Book 2 Chapter 41

The flaming wreck of the destroyed warehouse lit the background in a smoky twilight as Tirr and Maria ran… They dashed at full speed, all attempts or thoughts of stealth left behind as they sped towards the pre-arranged meeting spot, traveling through the alleyways and warehouses around them.

Maria carried the unconscious princeling on her back as Tirr led the way, wary of more enemies appearing to ruin their chances at the last moment. He knew they wouldn’t be allowed to get away easily, not after making such a racket. He channeled his blessing to its limits, strength and energy surging through him as he sharpened his focus to a point.

From the darkness came another faint click followed by a now-familiar whistle. Tirr reacted in an instant, his pace not slowing as a glowing shield appeared over Maria. The deadly crossbow bolt shattered on impact and Tirr shouted as he sent a wave of flame towards the offending direction.

There was a crash and a roar as the flame struck the rooftop but Tirr didn’t stop to see if his target was down. Instead, he focused on... Continuing to guide the way as Maria followed behind. He could hear her ragged breaths and knew the night's events were already wearing on her.

He knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up in a prolonged fight. And if they got pinned down, even Tirr wouldn’t last long under a concentrated attack while also protecting Maria and the princeling. The assassins’ crossbows packed a deadly punch that required too much faith to block. Yet they were too dangerous to let through like he could some other attacks, with the poison they carried being even more draining to burn out of his system.

He found himself cursing Garm’s carelessness once more. The assassin’s shard carried no offensive power of its own compared to his Blessings of Fire or even Water. He’d be the perfect tool against these foes… Their crossbow bolts would be useless against the Beast’s thick fur and using their blades would just mean the Giant wolf wouldn’t have to spend to much time hunting them down.

As he lost himself in his thoughts he heard a shuffle from up ahead. He crouched, lunging forward as two more of the assassins appeared from the darkness, blades drawn as they started to rushed forward. Instead, they found Tirr already in front of them, fist flying as he tried to take one out immediately.

Their forms flickered in reaction, avoiding a frontal assault as they circled him, daggers flashing towards his vitals. Tirr didn’t turn as he reached his hands back. Fire bloomed, racing outwards as the daggers came in. The explosion sent the assassins flying, their bodies burned and singed as they crashed against the ground.

Tirr let out a sigh of relief as he waited for Maria to catch up. He stopped short though when a series of clicks came from above. “Shit!” He cursed, as golden light covered the approaching Maria. crossbow bolts rained down in the next moment, three struck at the shimmering shield above Maria. Another two took the resulting opening to pierce into Tirr’s soft flesh.

Tirr let out a growl as he tore the metal bolts from himself, ignoring the blood that poured from his chest and the telltale burning of the poison that flowed along with it. He waited till Maria reached him and dashed along with her ignoring the bolts that followed after them pinging against their shield.

Tirr sent a pulse of his blessing through his body to purge the remaining poison as they ran. He couldn't afford to keep taking hits like that… Thankfully he thought to himself they had almost arrived. They kept running ignoring the yelling and shouts as more and more people started to chase after them.

Finally, they ran out from the shadow of the buildings, reaching the open field that lay around the complex. They paused for a second looking around, and spotted Nerida and Torvus running towards them.

Tirr suppressed the cheer that rose at the sight of them when he noticed the way Torvus was clutching his side. He Guided Maria as they ran towards the latecomers.

“What happened?” He asked seriously as he reached the two. Nerida smiled warmly at him as he noticed despite her battle-torn clothing, she seemed fine. Torvus on the other hand almost collapsed as they reached them, Nerida reluctantly catching him as they ran the last few steps.

“Just a bit of trouble…” Torvus answered, smiling through bloody teeth. “I’ll be happy to tell you about it after we get out of here…”

Tirr nodded, placing a hand on the silver-haired young man’s side just long to send a surge of healing faith through him. Torvus let out a relieved sigh as the pain lessened, standing on his own as he checked himself.

“We should…” Nerida started as a pillar of fire lit the field behind them. It roared in an angry inferno, lighting the area as a group of cloaked figures appeared from the direction Nerida and Torvus had come.

“I’ll have to thank you for leading us right back to the prince Torvus.” A white mask figure in the lead spoke confidently.

Beside him, Reynolds stood with a crooked smile, His arm still out from the fire he had just started. He chuckled at Tirr’s grimace, winking at the boy, “Didn’t think you’d seen the last of me did you?”

Around them more Assassins appeared, forming a semi-circle as they forced their backs to the flames. Crossbows locked onto them as some approached with blades drawn. Quickly they found themselves trapped as the killers of the Assassins guild closed in.

“I’m sure Borris will be pleased Torvus, Even in your last moments you still manage to do some good for the Confederation. Maybe it’ll even convince him to go easy on those children you call family…”

The words struck The silver-haired young man like a brick, breaking his easy smile. He looked back at the white-masked figure furiously, “You…”

“Don’t worry,” The cold voice called from behind the mask, raising as hand as he signaled the attack. “You can rest well Torvus, you might be going first, but I’ll send the rest after you soon enough…”