They headed south, traveling as quickly as they could. Aryn led them along the little-used paths of Tagwoods with a brisk pace. A few times every day he trusted Nina into Silen's care and disappeared into the forest, doubling back their own tracks to see if they were being followed. Every time his scouting was in vain. Either their pursuers were skilled enough to stay out of sight or there were none of them.

Each day that passed lessened Silen's and Nina's nervousness, made them to relax a bit more. Each day that passed increased Aryn's glowering silence. It was typical for the bodyguard to talk very little during journeys, but now he had hardly said more than five sentences ever since they had hidden their little rowboat onto shore and started their trek through the woods. Every attempt Nina or Silen made to open up a conversation with the protector was rewarded with a curt nod or vague mumbling.

"What is it with him again?" Nina asked from Silen in one morning as they made their way along yet another green-trimmed path. "If he gets any gloomier than that, he'll become another Essar."

The Windian soldier grimaced a little at her comparison. "He is troubled", he said. "Probably worried of our pursuers. If there is any."

"Probably isn't." Nina almost stumbled as a twig got stuck into her sleeve. Instantly Silen was on her side, ready to help. Not wanting to hurt his honor, she let him to do so.

"We can never be sure, Princess", the soldier said as he carefully removed the stick which had been insolent enough to hinder their way.

"Silen", Nina began, giving the Windian soldier a bit sad smile, "Please don't call me a princess anymore. I've not been a royal for weeks, you know."

This little request was like a fist into Silen's stomach. Lost of words, he simply stood there, his round features as a mask of amazement. "But Nina", he finally said with a pleading tone, "such things cannot be denied. Yes, it's true that you have been…" he grimaced as if the next word would have had a bad taste, "chased away from Windia, but that was just to protect you. The fact that you'll have to live elsewhere doesn't remove you from the Royal Family. I am sure that King Kenny will find some way to have you back again."

Would he really do such a thing? A little ray of hope entered Nina's mind. Perhaps there could be a way for her to return. And if her father couldn't find it, nobody could. "Maybe…" she murmured hesitantly, "But until that, I'm not a princess."

"Hey!"

They both turned in unison to see Aryn, who was waving his hand atop a moss-covered rock in some distance ahead of them. "Hurry up! The south edge of Tagwoods is just ahead!"

There was a short pause as Silen and Nina exchanged glances. "He just talked", the Windian soldier noted.

"Yeah… But he also told us to hurry!" Impulsively Nina laughed and started running up the path. "Come on! Try and catch me if you can!"

Silen joined the laughter as he dashed after her, his chain mail jingling with every stride. "I'm not going to leave you alone, prin – Nina!"

Darting from the bushes like a black arrow, Cat won their race.

* * * *

Hain wasn't one of those types who get scared easily. His work usually required quite a lot of nerves, something – to the tan-skin's credit – he didn't lack. His years in the streets of Capitan, Windia and here in Coursair had hardened him even more. But even so, he had instinctively shivered as this couple had sat into his table.

All around them, the tavern's other customers, both regulars and travelers, continued spending their time by mugs of beer and friendly chatter. It was just like any other evening in the Warrior's Ward. The drinks of the place were of good quality. The alluring scent of Sword Stew – the house's specialty – was rich in the air. There was no reason why Hain wouldn't have enjoyed the evening. Except for a fact that he shared his table with two members of the dreaded Shadow Society.

Both of them were dressed in simple, dark gray robes to conceal their frames so completely that they could have easily hidden drawn swords under them. Keeping this unpleasant thought in mind Hain decided to be as careful as possible. "Thanks for coming so quickly."

"We have never been late from a possible appointment", smaller of the cloaked figures replied with a deep, feminine voice. The fox's muzzle sticking out from her hood marked her as member of the Forest Clan. "You may call me Miss Shade", she continued. "I am here representing the Shadow Lady. Why do you wish to hire the services of our guild?"

Hain smiled to those cold eyes shimmering from the depths of Shade's hood. "I've always liked getting directly down into business", he said. "But what about him?" He motioned towards the other assassin who had been sitting quietly this far. "Do you have a name?"

