ALambToTheSlaughterOrAWolfInSheepsClothingKeeping to the shadows Decuma moved swiftly and as quietly as boots would allow. His hand could still feel the pressure from Giulian's farewell handshake as he tightened it on the hilt of his sword, then forced it to relax. His cousin might be worried, but Decuma felt confident that he'd see Renata safely out. He hid a faint smile; perhaps Giulian would mourn him if he didn't return, but it would be worth it as long as Renata was safe. Her family had suffered enough this night. As Decuma approached the corner he took a deep breath and walked out into the street. The click of his heels on the paving stones echoed sharply in the stillness of the night as he walked along. He pretended to be counting houses, as indicated on the map given to Harry. Decuma had observed Harry so he tried to match his pace to that which Harry had used, just in case anyone happened to be watching. Harry watched his brother go with mixed feelings. Once Decuma had gotten the lead that they had decided upon, he looked at the remaining members of the group. "Xav." Xander turned and caught his twin's eyes, his expression deathly and uncharacteristically serious. "You take care of yourself. I'm serious. No bulls*** hero stuff, cute girl or not." Xavier turned and looked back at his twin and nodded. "I know. I know. I can take care of myself and you know that. Nah, I leave that crazy stuff to you," he said teasing lightly. He picked up the reins of his stallion to lead him further down the alley. Decuma paused in front of the building where Renata was being held. He schooled himself from looking back toward where his half-brother, cousin and the others were waiting. He reached his hand up to scratch his beard as if pondering whether to go in, and then proceeded up the steps and into the building. The odor of decay and urine permeated the air of the stifling foyer. No one was lurking in the hallway to notice whether or not Decuma was alone. Decuma signaled that those who were surreptitiously following him could proceed without fear. "Who goes, who stays, it's time for us to follow my brother into that maw," Harry said. His voice was solemn, serious, even noble. "For your help in rescuing my sister, I thank each and every one of you." Giulian nodded almost abstractedly. His eyes were following Decuma. On the threshold of the building Harry's note had indicated, he saw Decuma signal. No sentries, apparently. "Go," he said in an urgent undervoice. Harry rose and began making his careful way in the direction of the fateful building where Renata was held and where Decuma and Elissa had led the way. "I'm going to stay with the horses, the curricle and Lord Giulian," said Xander. "If you need me, whistle." "You two take care of each other. If you see anything nasty, whistle to us and we'll get back here to all of you," Xavier said and took off in the same careful direction of the others, following the path of Decuma so he could quickly come up behind him and help out. At least... that was the plan that he knew of. How things worked out... Well, that would be anyone's guess. As they left, Giulian turned toward Xander. "Let's hope for a quiet watch and a quick end to it, shall we?" he said with a strained smile. Xander turned his frowning face from his brother's back to Giulian and returned the smile, perhaps with a hint more plausibility than the one that was offered to him. "Here's hoping," he said, and toasted an imaginary glass. Quietly he added, "They both seem like good men. It's going to be a hell of a choice for whoever makes it." Giulian nodded and said equally softly, "I'm just glad it doesn't have to be me." "Amen," muttered Xander. Keeping his eye on the distance and the retreating figures, he paused, then said, "Your girl. Elissa. She's good, obviously. Is she as good as she thinks she is?" Thinking back to some of the entries in a certain dark red file, Giulian replied, "I have reason to think so, yes." Xander nodded, thinking about this. His mind was elsewhere. "You're a stronger man than I, my lord. My sister's the same way -- she's good, she's careful, she can fight better than me, and every time she goes into danger it still knots up my intestines." Giulian chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh, believe me, mine closely resemble macrame at the moment. The difference is that I'm just as afraid for Decuma, and Harry, as I am for Elissa. And Renata. But it isn't as if I can go charging in there myself ... so I have to trust them to do what they have to do." "That's not much of a difference, then," Xander sighed, "because I feel the same way for Xavier right now. Even though I do trust him. He's the... careful twin. I was going to say smart twin, but that sounds disingenuous." Giulian nodded. "Being smart, or careful, isn't always enough," he agreed somberly. Xander just grunted at that. But it seemed he couldn't stand to be in company but silence for long, because after a few minutes he whispered again, "Is your family all right?" "To