Dath woke silently as Natalya, who was on watch, shook his shoulder.

"What is it?" He whispered as he sat up and Natalya held her finger to her lips. Their breath hung white in the grey light of the chilly predawn. Natalya crouched low beside Dath.

"Some of that company you were talking about." She whispered back.

"Show me." Dath commanded, climbing swiftly to his feet.

The forest was still and silent around them, the low fog swirling around their movements and the eddies of the wind. Natalya glanced back at a slumbering Kedemar as they left the camp.

"What about him?" She asked.

"Let him sleep." Dath answered. "He'll wake soon enough. Hopefully not into a fight." He chuckled silently. The two stole through the trees until Natalya held up her hand for a halt and motioned for Dath to duck down behind a fallen tree. They peered over the broad trunk. There, in the heavy, eddying mist, stood the silhouette of a tall man dressed in black, a hood covering his head. Dath grimaced. He recognized the garb, the visible weapons. The stranger was an assassin, standing with his back to the two companions, seeming to watch and listen. Natalya instinctively stilled her breath, her heart rate climbing like a hunted animal's, her hand alternatively gripping and releasing the hilt of her dagger. She regretted leaving her bow back in camp.

As she and Dath watched, the assassin slowly turned and looked at them. Then he leaped toward them. Dath pulled Natalya to her feet.

"Run!" He shouted.

Dath and Natalya raced through the forest as if their lives depended on it, which they did. Ducking branches and dodging trees, Natalya felt her heart pounding in her ears, her lungs strained for breath as an irrational fear filled her. Glancing back, she saw the assassin pounding ever closer. A fierce stony determination marked his features, filling Natalya with more fear than any other expression could have. It told her that she meant nothing to that man, not as a life, not as another human being. She was just a target, something to be terminated without pity or mercy.

And that was the most terrifying.

Beside her, matching her stride for stride, Dath filled his lungs and roared out, "Wake! Flee! Wake!"

Then, shoving Natalya onward, he suddenly skidded to a halt, plucked a knife from his belt, and flung it at the approaching assassin. The knife struck deep in his shoulder. The assassin's headlong rush was halted by the force of the blow, and he dropped to one knee, clutching the wound. He lifted his head to watch his quarry flee farther away, but made no further move toward them.

After a minute, the assassin withdrew the knife from his shoulder, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth as he did. He cast the bloody blade to the ground. Early sunlight glinted off his blond hair and the red that stained his hand.

***

Kedemar startled awake as Dath's warning cry rang through the forest. In an instant he was on his feet, his naked sword in his hand. He held it ready as Natalya rushed into the camp, Dath not far behind her.

"What happened?" Kedemar demanded, lowering his sword.

"Company." Dath replied, quickly catching his breath. Natalya was still gulping air, hands on her knees, chest heaving. Her eyes were still wide with terror, like a frightened deer.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Kedemar asked, barely sparing her a glance. Anger at being left behind showed in the taut lines of his body.

"Natalya spotted him. She woke me, and," Dath lifted a hand to forestalled Kedemar when the young captain shot a look at Natalya and opened his mouth to speak. "She made the right decision. Now be quick. That wound won't stop him for long. We have to move."

The two men began breaking camp. Natalya still stood, shaken.

"What was he?" She whispered, clenching her fingers around the hilt of her dagger. Her knuckles turned white. Dath straightened from tying a bedroll closed, he turned to her, sympathetic.

"A Kathiran assassin." He replied.

"He seemed so... detached." Natalya spoke. "Like we weren't-- like we meant nothing to him. We were just..." Dath laid his hand on her shoulder. She turned stricken eyes on him. Dath smiled reassuringly at her. Most of the time this precious girl of nineteen winters exuded an aura of maturity and 'don't mess with me', but other times, rare times, like now, she showed that she was still just that: a young girl with hidden terrors and no parents to speak of.

"I know." Dath said. "I know. They're frightening and merciless. They are not men to be underestimated. But if we come across them again, I will protect you. Just, let us try to stay out of their way as much as possible, yeah? Not borrow trouble." He gave her a wink. She returned a shaky smile. Kedemar watched their exchange, his brow slightly furrowed.

