Xyda whispered to herself, “Hold them off, Ty, we’re coming.” She looked to the other side of the glade and spotted Ailith kneeling next to a tree, staring at her with the intensity of a falcon watching its prey. The shiv’s focus was directed at her and not on the scene before them and Xyda nodded to herself. Her handler had taught her well, then, something that was always good to see.

  Hoping the shiv had also been taught the requisite hand signals, she slowly raised three fingers and held them against her chest, telling Ailith that Xyda would count to three, and on three, they’d attack. When Ailith nodded once and resettled herself into a more balanced position, Xyda closed her fist against her chest and watched the men, waiting for their attention to be one hundred percent on Sábria’s daughter.

  One of the two noblemen, a muscular blonde with thin lips and a chiseled jawline, snaked his foot behind the woman’s knees and shoved her backward so she landed on her bound hands with a grunt.

  Xyda returned her attention to Ailith, whose gaze had wandered to what was happening in the camp. The Hunter whispered, “Don’t you dare, Lass. Stay true to your training.”

  Ailith’s attention returned to Xyda, who sent her a scathing look. The shiv pursed her lips and once again nodded, acknowledging that she’d almost messed up. The glare Xyda settled on her had sent fear into many a shiv and many Hunter trainees. When Ailith nearly glanced down at the ground, Xyda knew she’d gotten her message across.

  The Hunter returned her attention to the woman, who kicked at the nobleman’s head as he tried to straddle her.

  Two of the guards moved in. The first, who wore the padded gambeson of a working-class soldier, grabbed the woman by the throat and held her head and shoulders still while a second, robust, barrel-chested lad dressed in peasant attire helped the nobleman yank down on her trews.

  Xyda extended a second finger, waiting for the second nobleman and the third warrior to make their move. This nobleman had the same blonde hair and chiseled features as the first, only his nose was long and sharp, a direct contrast to the other’s bulbous one. The instant she saw them both step in to help, she extended the third finger and leapt from the tree.

  With a roaring battle cry meant to frighten and disorient the attackers, Xyda drew her blade and raced into the clearing. She targeted the two noblemen, not wanting a shiv to face two men who just might be Knights of the Empire. The first spun and had his sword in his hand so quickly that Xyda suspected he was most probably an expert swordsman. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ailith engage the second nobleman and sent up a prayer to the Goddess, asking her to protect the shiv.

  Before long, two of the guards joined the nobleman she was facing while the third took up a stance next to the man fighting with Ailith. Since she was now facing three attackers instead of one skillfully trained nobleman, Xyda put Ailith from her mind.

  She preferred facing multiple attackers to a single swordsman. A feral grin lifted the sides of her mouth when she discovered the big lad had minimal battle skills. Using his clumsiness to her advantage, she moved to her left, constantly keeping him between her and the two other warriors.

  The nobleman immediately recognized her tactic for what it was. He pushed the clumsy man to the side with a snarl. “Out-of-the-way, Fool.”

  It would’ve been simple enough for Xyda to slice the throat of the clumsy one, but as he was acting as her shield, she was reluctant to do so. When he stumbled back into place between her and the nobleman, the second guard rammed into his back, sending him flying into her arms.

  Xyda braced for the impact which was considerable. The sheer bulk of the man sent her reeling back several steps. Instead of trying to push him away as they all expected, she wound her sword arm around his back and pulled him in close. Reaching behind her back, she retrieved her belt knife and whipped it forward, thrusting it up under his rib cage with such force it rammed up into the man’s chest cavity all the way to the hilt.

  The man’s eyes grew wide as he dropped his sword. Xyda saw the dawning realization flit across his features that his life had ended a split second before his eyes glazed over in death. With the other two moving in, she had no choice but to leave the knife buried in the body as the man dropped to the ground.

  She spun towards her attackers, blocking the downward blow of the guard with a desperate upward swing of her sword. The blades came together with a resounding clash. The distinctive schick of two swords sliding against each other nearly covered the familiar gasp of someone who’d just had a sword rammed through their chest and lungs.

  “Barth!” The nobleman fighting Ailith shouted a name, and the guard fighting Xyda broke off and went to his aid.

