His cloak ruffling gently around his lean form, his scaled tail slithering behind him, Essar Shoo moved in the gloom like just another shade in the sea of shadows. His yellow-black eyes shimmered as he scanned his surroundings, his forked tongue flashing out and back in with even periods. He didn't have to hurry, because during the time the Windian princess had been thinking for a solution to his "trap", the snake-wizard had woven a subtle spell of confusion over her. While weak and unobtrusive, it would keep the girl within the storehouse blocks by making her to take wrong turns and lose track of the landmarks.

Cat's hunt for the mouse had begun… Or, as Essar dryly corrected himself, the snake's hunt for the bird. What a lovely comparison, now that you thought about it…

The snake-wizard pushed such speculations from his mind and concentrated on more topical matters at hand. Matters like the dark shape that had been following him for a little while already.

Deciding to end this little game, Essar turned directly at the door niche where he knew his tailer was currently hiding. "Please come out, Mr. Hain", he asked both dryly and politely.

A single breath later one shadow stepped away from the others and the tan-skinned Joker walked forward. He moved determinedly, but the pace of his steps made it very clear to Essar that he walked at his own pleasure, not by the snake-wizard's command. "And big and mighty Essar Shoo fumbles while attempting to capture a little girl." Even as he spoke, Hain halted a few steps away from the snake-wizard and assumed his cocky pose. He was careful to hide the fact that he was rather worried of how his men were faring against the girl's bodyguard.

"I haven't found her yet", Essar replied smoothly, "Sshe iss ssurprisingly quick for ssuch a little girl."

"Or the old Wyrm is a little too slow", Hain replied with a slanted smile, referring to Essar's heritage as a member of the Dragon Clan. "Though I've always thought you are more a snake than a dragon. Thought I could give you a helping hand here... dear partner."

"Whatever you wish", Essar said and performed what might have been a mock of bow. "However, please remember that every ssecond we tarry here givess her a ssecond more to get away from the sstorehouse blocks."

"Oh, sure", Hain replied as he trotted to Essar's side as the snake-wizard turned to resume his hunt. "Pleasure to be working with you."

Essar did not respond to that courtesy. Instead, he changed the subject: "There iss ssomething I have wanted to ask you, Hain."

"And what's that?"

The snake-wizard slowed down to look down into one of the alleys before he continued: "It wass you who arranged the capture of Aryn Sseaholt back in Capitan, wasn't it? I ssaw you leaving Captain Rajen'ss throne room when I came to sspeak with him."

Hain shrugged. "So?"

"When I told the Joker about Ssir Henry Ssherai'ss interest in capturing the black-winged princesss, I asked him to do it outside my territory." Suddenly Essar halted and fixed the tan-skin with a stern glance. "And -- like we agreed… Capitan iss my territory, with no Jokers whatsoever creeping up and down the sstreetss."

Hain flashed his most charming oh-but-of-course-you-can-trust-me-smile. "Well, we thought to play it for sure grounds, Snaky", he replied, using the nickname Aryn had given to Essar. "Just one exception in our deal, and besides, our agreement was supposed to begin after your payment, this cute little princess we're currently chasing, was in our hands. And you can see, she isn't yet."

"To put it sshort", Essar said, the tone of his hissing voice revealing that he was not surprised, "our agreement was but empty wordss."

"Oh, we'll have our deal agreed and stamped", Hain assured him cheerfully, then added meaningfully, "after the girl is in our hands."

"I ssee", Essar said. Suddenly his eyes moved to regard something he saw on the street behind Hain. "There sshe iss", he said quietly.

"Let's go then", Hain replied happily and turned around. He frowned as he saw nobody on the street, but he presumed that the girl had already disappeared into some alley or another. Nonetheless, they were now close to her --

"Thiss may hurt a bit."

