Shadow and Bone

Longface loomed over Mal, the knife in his hand. “Could be
the captain’ll pay whether he’s alive or dead.”
He lunged. I twisted the mirror, and bright light shot into
Longface’s eyes. He hesitated, throwing his hand up to block
the glare. Mal seized his chance. He leapt to his feet and
grabbed hold of Longface, throwing him hard against the wall.
Lev loosened his grip on me to raise Mal’s rifle, but I
whirled on him, bringing the mirror up, blinding him.
“What the—” he grunted, squinting. Before he could
recover, I slammed a knee into his groin. As he bent double, I
put my hands on the back of his head and brought my knee up
hard. There was a disgusting crunch, and I stepped backward
as he fell to the ground clutching his nose, blood spurting
between his fingers.
“I did it!” I exclaimed. Oh, if only Botkin could see me
now.
“Come on!” Mal said, distracting me from my jubilation. I
turned and saw Longface lying unconscious in the dirt.
Mal snatched up his pack and ran toward the opposite end
of the alley, away from the noise of the parade. Lev was
moaning, but he still had a grip on the rifle. I gave him a good
hard kick in the gut and sprinted after Mal.
We darted past empty shops and houses and back across the
muddy main road, then plunged into the woods and the safety
of the trees. Mal set a furious pace, leading us through a little
creek and then over a ridge, on and on for what felt like miles.
Personally, I didn’t think the thieves were in any condition to
come chasing after us, but I was also too out of breath to argue
the point. Finally, Mal slowed and stopped, bending double,
hands on knees, his breath coming in gasps.
I collapsed to the ground, my heart thudding against my
ribs, and flopped onto my back. I lay there with the blood
rushing in my ears, drinking in the afternoon light that slanted
through the tops of the trees and trying to catch my breath.
When I felt like I could talk, I pushed myself up on my elbows
and said, “Are you okay?”