The storm had ceased.

Earth was dark and wet. Rocks were shining and slippery, plants gleamed and looked refreshed, having fully enjoyed their bath. Slowly the weaker plants, bent down by the wrath of storm, started to straighten their stalks. Carefully, almost meekly, the sun peeked over the grey clouds.

A quiet sob came from the base of an ancient, gnarled tree.

Once again hiding her face into her hands, Nina cursed her life. She did not know if her cheeks were wet more because of the storm or of her own tears. How dared they do this to her, leaving her all alone again!

Her family, her people, even her friends. All gone. Dead, gone away or banished her.

"I'm cursed", she whispered to the gnarled tree which had offered her its unyielding body as a shelter from the storm. "Black wings, black destiny… Am I really destined to bring destruction to all around me?" Throwing her head backwards, she accidentally hit it against stone-hard bark. Ignoring the pain, she shouted: "Answer me!"

The tree said nothing.

"I really liked them", Nina continued. Slowly, almost as if her every move would be painful, she started struggling to get up. "Silen and Aryn… Why did they have to die?"

Her clothes were wet. She was shivering and hungry, but the worst of it all was the feeling of loss. Once again she was being pushed into another crossroad, another turn in the path of life in which she, herself, had no power to affect. The feeling was crushing. It weighted her shoulders and wings like a dark cloak made of lead.

The tree had no words to comfort her.

Nina eyed that hateful gorge a short distance away. As she had already done several times during the storm, once again the Windian girl found herself pondering if she should just leap down, end the curse, end the pain, end it all…

"A curse or not, Aryn and Silen died for me", she reminded herself. "They would shout at me if I came to them so soon."

But it just was not fair.

Doing her best to ignore the grumbling coming up from her belly, she turned her back to the gorge and started, slowly, walking into the woods.

Fair or not, she had to at least try and prove that their deaths were not in vain. Suppose if she attempted to --

"Meow."

The sudden noise made her stop into her tracks. Hastily wheeling around, she met the blazing eyes of Cat, standing on the very brink of the gorge. Slowly, majestically, the animal tilted its head. Then it turned and, gingerly, took a step downwards, to a rock bulging out from the gorge's wall.

"You've got to be kidding!" Nina suddenly shouted and rushed forward. Not Cat, too! "You can't go there!"

Cat lifted its head and looked at Nina. Again her imagination made the words told by those eyes:

Then the animal took another step, onto another rock a bit below the first one.

"Don't leave me!" Nina had to resist an urge to leap forward and grab the silly animal into her lap. Her black wings trembled. Again she sank onto her knees. "You can't leave me all alone!"

Even though the feeling of scorn almost oozed from the animal's black fur, Cat seemed to consider this statement more carefully. It tilted its head and examined the Windian girl with its blazing gaze.

Slowly, reluctantly, Cat pawed its way up from the gorge and to Nina. It's snow-tipped tail swayed back and forth, its yellow eyes were but slits as it brushed its silk-soft head against the Windian girl's hand.

Nina sobbed and scooped the animal into her lap, almost strangling the poor thing while desperately hugging it.

* * * *

"I wonder where we should head", Nina said to Cat as the two of them made their way through the ancient, ever-lasting green that was the wilderness. The woods around them had never been touched by a hand of a human or a member of any Clan. Every now and then the Windian had to bend branches of trees and bushes, occasionally even to break them, in order to get forward. Her dirty, stained cloak had a constant habit of getting stuck with wooden limbs, sticks or thorns.

Cat, of course, had no such problems. The lithe hunter walked in the green with damnable ease, watching the progress of Nina with clearly amused state of mind.

Once again the Windian girl reminded herself of the facts of the situation: this was no picnic. She had no supplies save for a little pouch of money and another containing a tinderbox, a couple vials of oil and other small tools of camp-setting. She had no idea of her location. She knew that she was somewhere between the city of Coursair and the Bridge Cape, but that was all. During the mad nightmare of the hunt of the assassins, they had strayed all too far from the main road.

It did not occur to her that her location was a very fortunate one: being this near to the Bridge Cape, she had only two ways to go, to the north or to the south.