Hain's eyes widened and he drew an abrupt breath. Instead of a sharply asked question, only a startled gasp escaped his lips as Essar grabbed his arms from behind and -- hissing ominously -- sank his fangs into his neck. The tan-skin tried to scream, but something had already rendered his tongue useless, the very same something that even now was being pumped into his system from the snake-wizard's mouth. Sudden weakness washed over him and he could do nothing but to stare in horror at the shadows as the venom quickly did its lethal work inside him.

After the last of Hain's gasps had faded into the night, Essar let go of his victim and allowed him to slump to the stone pavement. The snake-wizard's fangs bent back into his mouth, out of the way to wait for the next time their deadly gift would be needed. Wiping his mouth, the snake-wizard favored the dead Joker member with a little nod. Then, as if by an afterthought, he hissed: "You are correct, Hain. I look like a ssnake, I ssound like a ssnake, I act like a ssnake. Conclusion: I am a ssnake."

Giving the body one last glance, he turned and resumed his search.

* * * *

It moved through the alleys like a black ghost.

No sound could be heard as it padded forward, no trace was left behind to mark its passing. It proceeded quickly, with eager glee. Glee that only a good hunt could bring it.

And its muzzle told it where it could find prey.

* * * *

By the windy sky, the storehouse blocks just couldn't be this large!

Nina had no idea how many alleys she had seen, around how many corners she had turned, but she was fairly sure that she had gone through the same streets more than once. Although she attempted to always to head towards the looming bulk of the Great School of Magic, streets rarely led directly towards it and the Windian girl was usually forced to take a route that went approximately in the right direction -- often either stopping into a dead end or taking a sharp turn away from the School.

In other words, while she could just as well have run the distance to the School and back again, she hadn't proceeded more than a couple of blocks. All these streets and alleys looked all the same to her! With the exception of the School, she could find no landmarks.

Stopping into a dark door niche to catch her breath, Nina threw fearful glances up and down the street, desperately hoping that she wouldn't be alone, that there would be someone, anyone, who would know his way around these parts.

As if by request, a sudden noise caught her ears. A pair of heavy boots striding steadily forward, a familiar jingle of chain mail following the rhythm of the footsteps.

Her heart leaping up and down in her chest, Nina peered from her hideout. Her eyes widened as she saw him. A lone bearded man, carrying a torch and a shield with a spear attached to it. The helmet and the chain mail he wore gleamed and glimmered in the leaping halo of the flame he held. And over his armor had been thrown the tabard of the Hometown guard!

Her very spirit throwing somersaults because of pure relief, Nina dashed from her niche and ran towards the guard, waving her hands to attract his attention. The man halted, obviously a bit startled by the Windian girl's sudden appearance. Then he became even more startled as Nina failed to slow down while rushing to him. "Ho there, lass, look out a little, will you", he scolded while extending his shield arm to keep Nina in place. "This is no time nor place for a little girl to linger around!"

Giving no thought for the fact that this was no time nor place for a lone guard to perform patrol duty either, Nina blurted: "There's no time to explain! Please, sir, you have to take me to the School of Magic! My friend's in danger!"

"Eh?" the guard asked, his eyebrows forming an impressive frown. "Come again?"

"There's no time!" Nina almost screamed, waving her hands furiously, "We have to hurry!"

After another moment of considering the Hometown guard made up his mind. "All right", he rumbled with his deep voice, shifting the shield in his hand, "but this is better not to be any kind of game of yours, girl. You shouldn't play around with such subjects."

Nina shook her head so vigorously that her golden locks whisked her cheeks.

The guard sighed. "Come, I know these parts well." With those words, he began leading Nina down one of the alleys. His armor jingling and clinking with every step, he strode around turns and corners confidently, using his torch to light the way. His assertive manner was so soothing for Nina. Finally she could have someone to take her out of this maze! Now, all they had to do was to find Master Yoji and he would help Aryn.

The guard's assertive manner was so soothing for Nina that it took a surprisingly long time for her to notice something alarming. They were moving away from the School of Magic!

