Dark Legion Read Online Free PDF

three men stood up from behind the branch, and another two walked out from beneath the bridge. They clambered awkwardly over the branch and stood in front of Marcus in a rough semicircle.
    â€œAfternoon gents,” said the man at the center. He wore a leather jerkin that did not quite cover his belly. “This here is sort of like a toll bridge.”
    â€œA troll bridge?” Marcus asked. “Well, I suppose you do match the stories my mother used to tell of trolls. If I remember correctly, they also had a bridge.”
    â€œOh, ha ha. We have a jester in our midst here, boys,” the leader said, looking at his men. “Only problem is, he ain’t very funny. Often the problem with jesters.”
    â€œWhat is this toll, then?” Marcus asked.
    â€œYou’re lucky, we have a special today. You can leave that cart and horses with us, and you get to keep on breathing. It’s a bargain.”
    â€œI have a better offer,” Marcus said. “You clear that branch, and get out of my way.”
    The highwaymen laughed and pulled out their odd assortment of weapons. “Not only ain’t you funny, jester, but you ain’t too clever at your sums either. There are six of us, and three of you. And those two back there,” he said, gesturing at Elijah and me. “They don’t look none too threatening.”
    I took offense at that. I could do plenty of damage. If they were facing the other way, or were perhaps restrained. And his math was far from great. I counted five men.
    â€œMarcus,” Elijah said. “Perhaps we should just hand over the cart.”
    In reply, Marcus drew his blades.
    A man to the left of the leader stepped forward, moving his sword in small circles. He was a heavy-set man who displayed about as much grace as a dancing cow. I was far from an expert, but I read the man as the hit-and-run type. My suspicions were confirmed when the man lunged forward. Marcus parried the attack, and the sword passed him by a hand’s width. The man’s momentum carried him forward, however, right into Marcus’s long dagger.
    A moment later, Marcus kicked the man into another who was moving to flank him, freeing his dagger in the process. Both men hit the bridge railing, toppled over, and dropped to the rapids below.
    A sixth man emerged from beneath my side of the bridge, covered in a dark robe. He kept low as he snuck up behind Marcus, a dagger in his hand. “Look behind you,” I yelled, but either the rapids were too loud or Marcus too focused, as he did not turn. I looked around for a weapon, settled on one of the fire pokers in the cart, and rushed forward. As I mentioned, I was a dangerous opponent if you turned your back to me.
    The roar of the rapids below drowned out my footsteps, and the man was still unaware of my approach when I swung the heavy cast-iron poker down on the back of his neck. I heard a crunch, and he went down like a sack of potatoes. I kicked the man onto his back. He was a she, but no beauty. I smashed the poker into her face for good measure. A couple of teeth went skittering over the side, and another went past Marcus.
    I figured she may as well join her friends and her teeth in the drink, so I rolled her over the edge and watched her fall. Marcus flicked his head my way just in time to see the woman go over. He nodded, then returned to his own business. I doubted she was alive when she fell, but she most certainly wasn’t after hitting the jagged rocks below.
    As I turned, I saw Marcus casually walk up to the leader. The two others still standing were slowly backing away. The leader held a buckler out on his left and had a curved blade in his right hand. He looked much less certain of himself than a minute ago, and his buckler twitched with every step Marcus took.
    When Marcus made his move it was to feign a high attack. The leader snapped his buckler up, and when he did, Marcus kicked up hard. The buckler smashed into