Bound By Honour (Book 1)

Chapter 4

Jag quietly rises as the sky becomes fully dark. Leo withdraws the rope as Jag soaks two clean, white cloths with the liquid from a bottle in his bag. He is careful not to breathe in. Ra takes one and creeps over to Raven. With one quick, unrepentant movement, he places it over her mouth and nose. She breathes in naturally and the fumes enters her lungs. He pulls it away; she will not rise for at least eight hours. He eases her into a more comfortable position and brushes the hair from her face. She should at least be comfortable when she wakes without a protector and with a headache.

Sparrow's eyes flutter, her nose twitching. Jag moves faster than his own namesake. Sparrow springs to her feet and her feet carry her backwards just as quick as Jag moves forward. She swings her leg up and round, knocking the cloth from his hand. They both adopt defensive positions. Sparrow's eyes are wide and alert despite the deep sleep she has only just risen from. She has come to trust them. It was only the deadly smell that had rose to her nostrils that warned her of danger. Her eyes swiftly dart to her sister whose breathing is startlingly deep. She scowls at Ra who is still knelt by her side.

"You will pay for betraying us."

Jag springs forward throwing a rally of punches towards her; she dodges all while only moving her feet slightly from side to side. She never goes on the offensive as Jag's attacks never let up. She tries to focus her mind but it is too busy working out what signs she has missed. Jag's fist connects solidly with her jaw with a resounding crack. Sparrow tenderly touches the left side of her face and hisses. Jag takes a step back, regret clear in his clear hazel eyes. She takes his hesitancy as a chance to attack. She aims directly for his middle, hoping to knock the wind out of him. He blocks her every attempt, his eyes obtaining a steely resolve. He is back on the attack and making her retreat away from his swings. He hooks his leg behind hers and tried to force her to the ground. She twists away and yanks out his arm. He takes a deep, strained breath as his arm hangs from its socket. Sparrow cruelly grins. The colour has drained from his face, it is clear he is struggling to stay conscious. She decides to help him. She steps backwards quickly, raises her two hands, joined, above her head, and leaps forward. Her combined fists come down harshly on his skull and he crumples to the ground.

She spins to face Ra. He is still positioned by her sister and the anger refreshes anew. "Get away from her now." She all but growls. He steps towards her with confidence.

"Spar, you don't want to do this. You don't want to fight me. No harm is going to come to you or your sister. You can trust us."

"Trust you. You must think I'm a fool. I'll ask you this before you end up like him, who sent you after us? Surely Wolfe didn't want petty revenge?"

"No, Wolfe has not sent us for petty revenge." Sparrow frowns, does that mean they are his men or not? She does not have much time to dwell on it as Ra has decided that talking was over. He is slower than Jag but his punches and kicks have more power behind them. Sparrow has to refrain from wincing as some of his hits make contact. Ra finds himself doing the same; he cannot quite miss her hits completely with the speed that she comes and goes. His body and face will be sore with bruises in the morning. He takes a step back only to trip over a large rock; he falls to the floor and freezes as he sees the dagger magically appear in her hand. "Your father..."

"Will understand when I tell him what you have done to his daughters."

His eyes widen, his breathing shortens, "Sparrow, you haven't killed before. Think through what you're doing." Her hand drops and she squeezes her eyes shut for a brief second. A second to long...

She struggles as a thick band of muscle wraps around her waist, trapping her arms at her sides. She swings her head back; searing pain follows with a grunt of pain. The cloth is smoothly secured tightly across her mouth and nose. She feels everything draining away and sleep beckoning her. She falls limply into the strong man behind her.