BooksBarbecue
Back Shadow of the Hawk
Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. By David Gilman
  3. SHADOW OF THE HAWK
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. CHARACTER LIST
  8. Map
  9. Epigraph
  10. PROLOGUE
  11. PART ONE
  12. CHAPTER ONE
  13. CHAPTER TWO
  14. CHAPTER THREE
  15. CHAPTER FOUR
  16. CHAPTER FIVE
  17. CHAPTER SIX
  18. CHAPTER SEVEN
  19. CHAPTER EIGHT
  20. CHAPTER NINE
  21. CHAPTER TEN
  22. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  23. CHAPTER TWELVE
  24. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  25. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  26. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  27. PART TWO
  28. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  29. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  30. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  31. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  37. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  38. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  39. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  40. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  41. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  42. PART THREE
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FORTY
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  55. PART FOUR
  56. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  57. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  58. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  59. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  60. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  61. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  62. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  63. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY
  65. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  66. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  67. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  68. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  69. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  70. PART FIVE
  71. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  72. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  73. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  74. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  75. CHAPTER SIXTY
  76. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  77. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  78. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  79. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  80. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  81. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  82. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  83. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  84. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  85. CHAPTER SEVENTY
  86. CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
  87. CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
  88. CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
  89. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
  90. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
  91. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
  92. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
  93. CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
  94. Author’s Notes
  95. About the Author
  96. An Invitation from the Publisher

De Hayle sneered. ‘Over here, Blackstone. No good looking at her.’ He opened his palm and waggled his fingers. ‘Your Jew had fingers like a woman. I gave her his rings.’ He took a couple of paces forward, weaving deliberately to distract Blackstone. ‘I tried to give her the boy. Took his head to her. I thought that would have been the end of it.’ He spat phlegm aside. ‘Now it is.’

Blackstone thought of the gentle Halif ben Josef and the young guide Andrés. He squared his shoulders and called to Velasquita. ‘When I’ve killed Ranulph de Hayle for the atrocities he committed, I will see you meet your unholy benefactor. I’ll send you back to Satan.’

‘For Christ’s sake!’ said de Hayle. ‘Enough!’ He strode forward, surefooted, sword in the high guard. Blackstone saw a bloodied rag tied around his left forearm. No doubt Beyard had caused his killer to bleed. If Blackstone did not have the strength to parry the blow, de Hayle would cleave him from neck to breastbone. De Hayle was a big man with a strength born from a lifetime of fighting. Fatigue would not come quickly to him.

Blackstone found firm ground and let him come. De Hayle roared and swept down his blade. Blackstone half turned, blocked it and felt the strike reverberate through the hardened steel into his weakened muscles. De Hayle was fast; with a quick change of stance, he put his weight on his left foot and, spinning on his ankle, he was already sweeping his sword low and fast towards Blackstone’s legs. Blackstone could not parry the strike and blocked it by ramming Wolf Sword in the dirt; he clamped both hands on the pommel and felt the strike clang into his blade. Now de Hayle was off balance, the shuddering halt of his blade sending shock waves into his hands. Blackstone pulled Wolf Sword free but did not try to use its honed cutting edge. De Hayle was still half bent from his low strike. Blackstone took a step sideways and slammed the pommel into his face. Bone cracked. Blood spurted. It rocked De Hayle back on his heels. He spat blood but ignored the pain from his broken nose. He recovered his balance, one foot set well back against the other, sword sweeping through the air towards Blackstone’s unguarded head. Blackstone ducked. The blade whispered through his hair: a finger’s breadth lower and his skull would have split in two. The exertion had made him dizzy. He stumbled, legs failing.