Chapter 11: The Triplets’ Trap
The left triplet comes in low, sword angles toward Leon’s ribs. The right triplet mirrors him perfectly, his blade seeking Leon’s throat. Behind them, the third brother holds position, sword poised to exploit any openings.
Leon twists to the left. The blade aimed at his throat whistles past his ear, the wind from the strike brushing against him. The low blade catches his thigh instead of his ribs, steel parting cloth and skin. Blood wells immediately.
He fires at the left attacker, the manna around burning the air where the triplet had been. In the same heartbeat, all three shifts position, rotating their triangle formation clockwise around him.
The right triplet’s blade sweeps horizontally. Leon ducks just in time, steel carving empty space above his head. As he straightens, the third brother lunges from behind. Leon spins, bringing his gun up. The triplet’s sword scrapes along the barrel, sparks flying.
They reset formation instantly: one to the left, another to the right, and the third one to the center, All with perfect spacing. Leon turns in place, desperately trying to track all three. His wounded thigh throbs with each step.
The left triplet feints high, then cut low at Leon’s knees. Leon jumps backward, but his heel catches the arena’s edge, stone scraping his back.
The right triplet presses forward, his blade slicing across Leon’s forearm. Shallow but precise. Blood trickles down to his knuckles, and Leon’s grip on the gun slips.
The center triplet steps closer, and all three closes the distance together, tightening their triangle. Leon has maybe three feet of space left.
They strike in sequence: the left blade goes high, the right blade at attacks at mid-level, and the center blade comes low.
Leon throws himself sideways. The high blade misses, but the middle blade catches his shirt, tearing fabric while the low blade bites into his calf.
He rolls across the sand and comes up firing. The manna round punches into the left triplet’s shoulder. He grunts but doesn’t fall, blood soaks his shirt.