Ayawa rubbed the horse’s neck as she walked around it. It was a tall, brown, plains horse with white feet and a band of white around one side of its neck. Tavis's horse was similar in size but nearly all gray. It had a diamond of white on its head and one black foot with a black mane and tail. He was pleased with coloring when he looked it over.

“It matches my clothes,” he said.

They were provided saddles, tack, and some minor equipment with the animals.

Gams was there dressed in a regal green coat and striped green and black pants. He wore a cloak of brown trimmed in green like his coat. At his waist was his famous silver-handled sword. The legend was Gams had killed three kings over his lifetime. All of them supposedly died on that blade. He was a commanding presence sitting atop his horse tall and proud with a look of determination in his eyes.

Channi stood beside him in pitch black mail armor with plate shoulders and chest. She had her twin short swords on her back and an open-faced plate helm on her head. True to his word, Gams did have a small army. There were twelve men and women all dressed like Channi with crossed swords on their backs. There were eight more that carried short sword and large tower shields. All of them moved with practiced precision as they collected behind them.

There were seven additional horses to carry supplies and equipment bundled up in bags on the animal's backs.

“I see you took your safety quite seriously,” Tavis said eyeing the host of soldiers.

“They’re all mercenaries called the night hawks. Channi is their leader.” Gams said as he adjusted a pack on one of the horses.

“Too bad there aren’t fifty more of them,” Ayawa said, noting how coordinated the formation moved.

Channi looked at Ayawa with an angry expression and walked away to prepare her soldiers to move.

“Did I offend her?” Ayawa asked when the woman was far enough away.

“Channi's little group used to be two hundred and ten strong,” Gams said glancing over his shoulder at the menacing woman.

“Used to be?” Tavis asked.

“They were hired by the order of Astikar to hold a pass in the hills from the Doan. They were promised reinforcements were coming in no more than a day. They were told to delay the forces and fall back into the pass to link up with the soldiers sent by the Father Abbot. Those men never came. Channi tried to hold the pass as long as she could assuming they would arrive soon. She held it for three days of constant fighting before she finally retreated with what was left of her unit. Then the bastards refused to pay her because she failed to hold it.”

“Twenty survivors from two hundred and ten, and they refused to pay her?” Tavis said aghast.

“She doesn't hold the order in high regard. When I decided to slip away, I contacted her and hired what was left of her group to protect me. She will be my first captain in this ragtag army you want to form.”

“I can understand her feelings then,” Ayawa stated still watching the woman.

“She will delight in seeing the Father Abbot deposed,” Gams said.

“How has the order of Astikar fallen so far?” Tavis said mostly to himself.

“It’s corrupt from the top down. The Father Abbot answers to no one, and he clearly has an agenda that we know nothing about,” Ayawa stated.

“He is supposed to answer to the order of Bishops,” Tavis said.

“The order of Bishops doesn’t have a private army to back it up,” Gams said. “The raven guard keep those fools in check. The Father Abbot does as he pleases, and they are powerless to stop him.”

“Gersius was right, they Raven Guard should never have been formed,” Ayawa sighed. “It gave the Father Abbot too much power.”

“But what does he have to gain by losing the war?” Tavis said. “If the Doan break through the lines, they will march straight to Calathen and burn the city. He will lose his seat of power, if not his very life!”

“I don't know what that old fool is planning, but the border keeps are not under his direct control, only his priests and the mercenaries they hire. Let's hope his limited hand is enough to keep him from causing more harm,” Ayawa added.

Gams turned his horse as the two spoke.

“Whatever that old bastard has planned, he made a huge mistake, not killing Gersius.”

“It was not for lack of trying,” Tavis replied.

“Gersius has a habit of doing the last thing you would expect him to do, and that usually turns out to be the best choice,” Gams stated as he steadied his horse to begin the journey.

Tavis and Ayawa mounted and rode up to meet him as the soldiers fell in line behind them.

“So where do you two go next?” Gams asked.

“All over the Commonlands. There are people hiding in every hole and under every rock,” Ayawa said in a flat tone.

“We are going to need more than a hand full of elite soldiers to take Calathen,” Gams protested.

“It is quite an impressive list,” Tavis said. “Hilders, Ivers, Ostman, Frellick, Bergner.”

