The Prince, the Thief & the Artifact

Chapter 14: Underwater

Summer pulled back her weapon, dripping blood on the muddied ground. Numb. She realized the fighting had stopped, bodies littered the ground. The rain had slowed down to a trickle, and the rush of the river drowned out the loud beating of her heart.

"Did he call you 'my lady?'" Al asked.

He and Leon were looking at her like she sprouted another head. So they didn't understand what the man was saying. Good. That made three of them. Summer just blinked.

"He recognized you." Al stepped forward, blood raining down one side of his face from a deep gash in his forehead.

Summer shook her head, the motion triggered a wave of dizziness. "I have no idea what he was talking about."

"Leon!" Ida's call made them all look back to the house. Ida stood outside the door, leaning heavily on her sword, her side a mess of torn clothes and blood.

Near the cliff a man stood, clutching Reed to him, a bow strapped to his back. Three more men with him. The archers. Damn it.

"Give us the artifact and the child walks away," the man said, backing away toward the cliff. His arm was around Reed's neck, cutting the child's air flow. The kid scratched at the man's arm but his nails did no damage against the armguard.

Leon and Al faced the men.

"Why do you want the artifact? It's just an old piece of metal," Al called out.

One of the men guffawed. "We don't give a damn, we're being paid good money to get it back."

"Summer, can you move behind them?" Leon murmured. Summer stood absolutely still. It was still raining, and the clouds were still heavy and dark. A good cover.

"Not behind them, they're too close to the cliff. But I can get close enough to grab the kid and run if the man lets him go. Just keep their attention on you," Summer said.

"Alright," Leon called out loud, he dropped one of his swords on the ground, reached inside his tunic and pulled out the artifact. It was bundled up in a gray cloth. "This is what you want."

The men's eyes focused on the artifact held up high over Leon's head. Summer crouched down until she was flat on the ground, then she crawled away.

The men spoke among themselves. They were standing close to the cliff. Behind and to the left of the house. Leon and Al stood across from them. Summer observed as she crawled away from Leon and Al. She had to go around the house, where there were rocks and some tall bushes that would provide cover while she sneaks in behind them.

"Take it out, we want to see if it's the right thing," the man holding Reed said.

"Alright," Leon's voice bellowed.

Summer was finally out of the men's sight. Her bones felt so heavy. Was it the loss of blood from the arrow wound? A quick look at her arm showed no hint of excessive bleeding. What was the matter with her?

She picked herself up and sprinted behind the cover of tall plants. She was on the edge of the cliff now, she could see the men clearly in profile. The rain had gained in intensity again, and parts of the cliff's edge were chipping away, rocks falling down into the river. Dangerous territory. She had to be careful there. Her vision blurred. Summer shook her head.

"Now let the kid go," Leon called.

"Throw your weapons away," the man holding Reed said, "Good, now throw us the artifact."

"Let the kid go first," Leon called.

"You're not calling the shots here, big man!" the man said, agitated. "Throw the damn thing and we'll give you your boy."