Shadow Assassins (The Second Realm Trilogy) (17 page)

He wasn't dead, however, and his left hand rose again, determined to burn her. This time, her body reacted on instinct. Without being aware of
her own movements, she shoved him off of her weapon and went in for the kill, stabbing him with the spike atop the axe head at the top of her halberd. In blind panic, she thrust her whole body weight into the motion, screaming again as the spike went through flesh and organs. The momentum pushed the fire mage into an earthen wall she had erected before and he found himself impaled and pinned on it. The mage made a disgusting gurgling noise before he fell still.

Not even able to scream, Kaydee released the weapon, backing away from the mage in horror. She had just killed someone. She knew it was something that had to be done, or else she would have been in the fire mage's place instead, but the thought penetrated her fear-numbed mind. She retched and bit back the impulse to vomit, before trying to back out and away from the remaining survivors.

There were only twenty people left on the field when a new wave of screaming started. This one had nothing to do with the people beating each other to death in the center of the dirt ring. It had nothing to do with entertainment. The guards that had watched over the prisoners in the holding pen had their weapons drawn and were running towards two people. One was a woman dressed in what looked like an Indian sari. She was an ice mage. Her eyes glowed bright blue as she froze the ground and anything that touched it. Guards were frozen in place as their feet and ankles were blanketed in a thick layer of ice.

Behind her was someone in a cloak that held two swords, one in each hand. He was clearly skilled at fighting, more so than the
amateurs that had been gathered in the coliseum. The man in the cloak fought with the skill and grace of someone who had been comfortable with killing for years. He took the guards down as if they were no more dangerous than daisies were, cutting them down with those twin blades of his. More guards surged forth from the stands and the ice mage alerted her companion. This time, he didn't wait for the mage to freeze everyone, he went in for the kill without provocation. His intrusion on the battle field halted all other fights as they scurried to get out of his war path.

“Where is she?”
he bellowed as he took guard after guard down.

Kaydee felt fear flutter once more in her belly as the ice mage approached after him. The woman picked her way through the battle field with disgust, avoiding entrails and dead bodies. The edges of her sari that swept the floor were tinged a rusty color from blood and dirt.

“There's no point in trying to help,” she grumbled.

The intrusion of the battle froze Kaydee so bad that she felt her strength leave her. She had been running on pure adrenaline and magic for so long that she needed to rest. Exhaustion bore down on her to her very marrow. She collapsed in front of the ice mage.

The woman let out a startled cry and caught her before she hit the ground. Kaydee was sinking fast into the land of sleep when she saw the mage's eyes widen in shock.

“You look just like him,” she whispered.

In the two days that had passed, the Shadow Assassins had been cared for well by the staff of Moonriver Academy. Evangeline spent a lot of time with her twin sister, catching up on their lives and comparing their powers. Marco had gotten more than his share of rejections as he flirted shamelessly with the women. Kaleb tried to get him to settle down but Marco protested, saying it was all in good fun.

Typical Marco.
The telekinetic didn't seem to mind rejection, using it only as fuel for his next conquest.

Kaleb was antsy at Moonriver. While Marco exchanged flirtatious looks with women and Evangeline caught up on family time with her sister, the shape shifter wanted to head out to Kkyathi again. He felt bad for abandoning the tribe that had let him in so easily.

As the afternoon classes started, he met up with Dirk before Dirk darted off to his darkened classroom.

“Is there any way that I can travel back to Kkyathi?”

The vampire looked startled. “But you just got here.”

Kaleb apologized for the sudden inconvenience, but he insisted that he had to go back and check on the tribe he had left behind. A sad understanding crossed Dirk's eyes, before he agreed.

“But take the others with you!” he added as he made his way towards his classroom. “We have no warriors to guard you with so the three of you will have to protect each other! Head to the stables outside and tell them you are my guests and you need horses to travel with. They will help you!”

That was enough to put Kaleb's mind at ease for the moment. He watched the vampire hurry off, before he headed to the guest room he and the others were staying in. The guest room was one floor above Dirk's office, but in the same wing, thankfully. He climbed the marble stairs and tread over the majestic purple runner that cushioned his feet, marking the pathway down the hall. He could hear lectures from different rooms, as well as various students talking. The guest room they were staying in was a converted classroom, with three twin sized beds along the walls. Evangeline and Marco sat on their separate beds, talking quietly.