the best of my knowledge, they are," responded Giulian, then asked in return, "Your sisters...?" "In bed, to the best of my knowledge," Xander said and crossed his fingers. "Earlier tonight a party of soldiers tried to take my Aunt Helena and my sister Tori, maybe for ransom, maybe just to ensure our good behavior, but my father got them back safe." "Good for him!" said Giulian. "Do you know how he did it? That might be useful knowledge." He scanned their surroundings. All seemed quiet at the moment, but one never knew. "He had some help. Tori said--" Xander suddenly smiled and looked down. "God, that still feels so good to say. Tori said Lord Carlysle helped them. I'm assuming it was violent, because she was very upset afterwards." "Anything involving Carlysles tends to be-- Wait, did you say Lord Carlysle helped them, against the insurgents?" Giulian's questioning of the prisoners at Anderon House had seemed to indicate their orders came from Lord Carlysle, though he'd had his doubts even at the time. "Was he actually there? Did your sister see him?" "I'm getting all this second hand, so it's third hand by the time it gets to you, but I think so. She said she wanted to thank him personally tomorrow--" Xander looked up at the sky. "Or later today, I guess. But I don't know if that's partly because Gabby took such a liking to Nicholas. Sorry. Beside the point. You should talk to Tori and my father. Between them you'll get a complete story. Aunt Helena was there too, but she's... romantic..." The way Xander said "romantic" it sounded more like "crazy." Knowing Lady Windhaven at least by reputation, Giulian suppressed a wry grin and said, "Not so reliable a witness as your sister, in any case. Somebody will want to talk to her and your father about the incident, I'm sure." And whether that somebody was Giulian, or Delan, or someone else, would depend on how things fell out tonight. The word "somebody" obviously didn't escape Xander, because he suddenly made a sign of protection. "I'm sure they'll be happy to assist," was all he said, though. Giulian just nodded. He'd mention the matter to Delan if he got a chance... but right now they needed to concentrate on making it through the night. He turned his attention back to the building where Renata was being held. Harry and Xavier had apparently gone in after Decuma, so something was likely to happen soon.
The floorboards creaked ominously as Decuma walked across toward the stairs. He climbed slowly, making sure that every step could be heard by those above. Other than the groaning of the steps, the building was ominously silent. But this was also good news. At the top of the stair he paused by the only closed door. He could see where the wood had been recently roughed up and dented, with fresh splits showing in the boards, as if someone or ones had been pounding on it. He rapped on the door with his knuckles. Pitching his voice low he muttered toward the door, "Hello. Is anyone here?" "Come in," a crisp, sharp voice commanded from the other side of the closed door. Decuma heard softer footsteps behind him and smiled knowing that back-up wouldn't be too far away. With a bit of luck they could get in and out without too much trouble. "All right, I'm coming in," he said loudly enough so that anyone behind him would hear and perhaps pause a moment. Not hearing any more footsteps he quickly pushed open the door and stepped through. He eased it back and didn't let it close all the way just in case it latched automatically, but as he did, he took in the room and the single occupant who stood with steel already bared. The room was just as Elissa had described it. Small, which would make blade work tricky. There was the doorway that must lead to the room where they were holding Renata. He prayed she was still unharmed. "Where's Renata?" he asked, letting his voice sound uncertain. "I want to see her..." "She's safe." "I'm here now," Decuma stated. "You can let her go." "Not so fast, dukeling," the man said coolly. Then, raising his voice, he called, "Mag? Bobby?" The door behind him opened and two more men in dark, rough clothing emerged, also carrying knives. "Secure him," said the man, with a glance toward Decuma. The two men advanced on him, looking purposeful. "It will save time," the man told Decuma, "if you do some of this yourself. Take the cloak off, and drop any weapons you're carrying." Decuma wasn't about to give up his weapons, but he didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize Renata, either. Holding up both hands, he backed up, giving himself some room and also clearing his cloak from his sword's hilt, as he feigned a show of fear. "Oh no, you are not doing anything until I know Renata is all right." The spokesman smiled nastily. "You're not making the rules, dukeling. We are." Three against one, he thought. Not great odds, but he'd practiced against more. Besides... He had back-up. All he needed to do was keep them busy until they could come in. But what about Renata? What if his rash action caused