What did occur to her was that she was over a day's travel from Coursair, the only possible source of supplies she knew about. Her grumbling belly would not allow her to wait that long.

Once again the fate demonstrated its crude ways of snatching Nina out from her thoughts. She was climbing a gentle slope, which was mostly covered with thick, deep-green moss with gnarly roots and branches sticking out here and there. Using them as handholds to ease her advancing she made her way upwards -- until she happened to grab something awfully soft, which came easily up from the ground.

It was a hand.

A cold, five-fingered human hand, with no human body attached to the other end.

Gasping with horror, her eyes wide with surprise, Nina threw the thing away and instinctively leapt backwards, rolling the entire slope down. After she had finally stopped, the Windian girl struggled to her knees, gasped again, and vomited.

It took a long while before she managed to gather her wits again and dared to reclimb the slope. What waited on the top of the hillside was no less unpleasant surprise as the first warning had been.

Dead, wet bodies littered the landscape. They lay on the ground in different positions and postures, some of them had their sightless eyes open, staring at the sky, while the faces of others were hidden into the grass. Every one of them wore different kinds of armors, from worn, studded leather jackets to patched chain mails. Near each one of them was some sort of weapon, a sword, a club, a scimitar or a spear.

Nina counted at least nine bodies, each of them slain -- even her inexperienced eye could easily see this -- quickly, efficiently and without mercy. With a few exceptions like the man with a severed hand and another without one leg, all of them probably had had very little -- if any -- of painful moments before Death had come to collect its toll.

Another shocking detail struck Nina's eye: some of the weapons, even metal swords and shields had been totally cleaved in two, their pieces separated from each other with a cut smooth like surface of a mirror.

As this horrible realization made its way into Nina's mind, one of the bodies suddenly shifted. Instantly the Windian girl took a step backwards, preparing to turn and run for her very life. A zombie! This had to be work of a demon if even the slain refused to stay still!

Then the body moaned and lifted its head, which had been covered by a wet and thick, red mane of hair. And, although the eyes were empty and cold and the muzzle of a fox was twisted into a little grimace of pain, Miss Shade looked awfully lively to be a zombie just yet.

Instantly recognizing the First Circle assassin who had fought against Silen, Nina's urge to run redoubled. She took another step backwards.

To Shade, this seemed to be an amusing maneuver. A spec of mild mirth was mixed into her mask of pain as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. The Forest Clanswoman's brown clothes were stained dark and she gripped her side with one hand. "Princess", the assassin greeted Nina, lowering her head into a respecting nod.

"You killed Silen", Nina whispered in reply. Her hands clenched into fists and her black wings quivered. The urge to run disappeared, was burnt away by a flame of anger and hate.

Miss Shade lifted one eyebrow and said nothing.

"You killed Aryn!" Noticing that the assassin was badly wounded, weaponless and therefore helpless, Nina took a step forward. Her eyes darted back and forth the battlefield, looking for something to wield… Her heart pounding, her blood fueled by the heat of anger, born from the feeling of loss, she hastily stumbled a few steps to grab a long sword from the ground. It was heavy, and she had to grip its handle with both hands. Finally, at long last, she could get repayment! An embodiment of her pain laying just before her, helpless, able to do nothing but to watch in horror as she would send the assassin to the…

Miss Shade watched her progress without any kind of expression. Silently she lifted her gaze as the Windian princess lifted her weapon and came closer… and still, the assassin did nothing!

Clenching her teeth, Nina lifted the blade far above her head and prepared to strike.

The assassin did… nothing.

Miss Shade just watched the princess. Her eyes held no fear, no eagerness, no pain, no expectation. Nothing. Absolutely, totally, nothing.

Moments passed.

The sword turned heavier in Nina's hands. Her arms shook and the blade's handle threatened to slip from her palms.

Slowly, expectantly, Miss Shade again lifted one eyebrow. Finally her patience seemed to end and quietly she said: "Well?"

The sword clattered against rocks. Moaning and sobbing, Nina sank down before Shade. "Why don't you feel fear!? Why can't anybody other but me feel pain?!"

Miss Shade did not reply. Something, however, slowly appeared into her eyes. They softened a little as a touch of pity and… perhaps it was regret… came into their depths. Ignoring her own wounds, she extended her free hand and drew the black-winged Windian next to her, comforting her with her own presence.

