Page 14 of The King has Fallen
Come closer, idiot.
Don’t come in… but come closer.
I cursed my lack of weapons, my hands clenching around air instead of the hilt of a blade.
“Did you enjoy the King?” the first of them rumbled, giving a menacing half-smile. “You satisfied yet?”
“No,” I said bluntly. “Turns out the old adage is true.”
“What adage?” the second one snapped.
I tipped my head. “It’s not the size of the horn, but how the bull uses it—”
They both sneered and crowded in, muttering promises for how they’d use theirhorns,when Melek’s voice cut across their mumbling, sharp with disapproval.
“I said, don’t get close enough to be touched!” he snapped.
They both turned, snapping to attention, and presumably about to step away. But as they saluted, I saw my opportunity.
Both had longspears strapped to their backs, blade down and just inches from the dirt.
Because neither of them had stepped forward when they jumped to attention, I snapped one hand between the bars to grasp the spear of the one just an inch above the blade and shoved it into the back of the other’s leg.
The first, feeling his weapon jerk, leaped forward—but that only drew the spear blade against his brother’s Achilles,snapping it cleanly so that when the first tried to run from the sudden slice of pain, he went down with a shriek.
I wasn’t quick enough drawing my hand back, and the jerk of the spear slammed my wrist against the steel bar hard enough to make me hiss, and narrowly missing having the blade slice my palm, as well. But I rolled backwards, deeper into the cage, gripping my wrist and grinning, because the first soldier was screaming like a child, while his brother panicked, whirling between apologizing to Melek who was storming towards them both with a furious snarl on his face, and trying to reach down to help his brother who was rolling on the ground, gripping his leg—the foot flopping sickeningly—and bleedingeverywhere.
The chaos was short-lived. In moments, Melek had the injured soldier dragged away from the cage so there was no risk of me getting close enough to touch him again, he’d sent the other out of the tent to find a healer, and he was glaring at me over the writhing body of the male on the ground as he issued orders to the soldier who’d brought him the message.
The man wouldn’t stop screaming, his eyes wide and his hands and arms covered in blood as he desperately tried to pull his leg back together, but after a few moments of the noise, Melek cursed and pinned the male to the dirt.
“Itold younot to get close enough to her to be touched. Let this be your warning to listen to your elders and betters. The enemy does not always look threatening, and you have learned that the hard way,” he snarled.
“But—my leg! She’s—”
“And you will serve out your days as an example to your brothers, with the knowledge that a tiny, irritating woman bested you because you did not listen to those in authority.”
Within minutes, the healers arrived, the guards were gone, and the messenger too. I cursed under my breath because I’dmissed what Melek said in reply to the message. But suddenly the tent was empty except for me and the General.
He stood near the tent-flap, staring at me, expressionless.
I swallowed.
“Either all your fine warriors are on the battlefield, or somehow your presence there has changed the face of this war, because your soldiers arefor shit.”
He didn’t respond immediately, but stalked across the tent to stand right at the side of the cage, looming, staring down at me with narrowed eyes, his entire massive body poised for violence, his expressiondaringme to try a similar move on him. Which I wouldn’t. The sheer, animalistic power wafted off of him like a scent. It took every ounce of discipline within me not to back away.
“Do not make the mistake that idiot made,” he muttered as he unlocked the door and my pulse began to race as he swung it wide and beckoned me out. “Come. I have something to show you.”
Wary, every sense heightened, braced for pain, I crept out of the cage.
The moment I crossed the threshold of that door, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me out, turning me and pinioning both my wrists at the hollow of my back again as he leaned down, covering me with that massive, brutish body, and growled in my ear.
“This is your one andonlywarning.”
Skin prickling where his breath rushed against my ear, I didn’t respond as he reached for a small handle on the cage’s side.
With a simple tug, the massive cage jumped like a startled animal.
