Chapter 5
When the cheering quieted down the official shouted, "Would anyone from the crowd like to challenge her?"
The challenge was just a formality in case someone missed the signups and still wanted to try or if someone changed their mind at the last minute. It was a very rare occasion when someone challenged the winner, but it was tradition. Covarla looked around at the crowd
not expecting anyone to challenge her, but then again her watcher was up there somewhere.
A man near the front stood up and shouted, "I will." The man looked more like a thief or street thug than anything else.
The official looked surprised but said, "Come down then." The official then backed out of the fighting ring as the crowd made a path for the man.
"Alright, we will then," the man shouted as he charged down the bleachers. Another thug joined him from the front row as two more came from the other side.
The official rushed in shouting, "One at a time now!" He didn't get very far because a fifth man came up behind him and stabbed him in the side. The official fell to the ground, but seemed to still be alive.
All five men rushed for Covarla. Two wielded swords while the other three had knives. The crowd gasped and were on their feet in a moment, but no one was very anxious to go against five armed men. Those that were trying to help weren't able to move due to the crowd.
Covarla had her sword ready as the first two men approached. She slashed forward with her sword while kicking backwards at the man behind her. The man behind her was knocked backwards, but the man in front of her jumped out of the way.
She regained her balance and charged for the man with the knife drawing him out of the circle the men had tried to form around her. She knew that staying within that circle meant almost certain death. These men wanted her life, not her title.
She blocked a slash from the man she had charged at and ducked under his knife to bring the hilt of her sword into his stomach. She then delivered a kick to his head that knocked him down and would keep him down for a little while.
She quickly turned to block the slash of one of the swordsmen. The man slashed at her haphazardly. She dodged blow after blow as she slowly inched to her right. When he brought his sword up for another slash she turned and kicked him in the side before bringing her sword's hilt down on his head. The man stumbled and dropped
his sword so she took the chance and slashed her sword through his neck. His head tumbled to the ground.
There was no time to rest however. The last two knife wielders charged at her while the second swordsman bent over the man she had knocked unconscious. She blocked one's blade against her sword, but had to jump back from the other's. She managed to block the second one's swipe, but the first man gave her a shallow cut on her left arm.
She backed away from the pair long enough to make a plan. She rushed towards the man that had slashed her arm. The man backed up and prepaired to strike at her. When she drew near the first man she slipped her knife out of her belt and threw it at him. She turned to the second man as she heard a scream come from the first.
She was fast enough that he hadn't seen her coming. She gave him a gash in the stomach and a fist in his face.
She sensed that the last man had been slowly creeping up behind her while she had been fighting the two thugs with knives. He was now close behind her and probably ready to deliver a slash that would split her head open. She brought her leg around behind her into his side. The thug was knocked of baland and began to fall towards Covarla. His blow was mainly deflected, landing on her head with a force that would surely leave a tender bump later. Covarla twisted out of the way before the man could knock her down by falling on her. He landed on his sword and ran himself through. I was sure his sword was off to the side when he was falling, though, thought Covarla.
Covarla looked around at the fallen men. Somehow, the man who she had first knocked unconsious had gotten his throat slit. Then she remembered the swordsman bending over the other man. He wasn't checking on the man, she thought. He was killing him. Why would they all need to be dead? She left that thought for later consideration.
Several of the other contestants along with Adria and Maive had managed to get out of the crowd, but none had made it halfway across the circle. Covarla's head was now hurting a lot and her thoughts were kind of fuzzy. Her arm stinged and was bleeding slightly.
She stumbled over to the man who had her dagger embeded in his throat. She pulled it out and wiped it and her sword on the man's shirt before sheathing them. She slowly stood up and waited for her head to stop hurting.
Adria and Maive reached her at the same time as the official did. The official still looked abit fuddled by the blow he had taken. The woman she had fought against in the next to last match was supporting him.
"That's the first time that's happened here," the official said. "I'm sorry that happened. If you follow me I'll give you the prize money." The man stood there waiting for her to follow.
Covarla looked at Adria, silently asking for some assistance. Adria moved next to Covarla and offered her shoulder to help support Covarla. Maive had also caught on that Covarla wasn't in the best condition. "I'll run ahead and have the girls prepare a bath and have someone fetch a healer too," she whispered. "One with some nice herbs for your head and a bit of magic for your arm." She then hurried off to the inn.
Covarla followed the official with Adria keeping her from falling flat on her face. Gods, I'm tired, she thought, though it seemed like an understatement. The official showed them to the tent that the secretary was in charge of. In a back section was a large chest being guarded by two men.