harm to come to her? Delay. He needed to say something, get them talking. "What do you want with us? Why have you brought us here? What do you want from me?" "The first thing we want is your cooperation," the man snapped. "If we get that, you and your precious sister might get out of here alive. Cloak and sword on the floor -- now!" "You don't need her. Why don't you just let her go? That was the deal. Even exchange," Decuma hedged, yet his cloak would be safe to remove, so very slowly and carefully, he lowered his hands toward his neck to unfasten the clasp... very slowly. Keep them talking. Renata had stayed very quiet, very still ever since she had been put in the little room. There had been several reasons to do this: her lack of knowledge about where she was, or who had her and how well prepared they were, her desire to find out more about why she, of all people had been taken, and what, if anything, this had to do with her mother's murder, and a desire to try and maintain at least some possible element of surprise. She had even considered feigning unconsciousness, but had rejected it. For one thing, these men were rough enough that she had to consider the possibility that they would take advantage of a faint in ways that she would then be ill-prepared to counter.... Still, with Decuma's arrival -- Decuma! -- she tried to stay even more alert while maintaining that stillness. "The girl stays with us until we reach a secure location," said the man. He gave Decuma another nasty smile. "You wouldn't really want us turning her loose here. Not on her own. It's not a nice neighborhood," he pointed out. "So are you House Carlysle?" His eyes narrowed as he looked for sigil. None of the men wore either insignia or House colors, though the spokesman had a certain military bearing and mode of speech. The other two looked rougher -- more like hired thugs. The spokesman scowled. "The so-called 'noble Houses' are obsolete. We're the wave of the future." "Who am I to disagree with you?" Decuma tried to keep the disgust out of his voice. If this new wave of the future resorted to killing mothers and kidnapping young ladies then he for one didn't think much of their future. "Yet, I do believe that the Houses have their value yet." The wave of the future... the words sent a shiver through Renata, one she hoped was not visible. Jo had tried to warn her and her family and friends; if major changes did not arrive, they might be forced. Not that she believed for one moment that Jovanna had had anything to do with these people, with what seemed to be a bona fide insurrection; but the emotion behind the words, the belief, had not only been sincere, but perhaps had proven prophetic... Under her restraints, behind her blindfold and mask, Renata paid close attention, looking for a moment, an opportunity, to change the odds and aid in her own rescue, rather than wait helplessly, and perhaps doom them all... As far as she could tell, there was only one man in the room with her now. Two of them had left to join the spokesman in the room next door, to confront Decuma. She could hear the last man's breathing where he sat nearby, presumably guarding her. "May I have some water, please?" she asked, in a voice that was uncharacteristically meek -- not that they would know what was 'characteristic' or not for her -- and further aided by the muffling provided by her coverings. "Not now," the man growled, further confirming his position just a couple of feet away. He didn't sound like a young man. There was no other response to Renata's words, bolstering her impression that she only had the one guard at the moment. In the meantime, not far away, Harry and his companions entered the foyer. Harry held up a hand and pointed toward the staircase. "He's already gone upstairs. I think it might be about time to intervene." Xavier waited next to Harry and the staircase and nodded in agreement. "I believe the time is soon as well. I know our little bird of alert is perched somewhere close by, ready for a call. Let us move in closer, keeping quiet. Watch out for the squeaky boards," he said in the same low tone. Just outside the building, the little 'bird' in question was indeed set up on her perch of rope, grappling hook, and skill that was drilled into her limbs since she was a child. From her perch, she kept watch through a window, out of sight from those inside. She watched Decuma face off against the three men inside and waited for the others to arrive. She tried to swing off to one side to take a look at another window for any sign of Renata, but the side window was well covered. Decuma inhaled sharply as he heard the muffled voices in the other room; one distinctly feminine and the other vaguely familiar. He felt a surge of relief knowing that Renata apparently was alive and alert. Now, how to get through these three men and into the room to her? Before they could start up the stairs, Harry and Xavier heard footsteps coming from beyond the foot of the stairs, from farther back in the building. "Cover," Harry