Aggie’s heart pounded.

What the hell was going on?

Borris and Arlen had separately given her ambiguous instructions, making her want to tear her hair out in frustration. What if they both tried to take action, and they ended up conflicting with one another, and then all three of them were caught?

Not to mention… Duke O’Farrell was coming?!

Aggie could feel her adrenaline rising despite not moving a muscle from the tree.

She had at most five hours before dark when he was allegedly coming to get her. Even if they managed to escape while the Duke was there, the problem was that they would need a much larger window of time to put some distance between them.

Closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the tree, she wondered how it could be avoided, when it dawned on her.

Arlen was already walking, why was she worried? She now had all the information she needed to break them out herself.

Borris had walked away while she was finishing up her crust of bread, meaning he was probably somewhere nearby to retie her to the tree when she finished eating.

Casually, Aggie began rolling her shoulders and neck, then stretching her arms, she looped her bound hands behind her ankles to her back where she continued stretching, and discreetly letting loose the knife that was in her bindings.

She caught it with cold stiff fingers, and placed it behind her back belt.

“Oy!”

Aggie didn’t jump, but she went still as a Beast Awares with soft orange ears, and furry hands that faded to flesh walk up to her.

“Why’re your hands differen’?” He frowned down at her.

“I’m stretching. It’s bloody freezing out here, so I’m just trying to get some blood moving. I can put them back to how they were if you prefer?” She shrugged.

“Yeah you better. I don’ want anythin’ funny while-”

“FIRE!”

Aggie’s head whipped around to her left, where angry flames that hadn’t been there a moment ago were quickly encumbering three tents along the perimeter.

The Beast Awares that had been about to retie her to the tree dashed away from her, pulling off his coat as he went.

Understanding that that was her cue, even though neither Borris nor Arlen were anywhere in sight, Aggie drew the knife from her belt, and began cutting away her bounds.

As she worked she watched the fire grow more and more aggressive despite the efforts of what looked like the majority of the camp. As the last of the rope fell away, she thanked the Gods that her feet were not bound as well.

“If you’re thinking this is your chance to escape, I would think again.”

Aggie kept her expression serene as she looked up into the face of Harriet who stood with her arms folded glaring down at the Lady.

“Why would I go anywhere? The way that fire is spreading, I might be warm for the first time in days.”

Harriet glared.

“I’m standing right here with you while this is dealt with. The rest of my people will get that blaze taken care of.”

“Thank you for gracing me with your company,” Aggie replied leaning back comfortably, resuming her watch of the fire.

She couldn’t kill the woman. It had been Borris’ one demand. Problem was that she had the high ground, and Aggie still didn’t have a clue what her skill level was other than that she was a fantastic shot with a crossbow.

“That Duke of yours, referred to you as the future Duchess O’Farrell. It sounds as though he is a tough one to lose.”

Aggie slowly turned her head back from the fire to the Beast Awares woman, who was watching the fire with her arms crossed.

“Pardon?” The Lady couldn’t recall being anymore shocked in her life, and that included when she discovered Dwarves still existed and lived underground.

“In the correspondence we received. He declared that you are a person of interest, but that the future Duchess O’Farrell had best be treated with the utmost respect, and decency while in our care.”

Aggie blinked, then burst out laughing.

Harriet frowned, she didn’t like that she couldn’t make heads or tales of the Lady.

“Gods, he’s gone mad.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Sounds a decent gent’ to me to still offer you such a position, given your more recent colorful history.”

“Oh he just wants me to give him powerful children. He’ll probably have me bear them in exile.” Aggie sighed shaking her head. Never in a million years would she have thought he would still try to marry her after everything she had done.

There was a cry that originated from the group attempting to smother the flames.

Aggie saw the Harriet twitch.

It was obvious the leader wanted to go help and see what was going on.

“Are fires common?” Aggie wondered aloud.

“They happen more often than you’d think. One forgotten lantern in a tent can quickly do serious damage.”

The Lady nodded as she watched the flames leap towards a fourth tent.

“Seems rather careless for a group of experienced thieves,” She remarked mildly.

Harriet turned and glared down at the Lady Beatha who continued looking nonplussed.

“You worry about your half-breed Servicer, not us.”

