The Archer (A Tale Of Heroes & Demons Book 1)

Chapter 13

One Strike

"Never give a sword to a man who can't dance."

- Confucius

Slowly Katherine inched her arm lower to her boot, trying to grab the dagger. She listened as Declan knocked the one bandit out and started moving a little faster. Her hand slipped beneath the edge of her boot and grabbed the hilt of the knife.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine forced herself to relax. She positioned the other arm beneath her body to help propel herself up. She cracked her eyes open slightly to identify the position of the bandits.

The leader was moving closer to Declan but the other bandit was staying behind to watch her. Well, there's no time like the present. Pushing off roughly with her hand, she kicked off with her feet once they were parallel with the ground. She launched herself at the bandit, brandishing the dagger.

A look of surprise lit his face but was quickly washed away. He reached for his own sword in his belt, only grabbing the hilt before Katherine was on him. Her dagger plunged deep into his thigh. She wasn't too proud of that one, and the feeling of the dagger breaking his skin and sliding in sickened her.

She didn't dwell on the thoughts running through her mind, instead focusing on what needed to be done. Pulling the dagger from his thigh she made a grab for his sword at the same time. The bandit tried to pull at it at the same time, twisting his body until it was out of her grasp.

Holding her own dagger in front of her, she didn't wait for the bandit to pull his sword out. There was no use for her to try and grab it again. No, she needed to rely on her non-existent fighting ability to win this time. She darted behind a tree, hoping to get away from Declan and the leader.

Knowing her chances were slim, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a long branch on the ground. She quickly bent over and picked it up, holding both the dagger and the branch in her hands. The branch may not be sharp like a sword, but it was about the same length and thicker.

The Gods must be smiling upon me today.

The bandit had watched as she grabbed the branch, and now he just laughed. "Really girl? You think a silly old piece of wood is good enough to beat me? Especially when I have a sword?"

Shaking her head, Katherine replied, "I don't need to beat you with the branch." She swung it at him but he blocked her with his sword. The thick bark on the branch prevented the sword from penetrating it. "I just need to distract you."

The man jumped back and looked down at his side in amazement. Blood was staining his shirt from where she hit him with her dagger. His face darkened when his gaze flicked back to her. "You...you cut me."

"Never underestimate a girl." Katherine smiled slightly but she could feel fear crawling up the back of her neck. He was angry now, and that probably meant more violent.

Jumping back, she barely avoided the tip of his sword as it sliced through the air at her. She held the branch up to block his neck blow. She pushed him back a couple steps, allowing her more room to movie. She swung the branch but he easily blocked it.

I need a new strategy, the though.

She started to swing again, and as the bandit lowered his sword to block the blow again she diverted her course and raised the branch. It snapped across his face and he went reeling back. Katherine allowed a smug smile to break her face briefly. Maybe she did have a chance at beating him on her own.

***

Declan watched as Katherine lunged at the bandit. Maybe there is something to her after all. The commotion behind him caused the leader to twist around to see what was going on. The couple of seconds the leader was distracted was more than enough for Declan.