That night, Natalya was ready to make her first move as commander of this little mission. In the large anteroom of the house, the young huntress arrayed her troops. Her friends and some of the other members of the Obsidian stood before her, awaiting her orders.

She looked around at them all, at their serious expressions.

Dath, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Kedemar and Haeil, looking like brothers with their dark hair and eyes, their hands on the hilts of their swords as they stood before her.

Jashur and Tanner, standing, arms folded, with the rest of their group of spies and smugglers.

They were all prepared to live or die by her decisions tonight, she realized chillingly. She held their lives in her hands.

“Kedemar,” she instructed, shoving away her chilling thoughts, rubbing the trace-token connected to Ulrek's spy between suddenly-cold fingers-- She'd gotten it back from Kedemar earlier in the day. She felt her mind brush against its thread-thin tether. It was still intact and reaching away through the city to the west.

“Ulrek’s spy is somewhere near the west edge of the city, by the River Reverse. I need you to do some reconnaissance for me. Recon, only.” She added firmly. "Bring back a report of the lay of the land, how many men there are, if there are any assassins, understand?"

Haeil started to protest. Natalya turned to him.

“Forgive me, Haeil, but this is something I need Kedemar to do alone. If I send too many men, they'll get noticed, and I have a different task for you. When Kedemar’s brought me his news, then I will make further moves.” She spoke calmingly. The young assassin subsided.

Kedemar gravely inclined his head to the huntress as Nat handed back the trace-token back to him.

"I'll be back." He promised her, then vanished out the door. Natalya listened to his footsteps tapping down the street before turning to speak to Haeil,

“I need you down at the docks. If any of Ulrek’s men try to leave the city, stop them any way you can. You’ll know what to look for better than anyone else. The Obsidian will be nearby. You will not be without support if something goes wrong.”

Haeil nodded and turned to go.

Kedemar popped back in. “I forgot something.” He said. “This may be more difficult than you thought.” He strode to a table in the corner of the room where sat a sheaf of papers, a map of the city on top. He grabbed the map, slid it into the front of his jerkin.

Natalya sighed, rubbing her temples. “Dath, go with him.” She ordered. The bounty hunter uncrossed his arms and stood upright. Gave Nat a smile before following Kedemar back out the door.

***

Hours passed since Dath had left with Kedemar to do reconnaissance around the River Reverse side of the city. Hours that left Natalya pacing and gnawing her lower lip bloody as the night progressed and the moon set. She finally settled herself in a chair in her bedroom to wait.

Haeil returned, to relay news and grab a couple hours of sleep while Jashur went out to the docks.

Finally Kedemar slipped in the door. Alone.

“Kedemar!” Natalya stood swiftly, her voice shaking. “Where is Dath?”

Kedemar looked confused.

“Kedemar. Where. Is Dath?” Natalya said again, coming close. Her voice pleaded with him for… something. He knew not what. “I sent him with you, Kedemar.”

He shook his head as Haeil joined them. The assassin looked back and forth between them, wondering what was going on.

“No, you didn’t.” Kedemar denied, confused, his distress level rising. Striving to remain calm. Surely there was some mistake.

“I sent him with you!” Natalya cried. “Or, someone who I thought was you.” Her voice quieted.

Kedemar’s confusion, then his eyes, widened in horror as her words processed, only confirmed what she’d suspected for hours now.

Her breath came fast and heavy. Tears pricked her eyes. She staggered backward a step. Kedemar leaped forward and grasped her arms.

“We’ll find him.” He said firmly. Reassuring her.

Not that she could be reassured.

***

Dath strode alongside Kedemar through the dark streets of Bethmüda, glancing every so often at his companion.

Something was off.

The lad’s gait, his manner, something.

The captain's visage shifted suddenly in the moonlight. A mask seemed to slip from his face, almost imperceptibly.

But Dath noticed.

In an instant, he had the stranger slammed up against the wall of a building, Dath's forearm up against the man’s throat, and a dagger in the bounty hunter's hand.

“You're not Kedemar!” Dath growled into the man’s face. He examined his features closely. The lad was quite young and bore a strong resemblance to the captain, which was how the mage-cloaking, for that it was, had worked so well in the first place.

“Who are you?” Dath demanded, bringing his dagger up alongside the man’s face. “Tell me truly, and quick, or I will leave you dead in the street!”

The stranger's breath came fast and heavy, his eyes were wide with fear and something else. Triumph? The man glanced over Dath's shoulder, and smiled.

The multiple clicks of a multitude of crossbows being cocked sounded behind and above Dath. A voice spoke.

