Rise of the Blade - Charles Moffat [21]
Pierce looked up expectantly as a withered old man, Ignazio the Third, hobbled in using a cane for support. Martinez stood up straight and helped the elderly man into a seat. Silence as he turned to face Pierce, his wrinkled face turning red with anger. "You wake me up to tell me something I already know happened? What do you want from me?" he rasped.
"I meant no disrespect sir. We only seek to learn more about the history of that statue your family gave us," the Doctor replied stoically. His mind delved past the older man's raw, harsh exterior and saw he was quite senile. Memories of his youth floated eternally on his thoughts, nagging him with all the mistakes he had made. "Could you tell us anything that might be of use?"
"No," the old man snapped, despite his thoughts which Pierce concentrated on. Ignazio the Third was seventy-eight but he had been related the tale by his nanny when he hadn't even been ten. This thought was followed by fond memories of the nanny telling him bedtime stories and nursery rhymes. It was amazing how easily the old man's mind wandered.
Kipriana d'Or had been Ignazio d'Or the Second's favourite daughter. When she was kidnapped by a rival merchant family, Chev completed a daring one man rescue and returned her, yet was for some unexplained reason punished and turned into a statue. It had been the nanny's theory that Chev had demanded a huge pay increase and Ignazio the Second had refused. The old man sitting before Pierce doubted that theory however, not wanting to believe it. Instead, his version said that Chev had tried to kill his grandfather and had been turned into a statue by a mage in self defense.
Nevertheless, Pierce was positive that this would help him somehow. The question was how?
He turned abruptly towards the window in fear, foresight warning him of the onslaught to come. He hurled himself at the old Ignazio, pulling him to the floor using his body as a shield as the window exploded inwards, showering everyone with glass. The old man would have died under such an assault. Instead he was only unconscious and already dreaming of warmer days.
Crouching over the old man's body defensively, Pierce turned to face Chev.
The warrior shook the glass off his armour and held Mitch's longsword out in front of him. The Harpers looked at the warrior in awe for a moment. Chev, now that Pierce could finally see him in daylight, was no small man. He towered about six-foot-four with a body build any warrior would envy. Strength and grace combined into an almost perfect warrior. He had executed the jump through the window perfectly, much like the backflip the night before.
As if he wasn't already incredible, Chev's square jaw, clear complexion and sharp blue eyes made him quite handsome judging by Thirza's immediate hopes that they didn't have to kill him. Pierce stepped forward into the light, using the symbol of his armour shining in the light to remind her who's side she was on.
The warrior's face broke into a grin and he stared directly at Pierce even as he watched out of the corner of his eye, the Harpers circle around him in a ring. "We meet again Doctor Pierce. Do you know why I'm here?"
Chev's mind was open to the headmaster at last. He sought revenge. The annihilation of every member of the d'Or family. Of which there was quite a few.
"The two guards at the gate?" Pierce asked, already knowing the answer.
"Quite dead."
Vicious and without mercy, Chev slashed out with the longsword as quick as lightning, taking Cap'n Tyn's head from his shoulders. Even before it hit the ground he had blocked Iacova's swordthrust and disarmed the swordsman with a quick slash to the man's wrist.
Kanute stepped forward swinging his huge two-handed sword and was blocked easily by that annoying buckler which absorbed the blow. He stepped backwards while Chev pressed forward with a thrust, which turned out to be a feint. The gullible warrior took the bait however and swung downwards, his huge sword getting knocked out of his hands when it struck the