Next morning, when the sun was still rising, Nyra, a jewel merchant's assistant from Capitan and his niece, Anina, were among the travelers who were leaving Windia at first light. The road was busy today. Farmers were heading towards the town to sell their wares. Patrols of Windian soldiers went and came, closely guarding the lands of their beloved kingdom. Adventurers and simple wanderers strolled up and down the road with a calm pace, having no real hurry to anywhere. Nyra and Anina passed several wagons, pulled by great biruburus and filled with all kinds of goods, varying from huge bags of grain to clay pots and finely crafted weapons. The groups of merchants walking beside the wagons were chatting, exchanging rumors and news about good marketplaces and wondering that where would they get the best profit of their goods.

There was even a group of merchants of the Fish Clan. Seizing any chance to make a profit, they were trying to sell their wares to other travelers and trying to get as much money as they could before returning to Prima, the fabulous underwater city of the Fish Merchants.

After a while of journeying together, the travelers slowly began scattering, each of them going on their own ways. Soon Nyra and Anina found themselves alone on the road.

"Where are we heading?" Nina asked, pulling her hood down to wipe sweat from her forehead. She was now dressed in perfectly ordinary brown clothes and a large traveler's cloak to cover her black wings.

"To the west", Aryn replied. Unlike Nina, he was dressed just in the same way as he had yesterday. He had only replaced his gray shirt with a dark blue one that had very wide sleeves. What seemed strange to Nina was that he didn't carry any kind of weapons. "To the port town of Capitan".

"Why there?"

Aryn gave her a warning glance. "Maybe because there's only a high cliff in the east?"

"There's a bridge, isn't there?" Nina said.

Aryn rolled his eyes toward the skies. "You keep that good track of the happenings in your own land? It collapsed two weeks ago. Only a Highlander could pass it now".

"Oh". Nina shrugged. "I forgot that. Shouldn't they have already fixed it by now?"

"Think a bit, girl", Aryn said patiently. "Why should they fix the bridge? Now there's only one way to come into Windia from east, and that's through the passage built into the castle's dungeons. Now they can easily keep track of all people who want to come from the other side of the cliffs".

Nina wrinkled her brow. "Who come you know so much about Windia?"

"I spent last evening chatting in a tavern", Aryn said. "Heard lots of things about Windia. Now do you have any other questions or can we get moving?"

"Yes", Nina replied. "I thought that bodyguards are always armed".

Aryn gave him a sly grin. "Of course I'm armed. I've got plenty of arms. Here's one", he said and patted his left arm with his right hand. "And here's another", he continued, patting his right arm with his left hand.

Nina put her hands on her hips. "Are you trying to pull out some kind of joke? If you are, that was a very poor one".

"Oh, really?" Aryn asked with a half-smile. Humming innocently, he started leading them toward west. "Let's quit talking, now. We've got a big distance to walk today".

* * * *

They traveled in silence. Aryn wasn't on a very talkative mood. He led them at a carefully set pace, brisk yet not too tiring for Nina. It was a warm morning, and it became even warmer when the sun fully rose. Soon Nina was completely wet with sweat under her heavy cloak. No matter how much she wanted to take it off, she realized that it was necessary to hide her wings in the Windian area.

The temperature wasn't Nina's only problem. Her every step took her further away from the home she had been born in. Homesickness was already forming inside her. With every step taken, it gathered strength and deepness.

Several times Nina simply stopped and turned back to watch the white buildings of Windia. Every time this happened, Aryn also halted and just stood there, patiently waiting for her to continue their journey again. He never said nothing, not any orders to hurry nor a word to comfort her. Aryn let Nina to work out her feelings alone.

After one of such pauses had taken almost ten minutes, Aryn walked next to a nearby tree and sat into it's shadow. Setting his bags and pouches aside, he leaned back and stretched his legs out. "Tell me when you are coming again", he said and closed his eyes.

Nina felt a sudden wave of anger sweeping over her again. How could this man simply be so…so insensitive!? "Do you really have any idea how this feels?" she snapped.

"Hmm?"

