Jason raised his leg to kick William in the groin, only to have the other man's knee intercept it halfway.
At a critical moment, one wrong choice had pushed the chips on the scales into his opponent's hands.
William naturally refused to waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He hooked his foot around Jason's ankle and drove his knee into the back of Jason's knee, forcing him down onto one knee in an extremely awkward position.
With one leg pinned to the floor, his weight pitched forward and his body twisted sideways, Jason could not exert any force at all.
And the Hidden Blade was still closing in, less than a centimeter from his throat.
"Let go, child. Stubborn resistance will only prolong the pain. Futile efforts give people the illusion of hope, and that is the deadliest poison of all."
William's whisper mingled with the howling east wind.
Rapidly falling snowflakes coated Jason's eyelashes, blinding him.
His disadvantage was undeniable. He knew he had to do something now.
With a furious roar, Jason suddenly ducked his head and let his hands yield, allowing the blade to carve a deep wound across his back.
It hurt terribly, but he was still alive. Gambling on an injury to turn things around, Jason had bet right.
Amid William's brief, startled cry, Jason seized his upper arm, hoisted him high, and hurled him toward the wall.
Crash!
Like a sack stuffed with buckwheat, William smashed through the seaside cottage's window and landed inside.
Jason pressed his advantage and leaped inside, planting a kick on the Talon just as he got up. Then he closed in, grabbed his wrist, and spun into a textbook over-the-shoulder throw.
Thud!
William's back slammed solidly into the floor. Beneath the rug, the tiles shattered, and the whole house seemed to