Read Online The Tomni'Tai Scroll (Book 1) by Sam Ferguson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sam Ferguson
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wildly. Kai deftly sprang to the side, running up on the wall for five steps, putting him directly behind the large man. As the Ranger landed back on the ground he flipped his sword around and thrust backwards into the mace-man’s back. He felt his foe stiffen at the thrust, and again the man bellowed in pain. Kai pulled his sword free and delivered three more lightning-fast stabs before proceeding up the stairs.
By this time the house was full of commotion. In addition to the heavy steps upstairs, Kai heard women shouting and screaming amidst the curses and orders of men. As he leapt up the narrow stairway, three men started downward. Kai noticed that none of these men actually had weapons. One of them was holding his breeches up with his hands, a second was hastily throwing on a tunic, and the third was entirely naked, holding a shirt in front of his groin. The three of them stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Kai. The blood dripping from his sword and spattered across his body must have been a gruesome sight for them to see. They all put their backs to the wall and held their hands up, except for the naked guy, who kept one hand down to hold the shirt.
Another man appeared at the top of the stairs; this had a crossbow in his hand. Kai reached for his dagger as the crossbowman started to take aim, but his hand found nothing more than an empty sheath. It was then Kai remembered that he had left his dagger in another man’s gut. He did the only thing he could think of. He leapt up and swiped his sword at the men standing against the wall. As they jumped and tried to scramble out of the way, the crossbowman fired and struck one of the other three men. Kai pressed upwards, but now the three men were attacking him with fists and feet. He lashed out a few times with his sword and incapacitated each of them within moments.
Up the stairs he ran towards the crossbowman, but now the man had abandoned the crossbow and was holding a sword. He struck down at Kai, but the Ranger easily deflected the strike and launched a counter attack: two quick slashes cut at the guard’s legs followed by another strike slashing across his sword arm, and then a final thrust went through his left lung. Kai pushed the dying man aside with his boot and pressed on.
Nearby he saw an open door on the left side of the hallway. He went inside, ready to kill anything that moved, but all he saw was a woman. Her left arm was chained to one of the bedposts and she was frantically pulling at a sheet with her free hand, trying to cover herself. Kai’s rage increased at the sight. He slammed the woman’s door shut and continued down the hallway. Each room he looked into had a similar sight, and he continued to close each door after ensuring that no enemy was inside.
The end of the hallway had one final door. Kai kicked it, but it didn’t budge. He kicked again, but the door remained solid. Kai punched the door with his fist in frustration, but he then thought of an alternative. He ran back to the nearest bedroom and went straight for the window. The woman nearby was screaming for him to get away, but he paid her no mind. He threw the window open, sheathed his sword, and scrambled outside.
He stood on the windowsill, his fingers taking hold of the edge of the roof. He swung his legs to gain momentum and then started inching along the wall. His right hand would reach out farther along the roof with each swing of his legs and then his left hand would follow. It was not his most graceful effort, but it worked. Soon he was near a window that he figured would allow him access to the room behind the door. He looked at the window, careful not to expose himself. He wasn’t sure how to get to the window and open it without losing the upper hand. If he took too long, the men inside would surely be able to kill him, but he had to think of something fast.
An idea came to him. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he knew his time was running out. He moved his
By this time the house was full of commotion. In addition to the heavy steps upstairs, Kai heard women shouting and screaming amidst the curses and orders of men. As he leapt up the narrow stairway, three men started downward. Kai noticed that none of these men actually had weapons. One of them was holding his breeches up with his hands, a second was hastily throwing on a tunic, and the third was entirely naked, holding a shirt in front of his groin. The three of them stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Kai. The blood dripping from his sword and spattered across his body must have been a gruesome sight for them to see. They all put their backs to the wall and held their hands up, except for the naked guy, who kept one hand down to hold the shirt.
Another man appeared at the top of the stairs; this had a crossbow in his hand. Kai reached for his dagger as the crossbowman started to take aim, but his hand found nothing more than an empty sheath. It was then Kai remembered that he had left his dagger in another man’s gut. He did the only thing he could think of. He leapt up and swiped his sword at the men standing against the wall. As they jumped and tried to scramble out of the way, the crossbowman fired and struck one of the other three men. Kai pressed upwards, but now the three men were attacking him with fists and feet. He lashed out a few times with his sword and incapacitated each of them within moments.
Up the stairs he ran towards the crossbowman, but now the man had abandoned the crossbow and was holding a sword. He struck down at Kai, but the Ranger easily deflected the strike and launched a counter attack: two quick slashes cut at the guard’s legs followed by another strike slashing across his sword arm, and then a final thrust went through his left lung. Kai pushed the dying man aside with his boot and pressed on.
Nearby he saw an open door on the left side of the hallway. He went inside, ready to kill anything that moved, but all he saw was a woman. Her left arm was chained to one of the bedposts and she was frantically pulling at a sheet with her free hand, trying to cover herself. Kai’s rage increased at the sight. He slammed the woman’s door shut and continued down the hallway. Each room he looked into had a similar sight, and he continued to close each door after ensuring that no enemy was inside.
The end of the hallway had one final door. Kai kicked it, but it didn’t budge. He kicked again, but the door remained solid. Kai punched the door with his fist in frustration, but he then thought of an alternative. He ran back to the nearest bedroom and went straight for the window. The woman nearby was screaming for him to get away, but he paid her no mind. He threw the window open, sheathed his sword, and scrambled outside.
He stood on the windowsill, his fingers taking hold of the edge of the roof. He swung his legs to gain momentum and then started inching along the wall. His right hand would reach out farther along the roof with each swing of his legs and then his left hand would follow. It was not his most graceful effort, but it worked. Soon he was near a window that he figured would allow him access to the room behind the door. He looked at the window, careful not to expose himself. He wasn’t sure how to get to the window and open it without losing the upper hand. If he took too long, the men inside would surely be able to kill him, but he had to think of something fast.
An idea came to him. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he knew his time was running out. He moved his
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