Despite the lack of a larger ruling power, Montport was more or less a lawful island… its authorities would give miscreants a chance to surrender in all but the most dire cases. Obvious resistance, however, could be dealt with harshly, as Tauri and Iskondra both knew.
The front door opened up to a set of narrow steps cut out of the ground in much the manner as a grave, but with less elbow room. The door at the top was recessed back from the open street. A single man could have defended it against most anyone. A small force of men could hold off even a pair of proficient fighters such as Iskondra and Tauri, at least long enough for a larger force to arrive.
The back door opened up much closer to its street level than did the front door. It also opened up onto a cluttered alleyway that was terribly easy to cover with crossbows and pistols from a dozen vantage points.
Inside the shop, the two had room to move around. Guards would have to enter single file if they moved in through the back. Another force might come in through the rear, but they would probably hold their positions… the guards who moved in wouldn’t be looking for a fight, they’d be trying to flush the miscreants out where they could be dealt with swiftly and safely.
Though they were trapped and surrounded, their best odds for success were with staying where they were.
Without a word from Tauri… and without any more words than, “Let us do this very quietly and without unnecessary conversation, then,” from Iskondra, the two of them took up flanking positions next to the door, where they could keep an eye on the doorway to the back.
With seconds of moving into position, the dam burst above them and a torrent of men came thundering down the stairs, sabers drawn. The first one through was a stocky gentleman with a leathery hide and a warty face. Iskondra cuffed him with the pommel off her sword as he burst in. He staggered forward as he fell. The man with rosetted fur behind him tripped over him, and Tauri helped the third find the ground with a lash of his tail.
The next two were more prepared, and the odd pair found themselves dueling with other opponents for the first time after their many skirmishes had begun.
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