The Borgherini Enigma - Theartofpainting.be

The Borgherini Enigma Page: 28 / 179Pierfrancesco trembled on his feet. He kept his arms protecting on Margherita and held herbehind him. Yet, he was determined to fight. He had no idea of what he should have known.He could not argue and plead in front of Margherita. He would probably be beaten savagely,but he would fight. He was cornered, so the only thing that could save him for a moment wasto be vicious.Pierfrancesco could endure much, but had these sudden flares of violence which had surprisedopponents before, youths mocking him because he did not answer to their insults.Pierfrancesco did not reply to the bandit. He acted rapidly. He feigned a quick stepbackwards, pushing Margherita further away. His left foot came up. He suddenly kicked thebandit in the groin.The bandit stood too close to Pierfrancesco to see the leg coming. The Neapolitan hadexpected anything but that reaction. In a moment, the man plied in two from the pain in hisparts. The next moment however, his face drew to a savage grim of revenge and he got caughtof Pierfrancesco with his left hand. Pierfrancesco had only eyes for the knife, which cameupwards with surprising speed to slice at his belly. Pierfrancesco doubled and with his leftarm he averted the movement of the knife. The knife slit open his lower arm and part of hishand. The pain made Pierfrancesco turn left. Blood oozed on the cobblestones. ButPierfrancesco knocked his right fist in the face of the Neapolitan. The blow was probably notmore than a fly’s kiss to a hardened bandit, an affectionate slap, but Pierfrancesco hit theman’s sore nose, and that hurt. Sheer hatred appeared on the man’s face. His mouth closed ina firm slit. The knife withdrew a little, and then came forward again with force in a straightstab at Pierfrancesco. Margherita screamed. Pierfrancesco saw the knife approach in a thrusthe could not avoid.Another hand caught the thief’s arm in a firm grip. The knife stopped and stayed a thumb’sdistance from Pierfrancesco’s belly. Yet another fist punched hard in the Neapolitan’s face.Men shouted. Margherita continued to scream. The servant woman screamed too, now.A fight was going on behind Pierfrancesco’s back. For a moment, he had forgotten about hisfriends, and so had the hoodlums, but the two Francescoes and their companions had turnedthe curve and they were instantly on the Neapolitans. Fists slammed, feet kicked, a sword cuta leg, a knife clattered on the ground, arms were twisted, a head banged against a wall, andthen Pierfrancesco too hit his fists in the thugs that had attacked him and Margherita.Then, remembering his vow to protect the girl, he drew Margherita aside, away from thebattling men, with her back to the wall, and he stood before her.The Neapolitans let go of them and fought the four men that had erupted in the alley. Soon,one of the Neapolitans lay on the ground in a pool of blood, while the other two fought theFrancescoes. The last Neapolitan had doubled on his knees, holding the hand in which theservant woman had bitten ferociously in his other hand.The two friends of the Francescoes kicked and hit this man. The Neapolitan chief was anexperienced fighter, for he had dealt vicious blows to Pierfrancesco’s friends, but when alsothe two other friends of Bachiacca and Granacci were on him, he relented.The younger of Bachiacca’s companions pinned the last Neapolitan to the wall of a house,threatening to pierce the man with his sword.Finally, the two Neapolitans that were still on their feet stopped the fight, stepped back, thensurged forward to free the other bandit, helped the wounded man to his feet, stooped to picktheir knives from the ground, and went back a few steps again. The chief of the bandits sawmore people entering the ally, people attracted by the noise of the fight. He drew his men intothe side street, and the four men ran off. The fight was over as quickly as it had started.Copyright © René Dewil Version 2 Number of words: 108230 July 2009