  Fearing Ailith may have been outmatched, Xyda renewed her attack on her remaining opponent, maneuvering him around so that she could see the other fighters. What she saw actually drew her attention away from the one she was fighting. Bodies littered the ground around the shiv, and she was attacking the second nobleman with a reckless, animalistic rage in her eyes.

  Xyda’s opponent stood transfixed as well until the bodies of his fallen guards registered in his conscious mind. He snarled and whipped his sword up and around, aiming for Xyda’s throat.

  Hunters were some of the best swordswomen in the Blades, and while the nobleman’s skills were impressive, they fell short of the expertise and experience she possessed. As she quickly blocked his blow, she noticed Sábria’s daughter escaping into the forest. Night wouldn’t come for several candlemarks, but with the woman’s hands still tied securely behind her back, there was no way she could allow her to leave. She’d be easy prey for any predator, two-legged or four.

  Escalating her attack with renewed vigor, Xyda moved forward with an overhead strike from right to left, immediately repeated the action from the opposite side, and then cut across with a two-handed, full-bodied swing with her sharp blade perfectly parallel to the ground.

  The man hadn’t sufficiently recovered from his last block, and he couldn’t bring his blade around in time to meet Xyda’s sword, which nearly cleaved his torso in two. As he fell, she turned to see the third guardsman dead at Ailith’s feet, and, with a crazed look in her eyes, the shiv was forcing her nobleman back in a frenzied, violent attack.

  Seeing that Ailith was more than holding her own, Xyda hurried to follow the woman into the forest. As she ran, she realized a trickle of blood was flowing down the side of her head. She felt a gash running along her hairline from the middle of her forehead to just above her left ear.

  With her attention focused on assessing the extent of her injury instead of where she was placing her feet, her boot caught on a root hidden by a covering of leaves. As she jerked forward, blood from her wound spattered across her face, leaving a splash of warmth trailing across her eyelids, cheeks, and nose. She had no idea when she’d been cut and, after running her finger through the wound, decided the gash was shallow enough that she wouldn’t lose too much blood if she continued the chase.

  Fortunately, the woman’s hands were still tied behind her back, and keeping an eye on the blonde hair that stood out in the shadowy underforest, Xyda quickly gained ground. The blonde hair disappeared around a rock, and Xyda automatically stepped wide. She’d dealt with hidden attackers waiting behind corners, hoping she’d run straight into their blades on far too many occasions, and had learned that lesson well. As she rounded the rock, she came face-to-face with an enraged Arch Priestess standing protectively in front of her daughter.

  Commander Shirin and two other Blades had taken up protective stances on either side.

  Two thoughts raced through her mind. First, she still had her sword in her hand while she chased Sábria’s daughter, and she knew how that must look. Second, Ailith was still back in the camp fighting the nobleman by herself. Instead of waiting to give an explanation and hoping that the daughter would take the time to do just that, Xyda spun on her heel and raced back to find the shiv.

  She didn’t have far to run as Ailith was barreling towards her, sword drawn and at the ready. Both women pulled up short. Ailith’s eyes were crazed as she stood in an attack stance with both hands on her sword hilt. She stared at Xyda as though trying to decide if she were friend or foe.

  Not sure what was happening, Xyda hesitated, knowing she needed to calm the shiv but not wanting to provoke a deadly confrontation. Lifting her free hand, she slowly walked toward Ailith, hoping she’d recognize her and lower her sword. “Easy, Lass. It’s me. It’s me, and you’re all right. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Hoping the shiv wouldn’t attack, she walked straight up to her, used her forearm to push Ailith’s sword aside, and wrapped her arm around Ailith’s shoulders, pulling her in close.

  Before she knew what was happening, Xyda’s sword arm was wrenched to the side and twisted painfully. She flew in an arc as lightning bolts raced from her wrist up through her elbow. They were quickly joined by a second surge of agonizing heat racing from her shoulder and down into her spine. Her head slammed against the ground, and someone landed on top of her. A second person grabbed her fist and pinned her wrist to the ground.

  The Commander growled, “Let go of the sword, or I swear by the Goddess I’ll break your arm in two.”

