Chapter 25
“Are you sure you want to be doing that?” The Prince faked bravado as she let him stand up; she wasn’t about to kill him while he was on his back.
If she was anything she was an honest fighter.
“I’m sure,” Izzie narrowed her eyes at him, keeping her grip on her sword light yet tight at the same time.
The guards had lined the square but no one was moving an inch as she threatened the Prince, soon to become the new King. Villagers and traders were watching on with horror and fear at what was going to happen.
But Izzie only had eyes for Asher; she couldn’t worry about Iagan or the others. She couldn’t be distracted.
“I could cast another spell on you,” The Prince looked at her with those pale eyes, as he slowly got to his feet, hand held out for her not to attack.
Izzie remained within a sword's reach of his neck, a small chuckle leaving her lips, “You don’t do magic. I figured it out,” Izzie laughed as she saw the expression on his face.
“I admit, it took me a while,” Izzie shrugged a shoulder as she remembered the way he seemed to stab her and then there was no injury the next morning, “But it was nothing more than some bad herbs you planted in the food,”
He knew that after so many weeks on the run, fighting off his father’s men, they were going to be hungry and unable to resist a whole buffet of food.
Izzie had fallen into the trap and become drugged so when it looked like he’d stabbed her he’d done nothing more than smear pig’s blood on her which he had cleaned away before she woke up.
“You’re nothing more than a fake,” Izzie growled, jumping to the side when he tried to make a dash down a side alley, “You killed your own father to get the throne! Why don’t you tell your people that!?” Izzie screamed, declaring it public knowledge for the entire town.
“Lies!” Asher panicked when he saw the whispers that were beginning to travel around. Soon it would be common knowledge to the entire country.
“You took advantage of his illness and set the country against him so that they would be happy to see his rule end!”
“L-Lies! The she-devil lies!” Asher tried to convince his people but no one was listening anymore as she backed him up against one of the pillars which held up the stage where numerous people had been hanged.
“Now,” Izzie growled, placing her sword back against his throat, “It’s time for your rule to end.”
It was like a torch going off inside his head.
Gone was the fake nervous young prince and in its place was the mastermind killer; his nervous twitching was replaced with a chauvinistic grin and he stood straighter up against the poll.
“As much as I’ve liked our little chat I’m not about to be killed by a peasant,” Asher laughed her off as he tried to take a step forward, “And a woman, at that!”
Izzie growled and pressed him back against the pillar, “I might be a woman and I might be a peasant . . . but I’m the one with the sword,” She smirked as he noted his disadvantage.
Asher raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at her comment, Izzie grew worried.
With her focus on his throat, her fingers itching to end it all, he raised his leg and booted her in the abdomen; making her double over at the waist, releasing him.
Lifting her head as she regained her breath, she watched him turn and scrabble up the wooden pillar he was leant against and run across the stage.
Gritting her teeth in anger, she bent her knees and propelled herself, her body spinning in the air, before her feet landed solidly in the middle of the stage, directly in front of the prince.
He watched her with concealed surprise before he reached out to the side and withdrew a sword from a guard’s sheath.
He was armed and the fight was on.
* * *
Falling down to one knee from another blow to her side, she lifted her head only to have Asher’s boot connect with her jaw.
Forcing her head to the side, blood burst out onto her tongue igniting her taste buds.
Spitting out the blood onto the dirt ground at his feet, she heard him shuffle on one leg as he raised his other to give her another kick.
Shooting her arm up into the air, she wrapped her fingers around his ankle and quickly used her momentum to push him up into the air as she got to her feet.
His body sailed through the air a good ten feet before he crashed into the dirt and skidded down the small incline back towards the square.
The sun had been high in the sky when they began their battle but now it was almost setting, casting an orange hue across the crowds that were gathering around them.
Izzie was shouting obscenities as she hoisted off her feet and through the air; crashing into a balcony before she fell onto a group of bodies.
Collecting her sword, she apologised to the villagers but the girls just gave her an encouraging smile.
Izzie was sure she had felt someone patting her on the back but it wasn’t long before she was leaping into the air and bringing her sword back down onto Asher’s head.
Blood was gushing from his broken nose; one of his eyes was bloodshot and he was carrying his arm awkwardly as he twisted away from her latest blow.
Landing on one knee, Izzie raised her sword above her head to block a blow to her throat before she turned and rolled across to the other side.
“ISADORA!” Drystan screamed her name causing Izzie to curse as Asher was able to cut her arm open.
“I liked that shirt,” Izzie hissed as she saw her white shirt cut on the sleeve and being stained with blood.
Drawing his sword to the side, Izzie took advantage of his momentary weakness and slipped a high kick into his ribs.
She was sure she heard one of them snap as the prince stumbled backwards, his breathing heavy whilst Izzie was elated with joy.
Attacking again before he could recoup she sent another bone shattering kick to his knee, which had him collapsed on the floor, and then she was poised to take the final blow when she heard guards approaching from behind.
Glaring at the prince one last time, she quickly spun around and drove her sword up into the guard’s stomach.
Pushing him aside and off her sword, she kicked away a sword that was aiming for her chest from one side as she reached across and connected her sword with another guard’s throat.
His body collapsed right beside the other mans and their blood was joining into one big pool amongst the dirt.
Blocking a few feeble attempts from the last guard that risked going up against her, she went straight for the kill, not in the mood for their tiresome efforts.
Spinning him around until his back was against her chest, she dragged her sword against his throat, her gaze looking into the distance where she saw Drystan and the other’s fighting masses of guards.
Drystan’s gaze met her and there was sadness in them. A small shake of his head told Izzie that Iagan hadn’t survived and the fire that had been raging in her chest suddenly found new flame.
A cry being torn from her throat, she spun around to face the prince only to find him directly in front of her, his hand gripping her by her collar as he drove his sword deep into her chest.
Izzie stopped breathing momentarily as she was suddenly gazing into Asher’s eyes as he gazed down at her almost with pity.
Pain seared across her chest as Asher held her in place with his sword in her abdomen.
Izzie reached out and gripped him by the shirt, trying to keep him there, as her footwork stumbled and her legs threatened to collapse beneath her.
Somewhere in the distance someone was shouting her name but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Asher’s.
He was smiling with happiness and joy; he thought he won, Izzie thought.
He thought that she was just going to die easily and that would be that.
But she was never one to take the easy path.
Gripping her sword tighter in one hand, she used the last of her strength to keep him place as she lifted her sword and thrust upwards.
Her sword entering him in his right hip and leaving out his left shoulder; Izzie smiled through the pain as blood began to pour from between his lips.
If she was going down then she was damn sure going to take him with her.
Izzie could only enjoy the look of shock on his face for only a few seconds before he used his own last few breaths to twist the sword in his gut before withdrawing it.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she released his body and he collapsed to the ground; dead.
But Izzie didn’t have that luxury as she gazed down at the blood staining her shirt and running down her trouser leg; he had stabbed her in such a place that she would have to endure the pain of dying.
Her entire body started to shake, her sword dropping to the ground as her fingers opened reflectively, and she was suddenly gazing up at the darkening sky as she fell backwards.
Backwards towards hell.