Nine let her feelings to burst. With it came a flood of angry words: "I said do you have any idea how it feels like to be abandoned by your parents? Have you ever been chased out of your home? Has your life ever been trusted into hands of a stranger who might as well kill you whenever he wants? Do you know how it hurts to leave behind your former life in one single night? No, don't answer! You don't have to tell me anything, since I already know how it feels! And you don't care even the smallest bit about it! To you this is just another job to be done and a bag of coins to obtain! Are you even listening to me? Hey, do you even listen what I say?!"

The quiet snoring was a proof enough that Aryn wasn't paying very much attention to her.

Clenching her teeth, Nina walked up to Aryn's bags and started rummaging through them. "How could he", she fumed quietly. "Talk about insensitive".

Aryn opened one of his eyes. "Eh? Girl, what are you now looking for?"

"For any kind of pot!" Nina snapped. "Then I'm going to fetch some water and then throw it on you!"

Other green eye followed the example of another. "Hey, don't bite my head off. You're angry about something", Aryn observed.

"Really?!" Nina found what she was looking for. For a moment she just stood there with the pot in her hands, apparently considering should she simply break it onto Aryn's head. Then she turned and strode away.

"Fetch that water and I'll fix something for us to eat", Aryn called after her. "Looks like we won't be going much further today, so we might as well set our camp here".

Nina turned for long enough to stick her tongue out to him.

"And Kenny described her as a well-behaving little princess", Aryn mused as he watched how Nina disappeared into the woods. "Well, considering what she just faced yesterday, I guess she has the right to be a little angry. Anyway, this gets a great start". He leaned back again and closed his eyes. He decided not to fall asleep, though. Just in case Nina would be still angry after her water-fetching trip.

* * * *

The flames of their campfire crackled. The burning pieces of wood shifted a little, sending a shower of tiny sparks to the dark evening sky.

Nina took her gaze from the dancing flames to look at Aryn, who was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the campfire and polishing a little throwing knife. The water-fetching trip had helped to cool her mood, but it still had taken a long time before she had started to regret her harsh words even a little. "Sorry", she said quietly. "I didn't mean it".

Aryn lifted his eyes from his knife. "Hmm? Oh, that". He shrugged and lifted the tiny blade before his eyes to inspect it. "Little girls who are chased out of their homes are supposed to get angry now and then. It lets off the steam".

"Do you mean that my apologizes are accepted?" Nina tilted her head, waiting for Aryn's answer. Since it didn't come, she decided she had guessed right. "Thanks", she said with a little smile.

"Anytime", Aryn replied, returning her smile. He set his dagger aside and pulled out another one from his boot. For a long time, the only sounds to be heard were crackle of fire and quiet singing of the birds of night.

Aryn was already working with his fourth knife when Nina spoke again: "Aryn? Are you a Woran?"

"You mean these?" Aryn tapped his cat-like ear with his fingers. "Yes, there's a little of cat blood in me. My grandmother was a Woran. I guess that makes me a quarter-Woran".

"You don't have a tail", Nina remarked.

Shifting a little to get a more comfortable position, Aryn shook his head. "All I got from my granny are these funny ears and a terrible affinity to cats". He smiled as a memory came to him. "Even my teacher used to tease me because of my-"

Nina's eyes widened suddenly. "Aryn!" She whispered. "There's something out there!" She had hardly finished her sentence when Aryn was already on her side. A long-bladed dagger had appeared from somewhere into his hand.

Two gleaming, yellow eyes were watching them from the darkness. The golden light of the campfire made them glow. Nina's pulse quickened as she stared at the eyes. Whatever the creature was, she realized, it was a hunter. Nothing else could have approached their camp so quietly. Those eyes were watching her with hunger. She felt how fear slowly started to spread its cold fingers inside her.

Unexpectedly, Aryn put his dagger away. "There you are", he said. "Did you have a good hunt?"

A long, satisfied "Meow!" came from the darkness as a reply. Slowly, a yellow-eyed cat stepped into the light of the campfire. Its shining fur was completely black, expect for a little snow-white spot in the tip of its long tail. The cat gave Nina a short but extremely majestic glance and then walked up to Aryn, who carefully picked it up.

