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The Navy officer also adopted an en-garde stance, and stood with his side facing Seamas, who suddenly switched stances, opening himself up to attack, it would seem. The officer wasted no time; he darted in with a speed that belied his size, going straight for Seamas's unguarded, wide-open torso.
But that was exactly what Seamas had wanted him to do; with almost superhuman speed he sidestepped the attack and with a flurry of hyper-speed blows, he forced the navy officer into a stumbling retreat; the man was only barely able to fend off the expertly-struck cuts, slashes and lunges.
Now the big man's face took on an altogether different air; fear showed plainly on his face, where only anger had glowed before. Seamas, however, was in his element. He bent his knees, pointed the tip of his rapier at the officer and then made a mocking 'come here' gesture with his fingers.
This little touch served to heat up the man's blood, and a flush of wrath once again reddened his broad face. With a curse he lunged forward, slashing viciously with his heavy sabre, first horizontally, then vertically, but with the grace of a feline Seamas was able to duck and sidestep past the attacks – and then he landed one of his own, which struck home; a lightning-fast flick of his wrist whipped the tip of his sword across the officer's cheek, opening up a wide cut from which blood immediately started dribbling.
“You'll feel that in the morning!” laughed Seamas as the wounded officer stumbled back.
Still, the Englishman was not to be stopped; he pushed forward with one more furious attack, but this time Seamas closed with him quickly, and through a flurry of strokes the navy officer suddenly found the sharp tip of Seamas's sword pressed against his throat.
“It appears I've beaten you, Englishman,” sneered Seamas, locking his eyes mockingly into the officer's. “One more move and I'll skewer your throat, all the way through. Now, can myself and my friends keep drinking and dancing?”
The officer swallowed slowly and then nodded his head.
“Good,” said Seamas. “Good. Now, you and the rest of that half-dressed rabble can go back upstairs, put some cotton wool in your ears and leave us to drink until the sun comes up. How does that sound, boys and girls?!”
Seamas's friends cheered drunkenly, and some shouted insults at the officer and the other patrons on the stairs.
“Go on then!” shouted Seamas as he pushed the officer toward the stairs and planted a mocking kick on his rear. “Off to bed with you! Haha!”
The officer slunk back up the stairs, as did the other people, grumbling quietly as they went.
Seamas's friends came and patted him on the back, crowding around him and congratulating him on yet another dueling victory. He shrugged his shoulders and smirked as he sheathed his sword.
“I've never lost a duel,” he said, “And probably never will. Come my friends! Now is the time to drink and be merry. Johnny! David! The music! Barkeep! The drinks! Hurry up with them, you old fart! That fight's made me thirsty!”
Seamas and his friends resumed their carousing, but after around half an hour, a hooded figure wearing a heavy black cloak walked in, and keeping a low profile, went and took a seat at the far end of the bar and quietly ordered a whiskey. Seamas noticed him, however, and left his young blonde – who had almost passed out from drunkenness – and hurried over to the man in black.
“Seamas,” growled the stranger. “I've got news for you from MacNally.”
“Have you now?” asked Seamas.
“Oh yes. You want more gold, I'm sure?”
Seamas grinned.
“You know me, lad! I can never get enough of it.”
“Good. Because we've got another job for you like the one with the stud farm fool.”
“Ah, excellent! So MacNally has made another loan to a landowner has he? And he needs that loan to 'disappear', yes?”
“He wants his bag of gold back post-haste. After you do that, he gets his land for free, almost anyway, and you get a big sack of gold coins. You in?”
Seamas smiled.
“I'm always in.”
“Good. I'll be back tomorrow night to give you all the information you need to get the job done.”
With that the stranger finished his drink and slunk quietly out of the tavern into the night.
