Dragon (S)Layers Ch. 40

Just a few more feet and they could make for the inn, collect Keiter and Tessarie and. . .

Then walk right into the man who's mental probing she could only now recognize for what it was. The slaver went to grab her collar and she batted him away, aiming her pistol in his face. She brandished her diplomatic paperwork like a shield. "I brought you your assassin, she's following me- now be so kind as to get out of my way, I have business to tend to!"

"That's not how this works, girl."

"Oh, but it is! You see, if you don't move right now-" Someone shouted a warning. Instinctively, Sarah dived for cover. Caldion shoved the man to the side and before she even knew what was happening he hefted her up by her collar and shoved her forward into Tess's arms as fighting erupted around them.

It seemed as though more soldiers had come to see what the kerfuffle was about and the village's militia- and likely some of the traffickers as well- were angling for their own prey in the crowd. Blades were drawn, shouts and curses were traded and before Sarah could gather her wits they were surrounded by fighting men beating on one another or wrestling around in the dirt.

She had just enough time to take stock of the village square brawl before the man with the magic was near her again. She hid behind her pistol, shoving her companions back in the vague direction of the carriage. They scuttled back. Someone would close in on them and they'd turn, the press of human body odor and dirt was suffocating but it was nothing compared to the hands grabbing for her.

People launched to grab her. Swords clattered dangerously close to her supple flesh and she was jostled this way and that by the ebb and flow of the law men trying to get what they wanted. Sarah was pulled at several angles at once. Grabbing hands. Angry shouts.

This was it. She was going to die here.

Between the soldiers a flicker of a shadow moved. It appeared. Vanished. It popped up next to her between a pair of men arguing over what to do with her. A faceless humanoid mask as black as coal punctuating the sweaty men with only the promise of oblivion. Sarah brandished her pistol, shouted something indistinct to warn her companions and surged back almost to a sprint.

There was nowhere to go. They couldn't move more than a few paces any one way. Every turn brought her glimpses of the wraith shadow moving about the throng of fighters. Sarah wheeled around. Leveled her gun. Again. Again.

The woman was everywhere.

Hands grabbed her wrist and she jerked her arm, accidentally catching the trigger in the process. The hammer fell with a clack. A second later the flint struck the frizzen sparking to life. The gun roared to life with a gout of flame from the slow burning powder. The soldiers and militia scattered for cover giving the woman in black a wide opening to go for her prey.

Sarah caught sight of her just in time to see her bound between a pair of soldiers running right for Sarah. Her knives flashed with that particular kiss of ancient magic permanently enchanted into the steel. They were works of art as were the hands coiled around the polished grips.

In an instant the assassin, the Ace of Diamonds, was feet away from her with her blades coming up to end Sarah's life and in the next, the half-elven cleric was being shoved out of the way with enough force to wrench her neck painfully. She pivoted to see Caldion taking up the spot she'd occupied only a moment before. He was in his element- he moved with such grace and purpose that a machine could scarcely have matched.

Caldion grabbed the woman's wrist to deflect her angle of attack and smashed his elbow into her masked face. The jarring crunch of bone on bone should've sent her reeling, but she kicked him in the thigh and used that to push off into a backflip that sent her tumbling back into the circle of men like a shadow.

Keiter and Tess helped her up as best they could allowing Sarah time to reload, once more omitting the ball in favor of extra cloth and together they made a concerted effort to push their way out of the growing melee. Cosnu's men had done what they needed to do, now she only needed to do what she was meant to do. . . Escape.

As if to challenge her convictions, the Diamonds girl appeared a few feet away. Sarah aimed directly at her and shouted. "I'd rather we be civil about this! Whatever you're being paid, I can double it!"

"That's not the point, Sarah," She responded cooly. She turned one of her blades over into a throwing stance. Sarah backed up like a true coward and racked the hammer back. "There is no hole deep enough you can hide in."

"I'll take my chances, dear!" Sarah shoved on Caldion's back to get him moving. One of the city's soldiers emerged from the brawl and dived at the girl from the side. She was so fixated on Sarah she missed the moment and in a split second the soldier had his hands around her throat. Sarah winced as Caldion grabbed her sleeve and yanked her into a run.

An opening presented itself and the four of them ran for it, plunging between a man in leathers and one of Cosnu's men. They took a wide arc around the fighting, ducking away whenever the assassin would appear and keeping just far enough ahead of her to say they were giving her a perfect shot at their backs.

Keiter turned on her once and threw his hands out at a wide angle and tendrils of white and blue energy burst from the ground outstretched and grabbing for the assassin's feet. She tucked into a ball and landed easily free of the restraining power tentacles. Those that did manage to touch her didn't find purchase and she continued on undaunted.

Sarah covered his retreat with another vague threat that went unheeded. Tess followed it up with a surge of energy that prickled Sarah's senses- she directed it at the pursuer but it only fizzled and died between them, absorbed into whatever unholy armor she was wearing. The very nature of it bent reality and seemed to invite magic to lose itself in it.