"I'm Jei", the assassin replied with a lazy tone. He had drawn his hood so low that the only feature visible was his long, sharp chin. "Jei Adamanto. We know that your name is Hain. Now that the introductions are over, let's speak about business."

Hain grinned. Jei Adamanto. Exactly the one he had wanted to meet of all Shadow Society! Silently the tan-skin congratulated himself for such an incredible luck. "Whoa. Not wasting your time, are you? Okay, I won't be tarrying either." Still smiling, he drew a scroll out form his sleeve and tossed it to Miss Shade. "We want you to get us this."

There was a moment before the Forest Clanswoman moved. Hain imagined that she lifted one eyebrow under her hood as she slowly picked the scroll up and unrolled it. After eyeing the paper for a moment Shade re-folded it. "Why to kill someone like this?"

"Not to kill. Capture alive."

"Alive?" Slowly Miss Shade drew her muzzle into a mocking smirk. "The Shadow Society is not a guild of kidnappers. We have our own honor", she informed coolly. "If there is nothing else, it seems that we have been wasting our time." Her robe shuffled as she prepared to get up (and probably also sheathed a hidden dagger).

"Let me explain", Hain said quickly. He managed to resist the urge of reaching over the table to grab Shade's wrist. He liked his hand in where it currently was, attached to his arm. "You don't have to do the capturing part. All you have to do is to clear a bodyguard out of the way."

"A bodyguard?" Exchanging glances with Jei, Miss Shade settled back into her chair. "You want us to kill a bodyguard? Perhaps… this could be of some interest. Do you know anything about the target?"

"Two things", Hain replied. He lifted one finger before continuing: "The first is that he'll make you earn your reward."

Jei smiled under his protective hood. He tilted his head a little. "Dangerous work, eh? Going to cost you much."

"Second", Hain continued, lifting another finger. From the outside, he looked deadly serious, but inwardly he was shaking with laughter. He really looked forward to see Jei's look when he revealed his trump card. "Though he goes by the name of Nyra, his real name is Aryn Seaholt."

There was a pause.

"Seaholt, you say?" To Hain's disappointment, Jei kept his face totally neutral. "You are right. This could be interesting."

"Jei", Miss Shade said quietly.

The assassin did not look at her as he replied: "The rules, Miss, I remember our rules. You arrange the work, I do the work. The Society takes its share from the reward. But the final price is always decided by the assassin."

Hain spread his hands in a generous gesture. "Well, if you are interested, name your price."

"Yes, I'm interested", Jei said. Slowly his lips started to curve up, first into a smile and then into a grin. "Very interested indeed. Twenty coins plus the outlays."

"Jei!" Shade's hiss was ferocious, but she did not make a move to stop the assassin. Rules were rules, especially in the Society. However, every now and then she had hard time resisting the urge to slit the throat of this rebellious idiot.

"Deal."

* * * *

"Wow!" Nina whistled at her first glimpse of the town of Coursair.

At first, it reminded her a bit of Windia. It was built atop a great hill just like her hometown. However, soon she realized that while the love for heights was the reason why Windians had chosen the location for their capital, the folk of Coursair had been thinking about defense. There was only one road leading up through the cliffs and rocks. While it was relatively broad, it could, as Silen mentioned, be easily blocked.

The town itself wasn't so remarkable in appearance. Squatting atop its hill, there was little special about its buildings, shops or houses. People came and went along the streets just like in any other community in the realms. But still, Coursair was much more famous than an average town. The reason was large and easy to notice.

It stood among the other buildings like a giant among rats. Its round bulk rose high into the sky, supported by huge stone pillars and beautiful arches. Its sturdy walls gave it a fortress-like appearance. Even to Nina's untrained eye the building looked clearly to be of much older architecture than everything else in Coursair. The world famous Coliseum.

"Some people say that it was built during the time of the Dragon Empire", Aryn told them as they walked up the road leading to the town. "The masonry is now crumbling with age. They're spending hoards of money to repair and restore it."

