Draggah (45 page)

“
No,
”
Rafe said. 
“
But I don
’
t intend to.
”

“
Then what are you doing?
”
she asked.

“
We know where they
’
re coming from,
”
Rafe said. 
“
I just need enough time to prepare so that we fight them on our terms, not theirs.
”

Lexi kept watch behind them.  Rafe pushed the horses for nearly ten minutes, then he slowed them back down to a walk.  Lexi was nervous.  She hated knowing what was coming.  Her natural instinct was always to flee if that were possible.  She realized it wasn
’
t, but slowing down with a group of men chasing her felt completely wrong.

“
What now?
”
Lexi said.

“
We
’
ll let the horses walk a bit to cool down,
”
Rafe said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. 
“
Then we
’
ll make our stand.
”

“
That
’
s our best option?
”
Lexi asked.

“
It
’
s the only option,
”
Rafe said. 
“
The sooner we fight, the more strength I
’
ll have.
”

Lexi nodded.  She realized that Rafe wasn
’
t well and that fighting at all was a huge risk.  Even if the raiders did nothing more than separate Rafe from Lexi and the wagon, he would probably die of the fever without help.  And if she didn
’
t somehow get fresh water back to the tribe, many more would die.  She hardened her resolve.  They had to defeat the raiders and complete their task.  There were no other options, she realized.

“
Okay,
”
Rafe said, pulling the reins and bringing the wagon to a stop. 
“
They
’
re going to try and get the wagon away from you.  Whatever you do, don
’
t let that happen.
”

“
What are you going to do?
”

“
I
’
ll fight them behind us,
”
Rafe said. 
“
You watch my back and make sure they don
’
t make off with the wagon.
”

“
Won
’
t they just go around you and attack me?
”
Lexi asked.

“
I have a plan to get their attention,
”
Rafe said. 
“
But if they do get past me, don
’
t hesitate to give them a taste of that dagger.
”

Lexi nodded.  She watched as Rafe climbed down from the wagon and drew his rapier.  She knew his reputation from Avondale; everyone in the city knew about Rafe the Sword Master
’
s son.  And Lexi had seen Rafe battling the Graypees near the river as they started out across the blighted lands.  She had seen him slay the huge Draccon.  Now he was putting himself between her and a group of raiders who she knew wanted to kill them.  She felt both fear and a thrill.  It was the first time she had ever felt the giddiness that other girls talked about when Rafe was the topic of conversation.  She wasn
’
t in love with him, but she was excited by the fact that he would fight for her.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she drew her own weapon.  Rafe was gallant, putting himself between her and danger, but that didn
’
t mean she wasn
’
t in danger.  And Rafe wasn
’
t fighting because of some romantic notion, or even for Lexi if the truth be told.  Rafe was fighting so that the tribe would have a chance of surviving, and she would have to take up that fight too.  She steeled her resolve and watched as the raiders closed in on them.

Chapter 32

Rafe

There were half a dozen men spreading out as they approached.  Rafe raised his shoulders and rolled his head around on his neck to loosen the muscles that had grown tight as the day progressed.  He didn
’
t feel ill, just extremely tired.  He remembered that Tiberius had felt tired the night of the raid.  Rafe only hoped the illness, if he was getting it, would come on as slowly with him as it had with Tiberius.  Unfortunately, he was already sweating, and there was nothing but tainted water to drink.  He felt weaker than normal, but still capable.

He drew his dagger with his left hand.  He would have preferred a small shield, but the dagger would do.  It was much better suited to defending a blade than a wooden club, but he didn
’
t have a lot of choices.  The raiders were slowing down as they approached, obviously more leery of attacking an armed warrior than ambushing two helpless couriers.

“
What are you waiting for?
”
he shouted. 
“
There are six of you and only one of me.  Did the way I defeated Bu
’
yorgi scare you that badly?
”

He saw the looks that crossed the men
’
s faces.  They may have been planning to send two or three against him and the rest to attack Lexi, but Rafe was guessing that they would press their advantage of numbers against him now that they understood who they were fighting.

“
You brought sticks to a sword fight, how thoughtful of you,
”
he teased them. 
“
Unfortunately for you, my blade bites.
”

“
Throw down your weapons and leave the wagon,
”
shouted one of the raiders. 
“
Killing you is not our way.
”

“
Is that why you poisoned the spring?
”
Rafe shouted. 
“
Is that the Hoskali way?
”

The raiders looked surprised again and Rafe guessed that they weren
’
t privy to Bu
’
yorgi
’
s plans.  In Rafe
’
s experience, the leading officers rarely confided much in the grunts taxed with carrying out orders.

