There were many nameless heroes in the history of Windia. Guards, scouts and soldiers, they all had served their beloved kingdom in one way or another. Many times the land of soaring winds would have fallen had there not been the courageous and faithful minds of its sons and daughters.

Actually, anybody serving among the ranks of the defenders Windia could be seen as a hero. But there were always those, who were a little braver, a little more faithful, a little more fortunate than others. They stood a little higher than others, did a little more than others and often paid a much heavier price for it than others.

Silen wanted to be one of them.

For the third time the soldier's shield deflected the scimitar going for his head. Taking an advantage of the following opening, Silen drove the blunt end of his spear toward his opponent's chest. Grunting with surprise, the thug was forced to retreat.

There were two nameless heroes who were especially dear for the Windian soldier. A long time ago, there had been a brave Windian princess, who had left on a journey, searching for a medicine for her ill father. Brave as she had been, she had planned to go alone.

Taking a two-hand hold of his spear, Silen swung it in a quick arc and then suddenly spun it around, sending its metal point flying into a completely different direction. The cross-slash was too quick for the thug to parry. His gasp of pain turned into a howl of terror has the Windian soldier kicked hard, sending his opponent flying off the bridge.

She had not gone alone. Two brave defenders of Windia had gone after her, ignoring her denials, her refusals, even the threats she had made, ignoring everything else but the safety of that princess. They had protected her. Fought for her.

Died for her.

The second thug was faster than the first one. He had been more trained with his mace, as the first exchange told to Silen. But still, he could not match a Windian soldier, who held the advantage of a longer weapon and the experience of fighting in the heights. Again changing his grip of the spear, Silen aimed a quick series of stabs at his opponent, forcing him to keep his distance.

Of course Silen was not planning to die anytime soon, the Princess still needed him. But when his time would come, he wanted that he would die doing something he had always wanted to do. To protect his kingdom.

"Not bad", Jei remarked. The two assassins and Hain were standing behind the large group of thugs milling about at the end of the bridge.

"I told you that this 'surprise rush' of yours would not work", Miss Shade said coolly to Hain. "There was too much of open space to begin with."

The tan-skin gave her an angry glance. "Did you have any better ideas, then? He was trying to break down the bridge!"

Something that could have been deciphered as amusement passed over the Forest Clanswoman's muzzle. "I repeat: why did you not bring a bow with you? Now you and your group have to wait here and step onto that bridge alone, where this soldier can eliminate you one-by-one."

On this moment, Jei started to chuckle quietly. Miss Shade did not pay this any attention, continuing her unusually long lecture.

"He may be young, but he still is a trained Windian soldier, who is used to fight in the heights, and plus, he wields a spear. And since your self-taught thugs do not how to counter that technique, his chances of winning against a sword are… let us say, triple."

Silen attempted the old trick of a series of lightning-quick jabs, continuously swapping his aim between left and right. The thug countered quite cleverly, forcing the spear head aside with his mace and nimbly stepping so close that it was impossible for the soldier to make a good stab. After a ringing clash as the mace hit the shield, the fighters separated again and prepared for a new attack.

Only an assassin can sit and analyze the situation that coolly while there's a fight going on next to her, Hain thought as he rolled his eyes into the heavens. "Why don't you go and kill him? I hired you to do that, remember?"

"You hired me only to kill Aryn Seaholt, remember?" Jei countered with a sneer, switching the shoulder where he carried his long naginata.

On that moment the second thug faltered and fell into the depths of the gorge.

Hain swore and groaned at the same time. He was just about to say "How much?" when movement on the other side of the chasm caught his eye. "Well, looky-looky there", he smiled suddenly and put his hand onto his hips, assuming his characteristic, slightly cocky pose.

Aryn Seaholt had appeared from the forest. His face was a mask of anger and determination as he regarded at the scene opening before him, noticing everything within a blink of eye: Silen firmly keeping the bridge, a large group of cutthroats milling about its other end, and three figures standing further away.

"Silen!" the bodyguard shouted, waving his hand in a beckoning motion, "Damn you, you honor-lusting hot-heat! Silen, get out of there!"

Miss Shade said nothing.

