Ash and Light: The Sword Within Shadows

Prologue

With each thunderous beat, his heart propelled him forward, his body nearly in full flight through the sprawling cityscape. Footsteps echoed from behind, mingled with the shrill cries of the pursuing guards. The city bells tolled; warning of the turmoil unleashed within the castle walls. The sun began its descent, casting long shadows across the city, intensifying the sense of urgency in the air.

Glancing over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of armored guards gaining ground. "Hurry!" he yelled ahead, "Keep running straight."

She turned towards him, her breath came in ragged gasps, her disheveled hair framing her face. "You shouldn't have come for me. You're too important," she cried, her voice laced with fear.

"You're just as important to me," he responded with fierce intensity. He took a moment to steady himself against a weathered stone wall. "No matter what you hear, do not stop."

Slowing his pace, he deliberately displayed signs of exhaustion, allowing the pursuing guards to gain ground, and close in on him. In one swift motion, he spun around and smashed his gauntleted fist into the head of the first approaching guard. Instantly crumpling him to the ground. Without hesitation, he drew the sword from the fallen man's sheath, using its hilt to strike the next guard's gut and swiftly arced it toward the man's temple. Stepping over the downed men in the narrow alleyway, he deftly countered blows from a third guardsman.

Though the guard was merely an overgrown boy, he knew he could offer no mercy. His sword jutted through the boy's shoulder after a handful of strikes. In less than twenty breaths, three men were down. He turned around and resumed running, hoping the delay he caused would provide enough time for them to escape.

Before long, he caught up to his companion. She twisted around, her eyes relieved upon seeing her rescuer. "What do we do now?" she asked between strained breaths.

"Follow me."

As they raced through the winding streets, shouts of dismay rose from the citizens who witnessed their desperate flight. His muscles burned; his legs propelled by adrenaline-fueled determination. He knew their survival depended on reaching the drawbridge before it rose.

He sprinted towards the guards' stable, where he had already prepared two horses. People wildly gestured to the guards upon spotting them. "Damn it to Ash!" he exclaimed, still carrying the guard's sword. He shouted, "Ready the horses," before leaping into the guards like a raging bull. Three guards desperately tried to pass him, barring their route to freedom, but he would not let them succeed.

The guards organized their attacks, striking together with calculated precision, but he had faced worse odds before. He dodged a swing from one guard, deflected a blow from the other with his gauntlet, and swiftly head-butted the third causing them to stumble dizzily.

He hoisted the falling warrior by his coat, his muscles straining as he exerted his strength. Pivoting, he positioned the guard as a shield, effectively blocking a strike from another attacker from behind him. The man in his arms let out a scream of pain as the blow struck its unintended target.

He blocked the last assailant's sword and moved in close, striking his chin with an elbow, before rapidly turning around to stab his sword through the man's ribs. All three fell, as if the strings controlling their movements had been cut simultaneously.

Urgent hoofbeats approached, and he turned to see her atop one horse, having prepared them for the escape. He ran and in one leap mounted the other steed. "Where do we go?" she called out anxiously.

"To the gates. Come on," he bellowed, taking the lead as they spurred their horses into a gallop.

With the massive doors of the castle gate looming ahead, he saw a line of guards attempting to block their path. In the distance, he spotted the drawbridge slowly rising. His heart sank as their chances of escape quickly diminished, but he refused to give up.