Nina was just drawing breath of ask a reason for this when the guard turned around yet another corner and halted into a dead end. Sudden dread sliding its chilling fingers over her earlier relief, Nina swallowed and asked with a shaking voice: "W-why?"

"It sshould be obviouss, Princesss Nina", the guard said, his voice no longer the deep, firm bass he had used earlier. As he slowly turned, the chain mail, the torch, the shield, the spear, the beard, they were all gone. Instead, Nina found herself staring into the swirling red cloak and the horrifying, reptilian eyes of Essar Shoo.

"Ah, but illusionss can be sso useful at timess", Essar remarked as he took advantage of the girl's bewilderment and made a grab for her shoulder.

Gasping, Nina tried to take a step backwards. Again her fingers worked feverishly magic, again the multicolored sparks flashed in her palm.

Essar didn't fall to the same trick twice. He pressed his slits of darkness firmly closed just as the light hit his snout. The snake-wizard caught a hold of the both of Nina's wrists. The Windian girl struggled best as she could, but even the slim, lean Essar proved to be too skilled for her. Soon Nina was pressed firmly against the wall and couldn't move at all.

"And now…" Essar purred, panting only slightly because of their grappling. His long, purple tongue slid out from his mouth and brushed the very tip of Nina's nose. This sent the Windian girl shivering and closing her eyes in disgust. "We sshall ssee if we can help Aryn…"

Nina never got a chance to reply as a sudden, roaring wind picked up out from nowhere. Essar could only hiss in alarm as his lean neck was yanked backwards as if by some invisible hand. Next, he bent down as if some unseen fist had hit his stomach. Releasing his hold of Nina, the snake-wizard leapt backwards, his cloak flapping in the wild wind. He moved just in time, as an eyeblink later something hit the cobblestones right where he had been standing, the invisible blade scattering tiny splinters of stone to the alley.

His eyes nothing but narrow slits, Essar turned to face his attacker, who was standing in the mouth of the alley.

Wisps of blue flame flickering and dying out around his palms, Master Yoji finished his spell and took a determined step forward. For a reason or another, the elderly wizard's clothes were partially blackened and burned. Even his face and once neat beard was partially covered by soot as if he would have been dousing some blaze.

"Master!" Nina gasped in relief.

Master Yoji gave her an assuring -- although a little nervous -- nod. "Forgive me that I couldn't locate you earlier. I-I may be a weak person sometimes, Miss Nina, but a good master does not leave an apprentice behind."

* * * *

"Justin's team has been wiped out!"

The leader of their small band of hoodlums couldn't help but to swallow before he asked with a voice he at least hoped would be firm: "How?"

The scout was pale as he responded: "The same way as Raymond's team."

The other bandits exchanged glances. They had come upon Raymond's team of cutthroats, or rather, what was left of it, only a little while ago. Instead of being stabbed or slashed to death as they had expected, all members had been rent to pieces, their blood flowing freely on the chilling stone pavement.

"So, we're the last one, eh?" the hoodlum leader pondered and folded his arms. "No matter what the Big Cousin says, I don't like this a bit."

Again the others exchanged glances, this time in a silent agreement. Whatever it was stalking through the streets and alleys of Hometown, it simply couldn't be Aryn Seaholt.

"I say we go from this place and to the hell what the Big Cousin says."

Again the murmurs of agreement were exchanged. Nobody noticed as a shadow, only slightly blacker than the night around it, leapt down just behind the group. However, on the contrary, everybody did notice as one of the hoodlums suddenly let out a gurgling scream and collapsed forward, blood gushing from the wounds that had been raked across his back. Something black and terrifying fell over the body and turned to face the other cutthroats.

"A demon!" one of the bandits gasped as he noticed the blazing green eyes staring directly at him from the darkness. Other Jokers had their weapons out and ready, but they had no intention of using them. Instead, they were quickly taking careful steps backwards.

As if by response to this move, a low, feline growl emerged from the darkness.