"A…cat?" Nina asked, letting out a sigh of relief.

"What did you expect? A dog?" Aryn asked, sitting back down before the campfire. He petted the cat's black head. "This is my cat, she comes and goes as she wills, but she always follows me like a shadow". He pressed a soft kiss onto the cat's head. "Aren't you my little shadow, my little kitten, aren't you?"

"What's its name?" Nina asked. She had a nagging feeling that the cat was still staring at her very complacently.

"Oh, it's…Cat", Aryn answered. He scratched the cat, which was clearly enjoying itself in his lap.

Nina wrinkled her brow. "How…original".

Aryn put Cat down and carefully pushed it towards Nina. "When I got her, at first I really didn't think about any names. I simply called her Cat, and soon I found out that the name had come to stay". He smiled as Cat finally decided to try out the other available lap.

Nina stroked the black ball of fur in her lap carefully. It was as soft as any velvet she had touched. Cat looked just like an ordinal domestic cat, but Nina didn't like the way it stared at her with those gleaming eyes. She knew that most feline creatures had the air of majesty and self-satisfaction around them, but Cat seemed to be the very zenith of those qualities. And behind all that, there was a flame in those eyes, a flame that made Nina nervous.

"Hey, she likes you", Aryn remarked. "Did I already mention that I've got this terrible affinity to cats?"

"You did", Nina replied. She quickly drew her hands away as Cat suddenly wriggled in her lap. As it became apparent that it was just offering its belly for scratching, she slowly pressed her fingers back into the soft fur.

"No need to be scared of her", Aryn said. "Oh, she can be a whirlwind of claws sometimes, but as long as you don't enter the danger zone, you should be safe from any scratches".

Nina looked up from Cat. "Should?" she asked.

Aryn nodded as he threw another piece of wood into the fire. The hungry flames accepted the gift eagerly, sending out another swarm of sparks toward the stars. "With cats, you can never know for sure".

"How reassuring", Nina said.

Cat replied with a pleasurable meow.

* * * *

At the top of a steep hill they had climbed, Aryn halted and pointed at a large house that could be seen in the distance, on the other side of a little forest. "There's the house of the monster hunters", he said. "We'll stop there to get some more supplies and, if there's room for us, perhaps to spend a night".

"Monster hunters", Nina repeated as she wiped her forehead again. "I've heard about them. They catch strange and rare creatures of all kinds and then sell them to carnivals and collectors, right?"

Aryn nodded. "About right. I'm glad to hear that you know at least something about the area you live in".

Nina gave him a dark glare. "I'm not that ignorant".

"Hopefully", Aryn replied and led them down the hill, toward the forest.

"Let's rest there a bit, please?" Nina said. "My feet hurt and I'm all soaked with sweat".

Aryn gave her a short glance. "I'm surprised, you know. You complain a lot less than I thought you would. That was only your fourth complaint today". He knew he had crossed the border as Nina's chin lifted again.

"I can't help it if I don't like traveling! It's hot, my feet hurt and I'm tired of walking. Why can't I complain a little?"

Her mild eruption ended sooner than Aryn had expected. It seemed to him that the warm summer day was finally taking its toll from the girl. Nina had fared quite well so far in their journey. With few exceptions like her occasional, yet quite rare complaining and little angry outbursts, she did much better than Aryn actually had hoped for.

"Ah, I certainly hope there's a deep well with cold water there", Nina said, once again wiping her forehead. "It's hot".

"I guess it's about time you can put that cloak away", Aryn said. "Your wings will probably get some curious gazes, but I don't think there are very many people around here who can recognize you".

This was what Nina had waited for a long time. She immediately shook her cloak from her shoulders and rolled it into a neat packet. "Ah, feels a lot better now", she said with relief in her voice. She yelped a little as Aryn suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bushes.