“Ivers is in on this?” Gams said, surprised. “And Bergner was next in line to be a Lord Captain. He's practically Gersius's twin.”

“We are hoping he has some men with him,” Ayawa added.

“He very well might. He was beloved by his men. Be that as it may, it's still not a lot to work with.”

“We are also hoping you will be able to pull some strings and gather some support,” Ayawa added.

“I have some connections. I will see who I can tap. It will be risky, though. I am a hunted man with a price on my head. Some of my connections are as likely to turn me in as help me.”

“Well at least you have your bodyguards,” Tavis said with a smile.

Gams studied them with old but wise eyes. He pointed a finger at them as he spoke.

“You two keep low, the word is the price on your heads is nearly as high as the one on Gersius.”

“We intend to stay off the roads whenever possible and never linger in any one place more than a few hours,” Ayawa replied.

Gams nodded but had a faraway look in his eyes.

“So where are you going next?” Tavis asked as Gams turned his horse to head out.

“I am going north through the farmlands to Roslund,” The old man replied.

“Roslund is a large town, that’s not exactly keeping low,” Ayawa protested.

Gams smiled. “You can't recruit an army in small farming villages. The mayor of the town owes me a favor. I may call it in.”

“Good luck then,” Ayawa said.

“How long am I supposed to wait in this fort for you fools?” Gams asked as his horse started to walk away.

“Until Gersius gets there. He planned to be there no later than thirty days from the time we parted, and that was three days ago,” Ayawa replied, turning her horse to head south.

“He has forty. Then I am hiding where even he won't find me,” Gams said with a final tone to his voice. He motioned to Channi, and they began to move in perfect step heading north across the flat land.

Tavis and Ayawa watched in silence as they marched away. It was an eerie moment of quiet and calm, as the wind blew gently causing Ayawa's long braid to sway. They wondered how many more moments of calm they would get to enjoy.

“Well, that was a good start,” Tavis finally said when Gams faded from sight.

“Let’s hope the rest of them are as easy,” Ayawa replied as she turned her horse and urged it forward.

They traveled south across the backcountry using hunting paths, farm roads, and old trails. As the sun set, they approached a small farming town. The bulk of the community spread over the countryside in small farms. Beyond these were larger estate farms that employed many men and were practically small isolated communities of their own. While many crops grew here, the bulk of the land was used for grazing. Cows, sheep, and even horses were prevalent here, tucked away behind stone walls in green pastures.

“So this is where Nellis is hiding?” Tavis asked as they picked their way through the tiny town.

“His father owns one of the farms in the hills. He will be there, or nearby,” Ayawa replied.

“I never pictured him as a farmer.”

“He isn't a farmer, his a wealthy brat, but he's good with a sword and even better with a shield,” Ayawa said.

“He isn't a priest of Astikar though. He’s just a soldier.”

Ayawa nodded her understanding. “He is a trustworthy man who knows right from wrong and will follow Gersius. That’s all that matters.”

They made their way down the dirt road to a small collection of houses. It was a simple town of stone walls and thatched roofs with only one modest building that might have been an inn.

There was no wall to speak of, and no town watch to ask them questions. The sky was dark when they came out the other side and began to climb into the hills heading for the distant farms.

The roads here were narrow, rutted, and sunken below the rest of the land from years of use. The roadsides were little more than walls of weeds and the occasional gnarled three.

The horses plodded along at a leisurely pace as Ayawa scanned the hillsides in the dark.

“We should have left earlier,” Tavis said as he squinted in the dark.

“We needed to make sure Gams was safely out of the city first,” she replied.

“Can you see in this light? The moon’s light is hardly noticeable.”

She looked up at the blue moon with its pale glow. It had many names depending on who named it. To the Cellic people, it was Balizar. To her people it was Alunan, and to Gersius western people it was merely Bal. It was usually silver in color, with the blue being considered a rare sight and a sign of change. It was unusually pale this night and obscured by wispy clouds.

Her people told legends that the moon was once blue and that silver was the rare color. Some of the oldest women still called it the blue moon of Alunan. It was said that it used to share its power with the world, and the people were blessed by it. Now it was almost always silver, and it wasn't alone. The smaller moon known as Sultheris chased its sister. Sultheris was known as the dark moon, the shadow in the night sky. Her people whispered crazy stories about how the two moons had once fought, and the dark moon was defeated. Now the moon was near impossible to see except where it blocked out the light of other stars.