It seemed she'd come well prepared.

"Shit!" Keiter hissed out in a chuff as they finally managed to round the bulk of the fight- their carriage was in sight, but what could would it do when they'd still have to fight off the woman to hope to get out?

But wasn't that just it? This woman didn't play games of chance with her quarry, she lead them into traps and compromising situations. Gods only knew what she'd done to the carriage while they'd been away from it.

Thinking quickly, Sarah grabbed the nearest militiaman and soldier. "Gentlemen! Your enemy is behind us! Look!" The men did. They reacted about like one would expect; they gave chase, calling for re-enforcements.

Unfortunately for Sarah, they started chasing after her.

So began a brief but intense chase with Caldion and Tess leading Sarah and Keiter followed by a pair of soldiers and a couple of Consnu's militia and finally the assassin.

Sarah was heaving and panting, already her lungs were burning through her mouth and the air inside her wasn't doing any good any more. She'd never be able to keep this up. "Okay, okay- I surrender!" She panted and wheezed. "Just- just let-" she huffed. "Them go!" A split second later she threw up her hand. "Look out! Behind you!"

The militia didn't stand a chance. They went down even as Sarah aimed at the black clad threat. She was using the soldiers as a body shield, no doubt, but surely trained men of the military would stand a chance. Surely she had some time to escape.

As she stood there panting she watched in horror as the assassin threw a blade at the one soldier to distract him, he pivoted and she closed in and slit his throat before he realized the danger. She darted for the other soldier as Caldion pushed forward, scooping up the fallen man's blade and joining the soldier for what would surely be a last stand.

White loops of magic coiled around the killer's body only to shatter off her like ice hurled at a brick wall. The woman back flipped gracefully and for just a split second Sarah was about to run and leave the paladin and soldier to take their chances.

Then she saw the militiamen and soldiers running for the assassin. They'd banded together and now realized the real danger. Help was on the way. She was saved!

Sarah allowed herself a shaky smile. "Young lady, the gods give all of us a talent! Sometimes it's best we exercise them to continue our existence!" She punctuated her warning by pointing over the girl's shoulder.

Apparently she wasn't interested. She closed in on them. Somewhere along the line she'd picked up a larger blade which she wielded with evident skill. She tossed her own dagger up to grab the mens' attention, giving them multiple threats to worry about.

Neither of them fell for it, though. They surged forward at oblique angles to take her down and for just a moment Sarah felt pity for the girl- for the loss of yet another life. But it passed.

It passed as it had to.

She didn't want this for anyone. . .

Movement caught Sarah's attention from beyond the fighting men. Beyond the woman. Beyond the approaching throng of soldiers and militiamen.

An ugly pale grey horse with a rider backlit by the rising sun raced towards them at full gallop with white smoke trailing and a cursed cry of 'Not her life!' sworn by a young- decidedly female- voice. There was something else, too. Something twirling in the rider's hand.

The assassin launched herself off, tossing the larger blade to the side. Bold faced, straight for the fore like she had a death wish. One step- two steps. Sarah started to turn- to run.

Her would be killer slammed into the dirt with her shoulder, tumbling smoothly forward. The soldier moved to intercept but the rider and horse took up the distance and crunched forward until they were nose to snout-

Felicia.

It was Felicia.

Sarah balked openly at the girl as she put herself and her horse between the men and the downed killer.

"The fuck are you doing?!" The soldier demanded as Felicia adjusted this way and that to keep the horse between them.

"Get up!" She shouted at the assassin. She shot Sarah a brief look, Caldion and the soldier in turn. She wasn't about to justify herself; the girl was set. "You're not killing her!"

Soldier and assassin alike tried to close in on her and she jerked her horse to the side bowling the killer off her feet and the soldier to the side with the horse's bulk; the girl even reached for the assassin. "Come on!"

This was a farce. Sarah raised her voice, "Felicia, dear! Not that it's not pleasant to see you-"

"Go! Run!"

"Good enough!" Sarah pulled Keiter into her arms, the mob was already pressing in on them. They didn't have far to go, but they had precious little time to effect an escape-

With the little distraction Felicia was giving them, it might've been enough. Sarah bolted for the carriage. "Come along, children!"

She packed Tess and Keiter into the carriage as quickly as she could and climbed aboard-

Wait.

Sarah checked the wheels to make sure they were sound, the leafsprings in check, and the axles. Caldion spared no such caution as he climbed aboard and took up the reigns.

In moments he oriented the carriage to the northbound road that would take them to Pastow. Sarah climbed aboard and they rode out of Laleah much as they had come in; tired, hungry and no closer to safety from the blade at their backs.

She looked out the window to see a couple of the lanky man's employees looking after her. Patient. Stoic. Sarah showed them the most rude gesture she could think of.