She stopped to catch her breath, coughing up water of her own. The rocks would provide some cover if she could make it there without being spotted. Thankfully, the warriors were being kept occupied by the defenders. She gripped Harlan under the arms and guided him towards the shore, taking advantage of any small wave that propelled him closer to the beach. ‘Still awake?’
No reply. His eyes were closed again.
‘Eyes open, Commander. That’s an order.’
They opened, meeting hers this time. ‘You’re crazy.’ His voice was barely recognisable.
She attempted to drag him from the water. ‘That’s hardly news.’ At least he was talking. That had to be a good sign. ‘You’ve always known I’m crazy,’ she panted.
His head rolled to one side. ‘I’m too heavy.’
Her eyes closed for a moment. ‘Let me worry about that.’
He was lodged in the sand with water washing over his face. He continued to cough it up. When Blake lost her grip and fell backwards, he said, ‘Stop.’
She got straight back up on her feet and took hold of him again. ‘I need to get you out of the water.’ She saw him wince as the arrow lodged in his back snagged on the sand. She rolled him onto his good side, heaving with the effort. A sob sat in her throat alongside defeat and exhaustion that threatened to spill over at any moment.
Anchoring her feet, she used all her remaining strength to drag him onto the sand. When only his feet remained in the water, she collapsed beside him, panting and dripping. Then she was kneeling next to him with no idea what to do next. There were no blankets to warm him with, no physician to remove the arrows. She knew better than to touch them.
Her eyes travelled up to his face. His eyes were closed again. She shook him. ‘I didn’t do all that for nothing. Open your eyes. Look at me.’
He did, but gone was the light from them. The golden rim had faded to a dull brown.
‘The fighting will stop soon,’ she said. ‘Then you’ll get the help you need.’
He blinked. ‘Are we winning?’
Blake looked out at the beach. They were still fighting, and she could not tell.
A shadow passed over them, and she drew Harlan’s sword as she shot to her feet. A warrior with braided hair came to a stop in front of them. He held a longsword in one hand and a round wooden shield in the other. His shoulders were three times the width of Blake. It seemed the widespread famine had skipped this particular tribe.
‘What do we have here?’ the man said, looking from Blake to Harlan.
Blake stepped over Harlan so she stood between them, sword pointed at the man’s chest. Her hand was not as steady as she would have liked. ‘If you leave now, I’ll let you live.’
Amusement filled his eyes as he stared down at the sword. ‘I don’t think that belongs to you.’
It was the first time Blake noticed that the sword was not Harlan’s. She tried not to let the surprise show on her face. She was not particularly good with any sword, but if she had pulled her knife out, the man would have laughed at her.
‘I don’t think it belongs to you either,’ she said, lifting her chin. ‘This is an English sword used by cavalrymen in the ninth century. Double-edged blade. Decorated pommel. Valuable—and likely stolen.’
She might not have been a strong swordsman, but she knew a lot about them. Her father had taught her all about weapons—just not how to kill a warrior with one.
A low chuckle came from the man. ‘I think I’m going to quite enjoy taking it from you.’
‘Blake,’ Harlan said behind her, sounding worse by the second. ‘Run.’
She dared a glance behind her and saw his eyes were closed, and he was shivering. She could tell by his colour they did not have long.
Lunging forwards, she went for the warrior, hoping to catch him off guard. He lifted his shield and blocked the blow with minimal effort. She tried again, then again, only to be met with laughter.
He was literally laughing at her.
‘I was really hoping you might havesomeskill.’ He stepped up to her so quickly she tripped over Harlan in her effort to get away from him. Harlan did not even open his eyes as she landed. One positive was that the warrior was focused only on her. He stepped over Harlan as she scurried back.
A mistake.
Harlan’s hand shot up, grabbing him by the ankle. His eyes blinked open as he twisted the warrior’s leg, causing the man to lose balance and fall.