"Nah", Jei answered, shaking his head. "Let him boil for a little longer. I can finish him later."

Surprisingly enough, the Windian soldier laughed at Aryn's insult. "I'm honored!" he replied as he parried the strike of his new opponent. Though the soldier had already fought for a while, he was panting only a little. "That you would start worrying about me over the – " His words were cut off by a grunt as the thug attacked furiously, " – Anina! I told you to take care of her!"

"She's safe!" Aryn replied angrily. Was this damn soldier just stupid or something? "Now get over here! I'll back you up!"

"No", Silen shouted over the clash of steel as he launched another attack, "Go! Take her to safety! I'll keep the bridge as long as I can!"

"What the hell you're thinking?!" Aryn shouted at the top of his lungs, "Killing yourself, chasing some silly dream of a legend?! Don't be an idiot, Silen!"

"I'm not an idiot", the Windian soldier replied, an artful smile spreading over his boyish features, "You go and take care of Anina! I'll catch up with you later!"

"Silen!"

The blood, burning and flowing quickly in the heat of the battle, froze in Silen's veins. The thug's blade slipped through his defenses. Thanks only to the ever-present chain mail, the strike was turned aside without causing damage. The young soldier gritted his teeth and risked a glance over his shoulder.

Nina had appeared behind Aryn. Her beautiful hair was a mess from the sudden awakening and running through the landscape. Her shining eyes were dulled by a terrified look. Her black wings quailed and shuddered.

Silen could not help it. Past his concentration in the middle of the battle, past all the practicing with Aryn, past everything else, pushed a single word: "Princess!!"

Jei and Miss Shade exchanged glances. Then both assassins turned to look at Hain. The tan-skin shrugged innocently.

Miss Shade rolled her eyes. It was the most human thing Hain had ever seen her to do. "You will get the soldier on the credit." With that, she drew a scimitar, its curved blade glinting and shimmering even in the heavy-clouded day. Her voice was absolutely without any kind of emotion: no eagerness, no fear, not even irritation. "Make way."

"Girl! I told you to wait for us!" Aryn's voice was that of a man whose carefully nursed garden was withered away because of a sudden frost.

"You think I can just sit down and wait while you two go and kill yourselves?!" Though she had ran for her life all the morning, pure flame of desperation and anger boosted her voice. "I'm tired of seeing people dying around me!"

"Damn it, girl", Aryn muttered.

Neither Nina nor Aryn had noticed that the battle on the bridge had suddenly ceased. Miss Shade's voice had been too quiet to carry onto the other side of the gorge, but all the thugs had heard it. And they obeyed. Quickly.

The thugs retreated, moved out of the way of the lithe form of the Forest Clanswoman. She approached the bridge without any hurry, her scimitar leaning against her shoulder. Her red hair flowed in the quiet breeze as she walked, her cold eyes were fixed into her opponent.

Jei nudged Hain with his elbow. "Ignore the bouncy things and watch her moves instead", he said lazily, "This is how a pro acts."

Hain scowled at him.

"Silen of Windia", Miss Shade said calmly, drawing the soldier's attention into herself. "You are mine."

* * * *

The wooden parts did not creak as the assassin stepped onto the bridge.

"Damn", Aryn hissed as he saw who was about to challenge Silen. That sight, the petite-built Forest Clanswoman in form-fitting clothes, calmly walking forward, shook the bodyguard more than a whole flock of biruburus storming directly at him. His eyes were wide as he suddenly shouted: "Silen! Get away! She's a First Circle!"

"She?" Silen did not sound especially assured. "She's just a girl!"

"I am twenty-nine", Miss Shade corrected quietly. The assassin moved on the precarious bridge with light ease. She moved her scimitar from her shoulder and leveled it directly to her right. Step by step, each laid onto the bridge without any noise, she came closer and closer.

"Go help him!" Nina grabbed Aryn's hand and yanked it as she struggled to get closer to the bridge.

"Keep back!" Silen shouted to them, assuming his battle stance and eyeing the scimitar warily.

