishing from the world as he focused on his opponent. Kristoff's heart lit up like an aurora in Sirius's Second Sight, and he squeezed his fingers together, seeing the organ arrest. The second it began to spasm, he released his grip and shut down his Second Sight.
"Stay down," he said, as Kristoff collapsed on the floor, clutching at his chest before he slumped unconscious.
It was vital energy he couldn't afford to waste, but by the time Kristoff awoke it would all be over—and he'd still be breathing.
Two more left.
They paced on either side of him, and his gaze tracked between them.
"Whoever moves first, dies first," he said in a soft, slightly malicious whisper. There was not a mark upon him.
"Aye. Well, your head's worth its weight in gold," Banquo said, his weight shifting from side to side. "Worth the risk in my opinion."
"You first then."
A leap carried him through the air. Banquo cried out, sword and shield raised to defend himself. Sirius's double swords slammed down upon steel, shrieking through the hallways.
Movement shifted behind him; a whisper of malice in the air. He kicked Banquo into the wall, pinning the shield between them, and then spun and slammed his elbow into Rathgar's nose as the otherdrekilunged toward him. Blood splattered against the walls.
"In the back?" Sirius taunted, as Rathgar's knife shrieked off Banquo's shield. He drove his elbow back again and Rathgar's head snapped back. "What kind of male strikes his foe in the back?"
"To me!" Banquo yelled, desperate eyes racing toward the throne room.
