Now the sky has completely darkened, and it's so late—how can there still be people galloping through the perilous primeval forest?
By the sound of it, there are at least four or five riders.
Major Robert turned to look in the direction of the noise, waiting for the horsemen to arrive.
I let out a breath of relief, but then a foreboding thought crossed my mind:
what if the newcomers were Major Robert's accomplices?
Since he was a ranger major, he surely wouldn't have just two subordinates.
In the blink of an eye, I made up my mind to strike while the iron was hot.
With the attention of them diverted by the distant sound of hoofbeats, I gently pushed Sofia aside, sprang up, and lunged at the nearest person, Jack.
The blade pierced flesh even more smoothly than I had imagined, plunging effortlessly into Jack's side.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Jack let out a blood-curdling scream that instantly shattered the eerie silence of the forest.
It felt as if the forest awakened like a ferocious beast, suddenly bursting with vitality. Many birds shrieked and flapped their wings, soaring into the sky. From the bushes on the ground, there were rustling sounds as some animal, startled by the scream, fled in panic.
Jack clutched his wound with one hand and fell helplessly to the ground. I quickly withdrew my dagger and retreated to my original position, leaning against a tree for support while pointing the dagger at the two who had turned to face me.
Upon hearing Jack's scream, Major Robert and his companion quickly turned around. Scar hurried over to check Jack's wound, while Major Robert's eyes gleamed with menace. He unsheathed his dagger, glaring at me and shouting, "WTF, why did you attack Jack, you ungrateful serpent, We saved your life from the Indians."
"Cut the crap; I heard what you said," I retorted, taunting Major Robert.
Instead of feeling shame, Major Robert smiled cruelly, "huh ?It seems we can't solve this peacefully anymore, green boy. I was going to give you a quick death, but now I've changed my mind. I promise to make you taste every torture before you die. Do you know how the Indians skin people alive? Firstly, the savage makes an incision around the hair from the upper part of the forehead to the back of the neck." He traced a circle around the edge of the scalp with his dagger. "Then he puts his foot on your shoulder and pulls the hair off with both hands, from back to front. I'm sure you'll love the feeling." Major Robert continued to torment me psychologically with his words.
"I've heard that some people survive having their scalps removed, but even if you do survive, your pretty little face will never attract a noble lady to run away with you again," Major Robert smirked cruelly at me.
He stepped forward, ready to strike at any moment. I feigned a thrust, revealing a flaw, hoping to lure Major Robert into an attack. If he took the bait, I was confident I could drive the dagger into his heart.
However, Major Robert was clearly no novice in knife fighting. Even though I was injured, he didn't recklessly seize the opportunity to attack; instead, he stalked me like a wolf, waiting to wear me down.
"Tom, what happened? Why are you fighting?" Just then, Sofia, who had been awakened by the commotion, spoke up.
I briefly turned my head to comfort her, but Major Robert immediately seized on my distraction, lunging toward me like lightning.
At this point, I couldn't evade him any longer. I dropped my dagger and grabbed his wrist with both hands, twisting it while crashing my body into his chest.
We both fell to the ground, grappling with each other. I desperately tried to wrest the dagger from his grip, while Major Robert grinned maniacally, attempting to stab me in the eye.
Major Robert was built like an ox, much stronger than I was, and the wound under my ribs throbbed painfully from the earlier struggle, gradually draining my strength.
After a stalemate, the dagger inched closer to my eye, its sharp tip expanding in my vision. My survival instinct surged, and in desperation, I tried to pry his hand away.
Just as I hovered on the brink of death, believing I was about to die, a gunshot rang out, breaking the stalemate between me and Major Robert.
Startled, Major Robert scrambled off me, standing up.
Free from his grip, I gasped for air, my heart racing, relieved to have escaped death.
Sofia rushed over to check my wounds, her face filled with concern. I comforted her a bit and then looked up, noticing that several riders had arrived in the distance—just in time to save my life.
But were they enemies or friends?
"Sofia, are you there?" a deep voice called out.
"Uncle William, is that you?" Sofia exclaimed with a shout of joy, leaping toward a tall figure nearby.
Hearing that voice, I sighed in relief; my memories told me that Sofia and I were finally safe. The newcomer was Sofia's uncle, William Spencer.
Sofia threw herself into William's arms, crying loudly as if to release all the fright she had felt that day. William gently patted her back, comforting her, "It's okay, Sofia. You're safe now."
Gradually calming down under his reassurance, Sofia looked up with her swollen eyes, asking pitifully, "Uncle, how did you end up here?"
Lord William feigned anger as he replied, "Isn't it because of you, little troublemaker? Your father urged me to set off immediately to find you. I couldn't catch up with the ship you boarded at the docks in London. I had to take a military ship to get here. When I arrived in Philadelphia, I heard you had already ventured into the frontier." Lord William's voice grew increasingly irate, "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here? I wouldn't dare come here alone, and yet you had the audacity to follow that boy into the savages' territory."
Hearing her uncle's reprimand, Sofia first lowered her head in shame, but then she lifted her head, looking at Lord William with tear-filled eyes, wearing an expression of puppy eyes.
Sure enough, Lord William soon displayed an exasperated expression. "Save that look for your father. You'd better figure out how to handle his punishment when you get home."
"Major, Jack is dead," Scar's voice shattered the warm atmosphere of reunion.