Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 156907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Serena ducked again when he swiped the other way, this time scuttling out from between him and the wall.
She did not have time to get a hand on the dagger in her boot. She only had time to dodge two more blows before, when his torso was twisted, she raced beyond him at his other side, doing this away from the building he had guarded for so long.
He gave chase, and in the now, Serena did not bother to appear inebriated and ungainly.
She could not go so fast she would escape, and he would give up and return.
She absolutely did not go slow.
She shunted into an alleyway she knew was a wynd.
But he surprised her again by catching up with her, nearly grabbing hold on her, so she was forced to make a quick turn.
Sadly, doing this took her down a close.
And at the dead end of it, she knew she’d have to turn, stand and fight.
This she did.
Doing a whirl with her arm and fist in position, she caught him in his starkly protruding jaw.
She did not know if he felt pain, though his head snapped around.
She did know she felt pain, as his jaw felt like it was made of iron.
She ignored that and landed another blow to his jaw, but he was ready for it this time and shook it off instantly.
Serena then switched tactics, pivoted to her side, putting her weight in her left leg, and kicking out with her right, into his stomach.
He did not even expel air at her strike, and when she adjusted her aim to kick him in the groin, he caught her ankle and twisted it viciously.
In order for him not to break it, she flung her body in the direction her ankle was going, which meant she hit the ground on her shoulder with a body-wracking thud.
But she immediately swung about with her left leg, landing a whack to his temple.
He grunted at that.
She was heartened by that.
Thus, she drew back her left leg and caught him full in the nose with her heel.
He fell back, still with a hold on her ankle, so she was dragged back when he went.
She engaged her stomach muscles to reach to her left boot for her dagger when he made it plain that he’d had enough.
She knew this when he used her ankle to shake her bodily, his strength such she lost control of her frame and her head cracked on the cobbles.
As she blinked away stars, he let go of her ankle to grasp onto her hips and tow her to him.
She was up.
He was up.
And then she was slammed to the wall at the end of the close so hard, her breath left her.
Holding her there with his body, he was clawing at her skirts, thin streams of saliva dribbling through his fangs.
Well then.
Apparently, he’d picked now to have some fun.
However, that would not be happening.
She landed as many blows as she could as powerfully as she could in this position, at his jaw, temple, cheekbone, neck and throat.
He grew impatient with her endeavors and shared this when he snapped at her with his teeth, bursts of slobber slapping her in the face.
Her legs were astride his hips, she yanked up her left knee, reaching for her dagger, and screaming in his face, “Bloody no!”
And then something else splattered her face so violently, she blinked against it.
When she opened her eyes, the body that had her pinned to the wall started listing.
This was because it had no head.
She fell to her feet as it thudded to the ground and that was when she saw Tor in the alley, two of True’s guard behind him.
Both Tor’s hands were wound about the hilt of his broadsword.
Through the blood and drool streaming down her face, she looked down at the body of the troll, its head resting, mouth still in full sneer, some four feet away.
She lifted her hands, swiped the wet from about her eyes, and looked back to Tor.
“Well, that was expedient,” she drawled.
“We don’t have such creatures in my land,” he told her. “And I did not fancy figuring out what it would take to subdue him.”
She studied the Valerian king, and at what she saw, she said quietly, “He does not leave behind a wife and children who depend on him, Tor.”
It took him a moment before he jerked up his chin, took out a handkerchief and offered the snowy cloth to her.
She shook her head, bent double and used her tatty skirts to clear her face.
As she straightened, she saw Tor wipe the blood from his blade before scabbarded it, dropping the cloth to the cobbles and looking to her.
“Right,” he stated shortly. “Do you wish to see what a very large stash of coin looks like?”
“It’s there?” she whispered.