Though it probably was not because of the Windian soldier's shout, the bodyguard did not move. He ignored Nina's pleadings, he ignored Silen, he ignored even the assassin and her scimitar. His gaze was fixed into another figure, standing on the other side of the gorge. The bodyguard's eyes narrowed into slits, their moss-green depths flared.

Moving his naginata to free his right hand, Jei waved.

On that moment, Miss Shade sprang forward with dazzling speed. Her scimitar did not flash from the right, but from the left, to where it had suddenly slipped behind her back. The blade was narrowly blocked by the shield. Without missing a beat, the Forest Clanswoman whirled her weapon in a slashing motion, sending another strike at the soldier and switching her scimitar back into her right hand with a single motion.

Silen grimaced as another blow, deadly in all its swiftness, clashed against his shield. Only his instinct had told where the scimitar had aimed. Cursing quietly, the Windian soldier stepped backwards.

The sounds of steel against steel made Aryn flinch. Blinking his eyes, he slowly recognized Nina, who still continued to pull him towards the bridge. Forcing his attention away from the assassin on the other side of the ravine, he turned his eyes at the battle. Just in time. "Silen! Left!"

Even as Shade's right hand guided the scimitar with blurring speed, her left hand suddenly darted forward, several gleaming objects flying from her palm. Thanks to Aryn's warning, the shield was lifted in time to deflect the round, spinning blades of the shuriken.

"Impressive. He's doing quite well", Jei remarked, watching the battle with the appraising eye of a professional. "Actually holding much longer than I expected. But then again, direct combat isn't her specialty."

Suddenly Silen launched into offensive. Striking the scimitar away with the brim of his shield he spun his spear into a sweeping strike.

With almost ethereal grace Miss Shade leaped just high enough to let the spear head pass beneath her. The heel of her boot slammed the wooden pole, giving it more force to go further away from the assassin. Even as she landed Shade spun forward, her legs carrying her into a whirling motion and closer to the soldier, focusing her whole momentum into the scimitar hissing through the air for Silen's head.

"Backslash", Aryn muttered. "Always her favorite."

"Silen!"

The time itself seemed to slow down for Silen as that gleaming blade came closer. He could never get his shield or his spear up in time. He knew that all too well.

The soldier's heels kicked the bridge hard, sending him flying backwards, falling onto his back. His white wings, so little used recently, spread out reflexively.

The very tip of the scimitar made a little scratch onto the forehead of Silen's helmet.

Silen had not forgotten their original plan. As he had been hacking the supports away, a new thought had occurred to him. The large group of thugs, suddenly rushing out from the forest, waving their weapons at him, had made the soldier to make up his mind for this reckless idea.

Oh no, Silen had not forgotten the original plan. He had improved it.

It all happened in such a short moment. Silen's back hit the bridge, causing the whole construction shudder. Both Nina and Aryn shouted something. Miss Shade quickly stepped forward, her scimitar flying to kill. The brim of Silen's shield hit the certain part of the bridge.

There was a loud, snapping sound.

Miss Shade staggered, Silen rolled off the wooden blanks, Hain cursed aloud, and the bridge fell.

The wood wailed and shattered. The support beams tore large pieces of brown earth from the edges of the gorge. Ropes snapped. Split from the middle, the both halves of the bridge swept down and away from each other, hitting their own sides with an enormous bang.

With the grace of an acrobat, Miss Shade had grabbed the wooden blanks for support, managed to soften her impact against the earth wall, and was now hanging from one hand above nothing.

Silen's wings beat the air as he attempted to turn around. The soldier fell a long way before the finally managed to get the earth and the sky into their right places and slow down his speed. "Go, Aryn!" he shouted, "Take Anina away! I'll catch up with you!"

"Damn it, Silen", Aryn shouted back, urgency could clearly be heard from his voice. "You're not safe! Get up from there quickly! Hurry!"

Jei shook his head as he looked over the gorge's edge. "Just hang in there, Shade. He won't get away." With that, he removed his gray cloak and let it fall onto the ground.

Nina, whose eyes had never left the soldier during his battle, suddenly noticed something on the other side of the ravine. For her it was a horrible sight, something that drew her whole attention even from Silen, something that made her heart race wildly and barred her breath into her lungs. "A-aryn!" Suddenly her legs could not carry her anymore, and she fell onto her knees.