Aggie no longer looked passive when she turned back to the woman.

“He’s safe as long as we don’t get caught. Wouldn’t Borris be in the same boat though? What if I told a few influential ears that there was another half-breed Servicer roaming the continent?”

“Given that my nephew--who is normally the intelligent one of this troupe--has set a fire to provide you a distraction to run away, I think you won’t put him in such danger.”

Aggie tried to hide the twitch of surprise, but failed.

“He’ll be punished severely for this, but I am inclined to give him a small break given that he has never gotten to share the truth about his past with anyone before. It makes sense that he would want to protect one of the few people who accepts him as he is.”

The Lady said nothing.

She wasn’t sure what to say, Borris had tried to help, but had failed. His aunt had seen right through him.

Aggie opened her mouth to say more, when a fast set of feet could be heard approaching behind Harry.

The woman’s eyes sharpened, and suddenly a pair of sai blades appeared in her hands as she whirled around with her coat swishing about her strong physique.

Aggie didn’t waste the opportunity and kicked the back of her knees, bringing her down in time for Arlen’s fist to collide with the side of her head.

She plunged one blade into his foot, flipped the other in her hand, and swiped across Arlen’s middle. Fortunately he had already doubled over to minimized the blow after his foot was punctured, lessening the slashes damage. As blood stained his shirt, he brought his fist crashing into the other side of her temple, knocking her unconscious.

Plucking the blade from his foot with a grunt, he paused only for a moment staring at the ends of the blade with a frown before clutching it in his right hand. He showed the symbol to Aggie wordlessly, whose lips pursed as she nodded in understanding.

“Go get us horses.” Aggie whispered hastily glancing around to see whom had noticed the altercation.

Most people were trying to settle the fire, but Aggie saw five men picking up weapons heading towards them while shouting over the commotion.

“I can’t move quickly with my foot, I can hold them off but you can run,” he breathed while handing her the sai blade.

Aggie glanced at his chest nervously as she turned towards the group nearing them.

“No, you’re still recovering. You can blur to the horses.”

“I can’t. For me to recover this much, I had to channel all my blurring capacity the past few days.”

“Fuck!” Aggie hastily stood. She had her throwing knife, and one of the sai blades while Arlen picked up the other off the ground. It was better than nothing.

“Guess we will both have to make a break for it.” As the first man reached them, Aggie snapped a sharp kick to his testicles and watched him crumble. Arlen used the heel of the sai blade and knocked out another after parrying the blow of a dagger. They felled the first five men, but their activity was beginning to gain interest.

“We need to move before they get cross bows.” Arlen managed in between attacks as he grabbed Aggie’s arm, and half hauled, half limped away.

After knocking out a woman Beast Awares that had come after them, they darted behind the tents, knowing that another group of four were on their tails.

Horses were in sight just beyond the tent Arlen had been resting in, and Aggie could feel herself push for extra speed as she half carried half pulled Arlen.

An arrow whizzed by her ear, close enough that she felt a stinging sensation, but nothing more as panic had set in blocking any pesky minor pains.

They made it to the horses as another arrow was loosed, and while it missed Arlen’s face by inches, it managed to strike the flank of the animal, which sent it charging into the camp that was still ablaze.

Arlen had mounted one of the other horses, and was starting the beast moving away, while glancing back to see Aggie rising with her back low over the last horse that remained at that particular post, the beast already in motion.

Arlen was satisfied, and turned to set the horse into a gallop, missing the sight of a large hand reaching up, grabbing Aggie’s hair, and yanking her back off the horse.

Aggie wasn’t able to see who it was immediately, as the sight of a boot nearing her face forced her to roll and spring away from the assailant.

The men chasing them were on the other side of the horse she had just tried to mount, meaning she was blocked from their view. Aggie backed away into the trees, and finally laid eyes on who had dragged her from the horse.

Champ was smiling, baring his fangs.

She began backing away, eyeing the other set of horses located near another tent.

“I must admit, I did not think you would be such a big pain in the ass,” Champ confessed drawing closer to her.

Aggie faked lunging to the right, and immediately launched herself past him, through the tents, and into the clearing towards the fire.