  A third shock raced through her as the person who’d brought her down pinched the nerve in her shoulder with impossibly strong fingers. Xyda gasped and opened the hand gripping the sword. Someone, presumably the Commander, swept the blade out of her hand and expertly wound a tethering rope around her wrist before wrenching it up behind her back.

  The first attacker yanked her other arm back to join the first, and the rope was wound tightly around both wrists. The Blade sitting on her back pivoted around, moved down to straddle Xyda’s knees, and did the same with her two ankles. When they were finished, she was trussed up like a pig going to slaughter.

  Someone grabbed her hair and her face was pushed down into the detritus of the forest floor. Xyda vaguely heard a woman’s voice, whom she assumed must be Sábria’s daughter, quietly repeating, “No, no, no!”

  Whoever had hold of her hair released their grip, and Xyda turned her head to the side and gulped in air. Resting her face on her cheek, she was able to see Sábria with her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, trying to calm her. The daughter wanted to push past her, and Sábria kept stepping in her way.

  Behind them, Jenx knelt next to Ailith, who was seated on the ground holding her head. Despite all that had happened, Xyda hoped the nobleman hadn’t gotten in a blow to the shiv’s head.

  Frustrated that no one was listening to her, Sábria’s daughter—Xyda vaguely remembered Ailith calling her Ty—ran to Ailith and reeled off words she recognized as being those of a Dreyuthan peasant. That made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would Sábria’s daughter be fluent in Dreyuthan?

  Ailith slowly raised her head and stared uncomprehendingly at Ty. Xyda didn’t understand the confusion she saw in those eyes. It was as though Ailith didn’t recognize either Ty or her handler, Jenx. It wasn’t until Sábria knelt in front of Ailith, placed both hands on the shiv’s cheeks, and forced Ailith to look into her eyes that some kind of comprehension returned.

  Sábria spoke with gentle concern. “Ailith, look at me. You’re safe. Ty is safe, and we have Xyda in custody. There’s no one left to fight. Breathe. Breathe with me, Ailith. Breathe in.” Sábria pulled in a deep breath, and Ailith followed suit. “Now, breathe out.” Both women breathed out.

  Only then did Ailith partially wake up from her stupor. She blinked several times until her gaze came to rest on Geller, who had one knee on Xyda’s back while Commander Shirin stood nearby. Ailith’s body stiffened, and her eyes opened wide. “What th’ fowk do ya think yer doin’?” With her sword still in her hand, she jumped to her feet and ran to Geller, inadvertently pointing her blade at the Prime as she vented her anger. “What th’ fowk do ya think yer doin’?”

  It had been a very long time since Xyda had moved from being a street Blade to taking up the hunt, but things couldn’t have changed that much in the intervening turns. Thoroughly perplexed that as confused as the shiv appeared, no one had checked her for a head wound, Xyda watched Geller calmly push Ailith’s sword aside with the back of her hand. The woman was surprisingly calm for a Prime who’d just had a shiv run up and shove her sword in her face.

  Even more perplexing was the gentle way Geller responded to Ailith’s rude words. Her tone was soft, and she spoke with a calm, slow cadence to her voice. “Easy, Lass. Ya still got th’ battle rush runnin’ through yer veins. Breathe easy, like th’ Arch Priestess told ya to.”

  Okay, that wasn’t like any Prime Xyda had ever been around. Most Primes would have taken a shiv’s head off for speaking to them like that.

  Ailith took another aggressive step forward. “I’m breathin’ just fine. But why th’ fowk do ya have her lyin’ face down in the muck and trussed up like a fowkin’ hog?”

  All the bitterness came to the fore when Xyda answered instead of the Prime. “This is how all Blades treat the Hunters, Ailith. It’s not new and shouldn’t be a surprise. You heard me telling your Arch Priestess how we’ve been treated, how all Hunters are treated by the Blades.”

  Geller shoved a finger in Xyda’s face. “Shut it. Ye’ll only speak when yer asked a question. Otherwise, keep yer fanghole shut.”

  Ailith spun and absently pointed her sword at Sábria. “She just saved Ty’s life, Milady. Me and her. Th’ two of us, we just killed five men who was tryin’ to rape Ty before they killed her. Probably th’ same five assholes what killed Mita and beat th’ shite out of Caitir.”

