Our Destiny: Bearers of the Dagger

Impossible, Part 8

'Don't stop running!'

Chris called to Sophie as she sprinted up the road.

They were heading back to the forest, probably the last place Sophie wanted to go back to, but right now it was safer than this village. There might be crazy fish, hungry crabs or who knows what else, but at least there weren't any arrows raining down on them.

She should have guessed something like this would have happened. They'd gotten themselves in to trouble ever since they left the beach.

The beach.

They were safe there. They had shelters, they had water and maybe the crabs weren't great food but they wouldn't be starving. Plus, they stood a better chance of flagging down a boat coming past or make a signal for a plane. For all they knew, they could have been rescued by now. Instead, they were dashing across this damn island, fighting for their lives every day.

'Oh shit...' her companion muttered.

Sophie glanced back, alarmed by Chris's reaction. The boy was skidding to a halt, eyes fixed on the destination ahead. What the hell was he looking at?

She looked back to the treeline.

Her face fell and she skidded to a halt as well.

A dozen black riders were circling the village fields, cutting off their escape route to the forest. Were those hounds those men were riding? They were dressed like barbarians, in fur skins, wielding iron blades.

And now they were charging towards them.

Some of them were launching arrows at the pair. Sophie ducked instinctively, darting sideways to avoid the shots. Chris copied her, surprising her with how nimble he was. Well, he did look like an athlete.

'Watch out!' Chris said. 'They're coming this way!'

The mounted archers were hurtling towards them and the pair were trapped on the road with fenced paddocks on either side.

'Over the fence!' Sophie told him.

The blonde teenager hopped the barrier, leaping with such pace she astonished even herself. Chris just managed to vault the fence in time, missing a strike by one of the archer's swords.

Most of the riders kept charging towards the village but three dismounted their hounds, leaving their beasts to roam without them. These archers clambered the fence after the teenagers, fitting arrows to their bows. They took aim, sending forth shot after shot at their rear.

'Get down!' Sophie squealed.

She tackled Chris, knocking him away from the whistling darts. They rolled through the long grass of grain, coming to a stop with Sophie lying on top of him.

An awkward moment ended briskly.

'Come on!' Sophie blushed.

She leapt to her feet without delay and raced over to the opposite fence. She expected Chris to be at her side but for some reason he wasn't.

'Go!' his voice trailed behind her. 'Don't stop!'

'What?'

She spun around on the spot. Sophie saw Chris had stopped to face one of the archers, armed with his bamboo spear. Was he mad?

Saying that, Chris actually struck the archer with the blunt end of the bamboo, dazing him for a moment. A second archer then attacked, pulling a greatsword from his back. The warrior whirled the weapon like a windmill and each missed strike thumped the ground with such force, mud and grain burst into the air.

The third archer dashed past Chris and the others, instead charging toward Sophie. He fired another arrow and she leapt backwards to avoid the dart.

The man drew an axe from his belt and swung into the girl as she recovered. Again, her reflexes amazed her as Sophie leapt away, ducking and avoiding the brutal attacks.

The archer chased her right to the opposite fence where bushels of grain were stacked in heaps beside some farming equipment. She should have checked where she was rolling to. The bushels were blocking the fence and she was trapped. Any escape route would lead her right into the Tengura's path and she didn't have any bamboo to protect herself.

Sophie retreated against the bushels, feeling them pressed against her back. The farming tools dug into her spine as well.

What could she do?