hissed to his companion. "I think a sentry is approaching." He looked around for something or places for them to hide behind, and quickly. The foyer was distressingly bare. At the moment the stairway itself concealed them from the rear of the building. They could see several doors opening off the foyer. One was on the same side as the stairway, between it and the front door. There might just be time to slip through that door, unseen, before they were spotted by whoever was approaching. The door was, however, closed. "Cover? Where the devil are we supposed to take cover? Aww... hell... Let's just bash the fella on the head and get it over with," Xavier muttered as he pushed at the locked door. A man in dark, nondescript clothing emerged from the hall beyond the staircase. He saw Xavier at the door and his hand immediately went to the blade at his side. "Tony! Carl! We got company!" Decuma finished removing his cloak and unbuckling his sword belt. He held out the scabbard and sword meekly, as if expecting one of the men to take it from him, though he kept one hand on the scabbard and one on the hilt, which would allow him to draw the blade quickly should one of the men unwisely approach him. The spokesman jerked his head toward Decuma, and the two subordinates started to approach him from opposite sides. Two, Decuma thought. He could handle two and they'd block the third from making a move. Just then there came a shout from the floor below -- a man's voice. The words could not be distinguished, but it sounded alarmed. It didn't sound like Harry or Xavier. In any case it caught the three kidnappers' attention and made them glance momentarily toward the door to the hallway. Their mistake. With a flash, the sword was out. The closest man found a sudden inability to breathe, as it sliced through his turned neck. The second managed to get his blade around but not quite in time, and he really wasn't used to blocking a proficiently wielded blade. Decuma's sliced deeply into the man's sword arm causing him to loose his grip, and as the sword fell uselessly to the ground, Decuma's return stroke caught him across the abdomen. Clutching at the gaping wound the attacker floundered back, screaming. Decuma turned his attention on the third man. The third man was simultaneously drawing a short, heavy blade, backing toward the room behind, and yelling, "Sanford, get the girl!" Sanford? Decuma stiffened. No... It couldn't be. In the room, Renata heard the clatter of swords; she was sure one had hit the ground, but whose? Then a scream... she was virtually certain it wasn't Decuma, though she would not be able to rationally explain why. Perhaps it was merely hope, but it was powerful in her and she steeled herself to be ready for anything... She heard the third man calling out, hoarse and alarmed. Then the hiss of a drawn blade practically in her ear just before she was seized roughly about the neck by her guard. She could smell him now, sweat sharpened with fear. Cold steel barely grazed her throat, touching but not harming her...yet. "Don't move," the guard growled.
Cursing under his breath, Xavier spun and let out a sharp right hook towards the man's chin, his other hand pulling the blade that hung from his side. As he swung around, Xavier realized that the echoes in the foyer had misled him about how close the man was. He was too far away to hit, and now he was backing off and drawing his own blade. More footsteps were coming from the back of the house, running. Harry came back from his approach to the door at Xavier's whirl around. "We're about to be outnumbered," Harry said. For a long moment, he wished they were offworld, not away from his sister, but that a better weapon might be had than the poor ones he and Xavier had. He drew a short blade that he felt not very confident of using, but his brother was upstairs, and his sister was in danger. Harry swallowed hard. Just then they heard the sudden clash of swords, a man's scream, and a shout from upstairs. Xavier's opponent started and looked up, simultaneously spotting Harry. "Well, I believe this plan is out. Time for back-up plan," Xavier said, swinging his sword around to meet his opponent's. "Get the girl! Go! Now!" he shouted to Harry. "Hello, ugly, you know how to use that pig sticker?" he teased his opponent with a grin. With a snarl, the man moved forward to engage Xavier. Harry was only tardy a moment or two longer, before he dashed for the stairs and where his brother presumably was already moving toward that goal. In the interest of moving as fast as he could, Harry willed himself not to look back, as he took the stairs two at a time... Listening to Harry's steps, Xavier grinned at 'ugly' and lifted his sword. "Come on, ugly, show me what you got," he muttered. "I believe the lady is ours..." The man moved in to the attack; from his moves it was apparent that he did, indeed, know how to use his pig-sticker with fair expertise. And from the back hallway two more men came running, armed with similar blades.
