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Back A Night of Flames
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise forMATTHEW HARFFY
  3. BY MATTHEW HARFFY
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Maps
  8. Epigraph
  9. Contents
  10. Place Names
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Thirty-Nine
  50. Forty
  51. Forty-One
  52. Forty-Two
  53. Forty-Three
  54. Forty-Four
  55. Forty-Five
  56. Forty-Six
  57. Forty-Seven
  58. Forty-Eight
  59. Forty-Nine
  60. Fifty
  61. Fifty-One
  62. Fifty-Two
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Sixty-Two
  73. Author’s Note
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. About the Author
  76. An Invitation from the Publisher

A tall, strong man with a full beard stepped towards me, brandishing a long sword and a shield, and crowding out the spears of his comrades that would have proven an easier method with which to slaughter me. If he had hung back and allowed them to stab with their long ash-hafted weapons, I would have been unable to defend against them all at once, armed as I was with only a sword and a shield. But oftentimes a warrior’s pride will lead to his downfall, and so it was for this swordsman. Perhaps he wanted to prove himself to their new leader, or maybe I had killed one of his friends and he sought revenge. Mayhap he simply saw an easy moment of glory and battle-fame for himself. He was strong and from the way he moved and held his weapon and shield, he was not unfamiliar with fighting. I must have looked puny and weak in his eyes. Young and slender of build, wearing nothing but a stained and ripped pale linen robe. He was not the first to underestimate me, and he would not be the last.

I feigned exhaustion, panting and lowering my head, waiting until he believed he would slay me easily. He drew close, then finally made his move, swinging a cut towards my head. Using all of my youthful speed and everything I had learnt from Gwawrddur, I raised my shield, taking his blow on the rim and in the same moment, I sent a scything cut into his extended right leg. My sword caught him in the shin and he screamed with pain. It was not a killing blow, but it was enough to send him reeling back, further confounding the attack of several of his comrades, their weapons snagging and tangling together in the press.

Capitalising on their momentary confusion, I lashed out, taking one unarmoured man in the bicep of his sword arm. He dropped his blade and staggered away from me, pushing into others. I could sense that behind me, Runolf was giving his own assailants much to contend with. There were screams of pain and he bellowed insults at them, goading them, jeering at their cowardice.

For a moment, I wondered if perhaps, beyond all reason, we might be able to turn this tide. Could it be that God in all His wisdom would allow us to conquer against so many? I made to attack once more, raising my shield against the spears that were now being lowered to prod and jab at me.

And then Runolf grunted, and his bulk crashed into my back. He fell and collided with my legs, tripping me. I lost my balance and landed atop him. I managed to keep hold of my shield and my sword, but I knew that a prone enemy was soon to be a dead foe.