"So that's Coliseum", Silen said, scratching his chin as he eyed the huge building with an appraising eye. "The place where warriors from all around the world gather to test their skills."

"Don't get any ideas", Aryn reminded the soldier dryly. "We're protecting Nina, not looking for brawls."

"Of course!" Silen replied hastily. "I was just wondering if I could ever get a chance to take part in the contests."

"What's that down there?" Nina asked abruptly, pointing at something far below them.

The trio had climbed the road up enough to have a great view of their surroundings. Mountains and valleys, grass plains and green forests, even the sparkling sea in the east, they could see everything from here. The road curved through the rocks and cliffs down from where they stood, cutting through the land like a gray-brown snake as it headed south. The Windian girl was pointing at a village built into a bay that the sea had cut close to the base of Coursair's hill.

It was a port town, no doubt, though a little one. Up from their outlook Nina, Aryn and Silen could see several ships anchored close to the shore and waiting for their turn to dock. Even from this distance the princess could imagine the familiar smell of fish that marked every port.

"That's Port Coursaran", Aryn told them. "Though most people see it just as an addition to Coursair. It's so small that it isn't shown in most of the maps, either. But it's vital enough to the mother town that the proud folk living down there have given it a name of its own. I heard that – " Abruptly he cut short. Lifting his hand to shade his eyes from the sun he squinted at the port.

"What is it?"

"Look", the protector said. The other two followed his pointing finger with their eyes. Anchored into the bay among the other ships, looking a bit out of place surrounded by large merchant vessels, was the Golden Auria.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

"They're here, aren't they?" Nina asked with a tired tone.

Slowly, Aryn nodded once. Then he repeated the move, more vigorously this time, as if deciding something by himself. "Yeah. The best idea would be getting out of here as quickly as we can, but we're needing more supplies. Let's be careful. I don't want the events of Capitan to repeat." With a steady stride he continued leading them up the hill, toward the town of Coursair and Coliseum which loomed above everything else.

* * * *

That night the Golden Auria sank into the bottom of the sea. Nobody was really sure how it happened, but rumors told that somebody had forgotten a burning lantern near some kegs containing Highlanders' firepowder. Others blamed the ship's cook, who had tried some sort of new recipe. Still others claimed to have seen an enormous monster rising up from the sea, breathing fire that engulfed everything.

Whatever was the truth, the results were the same. In the middle of night almost every single person in Coursair was awakened by clamor echoing up from Port Coursaran. Frantic shouts, booming bells and drums. Entire armies clashing together in the base of Coursair hill couldn't have made greater racket.

Aryn opened a window just in time to see how one of the Golden Auria's flaming masts fell into dark waters. The inn they had booked a room from was built taller than most of the buildings around it, so they had a fine view of the scene below them.

"Well, skin me raw and toast me with quiet fire", the protector muttered as he watched how the blazing torch that had once been a ship slowly continued sinking into the bay.

"Isn't that…?" asked yawning Nina, who came next to him. Her drowsiness disappeared on the moment she saw where the orange glow was coming from. "Aryn, that's –"

"Our troubles going into the skies in smoke", Aryn replied. He was silent for a moment, then added: "I'm not sure if we should be happy about this, though."

Far below them, the once so graceful wave-rider shuddered and creaked in its death throes. Yellow, orange and red flames ate its wooden body, roaring and crackling with delight because of their feast. It was impossible to see the thick, black smoke against the dark sky, but Nina, Silen and Aryn, as well as all of the other folk of Coursair, knew that it was there.

* * * *

With a grunt a fair-furred Dog Clansman lifted his blade just in time to parry another blow delivered by his opponent. Taking several steps backwards he played it all defensive, blocking and dodging all attacks. After finally getting hold of his opponent's – a brown-haired human in a worn armor of a mercenary – rhythm, the Dog suddenly leaped forward, waving his sword in a pattern already quite familiar to Nina: up, down, up, down.

The human was no stranger with blades. Not letting this sudden offensive to surprise him, he danced backwards, took a swift sidestep and rushed forward again. With a ringing clang of steel the combatants passed each other, turned and re-assumed their battle-stances.