The window of the room was curtained, but a light source in the room threw a sharp shadow of the two figures on the curtain -- the man pulling the girl up against him, a knife at her throat. From her perch across the way, Elissa reached into her pack and pulled out a very old-fashioned toy, a child's slingshot with a very stretchy band. She could only hope she was still as good a shot as she was in her childhood. Fishing out a smooth black stone from a pouch, she placed the stone in place and pulled back. She manuevered the slingsot until she could peer down it, aiming to the man's head who held a blade to Renata's neck. "Don't move, Renata, please," Elissa muttered, whistling to alert Decuma that the time to move was now. The stone went flying towards the window. The window shattered with a splintering crash. Renata could feel her captor's start and hear his gasp of alarm, but the blade at her throat did not move a millimeter. The sound of the window breaking did not completely muffle the sound of footsteps up the staircase.
Seeing that Giulian's attention was on the building, Xander turned his to the alleys and side streets. It wouldn't do for someone to come at them unawares. For a few minutes nothing happened. Giulian's horses stamped and whickered softly. Then the watchers heard an alarm whistle, and, almost simultaneously, the sound of breaking glass. Xander turned to Giulian questioningly. Then suddenly his breath hissed through his teeth. "Something's wrong. Xavier... I should..." Torn between leaving Giulian alone, and going to his twin, Xander's face twisted in concern. "Go!" Giulian told him. He held out his free hand. "Give me the reins and go!" Xander hesitated once more, for perhaps half a second, then he shot Giulian a look which was so grateful that in other circumstances it might be humorous, drew his sword and pounded down the alleyway toward the building.
Decuma grinned at the 'spokesman' and slowly advanced toward him. Their blades met with a flying of sparks, but Decuma continued his advance, pushing his opponent back into the room behind him. This man had evidently had the military training to go with his demeanor; he was good with his blade, and Decuma had to work to keep pushing him back. Picking a slightly larger rock this time from the pouch, along with a couple of others, Elissa set the large one in place on the sling. She pulled back, aimed, and fired. This time, firing multiple shots towards both windows. "One distraction coming up, boys," she muttered as she plucked rocks and continued firing them. Part of her hoped one of them would find their target in a bad guy's head and knock him out. Only the rocks were not only distracting their intended targets; a few also managed to graze Decuma as he danced around his opponent's blade, and he feared would also hurt Renata in the process. And then they were through the door into the next room and Decuma saw the man holding the blade to Renata's throat. Their eyes met, and for a moment Decuma was stunned into inaction, as he hissed, "Sanford." His opponent took that opportunity to lunge. Reflex took over as Decuma saw the movement. He was just fast enough to keep him from scoring a killing thrust, as he twisted to the side. It was amazing how clear his mind was as he coldly evaluated the slice along his rib cage. He would probably need stitches. "Stop moving, Decuma, and I will not hit you," Elissa muttered as she winced when a rock moved too close. Thanks to all the rocks she'd slung at the windows, most of the glass and cloth was gone. Now, she was able to take a better, accurate aim and sized one up to hit the head of the man facing Decuma. She let another fly. Behind the blindfold, Renata's eyes widened. Decuma knew one of her abductors? What complex series of relationships and motives could unwind from this? Clearly he was surprised to see this 'Sanford' with a knife to her throat... She was rigidly still, she was adamantine. But the stillness of her core belied the fact that her hands were working. Subtly, quietly, as if working a delicate embroidery pattern, she tried not to free herself, but to merely give herself some leverage, the chance to take action should the opportunity present itself.... There was a shocked hiss of breath from the man called Sanford. "You fool!" he choked. "That isn't Lord Harold!"
