"Stay," said Long.
The cane shot out along the ground and hooked Leo's ankle. The boy went down flat, with the wind knocked out of him.
Then the old man stood up.
He only came up to a crouch, on his good leg. The first red reached him with a short sword already swinging. The cane met the man's wrist with a click, and the sword dropped. The cane kept going, and touched him once behind the ear.
Tok.
He folded up.
The second had her blade half out. The cane tapped it back into the scabbard, then tapped her temple on the way past. The third opened his mouth to shout. The tip of the cane was resting in the hollow of his throat before any sound came, and then the crook of it was behind his knee.
Alex caught that one before the armour could hit the ground.
It was over in about four seconds. Nothing had clanked. Long was sitting down again with the cane across his knees before the last one had finished falling.
