Chapter 11

Time became nebulous as she pressed onwards, the scenery of trees and foliage gradually blurring together. How long had she been walking? How much ground had she covered? There was no way to judge in this eternal greenery surrounding her on all sides.

Eventually, her shuffling steps slowed to an exhausted crawl, each jarring footfall sending lances of agony through her injured arm and shoulder. She would have to stop soon, she knew, before she dropped from exhaustion and pain.

That's when the sounds reached her - the unmistakable baying of dogs mixed with the gruff tones of human voices carried on the air. Panic surged through her as she realized with sinking dread that she had simply walked in an arcing circle...straight towards the pursuit party that seemed to be tracking her through these accursed woods!

Her steps faltered as she swiveled her head wildly, trying to discern which direction the noises were coming from. Maybe if she just backtracked carefully and quietly...

"Oi! There's the little fox we've been chasin!"

The raucous shout rent the air mere yards to her left. Whipping around towards the sound, Ona felt her heart plummet as a group of six or seven burly, unkempt men came crashing through the underbrush to surround her in a loose semicircle.

"Well now, looks like we've snared ourselves a pretty little vixen instead!" One of the largest men guffawed, raking an openly lecherous gaze over her disheveled appearance as several more joined in with crude guffaws.

Stumbling backwards on shaky legs, Ona's breathing became erratic once more as stark terror gripped her. These men...they were not like the bandits that attacked her carriage, that much was starkly clear. The way they leered and sized her up made her insides twist queasily.

"Unhand me at once, you brutes!" she commanded in what she hoped was a steady, imperious tone as she backed away until her shoulders met with solid resistance - the harsh trunk of a tree at her back.

The largest man - clearly the leader of this uncouth band - smirked wolfishly as he noted her trapped position. "Oh aye, we'll be 'unhandin' you soon enough once we have our pleasures with you."

Ona felt bile rise up in her throat at his thinly veiled meaning. As several of the louts began closing in on her with wicked intent, she could only cower back in feverish desperation.

They swiftly bound her with rough rope, tightly securing her wrists and ankles. She grimaced in pain as they snickered. With firm grips, they guided her through the dense forest, their footsteps crunching on the forest floor.

A sudden cacophony of sounds rent the air behind them.

Harsh cries and the unmistakable ring of steel upon steel caused her to flinch weakly. With monumental effort, she managed to lift her head and turn.

At first, all she could discern were vague shapes engaged in a whirlwind of motion and violence near the lip of the rocky outcropping she had tumbled from. Several indistinct figures darted and wove amid a flurry of metallic clangs, grunts of effort, and shrill cries of alarm or pain.

Then one combatant broke free from the chaotic fray, executing an acrobatic tuck and roll that brought them hurtling down the craggy slope directly towards her prone form. As they smoothly regained their footing in a series of twisting handsprings, Ona's breath caught in her throat.

"Tij..." she mouthed soundlessly, hardly daring to believe her eyes.

It was indeed him. He glided with the agile, poised elegance of a panther, his eyes swiftly scanning their surroundings while one hand casually rested on the menacing hilt of a blade at his waist.

The respite was short-lived, however, as two burly men she vaguely recognized from earlier came hurtling down the slope in his wake. Bellowing curses, they charged at Tij's back while his attention was divided.

Wielding his blade in a silvery arc, Tij pivoted to face the attack in a blur of motion. His free hand whipped out, appearing to send a wave of force that staggered both men back a step despite not making physical contact.

Taking advantage of their stumbling, he flowed forwards in a dizzying flurry of slashes and thrusts. Within the span of several heartbeats, both men were down - one crumpled and unmoving, the other howling and clutching a severely lacerated leg as blood poured forth.

Ona could only gape in mute awe and confusion as Tij turned to face the remaining combatants spilling down the slope towards them in a disorganized rout. He fell into an effortless crouch, angling his body to shield her from any attack as they closed in.