Xavier easily parried his opponent's stroke and attacked back, using quick, simple but effective movements that he learned since he could stand and hold a wooden blade. He heard and saw the other men running towards them and kept his current opponent in position to block them from attacking him. He needed to disarm them quickly and succinctly to the point where they were unable to fight him for a second round. Still, at this point, he did not wish to kill them, not unless Lady Renata was harmed. Then, he would strike to kill. "Upstairs!" Xavier's opponent yelled to the other men. "The other one went that way!" Tony and Karl sprang for the stairs. Seeing their intent to go after Harry, Xavier growled under his breath and lunged and sprang after the others, parrying back the other man. It was one too many things for Xavier to try to do at once while his opponent was concentrating only on fighting. The bladesman broke through Xavier's parry -- and he was not looking simply to disarm. Xavier twisted in time to dodge a fatal blow and cried out as the sword went into his upper left arm, just missing his chest. Far away, he knew his twin brother would feel a phantom pain, knowing his twin was hit. Xavier pulled away from the blade and dropped his guard slightly and stared at his opponent, breathing in deep, cleansing breaths to get past the pain. "Harry! Coming up behind you!" he shouted towards the stairs. Shaking his head and the pain from his body, he kept his left arm close and raised his sword again.
Now Renata understood -- or thought she did. They had seized her to lure Harry into a trap. Perhaps even Mother's murder was part and parcel of the same plan. Extreme? Yes... but a Dukedom hung in the balance. This Sanford... known to Decuma but clearly not expected by him... part of a plan by Lagoran? Her father's opinions of Decuma's stepfather were well known by the Tremontaine family, but never even hinted at outside of that closed circle... or was it a Carlysle move? Or some other house? Or, as her captors had sneered, no house at all, but a cit rebellion? Somehow, she had a feeling that the last option was a red herring... either these ruffians were told to leave their employers out of any statement, or they actually believed they were acting on their own initiative... Decuma grinned ferally, as his blade met that of his opponent cleanly, parrying the cut. "No, I am not." And the dance continued with each flowing quickly. Decuma's chest hurt, and though he was aware of it, his consciousness floated above it flowing through the routines. It wasn't the first time he'd fought while in pain. In fact, it was Sanford's voice in his head growling, "What hurts, teaches." Decuma wasn't about to let that happen again; not to him and most surely not to Renata. In the meantime, Lord Harold had ascended the staircase, to find himself in a room with two huddled bodies. One man lay dead with his throat slashed. Another was curled up, moaning, with his hands pressed to his belly; blood was leaking through his fingers. It was obvious that neither one of them was any immediate threat. He could see Decuma's cloak on the floor, and a scattering of rocks. The windows were splintered and broken. The sounds and voices were not clear, but the ringing of blades and the heatedness of the situation in the next room were not lost on him. Harold gripped his knife and slowly made his way forward to the doorway. Behind him he could hear pounding footsteps on the stairs. Harry briefly turned at the sound of the footsteps, and shook his head. He rushed forward into the doorway and beyond. His brother, he was sure, and hopefully his sister, awaited him there. His knife was out and gripped tightly in front of him like a talisman. The first thing he saw was a fit-looking middle-aged man holding a bound and blindfolded Renata up against him, a short but wicked-looking blade at her throat. Sanford's eyes darted from one Ducal candidate to the other. "Stop right there, both of you," he growled, "or I slit the girl's throat." The devil take this rag bound around her face, preventing her from silently signalling either Decuma or Harry that she was not quite as helpless as she seemed, that her hands were loose enough that while she could not use them efficiently, she could move her arms forward or backwards in a far more useful arc than anyone might guess. Plus she had her knees, now locked together to form one hard potential weapon.... Decuma was backing away, his eyes slightly wide as they went from one kidnapper to the other, his jaw set in anger. "That would be a fatal mistake," Decuma stated. His eyes caught Harry's for a moment as if to see if he should risk making a move against