“
That
’
s right,
”
Rafe said. 
“
Your illustrious leader, who was saved from bleeding to death by our Swanee, poisoned the spring.  Now he
’
s sent you to stop us from collecting fresh water to save our people.  You may not have known what was happening, but now you do.
”

“
Shut up!
”
shouted one of the raiders.

“
What are we waiting for,
”
said one of the others. 
“
He
’
s just one man.
”

“
Why don
’
t you come see what one man can do,
”
Rafe taunted.

Three of the men looked confused.  It was clear to Rafe that they didn
’
t like what they had heard, but they wouldn
’
t turn their backs on their comrades, who were clearly determined to stop Rafe and Lexi.

“
Well, what are you waiting for?
”
Rafe shouted.

The raiders advanced.  At a nod from one of the men, four rushed forward toward Rafe.  They all had clubs in one hand and knives of some sort in the other.  Metalworking wasn
’
t known to the Hoskali, and the steel blades that Rafe had seen were all old, most likely passed down from generation to generation.  The flint blades were useful in skinning animals, since the stone blades wouldn
’
t accidently pierce the hides the way steel blades did.  But all the knives would wound, maim, or kill Rafe, he had no doubts about that.

Rafe met their charge with one of his own.  At the last second, he planted one foot and angled to his left.  He brought his sword around in a horizontal slash that caused the raiders to leap back out of harm
’
s way.  Then the closest raider closed with Rafe, bringing his club up in an overhead strike that would have crushed Rafe
’
s skull.  But Rafe anticipated the attack, side-stepping to avoid the club and then thrusting his dagger out.  The blade wasn
’
t long, but the Wangorian steel was exceptionally sharp.  The tip of the blade sliced easily through the man
’
s throat, sending a spray of crimson shooting out toward the other raiders.  The wounded man cried out and dropped his weapons, clamping his hands around his throat to staunch the flow of blood, but it was too late.  One of the thick arteries had been partially severed by the dagger and it was only a matter of time before the raider bled to death.

Rafe didn
’
t have time to admire his handiwork or appreciate the effect the spray of blood had on the other raiders.  A side kick caught the next man unaware, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling backward.  Rafe had to raise his sword to parry the third raider
’
s club strike.  The man had been aiming at Rafe
’
s sword arm.  The club
’
s soft wood was easily lodged onto the steel of Rafe
’
s rapier.  With a spin Rafe moved backward, toward the wagon, and pulled the weapon free from the raider
’
s hand.

The final raider was more canny that his companions.  He had waited for an opening he knew was inevitable.  It came when the club weighed down Rafe
’
s sword.  The raider rushed forward, only to find Rafe
’
s dagger flying toward him.  The raider
’
s momentum made dodging aside impossible.  He raised both hands to deflect the blade, but he was too slow.  The dagger found its mark, burying itself up to the hilt in the man
’
s chest before his hands could intercept the weapon
’
s flight.

Rafe yanked the club from his sword, then immediately had to use the club to deflect a blow from the second raider who had caught his breath and reentered the fray.  As Rafe
’
s club came up to ward off his attacker
’
s blow, the sword lunged forward underneath it.  The raider had the same plan, but his knife was short and he was still more than an arm
’
s length from Rafe.  The rapier gashed open the man
’
s stomach, spilling his intestines onto the ground in front of him.  The screams the man made caused the hair on the back of Rafe
’
s neck to stand up.

Two raiders were closing in on either side of the wagon.  Rafe knew he had to act quickly or Lexi would be taken from behind on the wagon.  He lunged toward the man whose club he now wielded.  The raider was stooping to retrieve a new weapon, but Rafe
’
s blow landed just behind the raider
’
s ear and knocked the man out cold.  Then Rafe was running to one side of the wagon.  The raider on that side turned to face him, but Rafe knew immediately there was no real fight in the man.  He cast his club at the man, throwing it low.  The raider chose to break and run rather than deflect the weapon.  He dashed away and Rafe turned his attention to the other side of the wagon.

He hadn
’
t known what to expect, perhaps Lexi scrambling back from the raider
’
s attack.  Or maybe he thought she might be kicking and shouting to hold the man at bay.  The raider would need to climb up onto the wagon to subdue her, after all, and if she could fend him off until Rafe arrived, she would be saved.  But to his surprise Lexi didn
’
t need saving.  One fist held the raider
’
s thick hair.  She had his club clamped down under one of her boots, and the Wangorian dagger was slicing through the man
’
s neck.

Lexi let him go and spun around, expecting to see the other raider.  Rafe saw a look of savage rage in her eyes.  He realized she was not a weak person.  She may not have liked conflict, but she was more than capable of defending herself.

“
You okay?
”
Rafe asked.