The Fragile Tower - Book 1 of the No.1 magical fantasy series

The Fragile Tower Chapter 16 - The Savage Fight

 Grace saw the Captain move up beside her as she hit the first of the beasts with the blade. The impact jarred her hands and shoulders, and she fought to hold on to the hilt. But the creature was still snapping at her, and she had to swing again twice until it was still. The leathery skin of the creature had been harder to slice at than it had been to pierce. No wonder the guards had fallen so quickly, with swords which had been magicked to let them swing at attackers.

She saw Afi, ahead of her, driving his knife into a throat and then a chest, swiftly extracting them and then swinging again. His body seemed to move in a fluid, unstopping rhythm. If she hadn't seen the bright droplets of blood spraying through the air, he might have been dancing.

She stopped watching again when a snarling beast jumped at her. She lifted the sword, using its point this time, and staggered backwards as the weight of it fell on the blade. Her arms were aching already and there were still dozens of the things left. She had to do as Afi had done and drive at them before they had a chance to get close, or she would be left exhausted and defenceless.

Her blade came clear as she tugged, and as she turned towards the mass of snapping creatures she saw one hunkering down behind the Captain, ready to jump. She took two quick steps and drove the blade hard into the side of its neck.

The Captain turned as a warm spray of blood hit the back of his leg, but to Grace's relief didn't pause to thank her. Instead he waded further into the seething horde and jabbed at them with his spear. She had a moment to see the way the sparking blue snaked out onto one of them and became a throttling circle of energy around its neck. And then she charged at another beast, and another, her breath quick and gasping now and her right arm shaking.

The fight began to remind her of a winter hockey game at school, when her tiredness and the cold brought an air of unreality. She wasn't sure it was really her arm that swung at one of the creatures close to Afi, and landed a blow between its ribs.

They were winning, she saw at last. There were only four of them left, and they were circling warily, snapping at Afi and the Captain. Grace caught one of them whilst its attention was on Afi, driving her red-stained blade into its side. Before she could draw it out, the Captain had lunged at a second and brought it down.

Afi's hair and face were sheened with sweat, but he seemed only a little out of breath. With a smile, he leapt towards the remaining pair of creatures and drove a knife into each throat. He landed in a crouch, and then rose with all the grace of a ballet dancer, before turning the brilliant smile on Grace.

"Something new to fight," he said, triumphantly.

Grace grinned back, breathing in deep and satisfying breaths.

And then she saw, past him, a shadow appear on the wall of the one of the houses a little way down the side street. Afi had turned before she had time to say anything, and the three of them watched dumbly as a creature the same shape as all the others but of a different magnitude came prowling round the corner.

"Oh no," Grace said quietly. Its dark, leathery head was as high as the second floor of the houses, and its fists were bigger than the three of them put together.

"There's always a bigger dog," Afi muttered, and drew his bow from his back.

Grace found herself stepping backwards, leaving them to face this thing in spite of every thought of bravery she might have had. She was exhausted, and it was too big. How could she do anything against it?

The Captain glanced back at her, and gave her a small smile. It was infinitely forgiving, and Grace wanted to crawl inside her own shame and cower.