When he entered the room, he asked, “How would you guys like to go on a trip with me?”



The three Shadow Assassins set out on horseback later. There was a heavy silence in the air between them. Prince Erik had tried to join them, as a way of protecting Evangeline, but they thought it was better if he had stayed. The trip they planned was supposed to be quick, assuming no one got in their way. The prince looked disappointed, but made Kaleb and Marco promise to take care of her.

The horses were making fast time through unclaimed wilderness. This was neutral territory, they had been told by the stable master; territory that belonged to no one but was occasionally claimed by traveling Gypsa. It was the fastest path to Oraldine, and then to Kkyathi.

They didn't know how long they had been traveling, but the sun was starting to edge out of the sky by the time they reached Oraldine. Marco recognized it first and led the way up to the same gate he had traveled to before, when he was with Camira and D'jerik.

Surprisingly, when they reached the village entrance of Oraldine, there were bright orange tents up. Those hadn't been there last time
Marco and Evangeline had been here, but they brightened Kaleb's day up.

“The Kkyathi are here!” he said triumphantly.

They had been allowed into the city after one of the warriors guarding the village entrance recognized Marco and the horse he rode. The three crossed into elf territory easily, watching as the men and women of Kkyathi merged into this village, refugees as Kirrah had hoped for.

It was right after Kaleb had that thought that no one else but Kirrah herself emerged from a tent. She looked worse for wear, with a large cloth bandage across her left cheek and down her arms. If there were any below her armor, Kaleb couldn't see it.

“Kaleb!” she called when she saw him.

He dismounted his horse to walk up to her. “Glad to see you!”

“Glad to see you put a good word in for us,” she replied, smiling slightly.

He noticed the smile wasn't as vibrant as it had been before. This one was a little more haunted, a little more ominous than before.

Dreading the answer, he asked, “So what happened to the village after I left?”

The question made Kirrah's fragile smile shatter apart like dropped glass. As she sighed, she took on the expression of someone who hadn't slept well, worrying over her people.

“It was awful, Kaleb. They wanted to arrest us over nothing. When we refused to comply, they attacked. The warriors tried to protect those who couldn't fight but there were so many deaths.” Here, her voice cracked as she stifled a sob. “I thought we would lose everyone, but the elves showed up fast after that. They helped ward the knights off, but we still lost about half our tribe...”

“Your sister and father?” he asked.

“Safe. Kikkaho insisted on evacuating my father as soon as the fight started. She arrived here right as the elves were leaving.”

That was a relief. As cold hearted as it made him seen, he was glad that Kikkaho was safe, above anyone else in the tribe. She had been
particularly nice to him. Still, he held his arms out to her as a gesture of comfort.

“I'm sorry for your loss.
The tribe's loss.”

She seemed confused for a moment as to why he had spread his arms, but she let him hug her before her arms wrapped around him, too. Then, as if embarrassed to be caught at a vulnerable moment, Kirrah cleared her throat and stepped back.

“I'm glad you and your friends showed up. We could use some help around here.”

The next few hours were devoted to checking in on the Kkyathi. Evangeline stood by Kaleb's side, but Marco slipped off, looking for Camira. He found her by the stables that Rain Mist had come from. She was feeding a pure white filly.

“Hey,” he said to her.

“Marco!” she cried in surprise as her head lifted up. “What are you doing here?”

“One of my friends helped the Kkyathi get here. He wanted to check on them.”

She let the filly have the rest of the apple she held and made her way towards him, looking resplendent in her white gown. She no longer looked like a lost child of the forest, as he had first met her, but a woman of a regal tribe. A circlet of carved and highly polished wood garnished her hair and a string of pearls were at her throat.

“I'm glad to see you here with us again,” she said as she approached.

“I'm glad, too,” he said, suddenly breathless. “Why don't you show me around a little?”



The sun was beginning to set over the elf colony and Evangeline was beginning to feel lonely. Kaleb and Marco had connections here, but she didn't, not really. Still, she helped Kaleb out, not wanting to draw attention to her pity party. She wanted to be back in
Moonriver, talking to Erik, who had stayed behind, or even her mysterious twin sister.