The official handed Adria five pouches filled with gold and three of silver. Adria waited for Covarla to nod before tucking them into the pockets of her cloak. The official waved at them before leaving. The woman who was helping him winked at Covarla as she left with the official.
Covarla's head had finally stopped throbbing so much. It still hurt, but she could think now. She pushed away from Adria and walked back into the main area of the tent with only abit of stumbling at first. Adria stopped Covarla before she left the tent. She pushed her down into the chair behind the table.
"Got to have a look at that arm," Adria said as she pulled Covarla's blood soaked sleeve away from the cut. she pulled a piece of cloth out of her pouch and wrapped it tightly around Covarla's arm before tying it off in a tight knot.
Adria helped Covarla rise. They walked out of the tent together and started to head back to Maive's Inn, the Crystal Dove.
They were slowly getting closer to the inn. Covarla was almost exhausted from the tournament and those thugs. She followed Adria into a narrow alley. One more street to cross before we're there, thought Covarla happily.
The alley was barely lit by the sun above. There wasn't enough room for the tow of them to walk side by side. Some men were standing in a doorway watching them pass. Trash was scattered on the ground. Covarla was nervous. This doesn't feel right, she thought. Covarla quickened her pace slightly. They were very close to the end of the alley when five very large men entered and began to walk towards them.
Adria and Covarla backed away from the men. Covarla turned to look at the other end of the alley only to find five more men entering. All ten men drew their weapons similtaneously and began to approach the two women.
The two men that had been standing in the doorway also came out with drawn knives. The two women were now completely surrounded and very outnumbered.
Great, thought Covarla wryly. Just what I need- twelve very large men with knived that are more than likely after the pouches of gold in Adria's cloak and want to carve us up like turkeys too.
Covarla and Adria stopped back to back near the middle of the alley. Covarla whispered softly, "Any spells you can do?"
The mage shook her head slightly before whispering her reply. "None that wouldn't take out the buildings we're between. I don't particularly care to have to buildings fall on me. Though I can think of one that is short range and close in proximaty."
"Then here goes nothing."
Covarla drew her sword and moved towards the closest man. She couldn't really manuver in these close quarters, but she could try her best.
She danced from one man to the next, trying anything to bring them down. She heard small explosions coming from the end of the alley. Whe she looked she saw Adria throwing small balls of fire at the men. It seemed to be as effective as Covarla's sword.
She finally managed to bring down the last of the seven men on her side but shehad gotten a large slash across her right side that was bleeding freely.
She turned while holding her torn shirt onto the wound. Adria's fireballs had gotten all five of those men. Covarla walked back to Adria.
They didn't have time to rest, though, because ten more men entered the alley. These ones all seemed a bit more self-confident than the last twelve had.
Covarla groaned softly. She didnt think she could fight much longer in her current state. She was losing blood and her head had started to throb again. Adria seemed to be only slightly tired, but she couldn't fight all ten men by herself.
Covarla lifted her sword and began to stumble towards the men. She reached the first and knew he had a better chance of winning. She was growing sluggish as her brain started to fuzz with pain.
The man was able to knock her down with a new blow to her head that she had failed to dodge. She managed to run him through as his blow was descending though. Covarla fell to the ground. Her head bounced against the ground as she hit.
Her vision was growing fuzzier by the minute. she could barely make out the four men approaching her. The closest kicked her with such force that she flew up against the wall of the alley. Covarla heard a cracking sound as she slammed into the wall and fell to the ground. She tried to regain her breath.
She looked for Adria's help, but Adria was having her own problems. The six men left on her side were effectively dodging her spells. They danced between the fireballs and trip spells and yet didn't manage to be caught in one of them.
Covarla watched the four men approach and knew that they intended to make her death as painful as possible. She screamed as she felt them kick her in the stomach, then in her leg. She waited for the next blow, but it never came. The four men had turned their backs to her and were looking at something else. She couldn't tell what they were looking at because her vision was slowly blacking out. She had to fight to stay conscious a few more minutes.
She heard a what must have been one of her attackers ask something to someone else. She realized that they must be facing someone else when she heard a voice answer back. She thought she saw her attackers charge and fall to the other person. The person, who must have been a man from the sound of his voice, rushed to help Adria. Covarla tried to turn her head to look, but could only see two men fleeing Adria and the other man.
She heard voices as Adria and the man turn to her. She thought she heard Adria gasp. She felt herself being picked up and her sword put back in its sheath. She guessed that she had dropped it when she had been hit on the head.
She tried to make out the face of the person carrying her. She got a very clear look at the face. It was that of a man maybe a year or so older than her. He had sandy blond hair that fell almost to his eyes. His expression was grim as heer looked at her. She managed to mumble "thank you" before everything went black.
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