"…As you can see", a Fish Merchant struggled to lift his voice above the clash of blades and the onlookers' encouraging shouts, "My swords are only of the finest quality. Just listen to their melodious ring – you won't find better blades in all Coursair! Their durability is completely reliable. A full hundred battles without breaking or your closest kin gets your money back!"

Silen and Nina stood on the other side of the street, in a shadow of a goods store. After a quick breakfast in the inn, Aryn had led the Windians here and left them to wait while the bodyguard himself haggled for the price of their supplies. No doubt he was in a hurry to make them leave Coursair behind them as quickly as they could. This, however, didn't seem to affect his patience when it was about bargaining. The protector had already spent a good deal of time inside the store.

Neither of the Windians minded this delay. Soon after they had began their wait a Fish Clansman had arranged a fighting show on the other side of the street. Apparently the armsmerchant hoped this to boost his sale. At least those duels were a handsome sight, as Silen had remarked soon after the first clashes of steel had echoed through air.

The Dog Clansman was once again concentrating in parrying. Once in a while he attempted a counterattack, but his opponent was too careful to let them through. This duel had been going on for a good while now, longer than the ones before it. And neither of the fighters seemed to be willing to give up just yet.

Suddenly the human lunged forward as fast he could, trying to overrun his opponent with a furious flurry of swings. The Dog Clansman, already attuned to defensive play, made a short work in protecting himself. His sword flew to meet every attack accurately.

"Good parry!" Silen noted, smiling. "They are both very skilled."

"Yeah." Though she had no combat training, Nina had no difficulties in seeing it herself.

"The Dog is drawing that battle out", Aryn said from where he was standing in the store's doorway. Apparently he had been there for some time already.

"How do you know?"

Aryn pointed with his finger. "Look at that human mercenary, Silen. He's sweating and panting. He's becoming desperate, that's why he's charging so furiously. I bet that Dog could have beaten him for some time now."

Slowly Silen nodded and scratched his chin. "I see… The Dog Clansman is a showman, then." Changing the subject, the soldier turned his head to the bodyguard and asked: "Did you get our supplies?"

Aryn nodded. "They are waiting inside. There's enough to carry for both of you." He indicated inside the store with his thumb. "Let's go. I want to get rid of this town as soon as possible."

"That's too bad", Silen replied. "I would have wanted to see that fight to its end."

"Silen", Nina suddenly put in. "It just ended."

"What?" Quickly the soldier turned to look at the other side of the street.

The Dog Clansman was on his knees, clutching his bleeding right arm. His sword lay on the ground, ignored. The human mercenary stepped backwards and, panting heavily, favored his opponent with a little bow. Quickly the armsmerchant's assistant stepped forward and started chanting, weaving a curative spell over the lost combatant's wound. The Fish Clansman's voice could be heard above all cheering and clapping of hands: "And as you can see, their sharpness is rivaled by nothing! Come here and buy your very own sword now, you won't get a second chance like this!"

Quickly Silen shot a glance at the bodyguard. "Didn't you say that the Dog would win?"

Aryn shrugged as he re-entered the store. "Hey, nobody's perfect. Let's get moving, now. The day's slipping through our fingers."

Ignoring the vast presence of Coliseum, the town of Coursair was almost like any other town there was. There were inns, taverns, workshops and private residences, built of sturdy brown wood and gray rock. There were merchants, craftsmen, smiths, hunters and fishermen, every one of them going about their own businesses, stopping only to throw a greeting to a friend or a growl to an enemy. And there were mercenaries, Nina suddenly realized. Lots of them.

Carrying weapons of almost any imaginable kind, from enormous war naginatas to simple daggers, from short swords to mauls with handles resembling small trunks, warriors strode up and down the streets. They mingled with each other, chatted, argued, even dueled. Men and women alike, they hailed from almost every Clan in existence.

"There are many of them this year", Aryn noted as he led them toward the town gates and the road leading down to the green plains, "The innkeeper told me that the year's greatest tournament is just a few weeks away. The business is going boom when the festival starts."

