Mistress of the Night - Don Bassingthwaite [48]
"Nice try," she spat.
She swung her sword. He parried.
Their weapons met with a shriek. Blue sparks spat off of Quick's blade. The magic in the rapier guided his hand as he pushed Lyraene's sword to the side and tried to thrust inside her guard while she was out of line. The half-elf was faster though. Her sword came back up and caught Quick. Brushing the rapier aside, Lyraene thrust at him.
Keph gave ground and surged back. Lyraene thrust and retreated. With each blow and step, the swaybridge shimmied.
When Lyraene turned to avoid a blow, he slid past her and threw an elbow into her stomach, then sprinted for the end of the bridge. Lyraene's cronies shouted in surprise and derision.
If they thought he was giving up the fight, they were going to be disappointed. At the end of the bridge, he reached down and slashed Quick at the thick ropes tying off the platform. Lightning crackled with the blow. The ropes parted.
The end of the bridge swung free.
Keph whirled back to Lyraene. She was clutching the rail with her free hand but the shock on her face was -already fading into an angry growl.
"I hope your balance is as good as you think it is!" she yelled.
Lyraene let go of the rail and charged straight along the swaying bridge.
Keph met her with a charge of his own, catching her blow on Quick Sparks showered down on them. Keph leaned against Lyraene, trying to force her back, but she was stronger than she looked She heaved up, forcing their locked weapons away and bringing their bodies closer together. For a moment, Keph could feel her breath on his face.
Her weight shifted as she raised a foot to kick him or stomp on his leg.
Keph stopped straining against her and folded backward, twisting with her weight as he fell. Lyraene gasped and stumbled, falling past him to hit the wood of the platform. She squirmed around, trying to raise her sword above herself in defense, but as soon as she let him go Keph was sprinting again-to the other end of the bridge.
He swung Quick and lightning crackled again. The stink of burning rope puffed into the night wind. The whole bridge shook and swung.
"You crazy bastard!" yelled Lyraene.
Keph spun around. The half-elf was kneeling. She thrust her free hand at him and shouted a word of magic.
A shimmering bolt streaked from her hand. Out of instinct, he raised Quick, but it was no good. Magic blasted through his body and left him gasping and staggering. His free hand found a rail and he grabbed it for support. Bright spots of pain danced in his vision. He could see Lyraene, though. She was up stalking toward him, sword out and ready.
Throwing his arm around the rail, he flung the weight of his body backward.
Ropes creaked and groaned as the platform swung forward. Lyraene stumbled with the motion-then staggered and fell as the end of the bridge slammed hard against the walkway that had once anchored it. Her sword flew out of her grasp and slid across the wood.
Keph stepped forward and stopped it with his foot. He scooped it up and advanced slowly on Lyraene. She lifted her head, blond hair falling down around her face, to stare at him.
"Get up," he ordered her.
The half-elf rose cautiously. With Quick hovering at the ready, Keph held her sword out to her.
"Take that," he said, "and cast the cantrip you used at the Mantle on it."
Her eyes narrowed. At the end of the bridge, her cronies began making nasty sounds.
"Don't try anything or she doesn't get a second chance!" Keph yelled at them. He twitched the sword. "Cast the cantrip!"
Lyraene reached out and took it. She kept her eyes on him as she spoke the spell and wiped her fingers along the blade, leaving pale light behind. Keph raised Quick to her. She lifted her glowing