Darting his gaze toward the narrow passageway, Aonghus saw the first of Kollungr’s guardsmen, one wide as a sea monster, who began racing toward him. Taking the medallion from his neck, he approached halfway; his steps halted at the forewarn behind him.
“Aonghus!” Her scream caught his ears. “Take hold onto this rope! A wave will be sweeping you from the deck!”
He heard the warning. Shite, he wasn’t the only one. Kollungr. The Northern captor stood in the passageway’s shadowy entrance, his eyes popped wide.The northern falcon knows.
“Keirah,” Kollungr viciously vowed, gripping the edges of the wooded frame, “your talents will soon be mine once more! TAKE HER!” he ordered the sea monster.
“Aonghus, LEAVE HIM!” she countered.
Shite! Aonghus pivoted as a wall of water reaching up to heaven’s gate appeared. Throwing the chain over his neck he dove for the mast; his fingers burned grabbing the ropes circling the mast. He covered her with his body as the wave crashed onto the deck, the sheer force like a granite curtain wall collapsing, trying to rip their flesh.
Spluttering, Keirah coughed the words, “Keep…holding…”
Looking, he discovered Kollungr –The sadist!– had ordered his guard to a watery doom. “Nooo!” the sea creature bellowed, scrambling, but he was swept over the deck and out into the storm’s mountains, appearing as if an ancient ocean god conjured the life-snatching tides himself.
“Keirah!” Kollungr’s voice cut the salty spray like a blade from the sanctuary of the passageway. “You will not escape!”She will – but Kollungr won’t.
He checked the knot upon her wrists – still holding. He ripped the chain from his neck then rolled on his heels toward the passageway.Mind the slickness on the boards; use it as an advantage to unleash back upon the Northmen.
“Slay him!” Kollungr ordered a thick warrior with the palest flaxen hair and a long snout nose, appearing more polar bear than Northman. The bear took the lead, directly charging at him. Uncurling the chain at his side, he spun the flail-like weapon with a pace to rival the spray landing over them. When the warrior raised his sword, Aonghus ducked, thehissfrom the blade cutting water right over his skull. The warrior’s face wasnow exposed.Whack it!Aonghus spun his weapon back around with such force –thud– it took the warrior’s eye and half his temple gushing off his face before his corpse spun from the slick deck, lost into the waves. One slayed, two left.Advance to the grave, Northmen!
Running his hand across his eyes, which burned like he stared into the devil’s pit, his vision cleared from the blur. The small act of leaning down to make it under the passage then raising up to their full heights made Kollungr and Svørn appear almost giants. Well, the Northern giants were going back below, just not on a ship but straight to hell! Look at Kollungr’s expression – it was fierce; he would charge next.He even leads before Svørn. Kollungr’s weapon? Sword.The medallion spun faster than the wind.Take the sword first.Then lash and flay and rip every bit of skin off Kollungr’s worthless hide in Keirah’s honor. Here, here he comes. Wait…wait…now!
“Scotsman, your death awaits!!” Kollungr promised and charged. “Keirah will be MINE!”
NEVER! The whistle turned deafening from the medallion cutting the rain next to his ear as he picked up speed on the slicing metal through water, the spray misting his face at the force he commanded. How best to take Kollungr’s weapon? Spin the chain about the sword’s blade then tear it from Kollungr’s grasp. Will the chain hold or break? It will hold!To wait is risk my Keirah!
Aroarrrrtore his throat at the final moment of the falcon’s descent, with a sizzle taking the air when the blade slid across the gold.Rip the blade from Kollungr’s grip!Aonghus dragged his shoulder low; shite, the Northman was strong. Strong enough to hold the blade? No!Thump. The blade hit the deck, ripped clean from Kollungr’s grasp. The chain slid off theblade’s tip, staying in Aonghus’s grip while the sword washed away into the tides.Finish Kollungr!
Kollungr, eyes wide as the moon, leapt behind Svørn, who led in with another sword.Coward!
