“Last chance,” Noah said, and his voice carried the weight of absolute certainty. “Leave now, or die here. Choose quickly.”
“Big words from one man against three!”
“Aye,” Noah agreed. “But I’m nae just any man.”
Inside the carriage, Ava held Esther tight, her breath coming in short gasps.
“Daenae look,” she whispered to Esther. “Keep yer eyes closed, sweetheart.”
But Ava couldn’t look away. Couldn’t do anything but watch as Noah shifted in his saddle, every line of his body promising violence.
This was going to get bloody.
CHAPTER TEN
“Stay down!”
Noah’s roar sliced through the air as steel clanged against steel with a bone-jarring sound. He watched Ava press Esther’s face against her shoulder, shielding the child’s eyes even as her own remained fixed on the chaos unfolding outside the carriage window.
Noah moved like violence incarnate. His sword flashed in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, each strike purposeful and crushing. The first bandit lunged with his crude blade raised high, and Noah simply sidestepped, his own sword swinging in an arc that struck the man across the ribs. The bandit went down with a scream that made Ava’s stomach turn.
“Two against one now, ye bastard!” the leader snarled, circling with the third man. “Still think ye can?—”
He didn’t finish.
Noah’s blade found his sword arm, and the weapon clattered to the ground along with a spray of blood. The man howled, clutching his arm, and his companion looked at Noah’s cold, merciless expression and ran.
Noah let him go. His attention was fixed on the leader, who’d fallen to his knees, blood seeping between his fingers.
“Please,” the bandit gasped. “Please, I didnae mean to disturb ye. We were just tryin’ to make money.”
“Ye wanted the carriage,” Noah said, his voice like winter itself. “The belongings. And the woman.” He stepped closer, and even from inside the carriage, Ava could see the controlled fury in every line of his body. “That’s what ye said, aye?”
“We… we wouldnae have.”
“Aye, ye would have.” Noah’s sword tip rested against the man’s throat. “But I gave ye a chance to leave. Ye chose wrong.”
Noah’s blade moved so quickly that Ava almost missed it. A flash of steel, a choking gurgle, and the bandit leader collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The clearing fell silent except for the labored breathing of the first wounded bandit and the distant sound of the third man crashing through the underbrush in his flight.
“Uncle Noah?” Esther’s muffled voice came from against Ava’s shoulder. “Is… is it over?”
“Aye, sweetheart.” He did his best to keep his voice gentle, despite the chaos around them. “It’s over. But ye cannae look.”
But Esther, perhaps overtaken with curiosity, tried to lift her head. Ava caught her immediately and buried the girl’s face in her chest.
“Daenae look at them,” Ava murmured, running soothing circles on the child’s back even as her own hands trembled. “Just keep yer eyes closed for a wee bit longer, aye?”
Noah nodded his gratitude to Ava for her quickness in protecting the girl from the gory sight. He cleaned his blade on the dead leader’s coat with methodical efficiency. Then he straightened up, surveying the scene with the same critical eye he might use to evaluate a training session.
The first bandit, the one he’d wounded in the ribs, was trying to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood.
Noah watched him for a moment, then looked toward the carriage. His eyes met Ava’s through the window, and something in his expression shifted. Softened, just slightly.
He sheathed his sword and moved toward them.
“Stay in the carriage,” he called out, his voice clipped. “I need to make sure everything is safe.”