"What's going on?" Nina demanded with an angry voice as she stumbled into the branches. "What are you-"

"Shh!" Aryn put his palm against Nina's mouth and pushed her down. He quickly lay down beside her and pressed himself tightly against ground. "Looks like we've got…"

During these few days Nina had known him, Aryn had usually maintained a calm, even a little dreaming expression. Now, it had totally changed. His face was grim, his sharp features had somehow obtained a new, darker edge. The greatest change was in his eyes. A little spark had lit their moss green depths. On that moment, Nina realized how much Aryn resembled the cat he called his pet. Green or yellow, their eyes were the same. They both had that internal flame that warned others not to make the wrong move.

Aryn was preparing for battle.

The reason for his behavior entered their line of sight. It was like a man-sized lizard walking with two legs. Its scaly hide gleamed in the sun. The reptilian eyes were constantly scanning the area for game. The creature was dressed in a worn leather armor and it carried a large bow. In its back there was a quiver full of long arrows.

There were four of such creatures in the group. Carrying their bows and sturdy spears, they moved through the forest with great silence. Not a leaf rustled, nor a branch cracked as they strode past the place where Aryn and Nina were hiding. To princess, they were moving all too slowly. It seemed more like an eternity when the creatures had finally moved out of their sight.

"Kimotos", Nina whispered into Aryn's furry ear. "I've read about them. There are whole tribes of them around this area".

Aryn nodded. "I know", he whispered back. "Luckily, they didn't notice us. Now we can sneak out of here without killing anybody. A kimoto is the last thing I'd like to- " He abruptly lifted his head a little, as if listening to something. "Damn!" he muttered. "They started searching this area!"

"Can't we sneak away?" Nina asked.

"Not anymore". Aryn grabbed Nina's arm and quickly whispered into her ear: "Listen: lie here quietly. Don't move, unless you're sure you've been noticed. If that happens, run as fast as you can. Stay in the cover of bushes, they don't carry those bows for nothing. And, use this only as a last resort". He reached down to his boot and drew out a dagger. He handed it quickly to Nina. "Remember, only as a last resort. And lie still!"

Unable to say a word, Nina only nodded. Aryn quickly tapped her shoulder. Then he turned and crawled away, silent as the forest around them.

It was the second time that day when Nina thought that seconds had turned into hours. She heard nothing; the kimotos could have been anywhere, even a mile away from her hiding place. Then again, they could just as well be standing behind her, ready to send an arrow between her black wings. The thought terrified Nina, but she didn't dare to move her head and look over her shoulder. The tone of Aryn's words kept her in place.

The kimotos appeared into her view again. They were moving even slower than before. Their dark eyes examined bushes. Two of them held their spears ready. Two others had loaded their bows with arrows. Somehow, Nina thought, the kimotos had sensed their presence. The lizards were hunting them.

Suddenly something flew from the nearby tree. It was too quick to be seen clearly, Nina saw only a flash of metal before one of the kimoto archers dropped its bow and grabbed its own neck with scaly hands. A single hiss of surprise escaped from the lizard's lips before it went limp and fell to the ground.

The three kimotos instantly spread in all directions as their enemy jumped down from the tree. Aryn landed softly with another throwing knife in his hand. The instant his boots touched the ground he leaped forward and rolled from the way of an arrow that sank exactly to the spot where he had been a moment before.

Aryn hadn't even stopped his move as he threw his dagger. Again his aim was true. The remaining kimoto archer staggered as the short blade bit hilt-deep into its shoulder.

A tall, spear-carrying lizard indicated with its hand. It was clearly the leader of the group as the other unwounded kimoto instantly obeyed its soft, hissing commands. The two lizards started slowly encircling Aryn. The third kimoto hissed with pain as it drew the knife out from its wound.

With a quick move Aryn thrust his hands into his wide sleeves. When he drew them out again, he held two daggers, each of them about length of his forearms. With a fluid motion he turned them down, taking reversed grips from their handles. He crouched slightly and stood motionless, waiting for the kimotos to attack.

The lizard leader uttered a command. Two kimotos charged in unison. With a nimble step Aryn flipped himself from the way of their spears. He turned and leaped close to the smaller of kimotos, his daggers slashing up and down in a flurry of strikes. The lizard moved its spear quickly, managing to parry a few of Aryn's blows with the wooden pole. Still, the cumbersome weapon had no chances against two smaller blades in short-range combat. Before the leader kimoto could act, another of its followers fell to the ground. Its red blood spilled from three deep cuts in its stomach.