"A festival?" Nina asked, her eyes brightening. Only now it occurred to her that she never had been in a one. Or rather, she had never been in a one without a heavy escort to quell the cheery atmosphere. "Let's stay and wait for it!"

Aryn shook his head. "We can't, girl." He needed no further explanations.

"Oh, yeah." Nina sighed and let her eyes fall to her shoes. They placed themselves one before another just like they had done for so much recently. The Windian girl had already become familiar with the aching of her feet. She hardly spared it a thought anymore. The tales of legendary explorers and adventurers Nina had read back in Windia told only about exotic lands, mysterious towns and other marvelous places. They almost always left untold the dark side of traveling.

In order to see it, you first have to get there.

"Say, girl", Aryn said after they had walked down the hill for several moments. He used his normal, casual tone for the first time in several days. "How does it feel to be in the center of it all?"

"Huh?"

"He means that how does it feel to be in the center of all attention", Silen explained from where he was walking protectively close to Nina.

"I rather meant that we two are here to protect you, girl. This whole journey is in order to protect you." The bodyguard shrugged. "Well, I guess you are right, Silen. How does it feel to be in the center of all attention?"

Nina thought about this for several steps. "I – I'd rather not be in that center. I've never thought it would suit me well."

Aryn chuckled at Silen's slightly shocked look. "A princess, born and trained to lead the people, doesn't want to be noticed? Ha, girl, I think I know what you mean."

Those words had hardly left his mouth when an arrow struck into the road inches away from his boots. The bodyguard's daggers were already in his hands when he noticed that the shaft's feathers were shining black and streaked with white and red. An all too familiar mark. Hissing a curse under his breath, Aryn signaled Silen to take care of Nina.

Then the assassin fell upon him like a black raptor.

* * * *

His opponent was fast. His black, soft boots hadn't even touched the ground when he had already woven a set of attacks with his short sword and dagger. Aryn threw himself backwards, barely avoiding getting beheaded right in the beginning of their battle. Struggling to hold his balance, the bodyguard dodged and parried, doing his all to keep those nimble blades from drawing his blood.

The assassin's face was covered with a long, night-black scarf. The only features visible were his eyes, which glinted with mockery. Another all too familiar mark for the bodyguard.

Aryn hated it.

He hated that blade technique, that manner of fighting, that ease his feet danced across the road, that black scarf. Above all others, he hated those eyes. When their user was at work, they were capable of showing only that one feeling. It was the joy of a hunting cat playing with a mouse, a charging raptor swooping down for a helpless rabbit. Even the most experienced of assassins, the ones who held an iron grip over their emotions all times, sometimes allowed their masks of coldness melt in the heat of battle.

"I'm coming, Aryn!" Silen's shout drew the bodyguard back from that dark, misty place where he had been dueling with his opponent.

"Keep your place! There's anNOTH-" Aryn's words were interrupted by a reckless leap over the assassin's blades. His boot slammed against his opponent's chest, driving him backwards, "-er on those rocks! They always work in pairs! Archer!"

Understanding the grim meaning of those words, Silen kept his shield ready and lifted his eyes. True enough: another assassin had appeared. He was a Forest Clansman, dressed in gray clothes of a hunter, completely ordinary except for a black hood and a scarf to cover his features. Crouched on a rock above them, he held a long bow in his hands, an arrow ready in its string. His calm eyes followed the battle patiently.

The Windian soldier rasped his teeth. His shield had been made by skilled hands. It could stop as many arrows as needed. However, he could not protect both the princess and Aryn at the same time. Should he stay with Nina, the bodyguard would be vulnerable. "Aryn! Come here!"

The protector either did not hear or did not want to hear. He flipped his body out from the way of the assassin's thrust, attempted a counterattack – his opponent parried easily – and leaped backwards.

"No!" Nina realized that this moment was a delicious opportunity for the archer. "Aryn! Get back! Go get him!"

Too late. With a lightning-quick move the Forest Clansman lifted his bow and sent an arrow. Though everything was over within less than a blink of an eye, the shaft's flight was like an eternity for Aryn, Silen and Nina. The assassin who had been fighting with Aryn smirked under his scarf. The bodyguard's eyes widened as he noticed where the arrow was headed. Silen drew breath for a curse, Nina did the same for another shout. With a definitive thud, the arrow hit its mark without error.

