Read Two Heirs (The Marmoros Trilogy Book 1) for Free Online Page B

that he had done some damage, Manny began a furious series of attacks that required all Held's skill and experience to keep out. Such a frenetic assault could not be maintained for ever and, as the pace slackened, Held moved smoothly into a series of counter attacks. For several minutes the two were evenly matched, trading blow for blow in the centre of the square. The first opening came as Manny attempted to repeat a combination of moves he had tried earlier culminating in a feint to the head and a vicious slash below the knees. Anticipating the slash to his legs, Held leapt high into the air and brought the katana down with all his strength on the top edge of his opponent's shield. The shield split from rim to rim with half still attached by the straps to Manny’s arm and the other half dangling uselessly below.
    With a snarl of rage he hurled the broken shield at Held and reached behind his back for the hidden dagger. Held circled cautiously to his left trying to keep the blade well out of range but this allowed the older man to attack more easily with his sword. He parried a dagger thrust and brought the katana up just in time to block a blow that would have split his skull. He reversed direction, spinning quickly to the right and, as he completed the full circle, brought the katana down on Manny’s dagger wrist. The edge of the blade struck immediately below the leather bracers that Manny was wearing, passing straight through bone and sinew and severing the hand as neatly as any surgeon.
    Manny fell back a couple of paces and looked in astonishment at his hand lying on the grass, still clutching the poisoned dagger. The fight slipped away from him quite quickly from that point. Even though his attacks had even greater ferocity, they were driven more by emotion and less by cold logic. As he made one final lunge aimed at Held's face, the younger man dropped his shoulder so that the blade passed harmlessly over and thrust his own sword out with the blade angled up at 45 degrees. Manny’s momentum carried him onto the blade, the point striking at the very top of his mail vest and sliding upwards beneath the chin strap of his helmet to pass straight into the brain. Death was instantaneous although the fighter's muscles held him upright for a few more seconds as Held withdrew his sword.
    There was silence as he stood over the ex-leader's body and looked slowly around at the faces of the men and women on the three sides of the square. “I challenged Manfred Redblade for the leadership of this group and I have defeated him in combat. Does any man here dispute my right to lead you?”
    A chorus of “No, milord,” rippled round the square,
    Held looked down at the ground and shook he head. When he looked up again, he had a half smile on his face.
    “I am nobody's lord but I promise you this; if you will follow me and allow me to lead you, I will do so with pride and with honour.”
    For a moment nobody moved. Then Bern, with a glance at the other senior men, crashed his forearm across his chest in salute and dropped to one knee with head bowed. “I will follow you, milord.”
    The man standing next to Bern, made a salute and dropped to one knee, and then another, and another. “I will follow you, milord,” came from all sides.
    Held raised a hand in acknowledgement. “All right, all right, stand up.
    “Tomorrow morning, after the burial, we will talk again. There will be some changes to be made and I will ask for an oath of loyalty from every man here present. If any man does not want to change his way of life or give me his oath, he may leave tonight. There will be no recriminations but if we ever meet again on opposite sides of a fight, there will also be no quarter.”
    Not a man moved.
    “Very well then. Prepare the body for burial and then get some rest. And make sure that bloody dagger gets buried with him.”
    Held turned and walked towards the leader's tent, his tent now together with all its contents according