Chains: Twelve

Content warning: Graphic violence

A scream of rage erupted from deep inside Sabit’s gut, filling the courtyard. She grabbed a spear from one of the bandits. The surface of its shaft was worn smooth in all the places Sabit’s own spear shaft had been. Her own iron spear tip was mounted on top of a shaft that had disintegrated months ago.

Sabit’s fury allowed not a moment to ponder this mystery. She charged Kehnan, her sandals kicking up a cloud of red dust behind her. Sabit drove the spearpoint toward his heart with every ounce of pain and rage in her own.

Kehnan brought up a spear of his own to push her weapon aside, its deadly iron tip stabbing the air barely a finger width from his flesh. Sabit ducked his counterstrike and the battle was joined.

The big warrior struck hard, his massive thews driving his spear with the power of a falling tree. Sabit’s speed kept her dancing one step ahead of his every attack. She landed quick strikes again and again until Kehnan’s arms and legs bled. His strikes grew slower. His blocks came a moment too late.

Sabit drove her spear toward the big man’s heart. He deflected, pushing her stroke away from his chest with his weary arms.

Too weary. Too soft. Too slow.

The iron spear tip tore into the soft flesh of Kehnan’s throat. Crimson jetted from the wound. Kehnan dropped bonelessly to the ground and lay still. The red sand drank his life’s blood.

Sabit looked at his lifeless body, her chest heaving. A smile crept across her face.

“Paradise offers many such victories,” said Rayshabu, stepping close. Around her, the young bandits looked upon Sabit with awe. “Let us offer glory to your name. Tell us who defeated this mighty warrior?”

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Photo by Luděk Maděryč from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/metal-chain-in-grayscale-and-closeup-photo-86733/

Wayfarings of Sabit: Chains is copyright (c) 2018 by Michael S. Miller. All rights reserved. New chapters post every Thursday (and the occasional Monday). You can support this and other stories on Patreon: https://patreon.com/michaelsmiller Find more sword and sorcery fiction at http://ipressgames.com/fiction/.