The assassin's eyes widened with surprise and terror. His weapons clattered to the ground. Then, with almost comical simplicity, he fell.

For a few seconds and yet another eternity nobody moved nor spoke anything. Then, with calculated moves, the Forest Clansman notched another arrow and took aim. "Make a single move, Aryn", his words were quiet and cold, "And you will die."

* * * *

"Why?"

The assassin ignored Aryn's question. With easy moves he leaped down from the rock. His aim never faltered as he landed onto the road without any sound. "Keep your place, Windian", he said and tilted his head towards Silen. "I'm not interested in that girl, but take one step to protect Aryn with your shield and I will kill her instead."

Aryn inhaled deeply, trying to calm down both his breathing and the berserk beating of his heart. "What do you want with me? Members of the Shadow Society never, ever, assassinate one of their own."

"Yes, they do", the assassin replied calmly. "The killers just never live for long enough to tell the tale. Discipline can be held only with strict rules." His bow creaked a little as he bent it slightly more. "When the contract is made and the reward is paid, it won't be over until either the hunter or the hunted dies. You've been marked, Aryn. By the rules of the Society, you are to be slain when sighted."

With those final words, voiced so coldly, without any kind of emotion behind them, the Forest Clansman let his arrow fly.

"Damn!"

"You bastar-!"

"Aryn!"

The black-feathered shaft bit a few hairs from Aryn's light-brown mane, then hit a large rock on the other side of the road. The thud was like dagger plunging deep into Nina's ear.

"What good it's all for?" the Forest Clansman sighed, lowering is bow. "You will be dead anyway. If anybody back in the Society hears that I've killed my partner, I won't be living for much longer, either. I don't want your life to weight my conscience in the Beyond." As he spoke he took a few steps forward and leaned over the fallen assassin. "Sorry, Star-edge. Had no other choice." Gently he extended his gloved hand and closed his comrade's eyes.

"Who are you, bandit?" Silen demanded. He was quickly moving closer to Aryn, ready to use his shield. Nina followed tightly behind the Windian soldier. "Why to betray your own kind, knave?"

"Why indeed?" the Forest Clansman asked. He barked out a short, bitter laugh. "Some murderer I am. I'm able to kill my own partner, yet unable to slay you, Ary. Three arrows, every one of them I was ready to send into your heart. Every time I hesitated in the crucial moment. It's been years, hasn't it?" While speaking he lowered his hood and unraveled his night-black scarf, revealing a sadly grinning muzzle. "What are you staring at, Arty? Have I really changed that much?"

After yet another eternity had passed, Aryn finally managed to muster enough control to step forward. "Wolfmund!" His voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper. "How?"

"About time, Ary", Wolfy said bitterly. He had grown into quite a handsome Forest Clansman. The hair of his red-furred fox-head was much longer than what was usual for his kind. He kept it as a lion-like mane, tied with several leather bands so that it fell into his back. His eyes were blue-gray and they seemed to be capable of showing deep emotions in one moment and turn completely cold and dead in another. There was a strange, bluish streak starting just below his right eye and running all the way up forehead, ending between his fox-ears. "You've been alright all this time?"

Aryn ignored his question. All he did was to stare at his childhood friend who had grown to be a member of the infamous Shadow Society. "I don't believe this", he whispered. "I don't want to believe this! Wolfy, I never thought that you could be so – so evil!"

"W-wolfy?" Quickly Nina turned her head to Silen. "Wasn't he Aryn's – ?"

Slowly the Windian soldier nodded. Both his shield and spear hung ignored in his hands. "Yeah."

"Evil? Do you mean how could I join the Society? How could I become an assassin?" Wolfy let his eyes fall down into his soft boots. "I really don't know it myself. When you left the village after your disagreement with your Master, I had nobody. No brothers, no sisters, no other friends. So I went looking for you."

