Vivienne Ashford's Arc

Chapter 4 of 8

The captor crossed the clearing with slow steps. His sword hung low and ready. Vivienne pressed her back to the tree trunk and watched the open ground behind him. He stood between her and escape. She had no rock to climb, no wall to guard her side. If she ran, he would cut her down. If she waited, he would reach her. The spined creature growled and slunk into the brush. The baby dragon huddled against her boot, its small flame flickering. Vivienne lifted the glowing blade. Her arms still shook from the climb. She knew how to hold a sword, but not how to use one. She had never trained a day in her life. "I wish I knew how to fight," she whispered. "I wish I could use this thing." The gems on the hilt flared bright. Heat ran up her arm and into her chest. The blade hummed the same note it had made in the stone. Her grip shifted on its own. Her feet slid apart into a stance she had never learned. The shaking stopped. Suddenly she knew the weight of the blade, the reach of it, the angle of every cut. The knowledge poured into her like water filling a cup. The captor lunged. His blade came down hard. Vivienne stepped aside without thinking. Her sword rose and met his with a bright clang. The shock ran down her arms, but her hands held firm. He swung again, fast, and she turned it away. Her body moved before her mind could doubt. She saw his next strike before he made it. He drove her back toward the tree. She let him think he had her. Then she twisted low and slashed across his leg. He grunted and stumbled. The gap between them opened. Open ground lay behind him now, clear and dark. He caught himself and charged, wild with anger. Vivienne ducked under his blade and drove her shoulder into his chest. He crashed into the stone base. His sword spun from his hand into the moss. He clutched his wounded leg and glared up at her. She stood over him, blade level with his throat. The dragon padded to her side and puffed a small flame. The spined creature crept from the brush, tail raised. "You will not take me back," she said. Behind him, torches bobbed at the fortress gate. The guards had found a way out. They spilled into the clearing and stopped when they saw their master on the ground. Vivienne counted six of them. Her captor was down, but she was not free. Six blades now stood between her and the dark tree line. She did not lower her sword. This time her hands did not shake. She backed toward the open ground, the dragon and the creature close beside her, and turned to face the coming line.