Assassin's Heart (Assassin's Heart, #1)(78)

He feinted, too. Someone’s boot connected with the side of my right knee. Only my off-balance stance saved me from a broken joint. I stumbled away, barely managing to stay on my feet. My ankle ached at the rough treatment, and my ribs practically hobbled me. I couldn’t fight this way. Not if I wanted to live.

Les parried Nik’s blows. Grape Leaves circled behind him, taking advantage of Les’s distraction.

I pulled out a knife. One smooth motion, clean and quick . . . I whipped the blade at Grape Leaves like Les had taught me.

The blade wobbled in the air. The dagger struck Grape Leaves between the shoulder blades, hilt first. Painful, but not damaging.

Nik Da Via shouted. Les had scored him on the arm.

Val looked over his shoulder at Les. He changed places with Nik, who turned to face me. I rushed after Val, but the three others closed the gap. I’d have to go through them if I wanted to place myself between Val and Les. We needed to get out of here.

I pulled out three smoke bombs. The Da Vias weren’t the only ones who knew how to use them.

I hurled them between the legs of my opponents. They exploded, gray smoke flooding the alley.

“Les!” I stepped away from the smoke and the coughing Da Vias. “Les!”

A shadow dashed at me. I raised my sword.

Les erupted from the smoke. He grabbed my hand and yanked me after him. I gasped in pain.

We passed by the man in the cylindrical hat. He shouted to the Da Vias, but Les and I darted around a corner.

I couldn’t keep up. This wouldn’t work. The Da Vias would catch us.

“The canal!” I panted. We turned left and sprinted for the water and his boat where we’d left it. Les grabbed the pole and shoved us away from the street.

I struggled to catch my breath, my arm pressed against my side. Every movement sent pain coursing through my body.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Les said as he pushed the pole. “I wasn’t sure how long the smoke would last.”

I took another deep breath, wincing at the pain. “It’s all right. We had to get away.”

He moved us quietly while my thoughts raced. They’d find the entrance to Marcello’s tunnel. We’d led them right to it. We couldn’t stop them, not without help.

“I scored one of them,” Les said. I nodded. “I coated my blade with poison, like you suggested.”

I closed my eyes, calculating, trying to decide if the poison would work fast enough to grant us any advantage. They would still outnumber us.

Ahead, a bridge arced over the canal. Les pushed us beneath, into a deeper darkness. There was no way out of this, no plan I could think of.

We reached the other side of the bridge, and Les steered us out. A shadow flashed over him. I shouted a wordless warning, but the noose dropped over his head and pulled tight.

Les released the pole into the water and grabbed the rope around his neck, trying to free himself. I scuttled toward him, the boat rocking violently at Les’s struggles.

The rope pulled him out of the boat and up to the bridge, his legs kicking as he hung in the air.

“Les!” I clutched my sword and lunged for the rope. But it was too high, and every second I wasted they pulled him closer to the top of the bridge.

Laughter and shouts echoed from above. The Da Vias, enjoying themselves while Les dangled, choking from the noose. I knew how it felt.

I sheathed my sword and jumped for the bottom edges of the bridge. My hands reached the stone and I clamped tight.

My side ripped with pain. My body fought against me, commanded me to let go. But if I dropped, Les would die. I managed to swing my leg and hook it onto the ledge. I took a breath, agony radiating everywhere, and pulled myself up. I flopped over the side of the bridge gracelessly.

Nik and Grape Leaves dragged Les onto the bridge. He lay sprawled on the ground, struggling with the rope. Grape Leaves drew the rope taut, the other end with the stone bludgeon resting at his feet.

“Looks like you caught a big one this time,” Nik said as they watched Les fight against the rope. “Feisty, too.” He glanced in my direction. “Nice of you to join us. You’re just in time for the fun.”

I struggled to my feet and hunched over as I pulled my sword free. Behind me footsteps pounded on the street. The rest of the Da Vias. I couldn’t spare them any attention. I needed to save Les.

I lunged toward them. Nik laughed as I swung my sword. He jumped aside easily, but I wasn’t aiming for him.

My sword bit into the rope, severing it. Les inhaled sharply and pulled the noose from his neck.

Grape Leaves shouted and jerked the severed rope toward him. He switched ends, grabbing the severed half and swinging the bludgeon in a circle beside him, slowly gathering speed. It whirred and buzzed the faster he spun it, until the rope was a blur of motion.

“You’ve made him angry now,” Nik said to me. “That was his favorite one. He’s had it for years.”

“Too bad for him,” I said, free arm clenched against my side, which burned with fresh pain. I couldn’t straighten my body, could only face them hunched over like an invalid.

Les struggled to his knees beside me, coughing, tugging his hood back in place.

Behind us, I heard dirt shifting under feet. I turned. Two other Da Vias and Val stood armed and ready.

I charged them, a foolishly reckless move my parents would have been disgusted to see. But my parents were dead, and Les would be too unless I could stop this fight.