"Because I know you are not a killer, Princess. You are safe, now", the Forest Clanswoman whispered while closing her own eyes. "Nobody will hurt you."

* * * *

"What happened here?"

Miss Shade opened her eyes and lifted them to watch the sky, searching for the place of the sun. It was well late afternoon. Though there still were pieces of heavy, dark clouds hanging above them, the assassin also noticed one another, very interesting thing in the sky. Setting this observation aside, she concentrated in the sudden question: "Extremely bad luck joined with bad leadership. After finding a way around the gorge, we were stopped by a stranger who asked a question from us… He was looking for a man called… Aryn Seaholt." She kept a pause, reflecting this name. "Hain did not like any more delays so he ordered his cutthroats to kill this stranger. Bad luck… for us, that is. I am fortunate to actually be alive. I knew that we were at ill odds by the manner this stranger drew his sword and said that he was--"

* * * *

"-- not interested in silly squabbles today", announced the tall, cool-featured man, dressed in a long, black coat, as he leveled his long blade before him. The weapon was crafted from the purest silver, its surface shone and glimmered even in the weakest of lights. Lifting his free hand to wipe a lock of his silver hair from his face, the stranger continued: "But I will defend myself if you are foolish enough to draw your weapons."

Hain chuckled as he stroked his chin. "Foolish?" he echoed, mimicing the frost-hair's odd accent. "Which one of us is foolish, I wonder? There are ten of us and only one of you."

Next to him, Miss Shade narrowed her eyes as her mind darted back and forth, estimating odds and reading this new opponent. Slowly, carefully, she assumed a defensive stance with her scimitar.

"Oh, I don't mind", replied the stranger, his tone betrayed his slight annoyance of the situation. "Well? Which one of you shall die first or are you going to come at me all at once?"

The bandits came all at once.

The stranger darted to meet them. His sword lunged in a silvery blur, deadly in its incredible swiftness. He moved through the group like a cold whirlwind, like an icy gale. One by one the bandits fell, the first one not even touching the ground as the second fighter was already following him. Steel clashed against silver. One of the thugs didn't have the time to even scream before he was already dead.

The sign of the Silver Dragon shone and glittered in the back of the frost-hair's coat as the swordsmaster continued his grim task. His moves were sure, swift and merciless.

The Forest Clanswoman was a really good one. She held her ground for almost seven seconds.

* * * *

Nina frowned and pulled herself away from the assassin. This… stranger… sounded awfully familiar. But even more was she alarmed by the mention of another man in Miss Shade's short tale. "Hain?" She almost spat the name. "A man with dark hair and tanned complexion? So he's the one after me!"

This was becoming tiresome. Yet another enemy for her to run away from. Somehow, she couldn't become too worried anymore.

"I thought very much so", Miss Shade replied in her emotionless, calculating tone. "Of course, he is not among the dead. His kind of men run away on the first chance --" She actually grimaced and gripped her side more tightly. A tiny smile crept over the assassin's muzzle as she noticed the worried expression on the Windian's face. "A bad cut, I shall admit that, but not fatal… yet."

With a wave of her free hand she quelled Nina's answer onto her lips. "Enough about me. You shall never become an assassin, so it would be best for you to go now."

Nina bit her lip for one, helpless moment. "But where?"

Miss Shade lifted her gaze to a thin streak of smoke rising up behind the treeline. This was the interesting detail she had noticed earlier, and now it was the time to put that knowledge to use: "It is said that in the wilderness, if one is not clearly your enemy, there is a good possibility that he is your friend. That is a campfire there, Princess Nina. Seek your shelter from there."

"But what about --"

"No buts, Princess. Go, or I shall kill you on this spot." The eerie, chilling calmness Miss Shade used to say these words made Nina instantly take several steps backwards. Even though the Forest Clanswoman was armless and badly wounded, her mere aura seemed to be capable of fulfilling this threat. "This world is full of assassins, bandits and rogues, Princess. Never forget that. Very few of them are as kind as this promising assassin I trained many years ago. Aryn Seaholt was his name, Princess."