She was at the edge of the colony, near the village gates, catching a moment by herself when she thought she heard horse hooves. The guards heard the commotion as well. They had glanced in the direction of the noise, holding long spears ready for use.

Evangeline ran through the village gate and into the woods around her. The guards were supposed to stay at the colony but she was free to move elsewhere. Her legs carried her as silently as she could through the forest as she followed the sound.

When she had tracked the sound to a pathway, she hid behind a massive tangle of bushes and peered around. There were dozens of horses, all following in a straight line, ordered by the men who rode them. The men wore the same familiar armor she had seen in the Emeralde Kingdom. The sight froze her.

Some of the men looked worse for wear, definitely battle worn and bruised, but they kept up with their group. They were walking right by the elf colony as if it wasn't there. That was odd. If they were right next to the colony, wouldn't they attack?

She backed up as cautiously as possible, keeping her retreat hidden in case someone looked her way. When she was far enough away and hidden, she ran back to Oraldine as fast as possible.

The guards were alarmed at the sudden company in the woods, but when she said that they weren't heading for the colony, there was confusion.

“We do have enchantments to ward off unwelcome guests,” one of the guards confessed. “Are human minds so easily manipulated that they miss our village so easily?”

“And if they are not heading towards us, where are they going?” another asked.

“What's out there?” Evangeline asked. “What else might get their attention?”

The first guard looked troubled. “The only thing I can think of is Moonriver Academy, to the east of us.”

That got her attention. Was it possible that an entire battalion was heading towards Moonriver? She had seen the damage that had been done to Kkyathi. If something that powerful was heading towards Moonriver, the others had to find out.

Leaving the guards to conspire with themselves, she ran back through the village, searching for Kaleb. He found him talking to a beautiful woman with long, dark hair. He seemed surprised at her apparent alarm. Once she had explained what she had seen and what the guards said, he and his female companion both gave shouts of alarm.

“I have to inform my sister!” the woman said. “If they have left our home then we can go back.”

Kaleb watched the woman go, then turned to Evangeline. “You're sure of what you've seen?”

“Positive. There had to have been over a hundred and some looked as though they had already been in battle.”

Kaleb cursed. “We need to head back to Moonriver.”

It took a short while to get a hold of Marco and update him on the situation. He didn't look too happy about being pulled away from his female companion but agreed to go back with them.

An idea came to Kaleb. “The two of you head back on horseback. I'm going to fly ahead and see where these guys are, exactly. If they're not heading back to Moonriver, I'll find you.”

They nodded. It was agreed that the horse gifted to Marco would remain with the elves once more until he needed it. The two horses on loan from Moonriver and Prince Erik were then prepared for riding, before mounted by Evangeline and Marco.

Kaleb focused on a bird form once more. Instead of going for his normal falcon form, which he used when he wanted to fly faster than normal, he headed for a form that exhausted him faster, but gave him faster speeds. Soon enough, he was in the body of the spine-tailed swift. He took off as fast as the bird's body would allow him to, following the trail Evangeline had told him about.

Marco watched him fly off. “So I guess we have to go back, huh?”

He didn't sound too happy about it.

Evangeline sighed.
“Yeah. You know, this is the time where a car would really come in handy. All this horseback travel takes too long.”

He gave a small laugh, trying to say cheerful. “Well come on, what's one more ride?”

They left Oraldine behind, finding the same path that they had used to get to the elf colony in the first place. Following the trail, they made their way back to Moonriver. The sun traveled with them as they walked, streaking the trees with a golden orange glow. Getting out of the forests before night fell was a good idea. They hurried their horses on from the slow trot to something faster.

They had just crossed the halfway point from Moonriver to Oraldine when a fast-flying bird flew through their path, circling them twice.

“Kaleb?” Evangeline asked.

The horses stopped and they let the bird land, then transform back into their breathless friend. Kaleb looked beyond exhausted, but panicked.

“They're almost at Moonriver,” he said, panting somewhat. “We need to hurry.”

That got them going. The horses were ordered to go at a full run. With no horse for Kaleb, he simply ignored the exhaustion running through his body and transformed
into
a horse. Able to keep up with the others, he led them through the forest in the fastest route possible towards Moonriver.

He just hoped that they didn't arrive too late.