Johann couldn't believe his own eyes. It must have been a side effect from going through a portal. An arrow stuck from Kiri's gut, both her hands were wrapped around the shaft of the arrow as she turned and fell to the side. He quickly rushed to her and helped pull the arrow out. His heart hammered against his chest at seeing her injured.

Memories of his friends flashed through his mind of how each and every one of them found their death on the battlefield. He couldn't save them and now fate had struck out once more. Blood seeped through his fingers as he pressed down on the wound.

"You're going to be fine, don't do this to me," he said looking at her face through tears. He couldn't lose her as well, not after only just finding a woman with a passion with whom he actually felt a connection.

Kiri raised a shaking hand and stretched out a blood-caked finger. "Behind you," she mumbled. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth together.

Johann spun around, eyes widening as he realized the attacker was still there and coming at him. His joints froze up as he recognized the woman leaping into the air with a dagger in her hands. The serving girl Milanja. She tried to kill Kiri and was now trying to put it to an end by taking his life. He would rather die protecting Kiri than to let her have her way.

Blood pulsed through his veins as he watched the blade come down on him. With only a few heartbeats to spare, he rolled to the side and heard the whish of the dagger come down where he'd kneeled. Johann came around and tackled Milanja, knocking her off balance and bringing her to the ground.

Milanja struggled against him, trying to plunge the dagger into his chest. He gripped her wrists and pinned her to the ground but she was quick to change her tactic and kicked him in the chest with her knee.

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The strength behind her kick surprised him as he gasped for air and she used the moment to topple him off her and come around on top, both hands on her dagger as she brought it down towards his chest. He quickly reached out and grabbed her by the wrists and while he managed to stop her at first, she slowly began to take the upper-hand and inch her way down. His heart thumped against his chest. If the tension kept up as it was, he'd die either way.

Johann wriggled, trying to free his legs and get enough power behind them to knock her off but she wasn't going to fall for the same move she pulled on him.

"Halt!" A voice cried out from the side and at first Johann thought the worst. At first he assumed the Erythrai heard the fighting and came to help Milanja but then realized what he heard had been German. With the tip of the blade now grazing his skin, he flicked his gaze over and found a police officer pulling out a pistol from his holster. "Put the knife down!"

A bewildered look came across Milanja's face as she looked from Johann to the police officer. She didn't seem to understand what he said but knew what the gun would do to her. Slowly, she pulled away from Johann and got onto her feet, turning to face the police officer.

"I said, drop the knife." He indicated with the pistol to her to let it fall to the ground. It was only when she complied, that he reached into his pocket and blew on a whistle to call for backup. "I don't know what the hell is going on here but I'm going to get to the bottom of it. You all right?"

"I'm fine but we need to get my friend to a hospital." Johann took deep breaths and felt the burn in his muscles from wrestling against Milanja. He didn't expect her to be stronger than him. If they were all like that, then they were in for a real problem. His brief proximity to death faded, and he remembered Kiri being injured. He glanced around, trying to make out where she was. He sprung onto his feet, circling around the group of trees where they had first appeared but could find her.

A handful of policemen heard the whistle and emerged from the woods.

"We have a mad woman on our hands here," the man who saved his life told the oncoming officers. His eyes lingered on Johann's army boots. "And a deserter by the looks of it. We're taking them both in for now."

Both? Johann spun around in search of Kiri but the space where he left her was vacant.