With a sudden move Aryn stepped forward and grabbed both of the Forest Clansman's shoulders. The blue-gray eyes were forced to lock with the green ones. The muscles in Aryn's cheeks tensed as he clenched his teeth. "Wolfy, don't tell me that –"

"I had to live somehow, Ary."

"But why an assassin, Wolfy?!" The bodyguard shook his friend not too gently. "Of all ways, why assassin?!"

"Get off me, Aryn." With a jerk Wolfmund freed himself from the protector's grasp. Slowly his gaze went astray again. "Why? Because I wanted to follow you. The Society was a way to do it. There are no trackers like the assassins. And… I've never had a family." For the smallest of moments his eyes looked at the bodyguard. "I… guess that's the greatest reason why."

Aryn's fist clenched as if he were about to strike his friend. With a pained groan he resisted the urge and turned away. Nina had never seen him in such a mood. It was as if those sharp features had been rusted and dulled, the edge itself dented and nicked. It was so much different from that face which had so long ago used that familiar, relaxed tone to say the words which now surfaced into the Windian girl's mind: "You think you're the only one who has problems with the life?"

Back then she had answered: "Of course not." Her defiant snap had been both right and wrong. She had truly meant what she had said, but the actual, crude meaning of those words had been hidden from her. Until now.

Another little piece of her beautiful world cracked and fell.

"Aryn, you can't stay here anymore", Wolfy said, his tone filled with urgency. "The Society will never forget what you've done to it. You've got to run, my friend. Run fast! After you are coming not only the normal members, but a few from the First Circle, too!"

"Wolfy…"

With an angry jerk of his gloved hand Wolfmund dismissed Aryn's words. "There is a Death Mark on your head. You are to be killed on sight. You've got to run damn fast if you wish to stay alive!"

"Wolfy…" Aryn swallowed hard as he finally lifted his gaze. "You'll be doomed if you stay here. Come with us. Let's run together!"

There was a long pause. The assassin and the bodyguard, the killer and the protector, warriors of completely different sides, stared at each other. Then Wolfmund looked away and shook his head. "I can't leave my family."

"To the hell with your family!" Aryn shouted. "They'll kill you if they find out!"

"Aryn…" Wolfy turned to watch the huge bulk of the Coliseum up on the hill. "Do you remember my Mom and Dad? How they were like? When they were sober they hated each other and beat me. When they were drunk, they loved each other and hated me. I've never had a family." Suddenly he turned to look at Silen and Nina. "I've never even had many friends. The Society takes care of its own, Aryn. We are not just heartless killers. We are friends… brothers, sisters, siblings. No matter what you may think of us today, we are a family, Aryn. I can't just throw away something I finally have."

"Wolfmund."

"Get going, Aryn." Wolfy turned to watch the town of Coursair. "I never saw you here. Star-edge was killed by a hunting group of kimotos. This never happened."

"Wolfmund, please…"

"Shut up and get lost, Arty." The Forest Clansman closed his eyes and let his head fall. "And… sorry."

He didn't see how Aryn's hand approached his shoulder. He didn't see how it clenched into a fist, then slowly withdrew. All he could hear were a few footsteps over the sandy road and a pair of quiet "shik!"s as battle daggers were sheathed. And then… nothing. When the Forest Clansman finally turned, the bodyguard and his companions were long gone. Not all of them, though: suddenly the assassin saw movement from his right.

It was the black-winged girl. Wolfmund didn't know who she was and what was her business with Aryn, but there were seeds of tears in her eyes. Several times she drew breath and opened her mouth as if preparing to say something, then deciding against it. The silence between them grew longer, even awkward.

"Get lost", Wolfy finally growled. "You'd better not let them leave you behind."

"They won't", the girl replied quietly. As if not believing her own words she turned, took a few hasty steps and then looked over her shoulder. Those pleading eyes. Her mouth opened again, but not a single word came out. Finally she shook her head angrily and dashed down the road.

"Run like hell and live, Aryn", Wolfmund whispered after the Windian girl had disappeared from sight. "I can take care of myself. Even if it would mean death."

Previous: Chapter X
Next: Chapter XII
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