Ava's Fight Scene

This is from the middle of Irontongue and Ashwin. Sorry if parts of it don't make sense because you don't know the back story. The boy who dives into the bushes is Ashwin, the main character. This part is written from Madam Sudarshini's (a really rich snobby person) point of view. Cordell is her carriage driver. ☺

An arm flashed out from behind its tree, and pointed. The signal. Seven men emerged, and ran, yelling, towards the carriage. By the time Sudarshini and Cordell turned, it was too late. The boy dove into the bushes.

A single thought flashed through Madame Sudarshini’s mind before she was thrown to the ground.

Odol.

There was a horrible crashing noise, and smoke filled the air. Madame Sudarshini struggled for breath, lying curled in the dust.

Out of the corners of her eyes she could see the chaos. Cordell was defeated in an instant. Hardly fair, she thought dazedly. Seven men to one…

As she watched them run past her towards the carriage, she realized something.

They think I’m dead.

And this gave her an idea.

She lay perfectly still, her eyes shut, until the pounding of boots slowed. They seemed to begathered around her. Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe,she reminded herself. And…don’t panic. Madame Sudarshini nearly had a heart attack when she heard Odol’s voice next to her.

“What do you reckon we should do with her?”

“Hide her. Drag her into the woods so nobody finds her.”

Somebody else spoke up. “No. Leave her here, as a warning. She’s plenty recognizable even without the carriage and horses.”

Yes! she thought, keeping as still as possible. Luckily, she was lying on her stomach so her face wasn’t visible.

“Fine then. Get rid of the carriage…we’ll take the horses. I’ve already collected the money. Come on, let’s move!”

The carriage. They’re going to roll the carriage off into the woods. She breathed in sharply. Mr. Sulaiman!!!

Her fears were confirmed when she heard a yell.

“MASTER DAKU!”

Odol reached the carriage in a second. “What is it, man?!” he demanded, drawing his knife. The gun was strapped to his back, but blades were quicker and only slightly messier.

Elbowing the man out of his way, he, he slammed the hilt of the knife into the window. The thin glass shattered in seconds and he bent to peer inside.

His face set grimly as he realized what was there.

Cowering beside the black leather seat is a middle-aged man with graying hair, his glasses rimmed with gold metal and an already growing bruise on his forehead. “P-please--”

Odol bashed in the door with his shoulder, clutching his long knife in his right hand.

“No—I beg y--”

“Coward,” he spat, leaning forward. The pathetic man’s glasses had fallen and cracked, he held up a hand to shield his face.

It was too late.

Odol gave a sharp thrust of his knife.

Madame Sudarshini winced, biting her lip. Too risky to cover her ears. She lay completely still as, inside the carriage, Mr. Sulaiman struggled to breathe his last.

One of Odol’s men raced around to the other side of the carriage and wrenched the door open, letting the dying man fall to the dust. He glanced down at the Scholar-man’s chest. Blood was spreading rapidly, he was breathing in gasps. The highwayman’s face stayed indifferent and he turned to the carriage, kicking the body out of the way.

It took all of Sunaya’s self-control to stay there as someone lay dying fifteen feet away. She pressed her face to the dirt and clenched her teeth, listening to the men push the carriage off the road.It was a trap. A clever trap. The woman felt tears welling in her eyes. That dirty boy was a distraction so they could ambush us. And the result is there are two men dead, my carriage is gone, and my money is stolen. She managed to lift her head very, very slightly, and watched the highwaymen run into the trees on the opposite side of the road, far off in the distance behind her. Odol had two sacks strapped to his back, as well as his weapon. The boy was not with them.

Stay down, stay down, she told herself. Just a little bit longer—they could still see you if you stood up now…

The bandits disappeared into the forest.