A little while later, Leyla ran outside with two oil lamps and poured the liquid inside them in four short lines around the perimeter of the hut. Next, she ran back inside and pushed the dining table where Finn slept towards the furthest wall from the door and stacked furniture around it until he couldn't be seen. Then, just as the sun's last rays were withdrawing from the window ledge, she dipped thin strips of bed sheet into the remaining lamp oil and wrapped it around four arrow heads.

Darkness seeped in from the window. Any minute now, the No Landers would appear. Leyla strapped the quiver full of arrows to her back and grabbed the bow. Finn was still asleep. He had not woken since the others departed and she hoped that he would not wake until everything was over.

Taking steady breaths, she locked the door, pushed a chair against it, and doused the fire. Then, after checking on Finn one last time, she climbed out of the window and up to the roof of the hut. Though it had looked like rain earlier in the day, the dark clouds did not wet the land, but covered the skies and any moonlight that might have illuminated the ground. Normally she loved clear nights where she could count the stars, but tonight she was grateful for the darkness.

Drawing her legs into her chest to keep herself warm in the rapidly chilling air, she watched the surrounding trees. The minutes passed and her mind wandered. For a moment she imagined she was back in Asch, enjoying a cup of Ve-Ka with Jara's guards. Asch had its own dangers, but she had spent most of her time dealing with petty criminals. Men who didn't like losing to the game tables of Jade Palace, women who tried to seduce its customers, and thieves who had heard rumours of its riches. She had spent years without seeing someone die, without having to kill.

She had grown soft.

Ever since the ambush, Leyla had been battling against panic and an overwhelming desire to bury her head under a pillow and cry. She wanted to weep for soldiers who had died saving them. She wanted to cry for Flinn who was struggling to survive, alone on a table somewhere below. She wanted to forget the expressions of the men who she had cut down with her sword.

She had grown so damned soft.

Straightening her spine, Leyla took a breath and brought her palms together. Bringing her hands out from her chest raised, she exhaled and focused. Focus is what she would need if she was going to survive. Strength and focus. Everything else had to disappear. Feelings had no place on a battle field.

When the dots of light appeared in the distance, Leyla stamped out the last of her errant thoughts and counted. There were six burning torches approaching. She drew the first arrow from her quiver and placed it on her bow. She couldn't make them out clearly yet, but Leyla estimated about three men to a torch. Closer and closer they came. When they were within a few feet from the lines of flammable liquid, she aimed for the figure under the closest torch and let her first arrow fly.

Men's screams filled the air as her aim found its mark. One-two-three-four-five-six she shot one arrow after another, felling six men before the remaining torch holders realised what was happening and extinguished their lights, shrouding themselves in darkness. The sound of running let her know they were doing as she had assumed, splitting into groups and trying to surround the house.

Jumping off the roof soundlessly, Leyla ran to where the first man she shot lay with the torch still burning beside him. Pulling out one of her oil doused arrows, she lit it with the discarded torch at her feet and let it fly.

The burning arrow landed in the ground close to a group of No Landers and set the lamp fluid on the ground on fire. Suddenly four men were standing in clear sight. Leyla placed her arrows one after another and all four of them fell to the ground.

Ten down, eight to go.

Her mind may have softened, but her body was working faster than ever. Taking out another doused arrow, Leyla touched it to the abandoned torch and ran. A quick shot and the second line of oil caught fire, casting its glow on three hapless No Landers. She shot two of them before the third had the frame of mind to run.

Six to go.

She could hear the attackers shouting at each other. Feet changed direction and she realised with dismay that they were going for the house. Running as fast as she could, she jumped into the hut through the open window and dropped the bow and arrow for her sword.

In the next heart beat, angry bodies banged against the door. She kept quiet, waiting for one of the assailants to try his luck through the window. She didn't have to wait long. A leg appeared, then half a torso; Leyla stabbed the man then pushed him back outside.

Five to go.

The door wouldn't hold much longer. Leyla looked around, trying to make out if Finn was awake in the semi-darkness. She couldn't see him, but she imagined his scared eyes and wanted to call out for him not to be afraid.

The land will burn red! The new moon will rise! And the World will be in a Warrior's palm. The chant came to her mind, calming her erratic thoughts. The sound from behind her let her know someone was trying the window again. She swung back, her blade connecting with bone and flesh and eliciting a shout of pain that sent chills up her spine. She pulled back, stabbed and kicked the man out the window.

Four to go.

The door burst open and the Bone Eaters stormed in, the last one carrying a torch and casting light over the small space. Steel met steel as the men attacked with battle axes swinging. She ducked and swerved, disarming one man and impaling another. She could do this, there were only three of them now. She could take them on as long as they didn't charge at once. She kept her back to the wall to avoid a sneak attack as they fought. They were bigger than her, but she managed to kick one of them clear across the room. After narrowly avoiding the tip of a long knife, she was beginning to think she was going to defeat them after all when three more men rushed in. Where in Gaia had they come from!?

Six against one. The Bone Eaters stood still, realising what had just happened. One of them laughed, but the others kept their guard up.

"Throw down your weapon and your death will be quick," one of them sneered in Warrior tongue. His necklace had more bones on it than the others, so hew as the big shot fo the group.

"Throw down your weapons and your wives might still recognise your faces after I'm done with you," Leyla snarled back.

The comment incited the rage of two men, who charged thoughtlessly. Leyla avoided their attack easily, spinning to get behind them and swinging her blade through the air in one sharp move.

"Idiots!" the leader sneered at their fallen bodies, then he looked to the remaining three. "You go there, you to that side, and you that way." He instructed them to encircle her, then raised a brow. "I've never seen a little girl fight this hard. It's almost a shame to kill you. Almost."

Leyla tried to think of a way to fight all four of them at once, but drew a blank. If there was more space in the cabin, she would have been able to move to fight them one at a time. But as things stood, her sword could only face in one direction at a time.

There is no way out, she realised with a sinking feeling. She thought of Finn, lying unprotected and vulnerable. If she could draw them out of the cabin, perhaps they wouldn't find him after killing her...

Just as her thoughts were turning frantic, the sound of galloping horses roared into the chamber. Using the moment of distraction, Leyla attacked the leader. The others reacted slowly, and only one turned towards her, while the others faced the noise at the door.

The leader's sword cut across the top of her thigh, before her blade went into his chest and stuck. Her second attacker used her mistake and lifted his axe. This is it, she thought, closing her eyes. But the blade didn't come down. Her eyes shot open. Blood was trickling from the man's mouth, then he fell to his knees as the Warrior behind him pulled a sword out of his back.

Leyla blinked into the sudden silence, certain that she was imagining things.

"Are you aright?" Alec asked, his calm tone surprising her into telling the truth.

"No."

"Take the bodies out of here," he spoke to the men behind him. Sten, Wolf, Toke and Bo moved immediately to do his bidding.

Alec crouched beside her when they were gone, his eyes searching. "Are you hurt?"

It was only then that Leyla noticed she was on her knees, in a torn dress that was covered in blood. There was so much blood. Some of it hers, some of it Finns, but most of it belonged to the men she killed.

"Ahh," Finn's low moan reached her through the silence, snapping her out of her daze. Scrambling up to her feet, she launched herself at the pile of furniture and began to push them away.

"Do you have any medicine?" She asked over her shoulder. Alec joined her, helping to shove a chest out of the way.

"Mugroot for pain."

"That wont do, we need proper medicine!" Leyla dragged the last of the chairs away, then almost fell when Alec pushed past her.

His face losing all colour, the Warrior General looked down at the unconscious boy and whispered: "Finn?"