The Binding

Chapter Thirty-One

    "Um," he snarled at her.

    My legs shook in anger as I stared at her limp body.

    "Sorry about the mess," Petro said politely. His gentle sincerity galled me.   

    "You bastard!" I screamed, clawing at his face. He chuckled as he tried to grab my wrists and pin them down.

    Without warning, Petro flew into the air and landed awkwardly, sliding across the floor. He crashed into the table and stopped himself by grabbing a tall armchair. Ezra flew at him, and the two men grappled, rolling on top of each other. Arms and legs flashed faster than I could follow. The room echoed with loud cracks as furniture was flung out of the way.

    Agnes' murderer rushed forward and then stood gaping at them in shock. The next instant Petro and Ezra rolled toward him. He pulled his gun up and managed a single shot that went wide before they crashed into him. A moment later, his body lay as limp as Agnes'.

    And then the room exploded.

    Petro grabbed Ezra and flung him into the wall over the fireplace. If it had been possible to hear anything amidst the din, the crunch of his bones cracking against the brick would have been sickening. Ezra dropped to the ground and rolled. Before Petro could attack again, Ezra soared across the room toward him, bulky metal items that looked like pieces of the grate from the fireplace in each hand. Petro's eyes had only a fraction of a second to widen before his hands came up to block the attack. Ezra rained lightning blows on him from above then landed lightly on his feet. Petro swept at Ezra's foot with a heavy boot as he landed, and he fell rolling to the side. Ezra thrust the palm of his hand upward and missed, Petro deflected the blow by driving downward with his arm against his wrist. Ezra's other hand darted forward and made a cracking sound as it connected to Petro's arm. He made a low guttural sound and drew up his knee, slamming with brutal force into Ezra's chest.    

    A violent shock shook the ground, making the room tremble. The wing-backed chair flew across the room and splintered into pieces. Ezra and Petro separated then crashed into each other again, hands, arms, legs, elbows, and teeth thrashing wildly, their bodies moving with speed and command that was deadly sharp. They rolled toward the center of the room, and Petro hurled Ezra up, spinning into the air. In that second of time, Petro slid across the floor and grabbed a short sword from the wall. He was on his feet and spun toward Ezra with the same smooth and effortless movement. Ezra jumped on top of a toppled chair and propelled himself in the opposite direction and then flew toward a set of pipes running along the wall from the floor to the ceiling. He pulled one away from the wall, as easily as if he was plucking a daisy, and ripped off a three-foot section of pipe. Steam erupted from the ruptured section and began filling the room with a horrible hissing sound. Ezra met Petro's thrusts as he lashed out with liberal slashes too fast and terrifying to follow and pushed him back.

    They spun and slammed into each other with frightening precision. I didn't know where to look. Before I could understand what was happening, something slammed against my back and flattened me to the floor. I twisted and saw Sria on top of me, pinning me to the ground. She watched Petro grapple against Ezra, her expression open, showing deep longing, sadness, and just a hint of triumph. I tried to wiggle out from under her and aimed an elbow at her face. She growled at me.

    The floor shook again as Ezra and Petro sailed across the room together and into a wall. Petro's sword was denting small divots into Ezra's pipe and slicing out small chucks with each thrust. Petro pushed forward, his attack becoming focused and cohesive. Ezra whirled his mangled pipe over his head and brought it down with millennia upon millennia of Avati strength. Petro reached down to take his sword in a two-handed grip and slashed at Ezra. Ezra managed to swirl and pivot just in time as the sword sailed past him. With a twist of his hips, he swung around and pummeled the pipe, two-handed, into Petro's back.