“Pray do not harm the lad, my dear bounty hunter. He is but a messenger and does not bear the blame for his little charade. Please, make this easier for all of us and surrender instead.”

Dath glanced up, then back. At least twenty men, dressed in black leather, all with loaded crossbows aimed at him, lined the rooftops above him and behind him.

Dath slowly let his young captive go and turned around to face the speaker. He found a tall man, bald, dressed in the same black leather as his men, standing there with a loaded crossbow in his hands. The weapon was aimed at the bounty hunter's heart.

Dath sighed, knowing he wasn't going to make it out of this situation alive if he fought now. Nobody could dodge that many crossbow quarrels.

“Ulrek, I presume?” The bounty hunter asked resignedly. The bald man smiled.

“You would be correct. Now drop the dagger and your sword belt.” He ordered.

Mindful of the bowmen on the roofs, Dath slowly complied, his heart sinking.

A cold metal weight sat heavy on his chest, its leather thong rough against his neck. He pushed the thought of it from his mind, determined to keep it, and its cloaking, hidden.

“Bind him.” Gloated Ulrek. Dath’s former captive stepped forward with rope. Dath’s wrists were yanked behind his back and bound tightly. A sack was then jerked over his head, cutting off all sight. A heavy hand closed on his shoulder and they hauled him off into the night.

Dath could only pray that his comrades hadn’t fallen into a similar trap.

***

"Haeil," Natalya said, taking a deep breath and composing herself. "Search the dock-side of the city. Be vigilant. And take these trace-tokens, in case something goes wrong. They're connected to Kedemar and me."

Haeil opened his mouth to speak, but she forestalled him.

"Two search parties are better than one, and I cannot go alone. Kedemar knows the city near the River Reverse. That's where we'll be looking." She said.

Kedemar spoke, "We should alert Adalyyn or Jashur." He said. "Get more help."

Nat shook her head, her dark hair swaying.

"There's no time." She replied. "Jashur's still out by the docks, and Adalyyn is out running goods. We don't have the time to spare finding whoever's next in charge... and besides, this is better as a stealth mission. Get in, find Dath, and bring him home." Her voice broke at the end.

Haeil laid a hand on her arm.

"If you're caught... if you both die..." He spoke, pinning her gaze with his own. Trying to tell her how much she meant to all of them, how much they needed her. Kedemar gave him a small smile.

"We won't." He said. "I trust Natalya's judgement in this. We do it like she says."

Haeil dropped his hand, then hauled Kedemar into a hug.

"Be careful." The assassin said. "You're like a brother to me. And take care of her." He nodded at Nat. Kedemar clapped him on the back.

"I will." He promised solemnly.

Haeil gently embraced Natalya.

"Don't be rash." He cautioned. She nodded.

Then they split, each running down the dark streets like there were lives at stake.

Which there was.

One life.

Dath's life.

***

Dath was tied to a chair. Had been for what felt like hours now. Sounds echoed off of stone all around him. Below him somewhere came the muffled sound of a rushing river.

Suddenly the sack over his head was jerked off, and he was left blinking in the harsh light of a lantern. Ulrek crouched in front of him, holding the offending light.

Dath turned his face away. Closed his eyes against the flame's bright glare.

Ulrek smiled.

"Quite a catch, you." Ulrek said. "Mendenlau will be pleased. You are more important than I know, I think. Your friends certainly think so. Surely they will not leave to my clutches." He chuckled, then sobered. "Now tell me, when are your companions coming for you?"

"What are you?" Dath asked, ignoring the question. "An assassin?"

Ulrek scowled.

"I am the one asking the questions here!" He shouted, standing. His voice echoed off of the stone walls of the large room around them. The bald man's fist shot out into the side of Dath's face. Dath's head snapped sideways; he grunted. He slowly turned back and spat blood and a tooth onto Ulrek's boot.

The bald man's face turned red. He leaned close.

"Tell me when." He hissed into Dath's face, grasping a handful of his hair so that Dath couldn't move.

"Never." Dath grunted, gritting his teeth against the pain. "They're coming never."

Ulrek released him, right before the big man's fist met Dath's face a second time. Four blows did the bald man rain upon the defenseless bounty hunter. Dark bruises formed and blood flew. Dath's head snapped back with each fist that struck his face.

When Ulrek ceased, the bounty hunter's head lolled. Dath blinked, on the verge of semi-consciousness.

