Chapter 10
Analeigh awoke in front of a fire in what she could only assume was inside the mouth of a cave. Rostov, the captain of the Storm Brewers, was sitting across the fire from her, watching her carefully. She had failed her mission; she had not killed Caspian before midnight. Thinking of Caspian, Analeigh glanced around the dimly-lit cave trying to find him. The king was laying a few feet from her, bound in rope. After making sure he was still breathing from seeing his chest rise and fall, she returned her gaze to Rostov, who was now smirking at her.
"I see that we gave you a task that was too difficult for you."
Analeigh was silent, for she had no excuse, no explanation to offer the captain.
"I wonder which would be more painful… you watching him die or him watching you die."
A tightness began to swell in Analeigh's chest, making her breathing laborious. What could she do? Rostov was a much better swordsman than herself, and there were two guards stationed at the mouth of the cave. How could she get herself and Caspian out of this alive? Thoughts and ideas raced through her head, but none of them would work, not without one of them being killed.
"Wake the boy." Rostov ordered. The two guards near the mouth of the came walked towards them and started kicking Caspian, who awoke almost instantly.
"Sit him up." Roughly, one of the pirates grabbed Caspian by the neck, pulling him into a sitting position. The king's eyes frantically searched the room, digesting the situation and trying to formulate an escape plan to no avail.
Rostov threw a sword at Analeigh, who caught it effortlessly. "Eliminate the biggest threat first. I taught you that, remember?" Analeigh only nodded in reply, standing, sword in hand, trying to slow her breathing in order to concentrate on the battle. The two pirates circled around the fire, waiting for the other's move. Both were offensive fighters; however, this was not some meaningless practice. This was real, a fight to the death.
Tired of waiting, the pirate captain made the first move, lunging forward at an attempt to stab Analeigh's left side. She dodged, moving to the right, swinging her own sword across her body, trying to slash the captain's stomach; however, he was too quick for her, for he jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. The two circled the fire again, measuring their options, while Caspian sat on the floor of the cave, hands and feet tied by ropes, forced to be an observer of the fight.
Analeigh made the first move this time, turning in a circle to gain distance then making a diagonal cut at the captain's chest. Once again, he out maneuvered her, jumping too far for her sword to reach then lunging forward, cutting the top of her left arm.
"Analeigh!" Caspian shouted.
Thankfully, she was not bleeding too badly, and the sting was only mild. Not wanting to lose the advantage, Analeigh sprang forward with a barrage of attacks, trying to injure Rostov, who was continually blocking her strikes. "Come now, I taught you better than that." The pirate teased, trying to invoke an emotional response. However, Analeigh ignored him, completely focused on her barrage, waiting for an opening to strike him.
Her patience paid off. Analeigh was able to land a blow on the captain's right thigh. A small cut, but a blow, nonetheless. Rostov laughed, "Is that all you've got?" The two continued dueling for another ten minutes without either landing a blow on the other. Rostov had much more endurance than Analeigh, who was starting to tire, panting lightly. Knowing her weakness, the captain of the Storm Brewers lunged forward a final time, colliding his sword with Analeigh, causing Analeigh's sword to fly from her hand further into the cave. Pressing the sword against her throat, he whispered, "It's over."