“So how did you get free?” Blake asked, “Tell me now, and things will go easier for you.” He added menacingly, slapping the handle of the whip against the palm of his open palm.

Karla bit her lip and clenched the dagger tightly, “Stay back, or I will stab you.” She promised, her voice sounding weak and uncertain.

Karla, just run. I’ll figure out some other way to escape.> Idea suggested, They can’t keep Rex asleep forever, they want us alive.>

“I won’t leave without Rex!” Karla announced, in response to Idea’s suggestion.

Blake laughed, thinking Karla was speaking to him. “You still think you can get away, and rescue that dragon?” He shook his head in disbelief. “That dragon is as good as sold. My share of the profits is going to be enough for a farm. A big one, with lots of slaves. I’ll spend the rest of my life doing nothing but ordering slaves to do all the work, and unlike that soft handed duke, I’ll make sure to whip them to get the most work out of them. Imagine, telling me how I can and can’t punish the slaves in the stables. Your kind are lazy and stupid! You need proper discipline.”

“You’re the stupid one!” Karla said loudly, “I’m not afraid of you anymore. You can hurt me with that whip, but I’ve got the dagger, hit me and I will stab you!”

A few of the people standing watch at the outskirts of the large campsite were starting to notice the commotion. Blake waved at them with a big grin. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” He yelled at them. Turning back to face Karla he grinned. “I don’t believe you’ve got the guts. You’re just a scardy cat, a little kitten who doesn’t know her place. Once you feel a few lashes you’ll probably just curl up in a ball crying. Watch!” Blake raised his whip to strike at Karla.

Karla, fearful that Blake might be right, that the pain of being hit by a whip might be too much for her to handle, panicked and hurled herself forward to strike faster than Blake was expecting.

Blake saw Karla’s sudden lunge and pulled back just enough to weaken the force of Karla’s blow. The dagger’s blade sunk in a few inches, not enough to prove fatal, it merely nicked Blake’s diaphragm, sinking in right below the sternum. Blake squealed in pain, shock twisting his features. “You stabbed me!” He gasped, unable to believe that the Karla he knew, the weak little girl, would find the gall to actually land the first blow.

“YES!” Karla yelled. “I stabbed you! You deserve it! You traitor! I could take all your abuse, the yelling, the hitting. But you betrayed master Eric! You used me to trap Rex! You were supposed to care for the dragons, you were the stablemaster! You betrayed everyone I care about!” Karla told Blake, pulling the dagger out, tears streaming down her furious face. “I should stab you again.” She told the shocked stablemaster, “And keep stabbing you until you die.”

Blake was having difficulty breathing. He gasped for air repeatedly, a panicked look crossing his features as he sank to his knees. “What?” He panted softly. “Help me!” he wheezed.

Karla watched Blake beg with cold uncomprehending eyes. She knew how deep her blow had pierced, barely deeper than the thick layer of fat, not enough to reach the lung or any vital organ. Why was Blake gasping and turning pale, she wondered. A distant part of her remembered what the assassin had said, how Rex could have won if he’d taken the time to finish the paladin while he was on his knees. Karla raised the dagger again, thinking about stabbing Blake in the neck this time, to make sure he died. After all, maybe all this gasping was some sort of trick?

But, Karla lowered the dagger and looked around, noticing that several people were already heading in their direction. She didn’t have the time to linger with Blake, and more importantly, she wasn’t an assassin. Whatever was wrong with Blake it was enough to incapacitate him, he’d already dropped the whip to clutch at his throat, that was enough. There was a world of difference between striking someone who was about to strike her, and striking someone who was begging for his life or unable to fight back. Karla didn’t plan on crossing that line today. Instead, she ran quickly to the wagon in which Rex was being kept, leaping into the back to quickly free her friend before more people could reach her to try to stop her.

Nightshade had watched the entire confrontation while hidden in her invisibility spell. She’d been pleasantly surprised when Karla struck first, but a bit disappointed that she didn’t finish the job. I guess she doesn’t have what it takes to be my apprentice, She thought to herself, oh well, maybe next time. Coming close to Blake, who had slumped to the side and was taking ever more shallow breaths even as people crowded around him to trying to help. As a caravan guard poured an ineffectual healing potion on the wound she felt a smile cross her face. You remind me of my father, she thought to herself, good riddance to another cowardly bully. Nightshade knew what was wrong with Blake, it was simple really. The dagger had a strong paralysis poison applied. She’d coated the inside of the sheath with it yesterday, so it had still been fresh when she’d given the dagger to Karla.

Nightshade had picked the poison to overcome the metabolism of a dragon, it was very strong when used on a human, dangerously strong. Perhaps if Karla hadn’t directly applied it right to the diaphragm, Blake would be ok. But a dose right where it had landed was fatal. Nightshade’s grin grew wider as Blake breathed out his last breath and died even though the small wound on his chest had already been sealed by a healing potion.

No one had had an antidote on hand, other than Nightshade herself. It gave her a bit of perverse joy to know that she could have saved the man if she’d been willing to, but hadn’t. Oh well, time to get going, she thought to herself as she left the growing chaos of the caravan campsite, I doubt I’m going to get paid for that secondary contract if I stay.