If she ran by the chaos she could lose him, and hopefully by then, Arlen would turn around and be able to grab her.

She could hear the Beast Awares closing behind her effortlessly, his long legs easily outpacing her own. He once again pulled her by her hair to stop her, making her eyes water.

She felt his left arm wrap around her throat, his biceps squeezing the life from her, as his right hand twisted her arm behind her back painfully, forcing her to drop the sai blade into the grass.

Aggie didn’t have another moment to lose as darkness began to overcome her vision.

He hadn’t seen the throwing dagger be drawn in her left hand.

Cutting her flank in the process, Aggie sliced a deep gash in his inner thigh, and immediately felt his death grip disappear. The wound was fatal if not treated promptly.

“NO!”

Aggie didn’t know who shouted it, but she couldn’t look.

Stumbling forward with tears drying on her cheeks from choking, she tried to ignore the colored spots in front of her vision, as she lurched towards the flames. She had to keep going.

That was when the biggest war horse Aggie had ever seen in her life suddenly leapt through the flames, and landed with an Earth shaking thud only six feet in front of her. The imposing steed was blacker than night, and its glossy coat shone in the light of the fire.

She stumbled back for a moment, and lifted her eyes to see a man with short sandy brown hair, wearing a white feather earring, a dark green coat, a black tunic, black cloth tied around his throat and… everything else was black as well.

He stared down at Aggie calmly, his face like marble, his dark green eyes appraising.

“Lady Beatha I presume?” He asked with a small twitch of his eyebrow.

She blinked too stunned to reply.

“GODS DAMMIT! WHO IN THE- MAVERICK?!” Harriet was storming towards the large black horse, with her temples already turning purple.

Aggie slowly began sidling back towards the flames, Arlen was probably heading back for her now.

“Harriet, it has been a few decades.” His cool greeting, despite not being shouted over the chaos, was still easily heard.

“What in Buschi’s mustache are you doing here?” Harry demanded now standing with her feet braced wide apart without deviating her gaze to her son whom had just finished tying a makeshift tourniquet, or to the men putting out the fire, or even to Aggie, who’s back was so close to the fire then that she began to sweat.

“I received a summons from one of our juniors,” the man named Maverick replied calmly.

“What? Who would-”

“Tork.”

“That slop bucket you call a warrior?!” She exclaimed red rising to her cheeks. “For what purpose?!”

“To aid a particular Lady and her Servicer.”

Aggie froze as all eyes suddenly swiveled to her except for the stranger on the horse.

“What in the hell is that damned woman involved in?!” Harriet pointed at Aggie, her expression murderous.

“If it has involved invoking our higher purpose, something for the good of all.”

Harriet snorted, and placed her hands on her hips.

“She’s going back to her fiancé she isn’t in any danger!”

“Her return to him interferes with the safety of more than just the Lady.”

“Oh is that so?” Harriet snapped.

“I would discuss it more thoroughly with you, however I do believe we are on a time crunch thanks to you summoning the Duke to the camp.”

“She maimed and murdered some of my men! I cannot just let her go-”

“Are you defying the oath?”

Harriet stilled.

Aggie had finally backed away from the fire enough that cool air now blew across her back, when she was suddenly grabbed from behind again, though this time it wasn't a choke hold.

“I told you not to kill anyone.” Borris’ voice had changed. It no longer was pleasant and comforting as he growled in her ear, holding her firmly against himself.

“I didn’t kill Champ, I merely paid my dues. He is someone close to your aunt, who will have a painful recovery, but will be perfectly fine in no time.” Aggie managed, though her heart pounded.

“Did you truly know that he could form a tourniquet fast enough to slow the bleeding?” he demanded as he continued to back both her and himself away from the camp into the woods.

“I saw your aunt’s sai blades. They have the Magee symbol on them, and so I figured both you and your cousin are either also Magee, or you both have sufficient enough battle education.”

“It looked to me like you were choosing to kill him over being taken again.”

“If I had cut him deeper I wouldn’t have been able to run- my ass is bleeding enough as is.”

Borris stilled. He could feel the blood then. He’d seen the blood on the side of her head, from what he didn’t know, and then felt the blood from the wound she’d just mentioned seeping through her trousers.