Dath clapped Natalya gently on the shoulder. "Now saddle the horses for us, will you, lass?"

Natalya slung her quiver of arrows over her shoulder, picked up her bow, nodded, and was gone. Kedemar and Dath focused on gathering the rest of their gear and kicking dirt over the smoldering campfire.

Natalya came sprinting back.

"The horses are gone!" She was shouting before she reached them. "The leads were cut!" She skidded to a stop beside them.

Dath cursed.

Trouble.

"What do we do now?" Kedemar asked. Both he and Natalya looked at Dath for guidance, relying on him as their leader to know the way out of this situation.

Dath cursed again.

"We run." He said. A steely determined glint entered the eyes of the young people. They all hoisted a knapsack on their shoulders, girded on their weapons. They dashed off into the forest, Dath setting a pace that Kedemar and Natalya easily matched.

The hunters were now the hunted.

***

The three companions sped swiftly through the dense trees until they came to a road. It stretched into the distance, empty in the mid-morning. They stopped by its side, lungs heaving, sides aching. Dath had set a punishing pace. After a moment, Dath signaled the two young people.

"Let's keep going." He said. They took the road, sacrificing stealth for speed. Dath set a somewhat slower pace for a time. He called a halt when a small cabin appeared at the roadside.

"This is the place." He said tiredly.

"Your 'friend'?" Kedemar asked. Dath nodded.

"His name is Abiathar. He should be able to give us some of the information we need."

The three stepped wearily up to the cabin door and Dath knocked heavily on the sturdy oak planks. The door creaked open, and a grey-haired man appeared in the gap. He was a grizzled fellow, but fit, like he knew something of the sword. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"What do you want?" He growled. Dath glanced behind him at the empty road and decided he didn't have time for pleasantries. He shouldered his way into the cabin without warning. His companions followed more slowly, and Kedemar gently closed the door and locked it. The man stumbled backward into the small kitchen, and his eyes widened as he recognized Dath.

"You!"

"Hello, Abiathar." Dath replied cooly. "You owe a debt that's come calling."

Abiathar shook his head, his hand twitching toward a knife sheathed at his hip. "Get out!" He shouted, angry, afraid. "I'll be paying no debts today."

Dath crossed his arms over his chest, shook his head and chuckled. "You have no choice, Abiathar. I spared your life once. You owe me."

Abiathar's face tightened in red-faced rage. Suddenly he darted toward Kedemar, wrapped an arm around his chest and arms, whipped out his knife and held it to the young captain's throat. Kedemar couldn't stifle a gasp as the cold steel bit his neck, and Natalya froze with her dagger drawn halfway out of its sheath. Only Dath remained cool and relaxed.

"I'll not be pandering to your demands!" Abiathar snarled. "Get out, or the boy dies!" Kedemar stiffened further as he felt a warm, wet trickle running down his neck. Natalya sucked in a tense breath. He met her eyes and found them filled with concern...for him? He swallowed thickly, feeling the cold knife bite ever so slightly deeper into his flesh.

Dath allowed himself a small smile as he watched Abiathar threaten Kedemar.

"Idle threats, Abiathar." He countered. "You would never be able to kill the lad."

"Couldn't I?" Abiathar sneered. He tightened his hold on Kedemar. The captain gritted his teeth in pain, sure that these were his last moments. Dath was playing a dangerous game with high stakes. Surely he wouldn't let Kedemar die just to prove a point!

Then, Dath struck. Moving faster than the time it took to blink, Dath darted forward and grabbed the wrist Abiathar's knife hand, stepping behind the man and twisting that arm behind his back. With his free hand, Dath shoved Kedemar out of Abiathar's grasp, then sharply kicked the back of Abiathar's knee. Abiathar went down on one knee with a grunt. Free, Kedemar staggered a coupled of paces with the force of Dath's shove, then whirled with both sword and dagger drawn and leveled at his assailant.

