Prophecy-Bonus-2022
Dear Reader,
Here is your Bonus Chapter from Prophecy. I hope you enjoy the additional chapter. 😊
Best wishes,
P.M. Gilbert
Prophecy: Bonus Chapter 1 – Skirmish
By P.M. Gilbert
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Your second paragraph goes here.
Donella caught a look of consternation on Greeley’s face as he saw Arlene and Nancy escape out the window down the builder’s rubbish chute.
She smiled at him and said, “Oh dearie me, that’s a shame for you. It looks like Arlene has escaped. No doubt you’ll feel the wrath of your Master’s anger now.”
Greeley said nothing in response, but swung his sword and launched into a vicious attack as he tried to defeat Donella.
Despite her looks, Donella was an expert with a sword and shield, and nimbly either parried his strikes or casually sidestepped them. In between defensive blows, she launched her own attacks with her rapier, using swift and economic movements that gradually drove Greeley away from the window.
Donella was intent on giving Arlene and Nancy as much time as possible to escape.
“You know we will never let you capture the youngsters. It is high time for The Fomorians’ hold on society to come to an end. We are going to bring that end about, and those four youngsters are going to help us do so.” Said Donella with conviction.
Greeley continued to circle away from Donella, and despite her prowess with the rapier, so far she hadn’t managed to wound him.
“We’ll see about that. The Master is immensely powerful and our army has grown. He has many plans and we will capture the youngsters and put an end to the Tuatha’s plans to disrupt us.”
Donella deftly sidestepped a particular wild swing from Greeley and with the tip of her blade, scored a deep gash across the top of his left shoulder, slicing through his trench coat.
Greeley grimaced briefly at the pain before shutting down the feeling and not letting it display on his face.
“Lucky blow there Donella, but I must say you fight well for a woman.”
Donella smiled sweetly. “I’ve always fared well against inferior swordsmen. So, your Master has a plan of sorts, does he? That will be a first. For someone with so many resources and such a desire for world domination, it is rather surprising he hasn’t yet wiped us out.”
She stepped back and gestured. “After all, the Fomórie have had hundreds of years trying to eliminate the Tuatha and have not yet succeeded.”
Greeley, his face red with anger, swiftly advanced again, swinging his sword in a tighter fashion, this time causing Donella to back up.
“Oh, he has a plan all right, and it is proceeding well. You’re no doubt be aware of the more frequent occurrence of infiltrators in the White Keep? That should be a sign to you of the progress we are making. We are gradually taking your weak little clan apart. Breaking you from the inside, turning trusted members of the Tuatha clans against you.”
Donella only just blocked his latest attacks and could feel herself tiring with the effort required to hold Greeley at bay.
He carried on talking between combinations of moves.
“The Master doesn’t believe in this so-called Prophecy. But he recognises the unifying effect it could have on the Tuatha’s followers. He will be relentless in hunting down the youngsters and will capture them. That will put paid to that old fool Boru’s plan to inspire his people,” he paused for a moment and confidently rolled his shoulders to ease the tiredness in them from wielding his sword, “but then again when the people of the Tuatha realise the Prophecy is just hogwash, then Boru’s time as leader and his credibility will be finished.”
They were playing cat and mouse with the pillar, trying to use it to defend themselves against each other. Donella was faster and was more nimble than Greeley, and during further attacks, she managed to nick his left knee and his right cheek with the tip of her blade. These strokes only served further to anger him, resulting in him intensifying his attack.
Donella did her best to main casual appearance during the intense skirmishes, but she was feeling the pressure of his attack. “Don’t be so sure that the Prophecy isn’t real. All four of the youngsters have gifts beyond the norm. Think about what you’ve seen here tonight,” she said lightly as she fought, she was desperately trying to figure out how to escape.
Greeley concentrated, ignoring Donella’s taunt about the falseness of the Prophecy as he continued to defend against her attack. He worked steadily to create his own openings. One successful lunge brought a smile to his face as he sliced through her tartan at shoulder level.
