Previous"Are you praying for him my dear one?"
"Oh yes mother, the priestess told me if I pray 100 times for each bead he shall return to me, safe and whole." The younger lifts up her rosary. The older kneels and kisses her hands.
"...mine, before you, half my soul in another" She hums below breath. There is a thunderclap.
"Come child, I feel rain in my bones. Come inside." She looks up, but the sky is clear. She looks back at her gesturing mother-in-law, and follows obediently.
"Yes mother."
"Good girl. Mustn't get sick, you have to two to worry for now." She chuckles and pats the younger's swelled stomach.
As you watch the blade rush toward Eve you raise an arm to help her, but George grabs it. You turn to him and he looks very grave, he comes close to your ear.
"Have you so little faith?" You regard him with confusion. Your eyes return to the blade, it cuts air, then flesh, then there is a tremendous noise of straining bronze. You look down just in time to see Eve's sword catch the blow it before it is fatal. The force of the strike causes her to let loose the reins and fall backward from her horse. She lands on her back and quickly back-flips up, wincing again from pain. Musamsu followed through with the blow and his horse is now several feet away. He turns his horse, sees Eve on the ground, begins to charge.
"Wait wait wait. What just happened?" Ishtar has gotten up from her reclined position. "I want to see that again." She presses her fingers together and the battlefield begins to rewind. You see Musamsu's horse riding backward into position, Eve floating back on to her horse, the blade going back, Eve's blade goes back in her sheath. Then the moment, just before the strike, appears and freezes. Ishtar releases her fingers. The movements are now in slow motion. You see Musamsu's sword swing hard at Eve's bare neck. Then, even with the slow motion, Eve's movements are quick. She lifts her sword and brings it just high enough to stop the blade from completing its purpose. You a see a thin trickle of blood on her neck where the edge met it, but nothing more.
"Hmm...you weren't cheating were you?" She looks at you
"No sister, I was watching him" She goes back to reclining and fast forwards the battle to the last moment
"I knew I liked her...a shame really"
Then the battle resumes.
Eve braces herself against the charge of the sword, hoping to use her reflexes to dodge away and her sword to injure the horse.
Musamsu thunder's forward. Dust rises about his horses feet. Instantly he is before Eve, he swings down, hard, at Eve's face. Eve ducks and rolls to the side. Some of her short hair, severed by the sword, float away by wind.
Again, Musamsu turns.
All before you has become silent, you hear only the breath and beats of these two warriors.
His horse paws the ground, he readies himself for another charge. Eve catches her breath, her blood is rushing to heart and head, adrenaline flows, but will not last forever.
Again, Musamsu charges screaming his warcry, "For Ishtar!" Ishtar smiles and claps her dainty hands. Eve readies herself again, she sees everything in slow motion, the adrenaline and her rabbit reflexes mix into a deadly combination. Musamsu leans out from his horse, and swings at Eve. Eve does not move her feet, she waits...then at the last instant she dives!
The sword slices through air and sings in high pitch. Eve interrupts her dive by slamming her left fist down into the ground and throwing her legs forward. She pivots her whole body around the arm, leaping off her left foot for added momentum and, stretching her right arm out as far as it will go, turns and swings her sword at the horse's right rear leg, from behind. Her sword strikes true and the bronze does not yield to bone. She watches as the horse buckles under its weight and Musamsu is thrown forward from his horse.
She pants, her lungs are blazing and she can taste bile, sweat and blood. You feel relieved, but Ishtar is smiling. Then you see Musamsu rise from his horse. He grabs a spear sticking out from a dead solider. He charges on foot. Eve is still kneeling on the ground, she jumps up in surprise. You are watching the battle behind Eve, just over her shoulder. Musamsu throws the spear!
It chirps through the air, straight at Eve's chest! You watch horrified, as Eve staggers back. You can see the butt of the spear - still and floating in the air. Ishtar sits up, your stomach sinks...
tbc (Sorry guys, I have a discrete math exam to study for! I'll be posting throughout the day)
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