“It is enough. We just need to spot the window lights. They will guide us to the farm,” Ayawa replied as she studied the distant moon and wondered just how much of those old stories were true.

“There is something there in the trees,” Tavis said, pointing.

Ayawa stood in her saddle and looked across the dark land and saw a tiny flickering light.

They headed down the road until they found the entrance to a farm. As they neared, they realized the farm itself was to the right, but the light they were seeing was on a small forested hill on the left.

“Let's dismount and approach on foot,” Ayawa suggested.

Carefully they tied the horses at a tree and began to creep along the hillside working their way up.

“It's a fire,” Tavis said as they got closer. Two people were talking, but he could not make out the voices. They crept to the hilltop and hid in the shadows beyond the firelight.

The center of the hill was a small clearing. There in the opening was a campfire that was ablaze with logs. Beside it was a man with short dark hair and handsome features. He held a woman in his arms and as they sat on a blanket beside the fire.

“Well, we found him,” Tavis said with a grin.

“I should have known we would find him hunting his favorite game,” Ayawa said with a low growl.

“I always did like his skill at hunting.”

“You were just like him,” Ayawa scolded him as they hid.

“We should give him a few more minutes to bring down his prey,” Tavis said his smile wide.

“What, and miss an opportunity to frustrate the man? No chance!” Ayawa said, standing up.

“Nellis!” she called out loudly as she stepped into the light.

The woman jumped with a start, and Nellis practically fell over backward at the unexpected visitor.

“For divines sakes woman! Can't you see I was busy?” he said in a young, loud voice.

Ayawa smiled as the woman quickly tried to lace up her dress while frowning at her.

“I told her we should wait,” Tavis said his grin wide on his face as he entered the firelight.

“Of course, you are a man who appreciates the reward of a hunt. I never did understand how you ended up with her?” Nellis said, giving Ayawa a grin.

Ayawa glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

“You need to learn to be more like Gersius, controlled, and well mannered.”

“Gersius is alive?” Nellis gasped as staggered on his feet.

“He is alive and well,” Ayawa said as she eyed the women with concern.

Nellis suddenly understood and looked to the woman who still stood by the side of the fire.

“Mellissa dear, our night is going to have to wait, please give me some privacy.”

The woman shot him a look of anger and then scowled at Tavis and Ayawa as she stalked off down the hill towards the distant farmhouses.

They all waited until she was gone.

Tavis struggled not to laugh. “A fine woman, but not as exotic and beautiful as Gersius’s.”

Nellis glance at Tavis with a raised brow. “He has a woman?”

“He has a wife of a most unusual character,” Tavis said with a grin.

Nellis looked at Tavis and then Ayawa.

“You can’t be serious?” he said. “Gersius is married?”

“You are never going to tire of telling people that are you?” Ayawa barked at Tavis.

“No, it is too good a shock to pass up,” he said his grin visible below the hat.

“By the divines your not jesting! The old soldier is married!” Nellis said, his face limp with his mouth hanging open.

“He has married,” Ayawa said. “She is an exotic looking woman with silvery blue hair and the bluest eyes you will ever see.”

“Not to mention blue skin,” Tavis said under his breath.

Ayawa shot him a look of disapproval.

“So I take it you’re here on his behalf then?” Nellis asked.

“We are,” Ayawa replied. “He calls for your aid.”

“He has it, whatever he wants,” Nellis said with a bow and wave of his hand.

“This is the shock I look forward to seeing,” Ayawa said.

Nellis raised a brow again and waited for more information.

“He needs you to help him attack and capture Calathen,” Tavis said.

Nellis didn't respond; he just twisted his head as if the words had made no sense.

“Tavis is telling the truth, We are gathering up the people Gersius told to hide into a small army,” Ayawa added.

“He honestly means to attack Calathen?”

“He does. He means to overthrow the Father Abbot and declare himself the dragon knight,” Ayawa stated.

“Dragon Knight?” He paused to consider the words. “Then, he found one?” Nellis was wide-eyed as he stumbled back. “He was right! He found a dragon!”

