Excerpt: By Her Sword

William Smith stared at the two girls as if measuring them up then without a word he went back into that curtained off back room. Thea did not know what to expect, but when he reemerged again it was not a leather wrapped bundle he was carrying this time. It was a mace.
“We have to get you girls out of here,” he said, his voice not quite a whisper, but not his usual volume.
That worried Thea almost as much as the mace.
“What are you talking about? Can someone please enlighten me as to what is afoot!” Thea exclaimed, louder than she had intended.
“Shush girl! An outburst like that will be the death of us all and I am not going to go to the blood elves willingly!” William Smith scolded, his teeth clenched tightly.
Caitlyn’s eyes widened, “Blood elves? Then the copper…” her voice barely a whisper.
“Blood. It was blood you smelt,” William Smith answered.
“What are you talking about blood elves? No one has seen any of them in these parts in ages! Some even suspect they have all died out by now,” Thea said as a matter of factly.
“They would not die out that easily or quietly,” he replied. “And I guess then there is no good in asking you why they are after you, is there?”
For once, Thea was rendered speechless.
“I saw one snooping about last night after you had left, but I was not sure whether my eyes deceived me or no… now… well now there can’t be any other explanation,” he concluded.
“What are we going to do?” Caitlyn asked, on the verge of tears.
He lifted the mace up and rested it against his shoulder.
“We’re going to get you two out of here.”