Sanctuary (Dominion) Read Free

child. I had prayed to God for help, and this man, Arkael, appeared. I didn't know if he could save us, or if he even had a chance against these three mercenaries, but for a moment at least, I believed.
    Aedre screamed again, muffled this time.
    “Help her!” I shouted, hoping I hadn't put my faith into a madman. I was rewarded for my outburst with a solid thump to the top of my head.
    "Shut up!" the brute said, no longer amused.
    The first raider also tired of the game. "Grab his hand! He loses a finger for every word he speaks from here on," he told my captor, who pushed my face into the wet floor and pulled my left arm up behind me, grabbing my palm in one meaty hand and pressing the knife against my pinky. I grunted in pain but I didn't dare speak. The raider turned to Arkael. "And you, if you don't toss that sword over here and leave, we'll pry it from your dead hands. And we won't be gentle."
    "So be it," Arkael said, with a hint of disappointment. He held his weapon ready. "The sword is yours if you can take it."
    The other two raiders stepped forward cautiously. They were arrogant, but they weren't stupid. Men who carried swords like the one Arkael had in his possession usually knew how to use them. But their caution made little difference. The first raider lunged forward, and so help me God the only thing my eyes saw was Arkael's sword plunged into his gullet. I never saw the parry, or the counter-thrust, although I think I heard the echo of blades clanging together, but to this day I'm not convinced I didn't make that sound up only because I expected to hear it. Arkael pulled the sword free and the raider fell to the ground, his eyes bulging, his body twitching, and blood pouring out from his wound.
    It took several moments for anyone else in the room to realize what happened, myself included. But as soon as I was able to convince myself that I'd just seen that man die, I watched Arkael step forward and do exactly the same to the second. I was ready for it this time, though, and I witnessed what could only be described as the will of God. His arm struck forward with the speed of a snake, like those I saw in Rome who could snatch a mouse in their jaws faster than the eye could follow. The same happened here. I only saw him as a blur.
    The second raider fell to his knees, and then collapsed to the ground, and Arkael turned, fixing his gaze on the brute holding me down. I felt his strength wane, and he let go of my hand, and then the dagger fell to the ground, clanging off the stone.
    Arkael motioned to the front door with his sword.
    "Leave," he said. "Now."
    The brute fled, and truth be told, I wished I could run away with him, because I was now alone with a man I suddenly feared more than the raiders. I'd imagined him to be a champion of God, but something in me wondered if that was what I really wanted. I’d just seen him kill two seasoned mercenaries without so much as a breath of exertion, but now I wasn’t sure he wouldn't do the same to me. They'd deserved to die, but couldn't I say the same of myself? Had I not failed in my duty by letting these men kill everyone in the church? I let Caenwyld walk out that back door with Aedre, and I never raised a hand to help her because I feared I might lose it. He’d never even threatened my life. That’s how weak I was in the face of this ordeal. Perhaps this was my punishment, for today and for all my other sins.
    Fear paralyzed me as he approached, and even though he walked past without a word or a glance, I still expected him to turn around and plunge that sword into my back. I didn't relax until I heard the back door open, followed by his soft footsteps on the grass outside. I sat there, unsure if I should wait or follow him out, so I just listened, hoping he'd at least arrived in time to save Aedre's honor, and do that which I'd been unable. I heard a crash, and the sound of wood cracking. That was followed by a loud grunt, a cry of surprise, another crash, and