“Indeed, and when he tried to return to Calathen, the Father Abbot ordered him to Whiteford instead. They set a trap for Gersius and tried to kill him and steal his dragon,” Ayawa continued.

“What? Why?” Nellis shook his head as if the story was unbelievable.

“None of us knows why, but Gersius suspected trouble. It’s why he told us all to run,” Tavis added.

Nellis put a hand to his forehead as if to steady his thoughts. “So Gersius managed to find a dragon and court a wife all at the same time. And I thought I was skilled.”

Ayawa looked at Tavis as he went to speak up and just shook her head. He wisely thought better about what he was about to say.

“He is a man of many talents,” Tavis said with his smile covering his face.

“I never thought the man even looked at women. I tried to set him up several times at the Kingscourt, but he was so focused on his faith and his duty.”

Tavis smiled as he remembered the large inn in Calathen. The Kingscourt was well known for its good drink and beautiful women.

“I wonder what kind of a woman it took to melt the stone heart of Gersius?” Nellis said.

“It is a woman of unique quality. You will not believe it when you meet her.” Tavis said before Ayawa could stop him.

“Right, what does he need me to do?” Nellis replied, getting back to business.

“We need you to travel to the old fort outside Windcrest. Gams is there organizing the army. Take whatever you need and if possible, bring help,” Ayawa said.

“Help? Right, Gersius needs men. I have a few here on the farm: good strong men but green fighters. I have been teaching them a thing or two of the sword. I can drill them more on the road.” He paused to think a moment. “Windcrest is way up north at the foot of the dagger hills, isn't it?”

“Yes, it is. There is an old fort in the hills. Gams will be there,” Ayawa replied.

“That’s a weeks journey in good conditions. Better to say a week and three,” Nellis added as his mind began to work out the details.

“Then you better not stop to chase the local women!” Ayawa snapped.

Nellis smiled much like Tavis and put his hands up in defeat.

“When have I ever let my hobbies get in the way of my duty?”

“There was that one time in fort Neerin and the bar fight in Calathen. Oh, and the woman you sneaked into camp on the road to the border keeps,” Tavis said, counting them off.

Nellis smiled and dismissed them all as minor slips.

“Does the old dog need anything else?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Ayawa asked.

“Supplies. My father owns a large farm. We have mountains of foodstuffs and other supplies. Surely they have need of something.”.

Ayawa looked at Tavis and nodded. “I am sure they can use whatever you can bring. The road to Calathen will be a long and bloody one.”

Nellis thought for a moment and then nodded. “I will make some arrangements, and be on the road no later than two days from now. I will strip the surrounding farms of all the men I can get and bring them with.”

“Good, we need all the help we can get,” Tavis said.

They spoke a little more about plans for travel and some of the other people they were looking for. Nellis assured them he would be on the road and moving north soon. When the conversation ended, he smiled and looked about.

“I suppose I should get back to the farm and get to work on some of the plans. If you two need a place to stay, we have a room in the main house.”

Ayawa shook her head. “We are going to take over your fire and sleep here. It would be a shame to waste it.”

Nellis smiled and bowed low. “A romantic fire under a clear sky full of stars. There is no better place to be alone with a lover.” He smiled at them both then strolled down the hill whistling a little tune as he went.

“So, you want to sleep here, then?” Tavis asked as Ayawa's eyes locked on him with the intensity of a predator.

“Don’t damage my hat,” Tavis said before she pounced on him.

The horses trod along at a brisk pace. The morning sun was low in the sky, and Ayawa was determined to get to the next town by noon. With any luck, two of the people they needed would be there, and could quickly be on the way. They risked the road this morning as it was the most direct route to their destination and time was short.

“The road is awfully quiet today,” Tavis observed after several hours of travel across the flat green land.

“It is rather quiet, but I don’t sense any problem,” Ayawa said, as she cast a wary eye about.

She wore a simple light linen shirt with a colorful riding skirt of reds and oranges. Her hair was braided down the front of her chest in one long thick braid on one side and three small short ones on the other. It was a warning to those who knew the braid language of her people that she was on a mission.

As they crested a hill, they spotted a small cluster of houses ahead.