The same tactic, taking the blade away with the chain, wouldn’t work on Svørn. Shite, Svørn was advancing quickly, too quickly. The younger Northman was clad in mail and armor all the way to his ankles. Ankles.Look at Svørn’s ankles.Only thin leather covered them.Perfect. He must use Svørn’s charging speed to an advantage. How? Bend a knee at the last moment and sweep Svørn’s ankles, knocking the enemy’s feet out from under him. Svørn’s sword. Be careful about the blade, it could possibly swipe his own shoulder at the bold tactic to disarm the Northern warrior. There was no other way; Aonghus needed to be close to hit the ankles.Aye, close enough to deliver the blow.Hold the line, hold…hold, now!
The hard deck greeted his knee when Aonghus collapsed onto the joint and bowed low – both at the same moment. Using the momentum from spinning the medallion, Aonghus aimed right toward the ankles of Svørn, who gave a howl which rivaled the wind. Ankles knocked out from under the enemy! Svørn spun far away with a violent snapandgrunt after collapsing onto the deck.Re-engage Kollungr.
What was the warmth on his shoulder? Blood; it oozed down his arm from the shoulder wound Svørn inflicted.It doesn’t matter,Kollungr demands all.Aonghus’s fist tightened on the gold chain. Did he still feel the pressure in his grip along with the chain? Aye to both – good.
Aonghus’s foot paused a breath. It wasn’t the sight of Kollungr emerging but what the enemy held. Vengeance. His sire’s axe was gripped in the Northman’s fist as a sick grinmasked his face. Four times Aonghus had waited for the enemy to advance from that passage; now the time had come to charge. Directly!
Spinning the medallion, Aonghus continued racing, then dropped onto both his knees at the last moment, a mere speck from the enemy. Sliding across the deck, he heard Vengeance whistlethe air over his scalp as he sailed past Kollungr.
Turn!Aonghus must punch the backs of Kollungr’s legs to collapse him.Whack!The chain slammed perfectly onto the joints belonging to the enemy’s knees as Kollungr fell forward faster than the sail off the mast hitting the deck.Chain around the captor’s neck!Spinning the medallion a final time, Aonghus threw the massive chain over Kollungr’s neck.PULL!!
Vengeance came right at him. Aonghus darted right, then left; both advances missed as Kollungr swung wildly about while being strangled. The chokehold was solid on Kollungr’s throat.Harder, crush the infernal windpipe…Kollungr is struggling less. Almost there…
Keirah’s cry tore stole his attention: “Aonghus!”
Looking up, his eyes doubled at the sight of Keirah. She had untethered herself with her eyes wide from terror. The rope was in her grasp, trailing above her head as she was sliding across the deck on her stomach, headed directly for the waves and death’s gate! Why had she untethered herself?
Releasing Kollungr, who collapsed, Aonghus grabbed Vengeance from the motionless hand then charged for…“Keirah!”
Faster, she is almost to the edge!A wave began to crash on his back.Use this momentum while sliding on a hip. There, quicker. Quicker, slide!His eyes darted toward the ship’s edge then to her, calculating the distance along with her pace. No! Hewas too far to reach her hand!The rope. Go for the rope she is holding; get that dangling tail on the rope above her.
“Keirah, keep hold onto the rope!”
He stretched for the rough rope swishing across the deck – shite, it was like trying to catch a snake racing away through the heathers.Got it!How could he halt the speed built? A groan vibrated his lips when his shoulder protested as if a pitchfork stabbed his flesh at the wound unleashed by Svørn while he swung Vengeance over his head to stab the blade’s corner right into the deck’s wood. They both snapped to a halt. His ragged breaths sounded in his ears; he glimpsed toward his toes. She had halted. Safe. She was safe, praise all above. As he yanked the rope hard, she slid back up the deck, meeting him.
Cough, cough.Her breath rasped against his throat. Why had she cut herself loose?!