She exhaled, closed her eyes and laid onto her back, still clutching the wound in her side. "Never forget that, either."

* * * *

With all the grace and agility of an avian predator, a hawk swooped down, plummeting like a dark bolt of lightning from the sky. Its curved talons opened and closed, too quick to be seen, and then the prey was already doomed, its leather wings torn to shreds. The hawk, however, had no intention to stay and enjoy this victory. Quickly the bird took more altitude and began arching away.

Sensing that her pupil was about to escape, Raven snatched a red scarf from her belt and whistled, waving the cloth in air. Though the damned bird was still learning the art of hunting, it had learnt to obey this command a long time ago.

The hawk complied, again swooping down from the sky and, beating its wings to slow its speed, landed onto Raven's extended hand. Deadly talons closed around her thick leather glove.

"Good girl", the woman purred as she slipped a velvet hood over the bird's head. "That's enough for you today." She turned and started heading over the clearing, back towards her camp. She stopped to retrieve the leather fake-bird from the ground and inspected the damage, a smile creeping over her face. "Ooh. For this, I'll mix something really good for you today."

Raven's approach was greeted by numerous screeches, whistles and screams, rising from the throats of an entire swarm of hawks perched in a large cage loaded onto her wagons. On the contrary, her beast of burden, an enormous and incredibly stubborn biruburu, did not even lift its head from the grass it was contently chewing.

Carefully placing her most recent trainee into the company of other birds, she turned her attention to a pot of stew cooking on her campfire. It had been a difficult task to set the wood aflame after a storm, but now the fire was happily eating its feast.

Raven was on a good mood. The blasted storm had made her birds uneasy and thoroughly soaked her clothes, but she wasn't one of those types who curse such things for too long. Besides, unpredictability of the wilderness was one of those reasons why she loved to travel. Only one or two days more and she would be on the other side of the Bridge Cape, in the village where her sister was waiting.

Suddenly, Raven felt how her hawks became uneasy. Though the birds did not seem to act in any unusual way, her experienced eye saw even the smallest of changes in their behavior, the way they moved their wings, the quiet sounds they let out. The communication was so easy, so clear that it was almost as if she was directly reading their minds. She knew that they had sensed something approaching.

Straightening herself up, she turned to eye the forest around her. A quiet breeze rustling the leaves, a rabbit leaping through bushes… Everything was about as "quiet" and "still" as a forest could ever be during daytime. Somewhere… ah, there.

"Ho, wanderer!" she shouted without hesitation. "You've been seen. So come out and let me have a good look at you!"

What, or rather, who came out of the forest was not exactly what Raven had been expecting. She had presumed that it would be a woodsman, a hunter. Or perhaps a mercenary or a ranger.

But certainly, she had not expected a young girl. And on the top of that, she was a Windian. In her feet there was a coal-black cat, its yellow eyes answering to Raven's glance with an intense stare.

"Lost of your parents, lass?" Raven asked as she briskly strode to meet the girl. "I'm Raven. What's your name?"

The girl was clearly taken aback by this straightforward manner of speaking. She hesitated for a moment, even took one step backwards into the forest, before she finally managed to speak.

"I'm… Nina."

Raven was a striking figure. Her hair was a luxurious mane of the deepest shade of midnight. Her complexion was somewhat darker than what was normal for the people of this region. Her face, however, stroke a jolting contrast to these dark colors: her fine features were covered with numerous scars, their whiteness clearly visible against her skin. With her sure-footed manner of moving and a self-confident smile on her lips, she was beautiful in her own, wild way.

She was dressed in a broad, dark-red skirt and a white linen shirt, with sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The picture was finished with a pair of large, golden earrings and numerous colorful scarves tied onto her waist and around her neck.

"Nina, eh?" Raven continued, "no surname?"

To Nina, her voice seemed to be all too amused. She didn't like that. "You didn't say yours either, did you?" she snapped with a suddenness which certainly startled even herself.

If the Windian had been expecting a frown and a sharp reply, she was disappointed. Raven did not look resentful. As a matter of fact, she laughed. "Oh, that's true enough. They call me Raven and that's enough. If they call you Nina, that should be enough, too. Come, you look hungry and wet. The food's not ready just yet, but I have some fruits around here."

