Reaching forward to the saddle, she snapped up a crossbow.
“Ava,” Kai hissed, but she was next to him seconds later, her back to his.
“They’re watching us,” Ava urged. “I ken the pattern.”
“Stay hidden.” Kai gestured for her to move behind the tree, but Ava didn’t move. She was not going to abandon him out in the open to be shot at with an arrow. “Ava –”
“Hush!” she elbowed him, trying her best to ignore the way he winced. “Och, I didnae elbow ye that hard –”
“Ye call that nae hard?” He hadn’t even finished speaking when she saw it. Out of the corner of her eye, there was something moving through the snow. Someone had raised a bow and arrow and the long weapon, shadowy against the white world, was pointing straight at Kai.
Ava raised her crossbow and barely aimed before she fired. The sound of the bolt whipping through the air silenced Kai better than her words could.
“Argh!” Someone cried out, the bow and arrow falling to the snow.
“Good shot,” Kai whispered. Before Ava could thank him, more shadowy figures began to move through the snow. The closer they moved, the more their faces became visible, or theire lack of faces, for they had covered their features with scarves and strips of tartan, to hide themselves. “Bandits,” Kai grunted. “Run.”
Yet there was nowhere to run. As Ava looked around, there were more men approaching from their other side. She snapped up another bolt from the saddle and turned to fire it into a crowd of three men approaching from behind her. The second bolt seemed to unleash a torrent of fighting.
Ava could no longer feel Kai’s back against hers as he moved away to fight, his broadsword clashing against two of the bandits he was facing. Ava’s bolt had taken one of the three men down, but one was still moving toward her, as the second, clothed completely in black raised a bow and arrow, aiming not for her, but for her horse.
Ava grabbed the reins of her mare and tried to jerk her out of the way just as the arrow flew through the air. It buried itself into the leg of the mare, taking it down to the ground in seconds. There was a great furor of whinnies as Kai’s steed bucked and reared in fear.
The other man was running toward Ava now, staggering through the snow toward her, slipping in the ice repeatedly, but not once relenting in his pace. She dived behind the bucking horse, doing her best to use the rearing animal as a shield. Drawing out a third bolt, she aimed for the man completely clothed in black, but he had vanished. Somehow, in all his dark clothes, he had impossibly melted into the world of white.
Where are ye?
“Now, now,” a rumbling voice warned behind her. “Dinnae put up a fight, lass.”
She whirled around, having to dart to the side to avoid being hit by the bucking horse, just as she came face to face with the man she had been looking for. He had his bow raised, ready to strike her with it. He whipped it through the air as she bent down,narrowly managing to avoid being hit, though she ended on her back, the snow dampening her cloak and gown in seconds.
“Ye ken what we do with lasses who fight?” He veered over her, bending down. She scrambled to lift up her sword, but he was too tall, too overpowering, and kicked the blade away with ease. “We give them an extra punishment.” The words left little to the imagination as he took hold of her wrist.
Ava was reminded of another man who had grabbed her wrist years ago, a man who had tried to force something from her. Petrified to the spot, Ava didn’t reach for the other weapons in her belt – she lay there, her bones as immovable as the ice.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Yer money. Now.” One of the bandits demanded, holding out his hand to Kai and gesturing wildly with the short dirk in his hand.
“Ye willing tae risk yer life tae come and get it?” Kai said, twirling the broadsword through the air just once. “Aye, as ye wish.”
The man was confident, approaching with the dirk, but the two men either side of him were afraid. Kai could sense it on them, like a foul stench. He went for the confident man first. The stubby dirk was knocked to the snow in seconds. Kai used the hilt to drive into the man’s stomach, then elbowed him down across the back of the head. Spluttering on the ice, he fell face first, winded, squirming around feebly.
Kai turned his attention on the other two who were now backing up.
“Ye want tae take the risk? Eh?” Kai barked at them. Together, the two turned and fled, struggling to run through the snow. “Aye, leave with yer tail between yer legs! Ye cowards.”
Kai kicked out at the fallen man who was groaning wildly, clutching to his wounded stomach.
“Remember this,” Kai warned, using the blade to cut across the man’s cheek. “Every time ye look in the mirror, ye’ll see this.” He formed a perfect T on the man’s cheek, for thief. “Then remember I was good enough tae let ye live. Go.”
Kai didn’t even bother watching the man leave. His attention had been caught by one of the two men who had gone after Ava. One was struggling to get around Kai’s bucking horse. Kai approached quickly, just as the man brought up his sword. It took two lunges and one strike across the back of the head to disable the man. He fell to his knees, whining like an injured pup.
“Leave. Or I’ll finish the job,” Kai warned.
“Nay. Nay!” It was Ava’s voice.
Kai had to grab the reins of the horse, pulling the stallion to the side and trying to stop the constant bucking to see what was happening.
