Read Online BOOK II OF III: The Reign of the Sultan by J. Eric Booker - Free Book Online Page B

thief’s back, and he instantly died with a look of surprise on
his face!
    Dozens of guards, and thieves—masters,
instructors, and most especially, students—all gasped their shock
in a multitude of ways—from “ooh,” to “ah,” to “whoa!”
    Welch—a rather attractive woman with
shoulder-cropped auburn hair—had already retrieved a long sword
from the weapons rack nearby, while analyzing both Baltor’s
strength and weaknesses the entire time. No one had said she
couldn’t grab another weapon.
    It was only then that she came in for her
attack—her sword swung horizontally so that it would cut Baltor in
two pieces across the midsection!
    At the same time, Laseva—who was on Baltor’s
other side—had just completed a forward roll, just before
vertically swinging both of his daggers in a wide arc, one after
the other, in order to puncture them both deep into his opponent’s
upper back!
    Baltor fell backwards, and after paralleling
his own dagger with the ground a second before he made contact, he
performed a backwards roll—this simple action not only caused
Welch’s sword to miss its intended target, yet to slice Laseva’s
guts open!
    Laseva died in the very next second with a
very surprised look on his black bearded face, just before
collapsing to the ground … at the same time, just about everybody
gasped out in shock.
    Baltor did not pause upon regaining his feet,
but launched his dagger like a dart straight for Welch’s
sword-bearing arm, which dagger sunk to the hilt in the bicep and
out the triceps!
    From the excruciating pain she felt
throughout her entire right arm, Welch dropped the sword to the
ground, while blood began to pour out of her wounds and down her
arm, before collecting on the ground.
    While screaming out in agony and with a look
of pain and rage on her face, she quickly yanked out the dagger and
threw it back at Baltor! Thanks to this stupid stunt, blood flowed
like a river now.
    At the last second, Baltor surprisingly leapt
and caught it in mid-air by the handle, just before performing a
forward somersault.
    Meanwhile, as Welch had just considered the
distinct possibility that if she continued to battle, especially
now that she was already bleeding this badly, she might quickly
bleed to death, so she kept her anger and tears in check, and ran
out of the arena to find a medic.
    The remaining five thieves too include Jensa,
realized just how powerful a martial artist Baltor was, and they
hesitated.
    Baltor, on the other hand, did not hesitate
for a single second, but threw himself into another somersault to
his left, and while coming out of it only a second later, he
launched his dagger at the leg of the nearest opponent, a male
thief!
    Baltor’s dagger sank hilt-deep through the
man’s thigh—that thief collapsed to the ground, all the while
howling out his anguishing pain with blood squirting
everywhere!
    Meanwhile, just about everyone, other than
the remaining contestants, was “thrilled to the bone,” and
surprisingly, they fervently began to chant out one word,
“Sultan—Sultan—Sultan!”
    At the same time, Jensa, who was still armed
with a dagger, had just picked up Welch’s sword off the ground, and
so he began to twirl and swing his sword all around his body, in
order to intimidate Baltor through his masterful sword skills! Not
surprising, Baltor wasn’t fazed one iota.
    As for the other three remaining combatants,
not only did they begin to seriously fear Baltor, yet they all
backed away, while dropping their weapons to the ground.
    All the while twirling his sword, Jensa
angrily roared out, “Baltor—come and get some, you little bastard!
I’m sick of your childish games!”
    After breathing out a little laugh, Baltor
said, “No, Jensa…why don’t you come to your Sultan and get
some?”
    Even though Jensa seethed at Baltor’s
response, he was not stupid—not only did he keep his angers in
check, yet he stopped swinging his sword as he began to