And that did it. Little caring for their appearances, little caring what would happen to their allies, the Jokers turned and ran as fast as they could. Behind them, the stalking shadow padded forward, pure joy and delight sparkling in its eyes.

This was something it was born to do.

* * * *

"I wass hoping that you wouldn't interfere in my affairss, Master Yoji", Essar hissed ominously as his cloak fluttered in a breeze that had again seemed to have risen from nowhere. "I hold no grudge against you. And, besidess… Killing a Master of the Sschool would draw… unnecessary attention…"

"Nina", Master Yoji began. For once he managed to keep his voice calm and level. "Stay out of our way."

"…But", Essar continued quietly, taking a step towards his opponent, "We cannot have everything we wish for." Abruptly he lifted his hand, his hissing voice speaking out a spell. A long tendril of flame leapt from his fingertips, spinning in a wild spiral as it shot at Nina. Letting out a whip-like crack the burning rope twined around the Windian girl's legs.

Nina yelped as she was yanked off her feet. Less than a moment later the burning feeling in her ankles ceased as the fiery rope was snapped in two by a sickle that had been made from ice splinters. His palms glowing with pale blue light, Yoji repeated the mystic gesture. By his command, the weapon he had conjured whirled in the air and arched at Essar with dazzling speed.

Flicking his wrist, Essar sent the remains of his burning rope spinning, forming a disk of flames before him. With a violent hiss the sickle met the shield, the ice met the fire. The spells countered each other and fizzled away with a magnificent puff of steam.

"I wish not to fight you, Yoji", the snake-wizard warned calmly, "but if you attack me, I will kill you."

"This duel is between the two of us", Yoji warned as he prepared for his next spell, "Do not involve Miss Nina with it."

Essar did not respond. Accepting the challenge, his hands wove another spell into air.

Even as a swarm of tiny fireballs gushed from the snake-wizard's fingers, Master Yoji joined his hands together and then spread them out, his palms turned outward.

The fire bolts sputtered and went out as they sank into a blue-gray shroud of fog that had appeared out of nowhere just before Yoji. The Master of the Great School of Magic made another gesture and the mist shimmered, twisted and coiled, turned into a hail of frost that rushed at Essar in a single focused cone.

The snake-wizard slashed at the air with two scaled fingers, sending forth a furious gust of wind, so strong and so thin that it cut the chilling hail to shreds. Yet even so he hissed with annoyance as the brick walls around him took a frosty tint. "I know what you are trying, Masssster, but that won't work", he warned, "I am a dragon, not ssome cold-blooded reptilian."

"A-and since I have never seen a dragon, I would have no reason not to believe you", Yoji replied with a nervous smile, "Except that I suspect your scaled appearance is not because of dragon blood." The wizard actually managed to look mildly cunning as he added: "Actually, that may not even be your natural form."

Nina, who had been taking shelter around a street corner behind Yoji, gasped. Her eyes wide, she craned her neck to better see Essar's reaction for her Master's words.

The snake-wizard's slits of darkness narrowed and gleamed, his tongue made a long, almost angry lash at the air, but otherwise, he remained calm and calculating as always. Slowly lifting his hands and joining his thumbs and index fingers together into a triangle, he hissed: "Ssso… I thought you noticed ssomething when we met in the Trading Post of Artss Arcane, but I never ssuspected that you could ssee it sso clearly."

"You said you hailed from Hadiyashi school", Yoji said, moving his hands into a gesture of his own, "The Hadiyashi deal much with demonlogy."

"Aye…" Essar replied, hint of what could have been a smile passed through his lips, "It iss dangerouss… but power iss always dangerouss, isn't it?" Blue-and-white tendrils of lightning flashed and crackled around his hands, then leapt towards Yoji, only to be deflected from a globe of swirling purple and violet that the older wizard had conjured around himself. Tiny thunderbolts danced and leapt up and down on the stone pavement and the brick walls close to them.