"Now, Abiathar," Dath's voice was soft with controlled anger, all smiles and idle words gone. "I could kill you for that. But I won't; you have something I need. And I think you know what it is. Pay your debt and I'll let you live."

Abiathar shook his head. "I won't give it." He vowed, his voice tight with pain from the pressure that Dath was putting on his arm.

"It's just a little bit of information." Said Dath, his voice still soft. "Kedemar!" Dath gestured for him to hand over the dagger, and the young man placed it in the bounty hunter's hand. Dath shoved Abiathar to his feet and prodded him toward the kitchen table with the hilt of the dagger.

"Sit." Dath instructed. Abiathar complied.

"Now," Dath continued, as Kedemar and Natalya looked on in awe, "a councilman was murdered a week ago. Jonin of Kenrath committed the deed; I saw the body and I know his work well. But I'm sure you know this already. You're a well-informed man, after all. Write down for me the name of the man who hired him." Dath smiled coldly. "Then, if anyone comes asking, you can say you told us nothing. Or, I can end you here and collect the bounty on your head that I could have long ago. I spared you that day, remember. Make your choice wisely." He meaningfully stabbed the dagger into the table.

Natalya felt her face freeze into its customary stony mask as she heard the name of the assassin who had killed the Councilman. She watched Dath shove a piece of parchment and an inked quill onto the table before Abiathar, but she did not comprehend the actions. With that one name her mind was transported to a past time, a happier time. A time that had ended in blood and betrayal. Kedemar gave her a curious glance, and she abruptly shook herself from her reverie. She watched Dath, taking note of his harsh but effective methods as, defeated, Abiathar could do nothing but comply to his demands. Under the threat of Dath's blade, his shaking hand scrawled out onto the parchment the words, 'Gavin Fay'.

Dath studied the name for a moment, muttering, "I might have known. Nearly always hires someone to do his dirty work for him if he can." He looked at Abiathar and gave the man a grave nod, then wiggled the dagger out of the table and handed it back to Kedemar. The young captain sheathed the smaller blade, but kept his sword held ready, still suspicious of Abiathar. Dath swept the parchment off the table, folded it, and tucked it away.

Dath had no sooner pocketed the name, when there was a commotion outside. Clanking of metal armor, jingling of bits, and the thunder of hooves. Kedemar stepped to a window by the door and twitched aside the curtain covering it.

"Soldiers!" He shouted, raising his sword. "Fifteen of them, wearing Kathiare's colors, and an assassin in black!"

Natalya smoothly nocked an arrow to her bow. Dath fixed Abiathar with a fierce glare. The man shrank back.

"I didn't do anything!" He cried. Dath nodded, searching his eyes and believing him, then turned to his comrades.

"There are too many of them for us to fight outright, especially with that assassin in the mix. We have to get out fast. Make for the trees across the road, and don't stop for anything." He ordered. They nodded. Someone outside pounded on the locked door.

"Open up and surrender, or suffer our blades and fire!" The pounder shouted, his voice muffled by the thick wood. Abiathar fled into a side room off of the kitchen. Kedemar heard the soft SHRING of a sword being unsheathed.

"I'm not leaving!" Abiathar shouted. "I'll die defending my home!"

Dath rolled his eyes. "They're not after you." He muttered before drawing his sword and abruptly yanking open the door, causing the soldier right outside to stumble in. Dath swiftly slew him and charged at the rest. Natalya followed, loosing three arrows in less than a second, all of which found a vulnerable mark, seeming to sprout from eyes, necks, open mouths. Anywhere that was not protected by armor.

Kedemar was the last one out, as, under the assassin's cold direction, the remaining Kathiran soldiers surged forward. He saw his companions fleeing toward the trees as the men surrounded him. His heart sank as he realized he would never escape in time. It sank even further as he realized that his companions, even Natalya, would never leave without him. He would die, and they with him, and he knew that he could not let that happen. With a cry, he unleashed his sword's fury upon the Kathirans. Already at the tree line, Dath and Natalya skidded to a halt as they heard his battle-shout, and made to turn back to aid him.