  Jenx stepped forward and snarled an order. “Put that Goddess damned sword away, shiv. Now!”

  Ailith blinked down at her sword, surprised she still held it in her hand. She looked at Sábria and then slowly slid it back into her scabbard. “Sorry, Milady. I….” She shook her head, still slightly confused.

  Sábria nodded once before turning to Ty. “Are you hurt, Ty? Did she hurt you?” She looked behind them to where Xyda still lay in the mud and leaves.

  Ailith jerked a finger into Sábria’s face. “No! I fowkin’ told ya.”

  Sábria held up a hand to silence her. “Ailith, get that mouth of yours under control right now. And while you’re at it, ask Ty whether Xyda hurt her.”

  Ailith pursed her lips, stubbornly deciding whether to refuse the order. When Sábria tilted her head and lifted her brow, Ailith grudgingly did as she’d been told. She turned to Ty and asked in the Dreyuthan tongue, “She wants to know if she hurt ya.”

  Ty rattled off a response and vehemently shook her head, ending with an emphatic “No!”

  Ailith glared at Sábria and then turned the same look on Geller and the Commander. “She said exactly what I told ya. Five men took her from th’ city and brung her out here. They was gettin’ ready to stick their pricks in her when th’ Hunter and I heard her yellin’.” She looked at Sábria. “You’da been proud of Ty, Milady. She were spittin’ mad, she were. Scared, aye, but madder than a kicked hornet’s nest. Anyway, th’ Hunter,” her tone took on a sarcastic edge, “who, by the by, could ‘a been clear away from here by now, circled back because she saw a shiv out here alone in th’ forest trackin’ her. Instead of leavin’, she saved both Ty and protected me, and now ya got her—.” She stuttered to a stop when she turned back and looked into Sábria’s eyes, which had turned an icy blue as she listened to Ailith’s tirade.

  Sábria spoke in a low, slow voice that matched the iciness with every word. “Would you care to give me that report in a more respectful tone, Shiv Ailith?”

  Ailith worked at tamping down her temper, but when she glanced over her shoulder at Geller, who still had her knee on Xyda’s back, she lost it again and started toward the Prime. “Get your fowkin’ knee off her back, or I’ll⁠—”

  Sábria grabbed the collar of Ailith’s tunic and pulled her around. Before she could say anything, though, Ty stepped toward Geller and shouted at her as well. She’d apparently shocked herself because she gasped, clasped her hands behind her back, and immediately looked at the ground.

  Everyone looked to Ailith for the translation.

  Ty’s words amused Ailith enough that she grinned first at Ty, and then at Sábria before turning towards Geller. “I’m not sure ya really want me to switch that to yer language, Prime. But she more or less squawked th’ same as me, only she didn’t use as many pretty words as I did. In fact, th’ prettiest were ró múgromin, and they only got uglier from there.”

  Sighing, Sábria released Ailith’s collar and patted it back down into place. She’d need to deal with Ailith’s disrespect, but she never liked to physically discipline people in front of others if she could help it. “Help her up, Ursuna. It sounds like we jumped to conclusions we shouldn’t have.” Sábria wrapped her arm around Ailith’s shoulder and led her to where a red-faced Ty stared down at her boots.

  She put her other arm around Ty’s shoulders so that she was standing between the two. “Ailith, you need to control your mouth when you lose your temper. In fact, you absolutely need to learn that losing your temper will cause you all manner of trouble. You can look forward to visiting me in my office when we get back to the Temple, where we’re going to have a discussion about how to suggest to someone above you in rank they’re in the wrong and how to respectfully give reports when asked to do so by your superiors.”

  Ailith grimaced. She’d been on the receiving end of those discussions more than once and definitely wasn’t looking forward to having them happen again.

  Sábria turned to Ty. “And you, Ty, will never speak to prime Geller like that again.” Her voice was much quieter than when she’d spoken to Ailith. In her previous life, Ty would have been beaten and probably killed for what she’d said, but Sábria couldn’t help the pride welling within her that her daughter had conquered her fear of speaking out to defend Xyda. She put her lips to Ty’s ear and whispered loud enough for Ailith to hear and translate. “But I’m proud of you for speaking up, Little One.”