Within a quick moment, which seemed like an eternity for the Windian girl, Jei Adamanto unfolded his wings, allowing them to spread into their full width. Their feathers, black as those of a crow lurking in the graveyard, seemed to shine with the colors of a dark rainbow even in the dim light filtering through the dark clouds. The assassin tensed and, with a sudden push of his strong legs, dove into the gorge, like a black bird of prey, like a hunting raptor.

Aryn had never felt so helpless. "Silen!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Above you!!!"

The Windian soldier looked up to see the dark shadow against the gray heavens, covering the sun from his sight, swooping down for him like a black angel of vengeance. In his hands the assassin held his naginata, its blade eager to taste blood, eager to cause pain.

The clash echoed throughout the gorge as the blade-staff hit against the shield. Silen's wings beat furiously, sending him into a whirl in the air, his spear spinning like a deadly tornado of metal as he countered with one of the techniques of the Windian warriors.

Suddenly, the dark shadow above his head… disappeared.

"Too slow", Jei whispered into Silen's ear. His black boots slammed against the back of the soldier, his naginata flew in a wide arch, like a scythe collecting its grim harvest.

Burning, hot pain flashed through Silen's back and hit the bottom of his skull with mind-numbing force. Blood gushed from the wound in his back, staining the white feathers in red as one of the Windian soldier's wings spun away from his body and hit the earth wall.

It was impossible to hold steady, and Silen fell.

Closing his eyes, Silen let his mind wander into the other things. The beautiful land he had sworn to defend. Its soaring winds, singing to him in his cradle. Its proud, faithful folk and its honorable and just king.

But none of that managed to get even close to a young, golden-haired girl. Her beautiful eyes or her beautiful black wings which she, herself, thought to be so ugly. The beautiful way she smiled, how she laughed…

The Princess of Windia.

"Silen! Sileeeen!!"

Silen lifted his eyebrows. Was Aryn dump or something? Had he not already taken the Princess away?

Something swelled in the chest of the soldier. It pressed against his rib cage until he thought that his bones would break because of it. It ran up from his throat and forced his lips open.

"For Windia! For Windiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Neither Aryn nor Nina could watch as the shout was suddenly cut off by a sickening sound, and the rocks in the bottom of the chasm turned red.

* * * *

"Curse you, girl! Wake up! You're still alive!"

It was like the speaker had been all too far away to be really heard. The words reached easily her ears, but it was difficult to penetrate the wall in her mind. That wall, that fortress was built during the hard weeks of her recent life. It was not yet completed, not yet ready to protect her mind, to protect her heart from the world. There were many holes in its defenses. Through them something could slip by and attack her core, sheltering itself from the outside by the same walls it had penetrated.

"Girl! I'm tired of dragging you! Snap back into your senses!"

No harm had fallen on her, that was guaranteed. But there had been nobody to make sure that no harm would fall on the guardian.

The princess's first duty is to her kingdom, to her people. It should have been her duty to protect him!

"Girl!! Don't make me to do this!"

A stinging pain flashed from her cheek and broke through the wall. Grimacing, Nina pressed her fingers onto her face, against the reddish spot in her skin. Aryn's slap had not been crude, but it had been a bit harder than absolutely necessary. More than a bit.

With the feeling of pain came the information gathered by her other senses. They were, once again, standing in the green shelter of the deadly silent forest. The surroundings were completely unknown to Nina. Far, in the distance, she could hear faint roaring of waves crashing against cliffs. They must have run at least some distance. There was no sign of their pursuers. There was no sign of the… the chasm Silen had died in.

"You're here now, girl?" The bodyguard bent down to squarely look into the Windian's eyes. Aryn looked angry. Really angry. Really desperate. The additional edge, Nina noted with surprising coolness, was there, but it looked somehow… cracked. It was as if some of the blade had fallen away. "Come on! We've got to go!" Quickly the protector grabbed Nina's hand and started running through the forest.

"Leave me alone!" With a sudden wave of anger, Nina yanked her hand free. Her legs buckled at her weight and, sobbing, she sank onto the ground.