either the swordman or the man holding Renata. From her perch, Elissa pulled back on her sling and kept her attention and aim on the man holding Renata. She would not let that man hurt someone she was starting to call a friend. She did not have many friends and those she did she would not wish harmed. She prayed her aim was true and aimed for the soft spot at the back of the man's skull. "Fly true, stone, fly true and hit your mark.... Save them, please," she whispered and let her fingers go. The stone went flying once more through the air. It flew through the broken window and bounced off Sanford's head. Renata heard his grunt of surprise and pain as he was momentarily distracted. She didn't hesitate. Her body formed an awkward-looking 'z' as she bent forward while bending her knees at the same time, further dislocating the man's hold on her. Although not entirely free of her bonds, she was able to move her arms slightly, like a pendulum, and did so, forward and back, as sharply as she could, trying to both push him away and push herself forward... Harry quickly judged the situation, as much as his education allowed him. His brother had the swordsman in his sights. And then there was Renata, who was less bound than her captors realized. Good old sister! The choice was obvious and clear. The man behind Renata needed a few seconds more of distraction so that his sister could push herself away. Decuma couldn't do it. It was, improbably, up to him to buy his sister that moment. And he would have to do it with words. He didn't drop the knife, but he didn't step any further, either. But his eyes regarded the man holding his sister with an implacable gaze. It was a gaze of infinite space and time. If this man harmed his sister any more, nowhere in the Empire or beyond would be safe for him. Nowhere. "My brother is right. It would be a fatal mistake for you to do that," Harold said in a voice of quiet intensity. "Woe be to you, to find something that he and I can agree upon without reservation." Taking advantage of the distractions, Decuma leapt into action. With a quick feint toward the swordsman, he twisted between him and Renata, and in that moment snagged Renata's arm, yanking her out of Sanford's already tenuous hold and thrusting her in Harry's general direction. Renata half-fell, half threw herself into her brother's arms. "Cut me loose," she whispered to Harry, utterly unwilling to be passive a moment longer than necessary. Decuma was now positioned between the swordsman and Sanford, and if they both moved at once, he was probably a dead man, but Renata would not be harmed. He smiled as his eyes met Harry's over Renata's head. The swordsman, with a snarl, drove in to the attack, but Sanford did not back him up. Instead, he retreated, his blade held defensively, as he snarled, "Stop, you fool, don't you understand? That's the wrong one!" They could all now hear running footsteps in the hall. It sounded like at least two people.
His opponent pressed the attack, but now that Xavier's attention was fixed, he would not find it as easy to hit him again. Nevertheless it was not going to be easy to defeat him. Straightening up, his hand tightening and then loosening on the grip of his sword, not his dominant hand, but one still well trained, Xavier faced his opponent. "Lucky strike for a man who only strikes when his opponent's back is turned. A coward's way of fighting," he said in a low voice. "Fight now when I face you..." Just then Xander came charging through the door. Xavier's opponent was momentarily distracted by his abrupt entrance. Rather than distract his twin as well, Xander held firm for a moment, looking around to see if there was another man nearby threatening his brother. If Xavier seemed unable to take out his opponent, Xander was there as well, switching so that he held his sword by the forte of the blade, to knock out an opponent with the pommel. There did not seem to be any more foes in sight at the moment. Xavier's opponent was now on the defensive, and backing toward the stairs. Rather than let the man get to the stairs, Xander aimed a heavy blow at his head with the pommel of his sword. Xander had punched many men, and some horses, in his time, and he knew how to knock someone out. This man, however, was facing him and not about to stand still to be clonked. He dodged the blow, again fading back toward the stairs. "Again, Xander... Stop him from going upstairs... They'll be outnumbered if he goes," Xavier called out to his twin. Grateful his twin was by his side, he pressed his hand hard against the gash in his arm and grimaced. Since Xavier seemed to be injured enough he didn't want to take the man out himself, Xander flipped