A swarm of golden darts streamed from Yoji's fingertips and arched towards Essar, only to be intercepted by series of glowing, red globes of energy flying out from scaled palms. At the snake-wizard's gesture night-black tentacles made of pure darkness leapt from the most shadowy corner of the alley, flailing furiously as they attempted to grab Yoji. The older wizard gasped with surprise, but managed to summon a blinding flash of light that banished the darkness and tentacles with it. Not even pausing for breath, Yoji sent another hail of chill and frost gushing from his palms. The snake-wizard slashed an arching wall of flames before himself, causing both spells evaporate in another suffocating puff of steam.

Panting slightly, Essar retreated a few quick steps from the steam, considering his options. Just as he had feared, this Yoji was no fumbler with magic. And, time was on the Master's side. The town folk must have noticed the burning warehouse by now and there would be unnecessary bustle in the storehouse blocks soon.

In other words, he had to hasten his plans.

Roaring out his next spell, Yoji slammed his palm to the stone pavement with a bright blue flash. White-and-gray cloud of frost spread out from his fingertips with dazzling speed, filling the entire alley width as it churned at Essar. Wherever the frost touched, jagged, glimmering splinters of ice struck out from the stones like some furiously growing stalks of grass.

The snake-wizard clapped his hands together. His cloak fluttering and flapping around him, he suddenly rose into air, the hems of his clothes barely leaving the pavement as the frigid layer rushed under him. Levitating high up into the safety, he landed onto the roof eaves and spread his arms for the next spell.

"Now you die, Massssster."

At Essar's command, a circle of darkness appeared at Master Yoji's feet. New dark tentacles of shadows coiled out, flailing like tendrils of steam above a cauldron of boiling blackness. Following the snake-wizard's example, the older sorcerer instantly levitated up from the ground, preparing to cast another spell of light.

Even as Yoji's hands were passing through the mystic gestures, Essar disappeared in a red flash of light, only to reappear onto the alley mouth down on the street, all too close to Nina. Yoji's eyes could barely widen with surprise as the snake-wizard ignored the bright flash of light and cast another spell with dazzling speed, sending forth a howling gust of wind at the older sorcerer. Levitating Yoji was completely at the storm's mercy and could do little else than flail his arms as the wind's crude invisible hands grabbed him and slammed him through his own layer of glacier.

The elderly wizard gasped as chilling blades bit deep into his body. Glittering splinters of ice and snow rained tinkling everywhere.

The dark tentacles blurred and faded out of view as Essar no longer needed the illusion spell that had brought them into existence. Fencing was not the only form of fighting where the warriors could make fake attacks.

"Master!" Acting before thinking, Nina rushed from her hiding place. Her face desperate, her eyes wide and glimmering with swelling tears, she dashed towards the older wizard -- only to be stopped by a cold glare from the terrifying slits of darkness serving as Essar's eyes.

"Sstand sstill", Essar hissed at her angrily, his voice sending shivers down her spine and freezing the blood into her veins. "Thiss farce hass been going on for long enough! I must have you ssecured, Princesss." His forked tongue flickering ominously in his mouth, he bent forward to look closely at Nina's eyes. Then the snake-wizard added quietly: "Even if I have to kill your dear Masster."

Sweat glittering on her forehead, Nina responded to that stare with wild eyes. She swallowed, took a step backwards, but refused to give up. Those gateways of darkness scared her so! Staring at the eyes of the snake-wizard, she felt like a single tear falling into bottomless blackness. Her feelings raging, her thoughts scattered and confused, she could do nothing before the overpowering presence of Essar. But even so, she just couldn't give up!

"Let her go, Essar!"

That angry shout shattered the enchantment. Flinching, Nina leapt a step backwards and hastily turned her eyes at the source of the voice.

Shuddering and panting, his coat dark with stains, his frail body covered with tiny cuts, Master Yoji struggled to get up from the glacier. Tiny, white chips of ice fell down from his clothes with every move. There was a dark red bruise on his temple and he gritted his teeth, but he looked as determined as Master Yoji ever could.