“What town is this?” Tavis said.

“Just some small farm town that isn’t on the maps, I believe it is called Brinewick.”

As they approached, they could see the houses were made of waddle and daub and had thatched roofs that dipped in the middle. Many of the roofs were grayed with age and in need of patching. The roadways between the houses were little more than rutted dirt tracks. A few chickens scurried out of the way as they passed through, and somewhere a dog barked.

A few women were in a small fenced yard to the side of one house washing clothes in a wooden tub.

“Not the most active of towns,” Tavis said as they quietly passed through the houses that felt empty and lonely.

“The men must work on the surrounding farms,” Ayawa replied as she began to feel uncomfortable.

“Maybe, but all the men? And where are the children?” He looked back at the three women, and to his surprise, they were all gone. “Be alert,” he whispered.

“What have you seen?” Ayawa whispered back as she drew a knife from her waist.

“The women in that yard have run and hidden,” he replied.

Ayawa nodded and began to search every corner and turn. The village wasn’t more than a dozen houses, and they were all strewn about one long dirt track. They would be clear of it in just two more houses.

Suddenly a cloaked figure leaped from around a corner of a house and yelled waving his hands in the air. The horses were startled and reared back toppling Tavis, but Ayawa leaned into its neck and put her feet to the lip of the saddle.

Two more men appeared from behind with clubs and rushed in as Tavis rolled to get clear of the dancing horse.

Ayawa jumped down, landing on her feet while drawing a knife and immediately rushed to Tavis.

Tavis saw the men coming and smiled. He allowed the horse to throw him easily so he would be on his feet quickly. With a quick motion, he had a balanced knife from his boot in his hand and sent it sailing through the air. A howl of pain followed as the blade buried itself into the leg of the man on the left.

Ayawa sprinted forward yelling at the second man as he went to swing his club at Tavis. Her yell drew his attention, and he shifted his attack to block the onrushing woman.

She charged in and began her dance. Her curved blades and handles of her daggers racing in with twisting punches. The man backed up, trying to use the long reach of his club to his advantage and keep the whirlwind that was Ayawa from getting close.

Tavis got to his feet as the man he had stabbed pulled the knife from his leg and threw it down. He was a bald man with a broad nose and a short, dirty brown beard. He wore simple farm clothes with a quilted linen shirt and pants. There was an angry maddened expression to his face, and he grimaced as he took a step forward ignoring the pain in his leg.

Tavis never did like fighting. Scouting and spying were fine, but actual combat was messy. He quickly tipped his hat up and with a fluid motion had both his short swords in his hands. A sound from behind caused him to duck as a third man took a swing at him from behind. The blow nearly taking his hat off his head and forcing him to scramble into the street.

A quick look around saw Ayawa following a man in simple peasant clothes who was trying to stay out of her reach. Two men with clubs stood to his right and left. He decided not to wait for them to make a move. He turned and charged the man to his right going into a rapid series of swings designed to put the man on the defensive. As he predicted the man behind him came running in. He dived and rolled to the left, picking up his discarded knife in the process and blindly tossing in the direction of the charging man.

A profane cry of pain let him know it had been successful, and he came to his feet as fast as he could. He rose spinning to meet the first man with his swords crossed in front of his face. The man's club came down, and Tavis caught it in the crossing of blades. He twisted to bite the shaft of the club and stomped the wound in the man's leg. The blow caused him to cry out in pain and let go of the club. He staggered back clutching his injured leg with both hands.

Ayawa pushed the man back. He wasn’t a skilled fighter, and that made her nervous. These men appeared to be nothing more than farmers, or laborers. None of them had armor and used long clubs for weapons. She needed to close on him and make a good solid strike, but he kept moving back slowly, pulling them apart. That was when she realized the danger. These men were decoys.

She glanced all around as her opponent continued to step away. Her eyes searched every window and doorway until she finally saw movement and a glint of metal.

“Shooter!” she yelled out as a crossbow bolt sailed down the road for Tavis’s back.

Tavis didn’t hesitate, rolling to his left as a man with a club in one hand and a short knife in the other pursued him.

She ceased her persuit and turned to run to Tavis. Two more men appeared from between the houses to block her path. They had clubs as well, but one of them carried a small, round wooden shield.