“Then you have my apologies.” His voice while still stiff, had lost its threatening edge.

They were out of view from anyone at the camp, and had backed into a thicket—Arlen wasn’t near enough to have seen where she’d disappeared.

“Then I guess I do have a chance to say goodbye.” Borris loosened his arms, and turned her around to face him.

Her heart was in her throat as his golden eyes searched hers.

They didn’t have time for goodbye; there was a fire, fighting, and stranger claiming to be there to rescue her. This wasn’t the time to-

Borris kissed her.

His lips despite the cold were warm and pleasant, and Aggie felt her legs turn to liquid as she pressed into him. Her eyes closed as heat and tingling flooded her body, and a strange yet not unpleasant sensation, pulled her even closer to him. She wanted more of him-, needing something she couldn’t fathom…

She didn’t want to release him. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and his hands around her waist, holding her against him.

When Borris broke the kiss, the absence of his touch nearly sickened Aggie.

He lifted a hand to cup her face, then quickly brushed a much lighter kiss against her lips.

“I might end up going with you at this rate.” He sounded out of breath.

Aggie stumbled away from him as he released her, her heart beating so quickly she thought it might explode.

“Go.” Borris smiled at her, and Aggie couldn’t help but smile dazed back at him.

“Thank you," she said discovering herself to be out of breath as well.

Turning back around, Aggie walked out of the thicket slightly stunned, and as she wandered while momentarily forgetting the gravity of reality, found Arlen hanging back from the camp scanning the area trying to spot her.

She padded up silently to a nearby tree.

“Any sign of me?”

Arlen’s head whipped around, and he narrowed his eyes at her relaxed expression. “Let’s hurry.”

Aggie immediately masked her more jovial mood, and bounded up to the horse, where Arlen pulled her into the saddle with him and set the animal to a reasonable trot.

*

They had been riding for less than half an hour when Arlen reined the horse to a stop. Frowning, they both stared at the black horse with the strange rider that had shown up at the camp, blocking their path.

He watched them peacefully.

“You both are to come with me to the South Kingdom’s City. Tork sent me a missive shortly after the both of you left for your journey.”

“I thought we were only going to have your assistance if we sought you out ourselves,” Arlen called his hands gripping the reigns of the animal tightly.

“Tork tends to be overly cautious since the death of his daughter. I imagine you have sparked a deep paternal instinct in him, Lady Beatha.”

Aggie drew back in surprise.

Tork had never mentioned losing a daughter.

“Come Lady Beatha, you should ride on my steed. That horse you’re on isn’t meant to bear more than one rider.”

Aggie raised a sardonic eyebrow.

“You expect my trust that easily?”

Maverick blinked, then held up a familiar leather pouch.

“Harriet returned your Fey bell and summoning stone to you. There is an abandoned watch tower only a few hours ride away that we can stay for the night before traveling on.”

Arlen continued staring levelly at the man without batting an eye.

“What is the Magee oath? To protect, to honor, to make way for a better future?”

Maverick sighed, looked to the heavens, then back to Arlen, as though praying to the Gods for patience.

“To protect, to vanquish with honor, to make way for better to come.”

Arlen gave a small jerk of his head and whispered over his shoulder to Aggie.

“It should be fine, but be on your guard.”

Arlen sidled the horse closer, and the man reached over, carefully grasped Aggie by her waist, and slid her over to his saddle.

“Lady Beatha if you could please lean forward, I would like to place a handkerchief between my coat and your bleeding ass.”

It was the combination of loss of blood, and insane euphoria from her kiss with Borris that garnished the hearty laugh from her. Without argument, she balanced forward on the pommel of the saddle, while the man called Maverick pressed the folded linen to her bottom.

“Mind your hands.” Arlen warned as Aggie slowly pressed her hand on the cloth, allowing the man to remove his own, and lowered herself back down.

“The Lady won’t face any danger from me in that regard.” The man glanced at Arlen with a raised eyebrow.

“You on the other hand, may want to ensure that your horse remains a little further from mine.”

Arlen’s shock paired with Aggie’s snort of surprise was ignored by the Magee fighter, whom urged his steed forward, and leaned back comfortably in the saddle without batting an eye.