Hissing with anger, the leader rushed forward. Aryn whirled around, blocking the spear with his dagger. With a quick jerk he pushed its tip aside and stepped past the large kimoto's defenses, repeating the same pattern of attacks he had used just a moment before. The leader was more skilled than its companions. It struck both of daggers aside at the same time and instantly countered by swinging the blunt head of its spear wildly, forcing its opponent to retreat.

Meanwhile, the archer had picked its bow up again and had an arrow ready. It stood back from the battle, calmly waiting for the right moment to send a shaft to kill this dangerous enemy. Soon it got its chance. As Aryn leaped away from his opponent, the kimoto lifted its bow and fired. On that moment, the bodyguard changed his direction with startling speed, dashing again forward instead of stepping backwards. The arrow that had been aimed to his head flew straight through his ponytail and disappeared harmlessly into the forest.

Aryn's unexpected move surprised even the skilled leader. Its spear came in way a moment too late as Aryn rushed past the lizard, his dagger drawing a quick arc in air. Blood burst out from a wide wound in the large kimoto's throat.

The sight of its dying leader had a large effect on the remaining kimoto's morale. Ignoring any thoughts of revenge, the archer turned and ran as fast as it could. It wasn't fast enough. Aryn dropped his daggers and thrush his hands into his sleeves again. This time, he drew out four throwing knives, two in each hand. Not wasting time to aim, he flung them all into air with a single move. Three of the small blades hit their mark. The last kimoto faltered and fell crashing into the bushes.

Letting out a sigh of relief Aryn bent down to pick up his daggers. "You're still there, girl?" he asked as he wiped the short blades clean into the leader kimoto's leather armor. "It's over now, you can come out".

There was a moment before Nina forced herself to move. Several times she had watched how the Windian soldiers sparred under strict observation of their sergeants. Never had she seen an actual battle. She hadn't realized how much blood one body contains. "I'm…I'm here", Nina stammered as she slowly rose to her feet. "Gosh, all that blood…"

"You haven't thrown up or anything? Good. Now could you fetch those four daggers for me, please?" Aryn asked. "I'll check if they carry anything valuable with them".

Nina wasn't too quick to start her task. Not wanting to go near the dead kimoto very soon, she first searched for the knife that had missed its target. She found it sticking neatly out from an old log. Once again Aryn's behavior bothered her. Less than a minute ago he had been fighting for both of their lives. Now he acted has if nothing had happened. He even had shrugged off the fact that he had just slain four kimotos.

Kneeling down next to the dead lizard, Nina pulled the daggers one by one out from the wounds. "Yuck", she said with a slight shiver. "Is fighting always this messy?"

"Unfortunately", said Aryn as he knelt next to Nina and began searching the little pouches and pockets in the kimoto's leather armor. His calm expression told that he had dealt with dead bodies often enough. "The more fatal spot you hit, the messier it will usually get. I try to avoid killing as well as I can, but…" He shrugged. "Sometimes you just can't help it".

"Then why did you kill this kimoto?" Nina asked. "It was fleeing, wasn't it? No need to kill it".

"As you said before, there are whole tribes of kimotos around here", Aryn answered, putting the few coins he had found into his pouch. "If this one had succeeded in fleeing, it would have warned others. Within half an hour, we'd have gotten an army of kimotos hunting for us".

Nina wiped the last of the knives clean. She handed them and the dagger she had got back to Aryn. They stood up and prepared to continue their journey. As they left, Nina stole one more glance over her shoulder. Not very surprisingly, none of the bodies had moved. The dead kimotos were contented with lying motionless in the same places they had fallen.

"Hey, girl, why you're not saying it?" Aryn asked without warning.

Nina turned her eyes back to her protector. "Say what?" she asked.

"That I was really great when I fought".

Nina stopped into her tracks and bombarded Aryn with the most venomous glance she could muster.

Previous: Chapter I
Next: Chapter III
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