Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

for an excuse to order our execution?'
    'I order you to hand over the Sword of Compulsion, Blays.'
    'I don't have it.'
    'You stole it from my Armoury, traitor!'
    'Liar!'
    Blays threw himself at King John, the point of his blade seeking the King's throat. Harald parried the blow, and two guardsmen ran Blays through. The Landsgrave fell heavily to the floor, and lay still. Blood welled out from under his body in a widening pool. Sir Bedivere roared and charged forward. Blood flew on the air as his heavy sword sheared through one guardsman's chain-mail, and then buried itself in another's chest. Harald cursed under his breath and stepped forward, putting himself between Bedivere and the King. Bedivere jerked his blade free from the dying guard, and cut savagely at the waiting Prince.
    Harald ducked under the swinging sword, and lunged forward. His sword punched clean through Bedivere's chain-mail and slammed between the giant Landsgrave's ribs. Bedivere growled once, and then knocked the Prince flying with one blow of his arm. Harald fell backwards, still hanging on to his sword, and Bedivere cursed once as he jerked the sword out of his side. Blood streamed from the jagged wound as Bedivere cut down guard after guard, doggedly fighting his way forward to where King John stood grimly waiting, sword in hand.
    The King stared at the blood-spattered Landsgrave with horrified fascination. The sword in his hand was a comforting weight, but he knew it wasn't going to be enough to stop Bedivere. His Guard Commander had already suggested he should withdraw rather than risk himself, but he couldn't do that. It wasn't enough for a King to be brave, he had to be seen to be brave. Besides, if he didn't face Bedivere now, he'd always wonder if he could have beaten the man. And then the guards nearest him fell suddenly away in a flurry of blood as Bedivere burst through their ranks. For a moment the two men stared at each other, no more than a few yards between them. Bedivere's chain-mail hung in bloody tatters, but his sword was still steady in his hand and his eyes were filled with a constant crimson glare. King John could see more of his guards moving forward to attack the Landsgrave, but he knew they'd never reach Bedivere in time. The man was going to kill him. Bedivere drew back his sword, and King John braced himself for the blow he'd never feel. And then Harald stepped in and hamstrung Sir Bedivere from behind. The giant Landsgrave screamed with rage as he fell heavily to the floor, his severed leg muscles no longer capable of supporting him. The impact of his fall knocked the sword from his hand, and King John watched grimly as a dozen guardsmen ran Bedivere through again and again while he lay helpless on
    the floor. Sir Bedivere died frothing at the mouth and trying to bite the hands that wielded swords against him.
    'Sorry, father,' said Harald. 'But he would have killed you.'
    King John nodded curtly, and turned to Sir Guillam. The sole surviving Landsgrave stared desperately about him, his sword trembling in his hand. John wondered briefly why the man hadn't made a run for it, and then realised that both Blays and Bedivere had fought and been killed in less than a minute. He glared tiredly at Guillam, and then turned away. There'd been enough killing for one day. He nodded to the two nearest guards, and they snapped to attention.
    'Take Sir Guillam away,' he said gruffly, and the two guardsmen moved confidently forward.
    Guillam stabbed the first guard through the heart, and cut the throat of the second while his first victim was still crumpling to the floor. For a moment nobody moved. The Landsgrave had moved so quickly his attack had been little more than a blur. And then somebody screamed, and everything happened at once.
    More guards moved forward, and Sir Guillam met them with his blade. He moved among the guards with murderous ease, deflecting every blow aimed against him with movements almost too fast to be seen.
    Guardsmen died without ever knowing what killed them.
    'Dear God,' said King John faintly. 'The man's a Bladesmaster. I wondered why the Barons made him a Landsgrave . . . What better assassin could there be than a man who's unbeatable with a sword in his hand? I should have guessed . . . but they're so rare these days. So very rare ...'
    'You'd better get out of here,' said Harald quietly. Those guards aren't going to hold Guillam long, he's more of a danger than Bedivere ever was.'
    'I think you may