There were at six of them now, five in the street and one shooting from a doorway. Ayawa fell into her training as she closed on the two men in her path to Tavis.

She was a southern warrior maiden, and though she favored the bow, she was far from helpless without it. She closed on them with terrible speed. The men braced for her charge, but just as she was about to meet them, she jumped into a spin. She planted one of her knives into the wooden shield, yanking it to the side as the other slashed out. The man fell away in a spurt of blood as she slashed across his neck into his chest. She let go of the knife stuck in the shield and used her momentum to twist around the blow from the second man. With practiced ease, she kicked a leg up, wrapping it around his face and pulled him over with the impact. He hit the ground with a slam his arms going out wide. Ayawa wasted no time pressing her leg down over his head she reached out with her empty hand and drew the knife from her boot pulling it out and slicing the mans throat in the process.

Tavis heard the bolt sail past him with a shrill whistle. He came to his feet to face the man that was behind him. He was a strong man with broad shoulders, thinning hair, and yellow teeth. Blood ran from a wound his arm staining his sleeve. One hand held a club that was little more than a shaved tree branch. The other held the small throwing knife. His eyes were mad with rage as he ran at Tavis with a howl.

Tavis met the charge with dancing blades holding one up as a guard while he thrust again and again with the other. The enraged man tried to batter the sword from his hand, but Tavis knew how to work an inexperienced foe. He thrust again and again until the man was so focused on the thrusting blade he stopped paying attention to the guard blade. With a quick twist, he cut a path across the man’s face splitting his nose. The man dropped his weapons and fell away, clutching his face as blood poured from between his fingers.

Tavis turned to see the man with the injured leg struggling to get up. He ran at him and struck the club out of his hand before hitting him over the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking him out.

“Get down!” Ayawa yelled, and he dived again as a second bolt whistled through the air.

He rolled coming back to his feet as Ayawa grabbed him and yanked him between two buildings and off the main street. They stood in an overgrown yard panting as cries of pain echoed from around the corner.

“These are just farmers,” Tavis breathed. “They don’t know how to fight.”

“One of them knows what he's doing, the one with the crossbow,” Ayawa said moving to peer around the corner. Three lay in pools of blood in the street, while one stumbled away. The man she was chasing had wisely chosen to run when four of his friends went down in seconds.

Tavis began to weave as she looked around the corner. With a quick gesture, he touched her and made her lite. He then weaved a spell for himself, and with a nod, they both jumped and landed on the roof above. The weave of lightness made it so they could cross the thatch roof without sinking. Silently the leaped from roof to roof working their way down the street. They arrived at the proper house she used a hand signal to tell Tavis this was it.

Tavis began to weave again, taking up a low tone. His voice suddenly went loud as he made a punching motion at the roof. The thatcht buckled and blasted away, creating a hole into the house below. Ayawa wasted no time dropping through the hole in a hail of dust and debris.

She landed on a table coming to a crouch as her eyes searched the room. She spotted the man in the doorway as he turned to level his crossbow. He wore all black cloth over his whole body. On his lower arms, he had metal plates. And over his face was a metal guard up to his eyes, which were the only skin she could see.

The bolt flew, and she rolled off the table, coming to her hands and toes on the floor. She leaped up and sprinted directly at him. He threw the crossbow at her and in an instant had two knives of his own. They were short like hers but with a wide flaring blade on one side, and a series of hooked spikes in the other. When she closed on him, he spun and took her into the blade dance knives clashing against knives.

Tavis dropped down the hole in time to see Ayawa begin to exchange blows with the blacked garbed man. With deadly intent, Tavis's hands worked, and two more short throwing knives were in the air. The man in black ducked under one knife and used the flat of his dagger to deflect another even as he danced with Ayawa.

Ayawa saw the opening as he ducked, but he leaned back as his leg came up. Ayawa staggered back to avoid the kick as he came back to his toes, his eyes locked on her murderously.

She had to struggle to correct her momentum. She was lighter thanks to Tavis's weave, and any blow the stranger landed would push her easily if she was not braced.

Tavis began to make a long “aaaaah” sound, and she knew he was going to channel a bolt of Daghost. The man in black suddenly spun, and a hand went out wide. A series of small black spikes raced out, and Tavis called out as they hit home breaking his weave.

