Odd fought with speed and power, but also a seeming lack of care. He didnt hide behind his defenses like many warriors, but threw himself into cuts like a whirlwind. Erin found herself fitting into the rhythm of his attacks, striking in the spaces that he left, trying to cover any openings. Her armor protected her as a sword glanced from it, her buckler took a blow from an axe. Both of them took wounds though. Erin felt the impact of every blow that landed, even if her armor stopped her from being cut in half. Odd seemed to be bleeding from a dozen places, even though at least that many men lay dead in his wake.

They both gave ground, step by step. They were running out of ground to give, though. It should have been a good thing that they were getting closer and closer to the Northern Kingdoms shore, closer to home, and to safety. The problem was that, for now, the bridge was safety. The bridge was the thing that meant that the soldiers before Erin and Odd couldnt surround them, couldnt spread out and overwhelm them with their numbers.

Were running out of room, Erin said, with a nervous glance back at the end of the bridge.

So we hold them back at the edge of the bridge and kill all of them, Odd said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Did he actually believe that? Did he actually think that they could stand there and kill King Ravins armies one by one?

Erin didnt. She knew that when they reached the end of the bridge, it would be done. She still fought, still killed. She slashed the head of her spear across a mans leg, thrust the point up into anothers skull. The stroke of an axe jarred her as she blocked it, but she kept going.

They couldnt hold, though. They would reach the end of the bridge, and then… then, no matter how hard they fought, the sheer weight of men would push them back another few steps. It would mean being surrounded, blades coming from every side…

That was when Erin heard the horns behind her. She thrust her spear into a mans gut, swept it round to clear a space for her to glance round, and she dared to look…

Her fathers army stood there. There were knights there, and guardsmen, and more. There were archers, who even now were readying arrows to fire down into the ranks of the men on the bridge. There were horsemen standing by, ready to charge. Her father sat at the heart of it all, looking mighty in his armor, unconquerable. Erin couldnt count the numbers compared to the force that had followed Lenore, and was now struggling to cross the bridge, but it was close, so close…

Horns sounded again, and her fathers army charged.

CHAPTER TWENTY