“You missed. But it is a shame you’ve just ruined my favourite shawl.” Once again, Donella pressed forwards with her own combination of strokes facing Greeley to counter parry as she drove him backwards.
“Nothing strange happened here. The girl picked up a scaffolding pole and got lucky with a couple of swings.”
With a raised eyebrows Donella said, “Oh you think they were lucky swings do you?” She nodded towards Greeley’s fallen companion at the far side of the room.
“So a blow from a scaffolding pole swung by a 13-year-old girl that threw a fully grown man clean across the room and slammed him into a wall is an ordinary occurrence?”
Greeley sneered as he laughed. “It wasn’t like that. You’re exaggerating.”
Donella was tiring after parrying yet another strong lunge from him. “You didn’t notice the blue tinge to the air then did you? You do realise that was Eon, don’t you?”
Momentarily Greeley looked puzzled, but also worried. “That wasn’t Eon. That was just dust in the air from the building works here.”
His companion at the base of the wall on the far side of the room stirred. He groaned and struggled into a sitting position, his hands caressing his ribs. His eyes widened when he took in the scene of Donella and Greeley going at it, hammer and tongs with their swords. He struggled to his feet and advanced with his own sword, flanking Donella.
No sword fight could carry on for an extended period at pace without consequences. Donella was tiring, she knew she needed to leave. Despite Greeley’s companion’s condition, she was aware she wouldn’t be able to defend yourself against the two of them at once.
It dismayed her that Greeley seemed to have plenty of stamina to continue fighting. She reluctantly recognised his competency with a blade. So far she’d only inflicted some superfluous wounds on him.
As she backed away from them, she remembered the pile of building materials and supplies in the far corner of the room. She steadily worked away towards looking for something that might help aid her escape.
Upon reaching the pile, she immediately spied something that she could use to help her even things up somewhat. The decorators had left materials ready to start their work the following week. Donella worked her way towards a large plastic bottle of white spirit. Not having time to pick it up and unscrew the top, she swung her blade and neatly sliced the top of the bottle off without knocking it over.
In a smooth fast movement, she picked up the bottle and flung its contents in an arc at the two men, hoping to douse both of them. The liquid flew across the gap between them, broadly splattering both men. It left a trail along the floor in front of her.
Greeley smiled evilly and said, “You should’ve aimed for our faces. That would have stung and you missed!”
“Oh, I missed, did I?” Asked Donella as she reached inside her tartan jacket and pulled forth an old-fashioned cigarette lighter. She held it up, ready to flick the lid to spark the lighter’s flame.
Greeley’s companion’s eyes widened as he realised what she was about to do.
Donella tossed the lighter across the room the short distance to where the white spirits had splashed across the floor. The trail of liquid caught light.
The flames whooshed across the ground and raced onto the two men’s clothing. Greeley’s companion had taken the brunt of the liquid arc, and several areas of his clothing caught fire.
Greeley himself got away lightly when Donella threw the white spirit as he was further away, but nonetheless he still had a streak of flame spreading across his legs and up the right side of his tunic. He was trying to extinguish it while maintaining a fighting stage to engage Donella with his sword.
Meanwhile, his companion was rolling on the floor in a vain effort to extinguish the flames spreading across his clothing, but his damaged ribs hampered him.
Satisfied with her handiwork, Donella turned and without a backward glance, raced the short distance across the room and leapt down the rubbish chute hanging from the window frame. As for Arlene and Nancy, the mattress in the skip at the bottom broke her fall, and she clambered out of the skip feeling slightly battered.
Donella glanced backwards up the building and could see the flickering of flames reflected in the glass, accompanied by some desperate shouting. She knew she bought herself enough time to get away. She crossed the road and proceeded to lose herself in the side streets and alleyways as she made good her escape.
PROPHECY - Bonus Chapter 1
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This ebook published in 2022 by VIDA MODA LTD
First published in Great Britain in 2022 by VIDA MODA LTD
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Gilbert, P.M. PROPHECY (Tuatha Legends Series - Book 1)
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