Muttering a curse Aryn suddenly punched a tree. If he had hoped for any kind of yielding, the wood refused to meet this wish. "He died just like he had wanted, the fool! All along he had been looking for a chance to prove himself!"

Nina did not reply. She stared at the fallen leaves just before her.

"Damn it, girl! He did it so that you could escape! Don't let it go in waste!"

"Don't blame yourself", said Nina suddenly.

There was a startled pause. Aryn scowled at the Windian girl. Had their situation been other, he would have rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. Once again she had hit straight for the mark. "I promised him to keep you safe, Nina. Don't make me to break that promise. Please."

Nina buried her face into her hands and burst in tears. "He died because of me! And you're blaming yourself for it! Blame me! I'm the one to blame!"

Above the treetops, a black shadow, hardly visible against the dark-gray clouds, glided past them. Aryn glared at it as if hoping that his mere will would act as an arrow and shoot the bastard down.

"Still he's waiting", the protector stated, with an ominous tone of voice. "Girl, we've got to go. I need to find a good place for Jei and myself, so that I can kill him."

Gritting her teeth with the memory of the black-winged assassin, Nina hastily wiped her tears. "Let's go", she hissed grimly.

Aryn gave her a long, strange glance before he extended his hand and helped the Windian onto her feet. Silently he shook his head.

* * * *

After a few moments of running the forest suddenly ended. The wood and leaves were cut off by yet another chasm, this one much wider and much, much deeper than the one before. Aryn and Nina found themselves standing on a large, wind-swept ledge. From here they could see much, dark-blue fields of sea opening in the distance both in the east and west. A little further to the south they could see the Bridge Cape, its enormous bridge reaching over the sea-filled cleft, connecting two continents together. The heavy clouds not too far above them had gathered even more thickness and strength: it would be raining soon.

A fitting place.

"Come on, coward", Aryn muttered as he eyed the view. "There's all the free space you need to get the upper hand. I don't care."

"Above you!!"

It was as if Jei Adamanto had heard Aryn's words and acted by them. One of the natural blind spots of a human being is directly above the head. The assassin swooped down like a black arrow, his naginata aimed directly below him, ready to spear the protector like a pig. So quick he was that had there not been Nina's shout, Jei's weapon would have hit its mark.

Aryn leaped backwards and whirled in the air, his hands flying into his sleeves. Even as the naginata's blade hit the ground the protector's hands shot forward, sending a swarm of spinning death dealers at the assassin.

The sword-staff flew and spun. A sound of metal against metal rang over the cliffs as each one of the throwing knives was met with precision. The daggers clattered to the ground with daunting finality.

"Was that your best?" Jei asked with an oblique smile as he finished his move by whirling his weapon onto his shoulder. His coal-black wings, which had framed him like an evil aura of shadows, slowly folded themselves behind his back. "Oh come on, Paws. You can do better."

"Jei Adamanto", Aryn said. Slowly he straightened himself up, glaring at his opponent with a scorn. His hands disappeared again into his sleeves. "The Soaring Lord."

"The Soaring King, Paws", Jei corrected lazily with a wave of his hand. "I am a First Circle now."

No matter how the flame of hate scorched inside her, no matter how much she felt detest when watching at those cold eyes and that jeering smile, Nina could not help but to shudder as her gaze fell on those black feathers. They were the sign of a legend. An evil legend, the prophecy of destruction.

She was not the one of the legend, Nina abruptly realized. It was Jei! He was the one who would bring destruction to Windia! He was the one who would cause her kingdom, the kingdom Silen gave his life for, to bathe in flames!

"What's with your wings?" Aryn asked as he slowly drew out his battle daggers and whirled them into reverse grip. "They were dull grey last time I saw you."

"Oh, I had them colored", Jei replied casually. It was as if the assassin and the bodyguard would have been chatting about everyday matters. "I think it gives a better impression for a first-class assassin."

Nina was not sure should she have been relieved or terrified.

"First-class filth", Aryn corrected coldly. His eyes almost shimmered with their green flame. "You'll never be anything else but filth."

"…is that so?" Jei asked, tilting his head. "We shall --" Without a pause, without any kind of warning the assassin suddenly leaped forward. His naginata cleaved through the air. "-- see!"