One by one, the unkempt men rushed him in a wild frenzy of flashing blades and strangled battle cries. Yet each was grimly repelled by Tij's impossibly quick bladework, dropping away with brutal wounds or being sent sailing unconscious after a few economical exchanges.

Finally, only one man was left standing amid the rapidly growing litter of groaning bodies and slick crimson pools. He was absolutely massive, every bit as broad as the ancient oak Ona had sheltered beneath earlier. His bald, ruddy head glistened with sweat, thick corded muscles visible even beneath his stained tunic as he hefted a cruel-looking mace in one meaty fist.

"Bloody son of a whore!" He rumbled, beady eyes locking onto Tij with undisguised hatred. Adopting a side-stance, he beckoned his lone opponent forward with the hand gripping his weapon. "C'mere then, pretty painted boy. Let's have a dance, you an' me!"

In response, Tij merely straightened and began prowling in an elliptical pattern, holding his blade low and loose as he mirrored the larger man's movements. "As you wish..." he murmured, an undercurrent of savage anticipation bleeding into his tone. "But I'll warn you - I lead a devilishly complex dance."

The burly man barked out a scoffing laugh as they continued circling each other warily. "We'll see who's smilin' when I'm done bashin' in that cocksure face o' yours, whoreson!"

With that parting jibe, he exploded forwards into a cumbersome yet powerful charge, swinging his mace in brutal arcs. Tij agilely sidestepped and weaved away from the bludgeoning flurry, seeking an opening.

When one finally presented itself, he surged in with blinding speed - aiming a rasping cut at the larger man's hamstrings. But his blade clanged harmlessly against the shaft of the mace as it whipped around to parry at the last instant.

"Ha! Too slow!" The bald brute crowed, leveraging his weight into a shoulder charge that slammed Tij backwards. He followed up with an overhead smash that Tij barely managed to evade in time, the heavy mace head cratering the dusty earth.

Suspense and fear coiled in Ona's chest as she watched them trade ground amidst the deadly exchange, fingers clenched convulsively in the loose soil. Just when it seemed the bigger man's superior strength and momentum was about to overwhelm Tij's agility, a fierce yell rent the air as Tij launched himself laterally in an arcing, serpentine attack.

The larger man barely managed to get his mace up in time, grunting from the sheer force as their weapons clanged and bound against each other. Seizing momentary advantage, Tij unleashed a blinding flurry of hacking blows with cold precision.

Unable to defend against the speeds Tij wove between the larger man's increasingly frantic swings, crimson blossomed across his broad shoulders and biceps in a series of long, oozing slashes.

Bellowing in rage, the bald brute dropped his guard completely and lunged at Tij with abandon - mace whirling blindly as he sought to bowl his agile adversary over. The momentary leave of his defenses was all the opening Tij needed.

In a blur, he executed a single lightning-swift cut, followed by a vicious stomp and thrust. The burly man's roar died in his throat as his mace tumbled from suddenly limp fingers. He took a stumbling half-step backwards, eyes bulging with disbelief as his free hand clawed weakly at the gaping wound Tij had opened across his throat.

Tij watched with a stony, almost bored expression as his final opponent convulsed and collapsed in a heap amidst the veritable carpet of brutalized bodies surrounding them.

Then, his gaze finally swung towards where Ona was sprawled. Their eyes locked and she could suddenly breathe again. A wide, relieved smile broke across her features as she gulped in a sobbing breath, scarcely believing this mercy her eyes beheld.

"Tij...!" She exclaimed brokenly. "You're aliv--"

Her words cut off in an abrupt grunt of shock as Tij was suddenly beside her in two long strides before she had even registered him moving. Before she could react, he'd wrenched her injured arm outwards, eliciting a short shriek of agony from her lips...

Then nothing. All went black.

The last sight that burned into her wavering vision before oblivion claimed her was Tij's impassive visage looming above - and that of a second shadowy figure standing amidst the bodies behind him, watching their exchange with inscrutable eyes.