Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

“That will be fine,” she answered.

Dorian turned and strode from the room, feeling ridiculous walking out with his visor down. As he went he stared for a moment at the guard James had sent to summon him. Something about the man’s face bothered him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. In any case, he didn’t recognize the fellow anyway.

After he had gone Penny returned to the outer room. She had too much energy to stay pent up in the bedroom. Her presence served to stifle the idle banter her guards had been engaging in and an awkward silence fell across the room. They didn’t have long to wait however, less than two minutes after Dorian left another knock sounded at the door.

The guard outside opened the door without waiting for a response, revealing a highly unusual woman framed by the opening. She was garbed in soft leathers, like a huntsman, though she bore more steel than would be necessary for such an occupation. Her hair was black and curled into delicate ringlets, it might have draped past her shoulders but she had it tied back into a businesslike pony tail. She strode forward into the room as though she owned it.

Penny locked eyes with the strange woman and a chill ran down her spine. This woman is death, she thought and her knowledge of what would soon happen did nothing to change her opinion. “Wait,” she said suddenly, before the woman could speak. “I’d like you men to leave so we can talk in private.”

The man closest to her, Samuel was his name, answered first, “I don’t think that’s what Sir Dorian had in mind when he left.” He might have said more but a dagger appeared, lodged in his left eye. It happened so suddenly almost no one reacted for the first few seconds, aside from Penelope.

Penny no longer had the superior speed and strength she had possessed while she had been Mordecai’s Anath’Meridum, but she had been trained by one of the most skilled warriors in all of Lothion, and she had already known a good deal of what would happen. As the first dagger flew toward Samuel’s head she was already drawing a long bladed knife from her skirt and though she was too far to save him she managed to bat a second blade from the air before it reached one of her other guards.

The room grew still for a moment as Samuel slowly collapsed to the floor, twitching as he died. The other guard, Cole, had just begun to register the fact that a similar blade had almost reached him as well. The strange woman looked at Penny appraisingly, “Not bad, I see Cyhan did a good job with you.”

The other woman’s patronizing tone got under Penny’s skin immediately and she wanted nothing more than to teach her a lesson, but she kept her wits about her. “This is a mistake. No one else needs to die if you’ll just let me explain,” she said.

The dark haired woman drew two long knives, each with a blade almost eighteen inches in length and advanced. “I’m afraid the time for talking is over sweetheart,” she replied.

To their credit the two guards that remained never wavered in their resolve. Cole drew his sword as the woman stepped forward, as did the man beside him, but they never stood a chance. Their opponent feinted toward Penny and Cole took the bait, lunging sideways to protect his ward and the woman cut his throat wide as she swept back in the other direction. Ducking a swing from the second guard she moved in closely and slashed at his midsection.

That move was purely a distraction however, his breastplate made it impossible for her blade to hurt him there, but he flinched and drew back reflexively… or at least he attempted to do so, but she had pinned his left foot under her own. With a small push she sent him falling backward and followed him downward, using his weight to start a tumbling roll. Penny had stepped over Cole and her own blade narrowly missed the woman’s back as she rolled away.

The stranger came up and into a crouch several feet away, but the man she had tripped didn’t rise. One of the two long knives was lodged under his chin and a pool of blood was already spreading underneath him. Penny stared at him in shock, she hadn’t seen the attack that killed him, or even expected it. All three of her guards were now dead and she assumed that the one outside the room was gone as well. The fight was effectively over, unless she intended to take the intruder on singlehandedly.

Given her condition that seemed foolish. The woman before her was more deadly than anyone she had ever seen, except perhaps Cyhan. Without the extra speed and strength she had had as Mort’s Anath’Meridum there was no way she could hope to overcome her. That didn’t mean she was ready to surrender however. What is it that Mort’s always saying? Stupid never dies. I guess that describes me as well, she thought to herself. If there’s no way to overpower her directly perhaps I can make her underestimate me.

Penelope began edging sideways around the room, backing further from the woman as she moved, until she had reached the place she started. Cole’s now still form lay on the ground behind her, but before she could begin her opponent spoke. “I’m not here to kill you,” the other woman said.

Penny knew this already but she feigned ignorance. “Who are you?” she asked.

The woman laughed, “Ruth is my name. If you put the dagger down I won’t hurt you.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I might put my knee right in the middle of that big belly of yours,” Ruth replied with an evil sneer. “You wouldn’t want to endanger the baby would you?” she said with mock sympathy.

Penny decided to risk some of her information on a bluff, “The king would be very displeased if something happened to me or my child.”

Ruth stepped forward without bothering to reply. As she did Penny stepped sideways but her foot came down awkwardly on Cole’s body, causing her to trip. Ruth lunged thinking Penny vulnerable but her eyes widened in surprise when Penny sank gracefully to one knee instead, bringing her dagger up and in-line with Ruth’s mid-section. Twisting like a cat she narrowly avoided being gutted and the sharp edge slid over the outside of her ribs, ripping a deep cut through her leathers and scoring deeply into the skin beneath. The motion threw her completely off balance and she fell awkwardly beside the pregnant woman.

Penny cursed as her thrust failed to eviscerate Ruth but she followed through, trying to make the most of her opportunity. As Ruth fell Penny leaned to her left and drove her left elbow into her attacker’s side. If she had been more limber she could have tried for a better target but her belly was hampering her movements. She felt as much as heard the grunt of pain that escaped her attacker’s lips as the blow connected. Bringing her right hand around she wasted no time, trying to catch Ruth with her blade before she could recover.

Ruth was moving already though, she rolled to the side before Penny could connect with the dagger and lashing out with her leg she caught her solidly in the side of the head. Penny was thrown sideways by the blow, crashing into the wooden doorframe between the two rooms. Struggling to clear her vision Penny tried to get up, when a second blow she failed to see knocked her down again.

A moment later she was caught. Ruth’s long legs were wrapped around her waist and one arm was around her neck. With crushing pressure Penny felt Ruth’s forearm cutting into her neck, choking off her air supply and making her head feel as though it were about to explode. “You’re going to pay for that cut bitch,” came Ruth’s voice next to her ear. “You’ve got me so worked up I might just choke you to death.”

Penny wanted to reply, but she couldn’t, the pressure on her throat was too great. She was unable to even croak and she knew her face must be blood red… the world was starting to go dark.