Carthus knelt quietly under his shield for what felt like an hour. The storm clouds were passing quickly, and the sun was beating down on him once again. Sweat began to form on his forehead, making its way down his face. He breathed deeply, ignoring the pain in his leg and the blood slowly but steadily dripping to the dirt.
Now and then, Carthus peaked out to check on Enlief and Tassos, who were still crouching at the foot of the cliff, away from any danger. The Nord clutched his side where an arrow shaft poked out and looked to be breathing hard. When the Maad risked checking on his men, arrows would crash into his shield and the dirt around him.
"Carthus, you look like a porcupine!" Enlief joked. He had thrown a few shouts like that at Carthus before, and every time, the men on the cliff above cast down rocks in anger. He grinned as a few missed him and Tassos as they bounced away from the wall.
"Why do you taunt them?" Tassos asked in a whisper just loud enough for Carthus to hear.
"I want the cowards to come down and fight," Enlief replied, and then shouted up, "you hear me? Come down and fight, cowards! You are a disgrace to whatever gods you serve!" A few rocks bounced down the cliff face again, breaking the silence that followed the Nord's shout.
"They won't come down, and we all know it...better to safely shoot us from above," Tassos said.
"Then we should go to them, up the rope..." Enlief replied quietly.
"You would never make it up, and Carthus is stuck out there," Tassos replied. A moment passed before Tassos whispered again, "I can get up there."
"Tassos!" Carthus shouted from behind his shield, "what are you planning?" There was no reply, and Carthus risked another glance from the side of the shell-like barrier. As two arrows hit his shelter and a third passed by his head, Carthus caught a glimpse of the young swordsman scaling the rope back up the cliffside. Enlief remained at the bottom, grimacing at the boy. The Maad ducked back quickly.
Silence followed for a moment that felt like another hour. Carthus remained behind the shield trying to think of a way to stop Tassos or to help him. Theo was dead; he couldn't risk getting another one of his men killed.
"Hey!" Enlief suddenly shouted, but his voice came from further away along the cliff base, "you hear me up there? I know you are not Ordethi...so, who are you? You've got us pinned down and will likely win today."
Stones were once again hurled down in response, but by the sounds of where they were falling, the men didn't know where Enlief had gone. Carthus peaked again and saw their confusion, none of them were watching him as they tried to look over the cliffside to find the Nord.
Carthus quickly stood and limped aside a few steps before dropping back behind his guard. An arrow smashed into the shield, poking through slightly. He took a deep breath as the pain in his leg beat sharper. Damn it, he thought, not knowing how to help, realizing that he didn't see Tassos on the cliff when stood, was he dead already?
"Where is he?" Carthus shouted. Before Enlief could answer, something clattered down into the ground right in front of Carthus and his barrier. He shifted to look and saw his spear lying on the ground before him, and he turned his attention back up the cliff for a moment. Tassos was past the first ledge and was making his way around the next bend. He grinned as another arrow shattered into the shield.
A shout from the cliff broke the quiet and Carthus stepped forward, raising his shield just enough to grab the spear underneath it. The clashing of steel, followed by a scream and a few thuds down the ledges, continued as the Maad stood. He looked up, leaning on his good leg, and spotted Tassos easily maneuvering around the second enemy's blade. Only two men remained, and Carthus stepped forward, launching his spear up at the assassin furthest from the young swordsman. The spear hit its mark, and the man fell still on the ledge.
Tassos held his blade low, ducking and dodging as the last assassin tried to hit him. He was toying with him, cutting him carefully in quick counter strikes. Carthus looked up in awe as the young warrior picked the last assassin apart. Enlief stumbled away from the edge of the wall and looked up.
"He is skilled" the Nord beamed.
"I yield!" the assassin shouted, stepping back, unsteady, and dropped his curved blade to the ground. Tassos just glared at him, his thin sword still held low, and then stepped in driving the point through the man's chest.
"He was surrendering!" Carthus called up, shocked.
"They killed Theo!" Tassos called back, wiping his blade of blood before sheathing it.
"We need answers!" the Maad shouted back angrily, "check the other one...and don't kill him if he's alive!"
"Yes, Master Carthus," Tassos nodded and stepped to the last assassin, who lay motionless at the edge of the drop. He yanked Carthus' spear from the man's chest and cast it down, "he is dead!"
"Who were these men?" Enlief asked.
"I don't know" Carthus replied. He grabbed his spear from the ground where it stuck and leaned on it like a walking stick, "they might be the same people who tried to kill me before, posing as the Coren Swords."
"And do we know who they were, who sent them?" the Nord asked.
"I have a hunch" Carthus answered.