* * * *

"What are you staring at, girl?" Raven suddenly asked, her lips drawn again into that inclined smile.

Hastily Nina snatched her eyes from the woman and pretended to focus her attention into her food. She was angry that the woman had again managed to catch her stare. She was sure that Raven had already noticed her eyes much earlier, but the woman had not said anything, not until now. Nina had had plenty of time to get used to them, but still, she just couldn't keep herself from staring at those scars, which broke the otherwise perfect beauty of Raven's face. The woman was certainly unfortunate, having to bear such horrible marks --

"Don't worry about my scars." It was almost as if Raven had read Nina's mind. But then again, perhaps she had faced a similar situation numerous times before. "They don't bother me. Why should they bother you?" She waved her hand, cutting Nina's reply before she had even managed to say it. "Oh come on. Do I look that horrible with a few scars? They are on my face to remind me what I should respect. And they do a good job at that."

"Where did you get them?" Nina asked and immediately regretted those words. Too late had she realized how painful memories her thoughtless question had to bring into Raven's mind. Quickly the Windian girl drew breath and started stammering an apology.

Again Raven cut her short. Her reply was said lightly: "Oh, it was several years ago, when I was a girl of… a bit older age than you are. I was still learning the way of birds, so I was a little bit too careless when climbing to see a hawk's nest on a certain cliff far away from here. I hadn't noticed that the Mommy Hawk was still around." She laughed, a loud, hearty laugh. "Boy, that bird taught me a lesson… I broke an arm and a leg as I fell down from that cliff. Don't show me that face, lass. Yeah, it hurt a lot, but it was a long time ago. Doesn't hurt anymore, you know."

With these words, the black-haired woman stood up, leaving Nina to warm herself up at the campfire. Well aware of the Windian girl's eyes in her back, Raven strode to her wagons. A quiet whistle, like a trill of a little bird, escaped her lips. The hawks in the cage obeyed. They hopped and leapt on their perches, moving toward the cage door. The first one to reach it -- Nina gasped -- opened the little hatch and hopped outside, onto the extended hand of Raven. The hawk was quickly followed by others, perching themselves onto the shoulders and arms of their mistress.

Soon Raven was completely covered with birds. It looked like the woman was wearing a magnificent feather-covered cloak. Though the hawks' talons were deadly sharp, she did not look a drop concerned of her safety. "Now", she purred, "time for a meal…What on earth you are staring at, lass? I'm not going to feed you to them!"

Nina giggled at her words. "No, I just -- How can you keep the cage hatch unlocked? They could escape any moment!"

Raven, who had not taken any kind of offence from Nina's snaps or abrupt questions, suddenly sobered. Her expression darkened and she frowned with disapproval. "My birds are no prisoners", she announced quietly. There was a great pride, even menace in that voice. "They stay with me only as long as they want."

She was like a Queen of birds, clad in her luxurious feather cloak and announcing her judgement. Nina couldn't help imagining Queen Hina, her mother, into the place of that dark-haired woman.

"A bird locked into a cage?" Raven asked. "What kind of reward is that to a noble hunter who catches your food? What right do I have to steal its freedom?" She shook her head. "There is no right. No. Nothing at all."

There was a pause, full of tension, as Nina stared at Raven and her court of hawks. Then the black-haired woman again startled the Windian girl with a full smile. Her teeth were perfectly white, another striking contrast against her dark locks and dusky complexion. "Did I scare you again?" she asked airily. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just that I can't stand the idea of keeping hawks in cages."

Once again Nina couldn't help but think of Hina. Her mother, too, was able to perform such a sudden transformation, from an official and formal ruler into a loving mother. "I should be the one to say 'sorry'!" she replied with a little, forced smile.

"Come closer, Nina", Raven said as she started placing her hawks onto little perches sticking out of her wagons. "I'll show you how to feed them. Don't make any sudden moves close to them and speak only with a calm tone. You see, raptors as they are, they sense fear…" She paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied her birds.

To Nina, there was nothing strange about the hawks. Raven, however, seemed to disagree: "… among many other things", she finished, turning to face the forest once again. "We have company."