She rushed back in to keep him occupied, and the dance resumed. He fell back as she tried to press him, but he returned an attack whenever he saw an opening. She found herself falling back to stay out of his reach.

Tavis was stunned as the spikes bit through his legs and chest. They were sharpened metal nails useless for anything but a close-range distraction, and they had worked perfectly. He pulled the ones in his stomach out, as Ayawa spun and cut with the deadly foe.

He threw one of them aside and noticed the small wooden bowls at the edge of the table. With a sudden burst of inspiration, he ran forward and yelled at Ayawa. “Wolf hop!”

Ayawa heard his voice and did what he said. She sprang back, hopping away from the man and putting a good three feet between them. She dared a glance at Tavis who was running right down the heavy wood table his swords leading the way. She gaped at his reckless charge as he went to dive into the man.

The man in black assumed a position to defend against the attack. Both blades were up and ready to gut Tavis as he came off the table. Tavis suddenly stopped and kicked his foot up, knocking several wooden bowls off the end of the table. The bowls flung their contents into the man's face producing a black mist.

The man howled as and covered his eyes with one arm and swept wide with the other.

“Pepper!” Tavis yelled, and Ayawa raced in burying one blade in the mans swinging arm and the next one in his chest. She had to step back as she breathed the cloud of pepper in herself. She gagged and coughed as the black-garbed man slumped to the floor.

Tavis was at her side in a moment.

“That… cough… was very… cough… good thinking.”

“Don’t talk, just get it out of your lungs,” he told her helping her to stagger away.

“Are.. you hurt?” she wheezed.

“I said, don't talk. It was a handful of throwing spikes, the wounds are superficial,” Tavis replied while helping her stand.

When her coughing was under control, and the cloud settled, they inspected the man in black. They pulled his hood away to see his copper skin.

“Check his neck,” Ayawa said in a strained voice.

Tavis pulled the scarf around his neck away to reveal a tattoo, two blue swords one over the other.

“Another assassin,” Ayawa spat.

“A double sword tattoo, a Roujin,” Tavis said as he began digging through the man's hidden pockets. Aside from more throwing spikes, and an assortment of blades, they found several small pouches of coins that were tightly tied so they would not rattle when he walked. Tavis quickly pocketed these but found nothing more of interest.

“No notes or letters, he must be operating on orders,” Tavis said.

“He was hunting for the bounties, and he knows who we are,” Ayawa said.

“But this was an ambush, and we aren't on the main roads! This is a farming road!” he said.

“He must have been following us. He probably recruited those men from this town or surrounding farms to try and capture us.”

“That explains the clubs, but why try to capture us?” Tavis asked.

“You heard Gams. There are bounties on our heads, but we are worth more alive because we can lead them to Gersius,” she coughed.

“They only need one of us to lead them to Gersius,” he said as he realized they were trying to kill him and trap Ayawa.

“They split us up. They wanted to kill you and overpower me and then.” She let the thought hang in the air. It was too terrible to speak.

“I suppose the real worry is, did he come after us on his own? Or did he send a message to let them know where we are first?” Tavis said with a severe tone in his voice.

Ayawa realized Tavis was right. If a message was sent, this entire region was going to be crawling with assassins in days. More worrying was the fact that word might have been sent days ago. This man might not even be the one who was following them.

“This can only mean they think Gersius has come west,” Tavis said. “They must not know he went over the mountains.”

“Then we are in greater danger than we thought,” Ayawa said as she tried to clear her throat. “They will be following our trail assuming they will find him. At the very least they will assume he is nearby and we can lead them to him.”

“This is only the beginning,” Tavis said. “The order of Astikar and the Assassins will be hunting for us. Every dead body we leave behind will convince them more and more that Gersius is here. They will scour this area and tear it apart.”

“We have to move, get your knives and let's find the horses,” she said racing for the door.

The streets were clear except for the three dead men, as they raced out of the town with cautious eyes. They found the horses standing on the roadside eating grass and ignoring them completely.

With dread in their hearts, they mounted and made off with great speed determined to be as far away as possible.

From the trees across the field, dark eyes considered them as they left, and took careful note of which direction they went.