"Didn't you have enough already?" Essar asked, an almost non-existent trace of impatience sneaking into his voice. He was running out of time.

"I'm not defeated yet!" Master Yoji puffed, licking some blood from his own lips.

"A final sshowdown, hmm? My flamess against your ice?" Essar asked dryly, slowly moving away from Nina so that the Windian girl wouldn't be in the way of his spell casting. "How romantic."

"This is not romantic", Yoji growled, cringing as he set his feet firmly onto the ground.

"Indeed", Essar agreed.

Indeed, Nina thought. It was like some fanciful tale from a book, two sorcerers meeting each other in a final challenge, both of them determined, both of them refusing to give up. But there was nothing romantic in Yoji's wounds or Essar's eyes. There was nothing romantic in the death that lingered in the alley, waiting for the crops to be ready for grim harvest. Just like Nina had already been forced to acknowledge several times during the time since her banishment, there was little romantic in a faery tale that has become reality.

There were no rituals, no tension-filled pause between Master Yoji and Essar Shoo. The elderly sorcerer joined his hands together in a flourishy gesture, the snake-wizard spread out his fingers and inhaled deeply.

Essar opened his mouth with a loud, keening hiss. His snake-like jaw bent down a long way, revealing his white-skinned, almost impossibly wide maw. Nina cringed backwards, preparing for the oppressive heat that accompanied all of Essar's fire spells. However, instead of orange halo and a burst of flames, a stream of greenish mist surged from the snake-wizard's maw.

Poison! Nina suddenly realized, her heart beating like that of a chased deer. Instead of his usual flames, Essar had used poison! The ice spells of her Master could give him no defense against that!

On the same moment, Master Yoji suddenly broke out from the patterns of his spell casting, slashing the air vertically with two extended fingers. An invisible blade of wind cleaved through Essar's mist cloud, sending the green vapors recoiling left and right in its wage.

A hiss of pain escaped Essar's scaled lips as he fell backwards. Blood burst out from his shoulder as he twisted around in one fluttering mass of red cloth and collapsed to the ground.

Nina sighed out the breath that felt like she had held it during the entire duel of magic. An expression of immense relief on her face, she stepped forward, only to be stopped by Yoji's hasty gesture.

Wounded and panting, the elderly magician muttered one simple spell more, this one summoning a gentle breeze into the alley, to purge it from every wisp of poison gas. "I-I think it's clear now", he finally stammered.

"Indeed", replied Essar Shoo before Nina could utter a word. With slow, pained movements the snake-wizard stirred and pushed himself up onto his knees. The once so magnificent red feather attached to his beret was now tattered and a part of it was completely missing. Essar extended one scaled hand and drew together a large cut that had appeared into his cloak. Then his slits of darkness glanced at Nina. This made the Windian girl gasp and flinch backwards.

"Isn't it over yet?" Yoji asked, bolstering his courage by swallowing.

"The irony", Essar hissed quietly, gripping his shoulder, "I counted on that you would assume my best sspell to be based on the magic of flamess… And I, in turn, assumed that you would respond with ice."

"Essar, I think this is enough", Yoji said. He turned his gaze at an orange glow that had appeared onto the dark sky above the storehouse-blocks. "Looks like… it looks like there's a building burning over there. This place will be teeming with people very soon."

"Lookss like it", Essar said, lifting his snake-head to listen at a bell booming out a fire alarm somewhere in the distance. "Then, I must take my depart ssoon enough. But before that…" He glanced at the shadows behind Nina and nodded to someone there. "Kill the girl."

Yoji's eyes widened with alarm. Instantly he turned at the shadows, magic forming around his hands as he prepared to launch a spell against whoever would attempt to harm his apprentice.

Essar's eyes turned into narrow slits and he actually smiled grimly as he quickly spat out a killing spell and sent a bolt of flames towards Master Yoji's undefended back.

Previous: Chapter XXI
Next: Chapter XXII
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