The General made one of his deepest bows. “I see,” he said. “Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford,” the General said as he took a pair of swords from the wall. He threw one in the direction of Rainsford and it landed with a twang in the floor boards between his feet. Rainsford threw a menacing glare at Zaroff before he wrenched the sword free from the floor.
“On guard, General,” Rainsford growled as he lifted his sword to meet Zaroff’s blade.
Zaroff smirked in anticipation of a wonderful fight. He whirled his sword in an act of showmanship then made a jab at Rainsford. Rainsford easily evaded Zaroff’s pathetic attempt, knowing full well that the General was only testing his ability. He took the General unaware and made a downward slash which Zaroff caught on his shoulder. Zaroff stood in astonishment for a moment, then recoveredhimself and with a smile laughed, “You’re going to have to do better than that, my dear Rainsford. I hope that doesn’t display the full extent of your fencing abilities.” He made a few more slashes at Rainsford.
“Oh, I would not be as worried about my fencing skills, if I were you, as much as I’d be worried about whether I were going to get to sleep in that bed of yours again or not,” Rainsford told the General menacingly. He was able to hold his ground against the General, but Rainsford was no match for the General’s skill. Zaroff, after what he considered to be enough “play,” was able to disarm Rainsford in one efficient movement.
Rainsford ducked Zaroff’s thrust for his chest and rolled past the General, grabbing the knife off of Zaroff’s belt as he went past. He remained on the floor, but turned and threw the knife at the General’s back. Zaroff turned around but saw the knife too late. With a cry, the knife found its mark in Zaroff’s chest. The motion of the blade sent the General stumbling out the window to where the dogs waited hungrily below.
Rainsford lay where he was until his breathing resumed a normal pace. With a sigh, Raisford closed his eyes and fell asleep on the floor. When he awoke the next morning he decided that he had never slept in a better bed.
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