his sword over and faced the thug in earnest. He wasn't playing any sort of game, wasn't fencing the way he'd been taught. He was going for a quick incapacitation so they could get up the stairs, get the girl and get out. He stomped forward with a hard appel as he feinted for the face again, and if he could get the man to dodge out of the way again, his left hand lashed out low, aiming for the man's stomach. This time the beleaguered man fell for the trick, and a moment later he was doubled over, gasping. Without a pause Xander brought the hilt of his sword down on the soft spot at the back of his opponent's head. The man dropped like a sack of potatoes and lay sprawled on the floor. Xander knelt beside the man, sword ready in case he was faking, and felt for a pulse. Finding the man was out cold but not dead, he ripped three long strips from his shirt (ignoring the fact this was one of his dress shirts) and proceeded to hogtie his victim. Once finished with this, he turned back to his brother. "Now, let's see that arm, Xav. I'm no kind of doctor but at least we can bind it up." "Got distracted and he hit me deep. Just hurts," Xavier said, glancing at the man and then his twin. "Thanks for coming after me, brother." "You're kidding, right? Or else it's the blood loss talking. I'm your twin. I'll always come after you." Xander clapped his brother lightly on the uninjured shoulder and looked up the stairs. "If you don't need medical attention, let's get on up there and see if any of the others do." Not waiting for a response, he darted up the stairs. Tugging on the binding around his arm, Xavier darted up the stairs after his twin and shook his head.
The number of footsteps, Renata's whisper, and Decuma's desperate straits propelled Harry to unaccustomed action. He pushed Renata back slightly, still keeping her close to his arms. The knife in his hand worked at cutting the ropes that held his sister with desperate urgency. Renata had continued 'working' her bonds even as Harry cut, and before long she was free. "Thanks, Harry," she said with a smile. Now, how could she help even the odds here...? She remembered that one day of training. "You won't always have a sword... use whatever is at hand... a chair..." A chair! She couldn't get to the one she'd occupied so unhappily -- not without putting herself right back in the center of things and possibly further endangering Decuma -- but was there another? No... but there was a small stool and that might be even better! It stood against the wall nearest her and Harry, and without hesitation, she picked it up and hurled it at the man Decuma called Sanford, who was clearly the ranking member of the band.... The unexpected missile struck Sanford full in the face, and he staggered back. Decuma flashed Renata an appreciative grin. From her perch, Elissa grinned at Renata's move. "Nice shot, lady," she muttered and looked towards the other window. From the room next door came curses and exclamations, then pounding feet. The voices did not sound like the Windhaven twins. They were about to get more company! With Sanford taken out of action for the moment, Decuma turned his full attention on the swordsman, much to his opponent's detriment. Though the swordsman was good, he was hampered by the close quarters and his desire to stay clear of Harry and his threatening knife. Taking advantage of it, Decuma positioned him where he was unable to adequately defend himself. Once more, Elissa pulled back on her slingshot armed with another rock and aimed towards the swordsman Decuma was fighting. She let it fly once more. Renata's heroics with the stool bought Harry time, enough that he was able to press toward the remaining swordsman even as the sound of more attackers coming made every moment precious. Unaware that Elissa was ready to use another of her missiles, Harry moved forward with the knife, so that the swordsman was hemmed in by the knife on one hand, and his brother's sword on the other. "What do you mean, the wrong one?" gasped the swordsman. "Are you telling me this is--?" Sanford, still recovering from being hit with a stool, didn't answer, and a moment later the swordsman himself had to deal with another flying rock. At the same moment, two more men with blades burst in. The rock and the arrival of the two men were enough for Decuma to put an end to the one fight. As his opponent staggered from a rock, brushing at his head, and disconcerted by the sudden arrival of two more individuals, Decuma's sword found its mark, sinking in beneath the swordsman's upraised arm. Now there were three again. Better odds, but still not good. (Continued in A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Part II) |
