AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He counted five men as they walked forward menacingly, dressed in leather and protective gear, prepared for battle, each one of them the size of a full-grown man. They wore black masks, so he couldn’t see their faces. That wasn’t something they did in Rysburg. No, these were not friends. Their steps were a slow and controlled show of intimidation. They kept their gloved hands at their sides, weapons left in their sheaths. He didn’t know how well Marcus could fight, but perhaps they could take them on their own.
Marcus’s eyes flashed back behind them and he jumped, turning to face the other direction. Nik didn’t have to look to know they were surrounded on both sides. He closed his eyes for a moment and clenched his jaw, then turned to look over his shoulder and counted another five men. Their odds of getting out of this alive dropped significantly.
Nik had spent his entire adult life as a member of the guard. Fighting was not a foreign concept to him, but every single time, he and Rysburg had the element of surprise. They always did the attacking. He’d never been the one to be ambushed. He knew as well as anyone that playing offense was better than being on defense. No time to come up with a plan. No intel to work with. They didn’t have the upper hand this time, and Nik feared it might cost them gravely.
One man stepped forward out of line and Nik gripped his sword tighter.
“Drop your weapons,” he ordered, his voice low and threatening. The man was calm. He knew he was in control.
Nik did his best to remain calm, too.
Neither he nor Marcus moved. If they wanted him to drop his weapon, they’d have to make him.
“Don’t make me say it again,” the man threatened.
He watched their resistance for a moment longer and then whistled.
Something flew through the air. Nik spotted it from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t have time to move before the arrow struck him in the thigh. The sharp tip sliced through his flesh, and his muscle throbbed in pain. With a snarl, he dropped to his knees. He used one hand to cover the entrance to his wound and felt warm blood slip through his fingers.
“Drop your weapons,” the man repeated.
Marcus looked at Nik for guidance. They were clearly outnumbered; there was no way for them to fight their way out of this. The muscle in Nik’s thigh throbbed in agony. Reluctantly, he released the sword in his other hand and pushed it a few feet away. He pulled out the smaller knives he had tucked away and tossed them, too.
Alive and captured is better than dead.
Marcus swallowed, throat bobbing, and tossed his sword and knife out in front of him as well.
“Get on your knees.”
Marcus kneeled beside Nik, who was having a hard time putting weight on his left leg. He grimaced as he tried to straighten up, but pain shot through his thigh. The man came closer until he was standing in front of them both, looking down with hatred in his eyes, the only thing left uncovered by his mask. The rest of his men followed him onto the bridge and circled Nik and Marcus.
“Who are you?” Nik asked.
The man didn’t respond.
Nik looked to his side to find Marcus breathing heavily with tears in his eyes. Marcus liked to put on a tough exterior, but he was just an ordinary man, terrified to find himself on the brink of death.
A couple months ago, Nik would’ve felt numb in this situation. A couple months ago, he’d had nothing to live for. He would’ve accepted this fate without much of a fight. But his eyes burned now as he thought of Ali. Life was cruel. It offered hope and then smothered it like a fire at the end of the night.
The man nodded to his men, and then a hard fist connected with Nik’s cheek bone. Fists were all over Nik and Marcus, beating them into the ground. Hitting his face, his arms. Once he crumpled to the ground, the kicking began. Shoes connected with his legs and back. It was particularly painful when they hit his wounded leg. That spot radiated pain throughout his entire body, pulsing unbearably.
Blood ran down his face from a cut on his brow. He struggled to breathe as the punches and kicks kept coming at his stomach and ribs, sucking the life out of him. Dizziness swept over him, and he was too weak to hold up his head, let alone stand. Each time he tried to gather himself, another kick landed. Another fist connected.
Nik curled into himself and brought his hands up to protect his face from their boots, but they carried on, cracking his knuckles and kicking his head. He heard Marcus’s moans, nearly drowned out by the sound of fists hitting them nonstop. One hard hit to the ear and he could only hear half of what he’d heard before; a buzzing noise took the place of their voices.
The hits kept coming and his body went limp. The faint humming faded as he blacked out and gave in to the darkness.
When he returned to himself, he had no idea how long he had been knocked out. He blinked his swollen eyelids and swallowed the bloody spit in his mouth. His lips were dry and cracked and his face lay in an icy pool of blood. His surroundings hadn’t changed. They were still on the bridge. He opened his eyes more fully and could see Marcus lying next to him. His chest didn’t move and his eyes remained open and glossed over. Dead.
He might’ve yelled in shock, but his jaw was in too much pain and it came out more like a gargle.
“Welcome back to the living. Guess it’s your lucky day.”
Nik moved his head slowly to see the man standing above him, but black spots blurred his vision.
“Your friend here gave out before you, so you get to send the message back to your people.” His voice was a low growl, an attack of its own accord.
He nudged Nik with his foot and pain seared through his body. Every muscle ached and he must’ve broken a bone or two. He looked at the wound in his leg and saw the arrow had broken off when he’d passed out. Now a jagged fragment stuck out of his leg, drenched in blood.
