pack began to flash like an angry, red eye. North
knew the shield would never stand another direct hit, nor could he long
hold his shield. His back was already soaked with blood.
29 He pushed the power selector of his sword to the FULL position, and
then down, activating the overload circuit. Then, with all the strength
he could muster, he threw the weapon, not at his opponent, but at a
tree a short distance behind him.
30 The bewildered enemy, for a moment did not realize what North had
done. When he did, he tried to bring his shield around towards the
sword.
31 North had no time to watch any more. He pulled himself into a ball
behind his shield and let himself drop groundward. Then, the universe
exploded around him. North did not remember hitting the
ground, nor, regaining his feet. The
next thing he was sure of was seeing his enemy a short distance from
him, pulling himself up on his knees. He had neither his sword nor his
shield, and his helmet was gone. His hand was slowly reaching for the
dagger at his
side.
32 North reached for his own weapon, but found the scabbard empty. With
a terrible roar he charged forward. His hands closed around his
opponent's throat as he drove him to the ground. His right knee pinned
the hand holding the dagger to the ground, while his hands tightened
more and more around the man's throat. The man's free hand clawed at
North's face, but North ignored it. "MY hands AREN'T tied behind MY
back! " North screamed, "MY
hands AREN'T tied behind MY back! "
33 There was a snapping sound and the man's head hung loose to one
side. The hand clawing at North's face fell away, but North just kept
squeezing. Suddenly, someone was pulling on both his arms, screaming at
him. "He's dead, sir! He's dead! Let go! You broke his neck! Let go,
sir! The fighting is still heavy here. You're in