The latter smiled, swished his sword through the air in
melodramatic gesture. "Not so quickly, my lady. We haven't yet
been properly introduced. Boy, where are your manners?"
Theresa shrank back, took a deep breath, turned toward the
forest.
"You run, the boy dies!" Dionysius' voice was gruff, angry.
Slowly she turned back, eyes wide with fear as she glanced at
Demo.
"Theresa, run! Now!"
She obeyed!
"Boy, you call for your own death!" Dionysius growled angrily.
Dashing into the forest, she ran with all possible speed toward
the village. In the fields at the village's edge she saw her
father with other farmers.
"Demo! He's in danger. A swordsman has him prisoner."
They gathered their tools, and her father his longbow. "Show
us!" her father commanded, grim-faced.
They arrived in time to see Demo toss the buck's haunch at
Dionysius. He fell back to ward it off, even as his sword was
impaled by the meat.
Demo lunged forward, wrestled with Dionysius before the latter
could free his sword. His own knife fell to ground.
Suddenly Dionysius released the sword, dove to the ground and
seized the fallen knife.
He smiled as he stepped toward Demo.
Only then did he note the ring of farmers at the forest's edge.
And most of all he noted the longbow, drawn, in the hands of
Theresa's father.
Dionysius, stopped, bowed. "Here, boy, you'll need this to
finish cutting the meat."
He extended the knife, hilt first.
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