Aryn's blades whirled up into a cross parry, from where they immediately fell down to meet the real attack as the assassin's first strike proved to be a fake one. The bodyguard stepped forward, past Jei's defenses -- the assassin retreated with the same speed, keeping his distance to the small blades. Aryn's ponytail billowed as he ducked from the way of a horizontal swing. His daggers flying in defensive arcs the bodyguard leaped away from the wildly spinning naginata.

"Adequate", Jei noted as his weapon whirled back leaning against his shoulder. "For a tame start."

Aryn did not reply immediately. With slow, calculated moves he assumed his battle stance. His mouth was a tight line, his eyes were dour. "Weren't you specialized in that spike whip of yours?"

Jei shrugged as he leveled the naginata at Aryn. "I'm specialized in many weapons. This one is good against that dagger technique of yours. You're still using the same moves as earlier, aren't you? Yes…" He nodded by himself. "I thought so. How else could you hide blades of that size into your sleeves?"

"Shut up, Jei." Aryn dashed forward, moving so low that he looked almost like a hunting cat. His boots scraped against the ground as he suddenly spun around, both of his blades flying into a backslash. Jei parried easily, moving just slightly faster than the bodyguard.

The assassin's night-colored wings spread out and lashed at the air, lifting his boots a little from the ground. His left hand passed through a mystic gesture over his forehead.

"Blast!"

With a bright flash and a thundering boom earth and sand flew into air just before Aryn. Giving out a groan the bodyguard staggered backwards, using his arms to protect his face from the explosion.

Taking advantage of the sudden, strong draft caused by his spell, Jei soared high into the air and swooped down.

"Aryn!"

Aryn did not hear Nina's shout as he again leapt forward, narrowly escaping the naginata's swing. The blade split a crack into the ground. The assassin and the bodyguard passed each other awfully close, with mind-numbing speed.

The fighters regained their balance and turned to face each other once again. Slowly Jei lifted his left hand to touch a little wound, dripping with blood, in his cheek. "This feels…" he said, his lips curling up into a twisted smile, "good."

Aryn simply lifted his daggers, one of them slightly stained with red.

"I really have to thank you for going out of my way back then", Jei said with an approving nod. Again he lifted his naginata onto his shoulder. "With you gone, I had no competition and I could easily get promoted into the rank of a First Circle."

The bodyguard's expression darkened even more. The blades moved in his hands, ready and eager to taste more blood. "Shut up, Jei."

"No way. I'm thanking you by killing you, as all runaways and betrayers are done with. Just as I did with Wolfmund."

Aryn's eyes widened. His cheeks moved a little as he clenched his teeth together. If his eyes had been aflame before, it had been just a tiny candle next to the blaze, which now flared in their green depths. "You --"

Jei nodded grimly. "Nobody betrays the Shadow Society and gets away with it, Paws. Not Wolfmund nor you."

* * * *

Grunting, Wolfmund the Shaft collapsed against an alley wall. His fox-face was twisted into a mask of pain, the reddish fur on his forehead was wet with sweat. His hand clutched convulsively a dark-red, sticky stain in his side.

Curse them all.

He had expected an attempt to silence him ever since the very moment he had sent an arrow to kill Star-edge, but even he had not known that the Shadow Society would have acted so quickly. Either they had had an eye on him for a longer while, or everything had just happened to occur with a bad timing.

Really bad timing.

On the very same day he had slain Star-edge a member of the First Circle, the Soaring King, had paid him a little visit at the Shining Sword. Most of the First Circles were able to plunge a dagger past ribs so quickly that the victim died before uttering a moan or even before shuddering. They just stiffened up into their chairs. Nobody would notice anything before somebody attempted to bother the unusually still and quiet customer.

Fortunately, the Forest Clansman knew enough about Jei to be ready. He had been able to twist his body just a little before Soaring King's dagger had struck under the table. The blade had not reached his heart, as had been its purpose. The rest had been easy -- hold back the gasp of pain, do not say anything, do not move… act like a dead one acts.

