The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns Read Online Free PDF Page A

nor moved as she surveyed them all.
    “You there, elf w oman, you are coming with us.” t he dark haired young swordsman in the front spoke up from behind his hooded cloak. His rapier was out and low, twenty paces or less away.
    The highborn e elf looked at the edge, seeing three or four nicks in it that had been mostly sharpened and polished out. “I am not the one you want to begin your career practicing on, human.” s he could tell he was green, young, and hesitant. Her blades stayed low as well from this distance, staring at the man in the back. Her only concern was him, his arms resting across his chest and staring back at her. The elf could sense no fear from him, the only one who seemed confidant and was not readying a sword.
    “You are alone girl, far from the safety of the tower you hide in. Don’ t make me take you the hard way. I assure you it will be a re gret you may never live down.” h is Harlian accent, heavy on the vowels and slower speech, came through as he tried to intimidate her. The three men walked closer, blades tipped at waist level now, and the two from behind them followed.
    “ Let us see about that then.” Shinayne stepped forward, swords twirling and up to a crisp on guard. Her vision caught their breath, the off hand daggers from the two in the middle, and the stone stillness of the man in the rear. She bowed slightly, playfully, opening her stance and arms just enough to taunt.
    Three heavy rapiers, pointed straight blades with curved and weaved steel hilts of black, lunged in unison at the elven woman, and all three fell short as she backed up one step. Again, they redoubled their steps, lunging once more, attempting to plunge the tips of their swords into the quick stepping elf. She backed up anothe r step, then lunged forward her self, cutting across all three blades with a cut from her curved longblade, and following with a rapid stab of the point of the shortblade. The killer on the left dropped to the pier holding his chest, trying to conceal a moan of agony and the pain of a surprise cut from nowhere in the night. She spun full circle, parrying the incoming cuts and ripostes from her two enemies. She ducked and rolled backwards, under flashes of steel, and turned halfway on her heel, slashing out as she moved. The two men dropped, their thighs split to the bone. Shinayne was facing the two men in the middle, staring and smiling, then plunged her elven swords into the chests of her fallen foes. The elven swordswoman stood up, just in time to bring her blades in fro nt of her face in a cross guard. A dagger flew end over end, deflecting off her weapons. A second projectile spun toward her chest, and she turned sideways, hearing it land in the dark waters of the bay.
    “Bad manners gentlemen, throwing knives at a lady .” s he did not wait to see if they had another dagger somewhere, stepping quickly to the two men that had thrown the knives so cowardly. Her focus was still on the stoic human man in the rear, who had not moved a muscle.
    Whipping rapiers screamed steel through the rain, unable to strike the deft elven woman as she parried and dodged their every trained attack. Her curved blade teased a lunge, which they attempted to stop with a chop and a flick of their wrists to disarm her, then she turned right. As they followed through, chasing with their swords, Shinayne turned back left, arriving inbetween them. Two quick parries from her blades, the black clad assassins thrust their rapiers at her midsection. She caught the blades with her crossguards, twirled over once, then struck down and up in one rapid motion. As their rapiers hit the wooden planks, her curved swords punctured their ribs deep, simultaneously on each side of her. Shock and pain swept over their pale countenances and dark eyes as they fell limp onto their knees, then to their faces, dead. She removed her weapons from the insides of the men, never leaving eye contact with the hooded man.
    “Impressive, for