Last Knight (The Champion Chronicles Book 2) Read Free Page B

the attack.  He knew what Harmack would do, and he knew how to defend it.  If Harmack was really not going to take advantage of his numbers and go after him alone, Conner knew he was going to have to quickly dispatch the bandit leader.  And then the other three would fall quickly.  Or once they saw their leader fall, they just might run away into the forest never to be seen again.
    With the dagger out in front of him, ready for either attack or parry, Conner stepped forward, waiting for the strike that he knew would come.  But it didn’t.  Harmack rushed forward, keeping his sword low to block any attack that Conner might send his way.  The bandit’s attack didn’t come from the sword, it came from the fist that struck Conner on the side of the head.  He stumbled backwards, floating lights exploding in his head.  He mind went numb and his knees went wobbly.  He had no idea what was happening and he was too stunned to react to the next blow.  Harmack lifted his sword and Conner had just enough sense to know he was dead and knew there was nothing he could do about it.  But the sword didn’t come down on him.  Instead, the last image Conner saw was of the bandit’s elbow about to strike him in the face.
     
    ***
     
    The blackness slowly became a gray haze.  And then the pain came.  It started in the chest and then swept through his whole body.  It seemed as if there was no part of him, no muscle, no joint, and no appendage that didn’t hurt.  He didn’t want to open his eyes, for he knew that would cause him more pain.  He didn’t want to breathe, for that caused even more pain.  And although he knew he needed to breathe to live, at that moment, Conner wasn’t sure that he wanted to live.
                  He tried to sit up, but realized he was already sitting up.  He tried to stand up, and that’s when he realized that his hands were tied behind his back.  When he turned and tried to move, he discovered his hands were tied around a small tree that he was leaning up against.   He opened his eyes and was thankful that only twilight greeted him.  He looked down at his body.  His shirt was gone and three thin slices were cut into his chest.  With each breath, his chest moved and the cuts seemed to catch on fire.  He tried not to breathe too deeply, hoping to keep the pain away.
                  Movement caught his eye and he froze.  The sun was not in the sky, but it was just under the horizon.  This allowed just enough light for him to see the trees at the edge of the clearing.  It also was the perfect time for the human eye to notice movement.  At first there was only a shadow, but soon he realized that there were three of them hovering in the cover of trees, moving back and forth.  It was only when one them looked directly at him that he could see their golden eyes.
                  He smiled and let out a sigh of relief. 
    “Help!” Conner yelled as loudly as he could.  He was sure that the sound didn’t carry very far because of the effort that it took.  His voice startled the wolves and they reacted by quickly retreating into the woods. 
    “Help!” Conner screamed out again.  And then there was nothing left.  His energy was gone.  He dropped his head to his chest and that was when he noticed the pool of blood in his lap.  The slices in his chest were bleeding more than he had thought.  He wouldn’t have to worry about dying from hunger or thirst.  Before too long, he would be dead because there would be no more blood in his body.
    He heard rustling behind him and Conner tried to turn his head to see what it was, but he could not twist his body that far.  He could only wait as he heard fast footsteps approaching and then a body falling to the ground at his back.
    “Shhh,” a voice said softly.  “You must be quiet.  There are wolves!”
                  Conner replied loudly with a bit of renewed energy.  “I know!