Ashar'an Rising (Nexus Wars Saga) Read Online Free

his shock as something thudded into the bed head beside his face and he turned to see a thin dagger quivering with its tip dug into the hard wood. He turned as the younger man moved again, stepping closer and cocking his arm.
    Rolling from the bed Valdieron had his sword in hand before a second dagger tore into the bed where he had just lain. He came to his feet and leapt towards the man who had drawn a sword of his own, long and slender with a dark blade. Valdieron noted as he rushed forward that the young man's face was twisted into a mocking smile, as if he had been waiting for the fight and expected to win.
    It became obvious his expectation was well founded as he easily defeated Valdieron's attacks and answered with a flurry of his own, fast and with the practiced ease of a veteran warrior. That he was an ordinary thief was out of the question, and Val would have pondered it further had he not needed all of his concentration to survive.
    The bedroom was not the most convenient location for a battle, as it hindered Val's movements. He was faster than the young man, something that would have aided him in an open area, but here he could not roll or jump away, and was forced to make desperate parries he would not normally have had to make.
    This seemed to surprise the young man, whose dark eyes widened as Valdieron rolled across the bed away from him; a lock of dark hair falling behind him an indication of how close the blade had come. He nodded commendably as he skirted the bed, but his smile remained as if the game had merely become more interesting for him.
    Anger began to overtake the surprise and shock Valdieron had initially felt, but above it all rose a feeling of hurt at having been deceived by Kaylara. Not that he was expecting what they had started to continue, but that she had used her body as bait to trap him made him almost ashamed he had fallen for it.
    With a growl he hefted his sword and narrowed his gaze on the young warrior stepping around the large bed to confront him. He marveled at not blushing at being naked, but knew such a reaction was ridiculous, considering he was in the middle of a fight for his life. He steeled his resolve and determined he would not let this stranger kill him.
    He parried two quick thrusts with arcing parries high then low, continuing with the low spin to arc his foot at the thief, who swayed back from it and came in again, his smile flashing momentarily to a surprised frown. The next attack started a flurry of diagonal slashes left and right at Valdieron's shoulders, and he was forced to block as he stepped slightly back under the force.
    Forced to make a move or be pressed back to the wall, Val feigned a straight kick as the thief leveled another slash. He was expecting it as he swept his sword down in a strike which would have severed Valdieron's leg had he continued with the kick, but Val reversed the direction, sweeping it up in a crescent at the man's face.
    Fear crossed the man’s features, as Valdieron had hoped for. Unlike his companion he was obviously vain, wearing clothes not ideal for thievery or tavern life. The vanity he felt for his features made him baulk away and throw his arms up to intercept the kick.
    Valdieron's foot knocked against them, but not hard, as the kick had been to set him up. He recovered quickly, and thrust his sword at the thief’s unprotected stomach, realization striking the man an instant before Valdieron's blade pierced him beneath the ribs.
    Valdieron pulled the blow sufficiently that he did not kill him, but his sword penetrated some distance, flicking his lower rib before he jerked it free and punched the man in the face with the hilt as he buckled forward, sending him reeling with a despairing cry that seemed more from anguish than pain. He landed on his back, his hands going first to his blood  splattered face then to the pulsing wound at his sternum.
    Without waiting, Valdieron crossed to his clothing and jerked them on, casting a