The night had been one agony for Wolfmund. Knowing the disguising methods of his guild, he had not yet dared to find a healer for himself. All too many survivors of an assassin's first attack had found out that their "healers" had the intentions of the direct opposite from healing. Dictated by his sense of patience, Wolfmund had spent a night in an alley, attempting to take care of the wound all by himself. At least his luck and caution had bought him some more time.

More time to bleed to death.

A cheering thought, that.

He had to find a "safe" healer and soon. He knew nobody in this town, so everybody was a possible assassin. When you are being hunted by assassins, you can not afford to be too trusty.

If Aryn found out that Jei had "killed" -- or soon really had killed, considering the amount of blood coming out from the wound -- Wolfy, the things would not be nice for him. For Jei, that is. Wolfmund's brother would make him pay dearly.

Though he knew that it would be just as painful for Aryn as it would be for the Soaring King, the thought gave Wolfy a certain, dark pleasure.

* * * *

A bolt of lightning flashed among the dark-grey clouds above their heads. The sun had hidden from the storm's wrath. It was only a little brighter than at night. A wind was picking up strength and speed, billowing the treetops and Aryn's wide sleeves. It would not be long until the first drops would fall into the ground.

Nina swallowed and unconsciously took a step backwards. Her mouth was all too dry. Her heart had skipped a beat at Jei's words, both with the news about Wolfmund and… the news about Aryn.

An assassin? Paws?

After the first moment of shock her sense refused to believe that. Or, actually, her sense had more important things to do. Things like being scared like hell.

Aryn's eyes told that the storm building strength around them was nothing compared to the turbulence raging inside the protector. He gripped his daggers hard, their blades trembled with their lust for blood.

"The poor lad", Jei continued casually. "He had no chances against me. Just like you won't have." The smile died from his lips and he leveled his naginata at his opponent. "Aryn 'Paws' Seaholt, a promising assassin of the Second Circle. You were a good rival back then, but now…" Something passed over Jei's face. An imaginative observer could have thought it to be pity. "You're all rusted up. A dull blade, so to speak. I wonder if I should kill that girl just to show you that…?"

"Shut up, Jei", Aryn growled through his clenched teeth. "Just… shut…up!" A light-blue flash of lightning was reflected from the blades of his daggers as he dashed forward.

Jei smirked. His naginata flying once again through the air, he leapt to meet his opponent. The metal stroke sparks as the blades met each other, parted and came together again. The boots beat the ground, kicking sand and dust into air as they carried the fighters in the battle. Back and forth on the cliff they went, circling left and right, always seeking for weak points in each others' defenses, always exchanging blows with ever-quickening rhythm. The bodyguard moved faster than ever, but the assassin held his ground well. Attack, parry, counter-attack, dodge, each strike and slash was met with precision, nothing got through. Jei and Aryn moved in almost perfect harmony, their blades flying in their dazzling, swift dance of death, flashing and singing their dreaded song.

Their techniques were direct opposites of each other. While the bodyguard attempted to move inside the blind spot of Jei's naginata's defenses, the assassin moved to keep a distance at Aryn, taking advantage of his longer weapon. Both of them fought with equal speed, neither of them got the edge over the another nor fell into the disadvantage.

A soaring raptor and a stalking cat.

Jei parried another slash and then swung his naginata around, sending its blunt end towards Aryn's head. The bodyguard stepped backwards, moving his face just far enough to get out of his opponent's reach.

Something clicked.

Out of the naginata's blunt end sped out a spear head. Aryn barely had time to react. The sharp metal spilled blood, drawing a long, crimson line into the bodyguard's cheek. Aryn gasped as he staggered backwards, his own blood staining his shirt.

"Surprise", Jei smiled as he fluidly let his weapon's blade arch through air toward stunned Aryn's head.

Instead of dodging or parrying, the bodyguard stepped forward, out of the blade's way and right into the path of naginata's wooden pole. Both of his daggers fell to the ground as he grabbed his enemy's weapon and forced it to move its course downward. Jei's eyes had just enough time to widen before the bodyguard's boot slammed into his face.

The assassin and the protector broke away from each other, both staggering and panting. Aryn bent down to pick up his battle daggers, his grim eyes never leaving his opponent. Blood had covered most of his right cheek. Jei's smile had never left his lips, but now it has attained a new, almost sick aspect. The assassin whirled his naginata back onto his shoulder and wiped his forehead with his free hand.

