There was movement at the edge of his vision and Evnis twisted to see the other warrior swinging at his neck. Evnis staggered clumsily, partially catching the blow on his blade. A pain lanced through his wrist and his opponent’s blade crashed through his defence, glancing off his shoulder, the chainmail turning it, his arm going numb. Evnis attempted to pivot, desperately trying to summon the sword forms he’d learned with so much dedication from the Field, so easily done when someone with sharp iron in their fist wasn’t trying to kill you. The hard grin on his enemy’s face didn’t make him feel any more confident. Somehow he managed to avoid the next blow, grabbed a wrist and then their limbs were tangling and they were falling, rolling down the slope. They came to a halt with Evnis on his back, his opponent sitting on his chest.

This isn’t going as I’d imagined.

They’d both lost their swords in the tumble, but the man sitting on his chest had at some point pulled a knife from his belt. He raised it high, Evnis struggling futilely, his arms pinned.

An arrow slammed into the throat of his attacker and he was thrown backwards, a spray of blood misting across Evnis’ face. Evnis pushed up to his elbows, saw the other man bearing down upon him, sword raised.

My sword, where’s my sword? His hand scrabbled around in the grass. I’m going to die. Should have waited for the warband.

The man standing over him with his sword raised paused, his expression shifting from a victory grin to fear, then he was thrown backwards by a mass of fur and snapping teeth. Hands reached down to help Evnis stand, Braith glaring at him. Rafe ran past, his sword stabbing down into the body that was wrestling with two hounds. Rafe’s sword came away bloody, the warrior’s feet drumming on the ground, then falling still.

‘My thanks,’ Evnis said as he retrieved his sword. Braith nodded curtly, his face still tight with anger. They were alone on this side of the hold; their enemy had fled southwards. Behind them Glyn thundered up, a hundred warriors following. He dragged on his reins to stop before them.

‘Horses,’ Evnis shouted and in short moments he was mounted and leading his warband around the curve of the hold’s wall. Ahead he saw men running down the hill onto flatter marshland. He glimpsed a river, boats upon it.

‘After them,’ he yelled, pointing his sword and kicking his horse onwards.