33. Comeuppance.

Maria saw that Paul was looking around trying to take in what was happening. He looked at her and around at the men who were assembled in front of him as he lay on the floor.

The men could not see that he was awake as they were still focused on her and her tiny dagger.

She needed to give him more time to recover.

"Ok." she said. "This is how it will be. You let my friends and myself go, and I don’t tell anyone where you are. That way you have time to disappear."

There was a sort of stunned silence at her words. Then the men burt out laughing.

"You have to be kidding." said Eachann. "There are a dozen of us and only one of you."

"What are you?" added Bowen. "Some sort of god or something, that you think you can win against these odds."

"Think about it." she said. "Only two types of people would say such a thing. A fool or someone who knows something you don’t. Which do you think I am?"

This got the attention of some of the group, including Bowen. Eachann, however, looked unmoved.

"It doesn’t matter." she thought. "As long as Paul has time to recover, that’s all I need."

She took a quick glance at Paul whose eyes were now more focused and who was wearing a very grimm and determined look on his face.

When their eyes met, he nodded.

Maria did not react, but she straightened up looking more confident to the group.

"Well?" she asked. "What is your answer?"

Some of the others noticing the change in her demeanour began to back up a little, with worried looks on their face.

Eachann looked at them and growled a warning.

They stopped.

"I can’t believe you lot." he said. "She is just one girl. One foolish girl playing at being a warrior."

He turned to her.

"My answer is no. Make your peace with whatever gods you wish, but you will not walk out of here alive."

"So be it." she said.

She nodded her head.

Paul, from his prone position on the floor, swung his arm in a sweep at the legs of the man nearest to him. The iron bracers he wore on his forearms connected with the shins of his target. A loud snapped of breaking bones could be heard as the leg bent in a way that it usually does not. The man screamed in pain and collapsed, falling into a fellow brigand on his left, causing both of them to fall to the floor.

The others turned to see what the commotion was about just as Paul was rising to his feet.

Maria took this opportunity to make her move.

She moved to the nearest man. Grabbing his head she brought it down while bringing her knee up. Her knee and his nose met halfway. There was a satisfying crunch sound as the man’s head snapped back up and he collapsed to the floor.

"That’s two." she told herself. "Only about ten more to go."

As the body of the one she hit was falling she reached out and took his sword out of his hands. It was of poor quality but beggars can’t be choosers.

Maria saw that Paul had quickly gotten to his feet. The other men were beginning to move to intercept the two of them.

Bowen however was backing away.

The one who had been pulled down when Paul’s first victim had fallen on him, was getting to his feet, but before he could recover, Paul brought both his fists down on the back of his head. He sprawled across his comrade and did not move.

Nine.

Maria found herself surrounded by three of the men, while Paul, who they still saw as the bigger threat, had four on him. He had found himself a sword as well, but it looked small in his large hands.

One of the three around her lunged at her.

She stepped sideways with her sword pointing down and at her side. She knew this trick. The one would rush and as the opponent stepped aside the other would attack the open side of the victim. She heard the satisfying clang of metal on metal as her sword and the other man’s met.

She saw the look of surprise that quickly passed on her attacker’s face.

She smiled at him and promptly smacked her head into his. Paul had taught her that one. He fell back a little, one hand going to his forehead. Maria spun to the right, slicing at the man’s exposed legs.

She cut deeply across both thighs. The man yelled out in pain and fell to the floor.

Eight.

Maria turned to face her two other opponents, who looked a little worried now.

Over their shoulders she could see Paul. Two of the men around him swung at him from either side. Moving like a man half his size he dodged back away from the swords.

As the swords passed, he stepped up and swung out, hitting one of the men on the arm. The wound was deep and the arm went limp dropping the sword. Blood gushed from the wound as the man, too much in shock to make a noise tried to stop the bleeding with his other hand. His face paled as he collapsed against the wall. Maria knew he would probably not make it.

Seven.

Paul swept up hitting the second man clear across the chest. A dark red stain marred the man’s shirt and he too fell wordlessly to the floor.

Six.

The two remaining men on Maria, seemed to have strengthened their resolve despite what was happening to their companions. The one on her left feigned a cut to her head and moved to slice her across the abdomen. She stepped up to block it with her sword and kicked out at the one on her right, who was not expecting it.

She connected with his groin. It was a cheap trick but her aunt had told her that when the odds were considerably not in your favour, anything that made it more even was fair game.

The man squeaked and bent over. Maria brought her leg back around and her heel connected with his temple.

Five.

A man flew by Maria and was stopped only when he hit a column and then lay unmoving on the floor.

Make that four.

The one left with Maria and the one left with Paul backed away from their respective targets. The met back to back and, looking at each other, they exchanged wordless communications, finally coming to a conclusion.

They set down their swords and held out their hands palms up and open.

Two.

Maria motioned to Paul to take care of the two, and looked around for Eachann and Bowen who had conveniently stayed out of the fight.

They were nowhere to be seen.

She quickly went to the window. Just as she had suspected the two of them were fleeing to the woods.

"Forget them." she said to Paul. "We have bigger problems."

She walked over to Theodore and freed him from the net.

"We have to go after Eachann and Bowen." she continued. "Eachann’s the only chance we have of finding out where Wilmot may have taken Morag."

""Why do you care about Bowen then?" asked Paul.

"Because he was who I came here for in the first place. I’m haven’t come all this way to loose him now." she answered.

"Come on."

She ran outside followed closely by Paul and Theodore. The two fleeing men were just disappearing into the trees.

Maria and here companions moved off in pursuit.

Someone’s life was at stake.

The chase was on.