"Ah, this feels so good, Paws. Just like the old times."

A bolt of lightning flashed through the heavens, the bellow of its terrifying rage echoed over the lands and sea. Dark spots had appeared onto the rocks all around them, and each moment increased their number as more raindrops fell from the iron-gray clouds.

Aryn did not reply. Lifting his daggers, he once again dashed for his enemy.

Nina's eyes widened in alarm as she noticed something. "Aryn! Look out!!"

Jei did not leap to answer this attack. Seemingly out of nowhere a black, spike-covered whip appeared into his left hand. Snapping through the air faster than eye could follow, its lash wrapped around the advancing bodyguard like a tentacle of some dark beast.

Aryn gasped in pain, but did not slow down.

The assassin smirked as he changed his hold of the whip and yanked. Together with the bodyguard's own momentum, it was more than enough to send Aryn forward and off his feet. He stumbled, tripped and fell…

Right off the ledge, down into the chasm.

Thunder boomed.

"Aryn!!" Little caring what she did, Nina ran forward. Her black wings unfurled behind her, as if in some sort of parody of Jei Adamanto. Her eyes were red with tears. Her little fists lifted before her, the Windian girl hurtled herself at the Soaring King.

Jei sent her backward with a slap of his left palm. He had had to release his grip of the whip as the bodyguard had pulled it with him into the gorge. "You really cared that much about that assassin?"

Nina gasped as she stumbled onto her back. I hate him, was the only thing she could think. I hate him, I hate him!

"And so fall all the traitors", the Soaring King laughed as he took a step toward the Windian girl. Framed by his night-black wings, wind tugging at his shoulder-long hair, lightning illuminating his mocking, sickly smile, he looked like Death itself. "He wasn't much of a challenge."

Nina struggled to get up. "You --"

Her voice was cut off by a loud, snapping sound as the black whip flashed around Jei's throat, its little spikes sinking into his flesh. Grunting, the assassin staggered backwards, his naginata clattered to the ground as he attempted to release the leash.

The whip was yanked. Hard.

His wings reflexively spreading out to soften his falling, Jei took another step backward and fell over the ledge. The fall was not long, as the assassin quickly grabbed the closest thing he could.

Which was Aryn's shoulder.

The eyes of the assassin and the bodyguard met for the tiniest of moments. Anger sparkled and crackled in those green eyes. It was a gaze of pain and hatred, a gaze of someone who was planning to get some retribution for what he had suffered. Jei wrenched his eyes away from that gaze and quickly looked around.

They were hanging above absolutely nothing. Below their boots, a long distance away and barely visible in the storm, was the bottom of the chasm. They were hanging closely against the cliff, supported by…

Aryn was hanging with his right hand, desperately gripping a silver-handled dagger. The blade of that dagger was neatly hilt-deep in the rock. The little, pitiful silver weapon was the only thing, which kept them from falling!

Again Jei just smiled his crazed smile at those grim eyes that were ready to kill him. Pressing his black boots against the rock wall, the assassin kicked, his momentum pulling the dagger out of the cliff and sending both him and the bodyguard falling. "Fly away or die away!" Jei shouted as he unfurled his wings and spun in the air to stop his falling.

Using the cliff wall for support, Aryn leaped and somersaulted in the air. His hand grabbed the assassin's shoulder and drew him close. A stinging, burning pain surged through Jei's body as the bodyguard sank a throwing knife into the base of a black wing, cutting muscle and sinew.

"Fly now, bastard", Aryn hissed into horrified Jei's ear and kicked the assassin spinning away.

Thunder easily quelled the assassin's howl as he fell, as if the nature itself would have been laughing and mocking at him. The bellowing also quelled another, weaker but not a drop less terrified and desperate shout:

The gravity did not answer Nina's wish. The bodyguard did not stop his falling and soon disappeared into the darkness of the gorge.

A lightning flashed through the heavens like a glowing arrow sent by the gods themselves.

Previous: Chapter XII
Next: Chapter XIV
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