How had Raven noticed it, Nina had no idea. One moment, everything had been just fine, but now the dark-haired woman was alert and ready for anything. Her eyes were nothing but slits as her gaze swept over the woods with care, searching for any source of movement.

Aryn, too! Nina suddenly realized. Aryn, too, could sense someone approaching in the same way! But how?

"Ho there!" Raven shouted, startling Nina from her thoughts, "You have been seen, mister! You can come here openly!"

"But of course!" replied a voice which sent a chill surging through Nina's spine. She had heard it before! "Only a thief would creep in the bushes, eh?"

A man stepped into the clearing. His complexion had been tanned dark by the merciless sun. His hair was very dark brown, almost black. He was dressed in brown leather clothes and a tell-tale red scarf was tied around his neck.

Hain.

"Well, bonjour there, beauty", the tan-skin said to Raven, performing a deep bow. His hand, however, never left the hilt of a slim rapier on his side.

"Who are you?" Raven asked, lifting her hands to her hips.

"He's Hain", Nina suddenly snapped. Her voice was sharp and angry. "He's been hunting me for days! He's evil!"

At her feet, Cat bared its fangs and let out a loud hiss. Perhaps it recognized Hain, or maybe it sensed the tone of the Windian's voice. Whatever the reason, it, too, was preparing for a battle.

Hain looked fatally offended by Nina's words. "But -- " He put his hands onto his chest and tilted his head innocently. "But Miss Nina! I was sent after you by your father soon after you got lost of our company. Day and night I have tracked you and rushed to your side, and this is what I get for it? You call me, your faithful servant, evil?"

"So, you really have lost from your parents?" Raven asked, focusing her gaze on the Windian girl. Then her eyes narrowed. "Or did you run away?"

Nina swallowed hard.

Hain let out a loud sigh as he strode forward, across the clearing. "Miss Nina has always been a kind of tomboy", he said smoothly. "Ready to run away from the drop of a hat. Lady, I'll tell her father how you helped me to reach her before anything bad could happen. I'm sure he's gonna reward you well."

"He's lying!" Nina shouted, desperately. "My father hasn't sent anybody!"

Raven lifted one of her dark eyebrows.

"But Miss!" Hain said, his voice slightly worried. "Please come with me! Everything's already been forgiven. Your parents have worried sick over you!"

"No! I'm not coming back again!" Nina shouted at the top of her lungs. The flame of anger and fear, which had become so familiar to her recently, burned brightly within her. Why everybody always had to hunt her? What had she done to deserve such a thing? "They sent me away! I'm not coming back!"

Over her anger washed fear. The fear of ending up all alone again. Should Hain succeed with his lies and get Raven abandon her, she would have nobody in this world… Not again!

"There's no point in running anymore, Miss Nina", Hain persuaded. He was considerably closer now. Within a few moment he would be close enough to grab Nina. "Please, come home with me…" Slowly he extended his hand, inviting…

"No! You can't -- "

Nina was cut short by a quiet snort. Raven, who had been quiet and serious during this entire scene, suddenly began to giggle. This reaction alone was enough to stop Hain into his tracks. The giggle became a chuckle. And then the dark-hair was laughing, her bright voice echoing everywhere in the clearing. "Oh come on now", Raven finally said, putting her palm against her forehead. "Let's quit this farce, ok?"

"Farce?" Hain asked, taking a wary step backwards. "What farce?"

"Well…Hain, wasn't it?", Raven began, "First, you're about the worst actor I've ever seen. And second". She paused, glancing at Nina. Her smile was warm. "And second, I know a lost girl when I see one. After all, I've been one myself."

Nina's eyes widened. Her pulse quickened as she heard those words. A spark of hope re-appeared inside her. Raven was taking her side!

"So," the dark-hair continued, "if that isn't a farce, I don't know what is."

There was a pause. A nervous pause. Then Hain smirked.

"Well, I guess my little plot failed", the tan-skin said, assuming his cocky pose. "S'ppose I'll have to do this in the hard way." With those words he drew his rapier.

Although Nina was no weapons expert, she did recognize the unique craftsmanship of a Windian rapier. It was a long and slim sword with two edges and a very sharp point. Though its slenderness made the blade fragile, it was very easy to maneuver and a very deadly weapon in skilled hands.