"NO!" Kedemar shouted, shoving his blade through a soldier's chainmail and into his gut. "Go!"

And, reluctantly, they went, for the soldiers threatened to overwhelm them.

Kedemar's last glimpse of his comrades was Dath dragging Natalya away as she fought to get back to Kedemar. Then the soldiers closed in. Their ranks parted slightly and the assassin stepped forward. A bloody bandage bound his shoulder and chest, but he handled his sword with ease, like he didn't even feel the pain. His blond hair shone in the cheerful sunlight; he seemed familiar somehow. But Kedemar had no time to think about that right now. He swallowed hard as the assassin raised his blade, and knew he was hopelessly outmatched. But he had no choice but to fight. He took a deep breath. This was for his companions.

With a ringing clash of steel, their blades met. Thrust, parry, parry, block, slash, parry again. Stars, the assassin hit hard, with a strength that Kedemar had never felt in any of his opponents. A strength he could not stand against for long. A few blows later, Kedemar's arms were growing numb. He parried again, always on the defense, and hesitated as he blinked blinding sweat from his eyes. That hesitation cost him. With blinding speed, the assassin's fist met Kedemar's face, and he staggered backward ,spitting blood, as the world exploded in painful color. The assassin followed up with a lightning-fast slash that opened up a shallow slice along Kedemar's ribs. Kedemar scrambled backward and retreated before him, his heart sinking. With a series of bewilderingly fast maneuvers, too fast for the young captain to properly follow, the assassin disarmed Kedemar, then drove a knee into his gut. Kedemar fell to his hands and knees, gasping and retching. He reached one hand up to cradle his bleeding side. That long cut was deeper than he had first thought. He could feel his life-blood dripping steadily to the thirsty dirt.

The assassin regarded him for a moment, cold and calculating. Kedemar bowed his head wearily, waiting to die, wondering why it was taking the assassin so long to lift his sword and end him. One quick stoke would do it.

The assassin stepped back and gestured to the remaining soldiers.

"Bind him." He ordered in a cold, gravely voice. They hauled Kedemar to his feet and he nearly blacked out from the pain. He sagged to his knees as they stripped him of his weapons and bound his wrists behind his back, and no amount of beating could make him find the strength to stand. Finally they just pulled a dark sack over his head and slung him over someone's saddle. They tied him down and rode out. The rocking and pounding of the horse's gait sent pulses of pain through him with every hoofbeat, until finally, mercifully, he sank into blackness and knew no more.

***

What seemed like hours later, Dath and Natalya halted their headlong flight, staggering to a stop and gasping for air. Dath had gripped Natalya's arm iron-hard as he kept her going away from the fight, away from Kedemar. Now he finally released her and both surveyed their surroundings, as Nat rubbed the tender bruises that had resulted from his grip. Rank upon dense rank of trees were around them and they were miles from any civilization.

Dath noticed her rubbing her arm and gestured for her to let him see. Reluctantly, she let him. The bounty hunter gently rolled up her sleeve and studied the damage.

"I am so sorry." He apologized, looking into her eyes. He dug a tiny jar of salve from his knapsack and applied it to her skin. "Here. This should help." He told her. Almost immediately the pain receded. But she wasn't concerned about the pain or the bruises.

Natalya's breath caught in her throat, and she leaned against Dath. He wrapped an arm around her in concern as she sagged.

"He's dead." She whispered, closing her eyes against the twin tears that found their way down her cheeks. "He sacrificed himself for us, and for what?"

Dath peered down into her distraught face.

"He may not yet be dead." He countered gently, supporting her weight. A light rain began to mist down on them, adding to Natalya's hopelessness.

"You said yourself: the assassins are merciless! What hope do we have that Kedemar yet lives?" She cried softly. Dath shook her gently.

"A hope," he said firmly, "that he is still alive, and that they have taken him to the assassins' nearest hideout for interrogation. We will track them there, and we will find him, and we will get him back." He finished grimly.