The second knight came on in a more guarded stance than his former counterpart, and Matthew matched his footwork, his heavily armored feet clattering against the floor.
“Come on then, bugger,” the knight sneered, and Matthew lunged with a great thrust, only to have it knocked away. The knight countered, and Matthew brought his gauntleted forearm to block, the blade biting into it with a great dent, and Matthew cringed to feel his arm crack beneath the blow. But the other knight had come too close, and now he had sealed his own fate. Matthew lunged again, this time using his head as the weapon, and bashed into the knight’s face, sending him reeling, blood streaming from his nose. Matthew stepped forward before the man could recover and ran him through.
“Come on!” Laila screamed from outside, and Matthew bid a hasty retreat as two more crossbow bolts flew past, landing among the wood of the inn’s walls. He hurried through the door and shoved it shut behind him.
“Move it!” Jacob called, undoing the horses from the fence post.
“I’m moving!” Matthew rebutted, his entire body beginning to scream from the brutal bruises that were fast appearing beneath his armor from the continued crossbow bolts, the small crack in his left arm’s bone, and the one or two broken ribs he was beginning to suspect plagued him. That was the power of plate armor. It would turn mortal wounds into survivable ones, but it was not a catch-all to prevent bodily damage.
He groaned and winced as he hauled himself into the saddle, and Jacob planted Walter behind him. “Hold on, man!” Matthew yelled out through his visor, and he felt Walter’s weak hand reach around his armored torso. Looking to his right, he saw Laila and Jacob atop the other horse.
“Time to go!” Matthew shouted, and the four of them plunged off into the pouring rain, leaving Lord Hamilton screaming in rage somehow behind them.