She swallowed. Hain was ready to use that thing, and Raven had no weapon to defend herself! The woman was doomed.

Angrily shaking her head, the Windian girl tried to fight against the cold fingers of fear once again closing around her stomach. This time, she wouldn't just stand there, watching as this bandit sliced her newest friend to pieces!

She knew nothing about fighting, but at least she had one spell, which she could use. That spell had already saved her life once. There was no reason why it couldn't save Raven, too! Attempting to keep her teeth from rattling, she clenched them tightly together. Slowly, her fingers started to move, seeking the patterns of the spell…

Raven just chuckled. "Put that thing away or you'll be sorry, mister."

Hain tilted his head. "Sorry?" he asked with a confident tone. "Why should I be sorry? Are you going to draw a knife from that iiiiiimpresssive bodice of yours?"

"Oh, thank you for your compliment", Raven replied, mimicing Hain's exaggerated tone. "Though my knife is hidden somewhere else… and there's plenty of them."

Hain lowered his rapier and rubbed his jaw. His lips had been drawn into a slanted smirk as he eyed Raven up and down. "Oh, once this is over, I'll be happy to seek them out. But now -- "

"But now", Raven interrupted him, "Let me introduce those knives to you!" With a lighting-fast move she snatched a bright blue scarf from her waist and waved it in air.

"Yaaa-yayayayayaaaaa!"

It was the weirdest shout Nina had ever heard. Dumbfounded, the Windian girl watched as Raven gracefully spun in one direction, then another. Her feet beat the ground. Her red skirt shuffled and flowed as she danced her wild dance. And all the while she waved her scarf in the air.

Realizing that something was going on, Hain lunged forward, his rapier darting ready to impale the dark-hair. He acted too late.

The hawks seemed to recognize Raven's dance. Screaming angrily they spread their wings and fluttered into air. Beaks opened. Curved talons were lifted ready. Wings beat the air. Within mere seconds the entire host of avian hunters swept down, and Hain was their prey.

Tan-skin's eyes widened as he suddenly faced an enemy he couldn't pierce just like that. Hawks spun everywhere around him, raked him with their claws, pecked him with their beaks, beat him with their wings. A sight of spinning feathers filled his eyes. Angry screeching and hooting flooded into his ears.

Hain wasn't one of those types who got scared easily. But he certainly knew when it was time to perform a tactical retreat. Though he didn't know if there was anything "tactical" in stumbling across the clearing, waving his rapier in a futile attempt to chase the hawks away.

A beak bit his fingers, almost making him to lose his grip of his sword. Another hawk got hold of his scarf with its claws. A third one, seeking his eyes, raked crimson lines over his face. Hain plunged forward, rolled amidst wet grass and struggled to get onto his feet. Those damned hawks were everywhere!

Even worse than those stinging beaks or ripping claws was the laughter. The hearty voice of Raven rose above the screeching of hawks. Though the cursed birds did not follow Hain as he dived into the shelter of thick bushes, that laughter accompanied him everywhere. Soon it was joined by another voice, a quieter, yet no less annoying giggling.

"Au revoir, beauty", Raven said after the last sign of Hain had disappeared into the forest. She blew a kiss after him, waving her scarf like bidding a heartfelt goodbye to a darling.

Beside her, Nina wiped tears from her eyes. Suppose she shouldn't laugh at other people's peril, but that baffled expression on Hain's face had been a bit too much to hold back! Then she quickly sobered again. "What if he'll come back?" she asked weakly. "He's been after me for a long time now. He won't give up yet."

"Lass", Raven said as she started calling her birds back. "You worry too much. He'll come when he'll come. There's no point in worrying about it now."

Nina watched as this dark-haired woman praised and caressed her hawks as they returned to their mistress. She sounded so optimistic… But then again, what would Raven have to fear, with her host of faithful hunters guarding her safety? Truly, it was good that those hawks did not have to spend their days all locked up in a cage, unlike… unlike…

"You're right", Nina said after a short while. "Thank you for helping me."

"Hey, that's why there are people called 'friends'", Raven replied briskly.

Previous: Chapter XIII
Next: Chapter XV
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