"Yeah, definitely an assassin." He slurred through swollen, split lips. "I would know the feel of your ilk's fists anywhere."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Ulrek stepped back and smiled thinly. "It would seem that you are correct for the second time tonight." He paused, then turned and opened the lantern. The bald man leaned down to a cold brazier that was sitting nearby-- in which were resting thin logs and long, iron instruments-- and picked up a piece of pitch-covered wood. He held it to the lantern flame for a moment, making idle conversation.

"You know," said Ulrek, "I have heard of you, Dathran. I know you were one of us for many years. Decades, even. I can understand why you broke your oath to us. Your wife was a lovely woman." He glanced over at Dath, and smiled. "I was there that day, you know."

"I do know." Replied Dath. "I regret not killing you then."

Ulrek laughed. Tossed his now-flaming branch onto the brazier. The dry wood in the brazier instantly went up in flames with a soft Whoof!

"You talk bravely." The bald assassin spoke with malevolent amusement. "For now. Soon we shall see if you are so brave in actuality. In the end, you will talk. And you will tell me everything I want to know."

Dath remained silent, merely staring into the brazier flames at the metal instruments heating there.

***

Pain radiated in nauseating waves through his whole body. He could taste the copper tang of blood in the back of his raw throat. He wavered on the edge of unconsciousness.

But he was proud. He hadn't spoken, except for well-placed insults. Had given no information.

Had not succumbed to Ulrek's methods.

He had not talked.

Ulrek was a fool, underestimating Dath's strength. The bounty hunter would die before he betrayed those he loved, even through excruciating pain.

Ulrek was gone now, but he'd promised he'd return. Dath steeled himself for that time, praying that his strength would not betray him.

***

Kedemar twisted Dath’s trace token between his fingers as he watched the silent warehouse on the banks of the River Reverse. He couldn't believe that Natalya had made trace-tokens on each of the companions and didn't tell hardly anyone. She'd even duplicated most of them. According to her, Dath was in possession of the duplicates.

Kedemar took a deep breath to calm himself and listened to the ocean crashed against crumbling cliffs a mere half-mile away.

He nodded at the warehouse.

“He’s in there.” He whispered. Natalya nodded beside him.

“I know.” She replied, mentally touching the magical tether that bound her trace to its subject. Kedemar turned to her, demanding her complete attention.

“We go in together, but I’m in charge.” He told her gravely, firmly. “We have no idea what we’ll find and I have experience in these sorts of situations.”

Nat nodded.

“Alright.” She acquiesced.

The two made their silent way down the hill and to the seemingly deserted warehouse. Both on their guard, neither encountered opposition. It was eerily quiet.

No guards.

No assassins.

No trace of anything living at all.

They slipped inside, roamed the empty, echoing hallways and corridors, heading ever deeper into the warehouse. Ever closer to the center of the building.

Kedemar eased open a door and the two young people peered into a large, wide-open room. It was dark here, lit only by a softly glowing brazier near the middle of the room. Heavy shadows encroached all around, stifling the light.

But the room was not entirely empty of life.

There sat someone, a man, bound to a chair in the center of the room, a sack over his head.

Natalya stifled a gasp. Kedemar clapped his hand over her mouth as he surveyed the shadows for threats. They couldn't be too sure that the prisoner was alone.

But there was no alarm, and no sound of either retreating or advancing footsteps.

Satisfied that the shadows were empty, Kedemar released Natalya, and they crept into the room.

The bound man lifted his obscured head and stiffened as he heard them approach. The stench of burnt blood and flesh was suffocatingly heavy in the room. Natalya's stomach heaved, but she fought it down. She wanted to retch so badly.

She wondered how Kedemar could seem so unaffected as the captain strode straight to the prisoner.

Kedemar gently pulled the hood off the man’s head.

“Come back for more?” The captive slurred, tipping his head to peer at them out of his swollen, only open eye.

“Dath!” Gasped Nat, taking in his swollen bloody face, ripped clothing, and deep, bloody brand marks on one leg and arm. “What have they done to you?” Tears came to Nat’s eyes. Her stomach surged. She turned her eyes away from the exposed flesh and bloody muscle, even scorched bone in places. The ragged, blackened edges of his burnt flesh. Focused instead on his battered, swollen face, which wasn't much better.

Kedemar swiftly produced a knife and slit the ropes binding Dath to the chair.

“Nat— Kedemar?!” Dath asked, recognizing them at last. He unleashed a curse that made Kedemar’s ears turn red. Natalya seemed oblivious as twin tears dripped down her cheeks. She gently touched the drying blood that coated the bounty hunter's cheek.

“You aren’t supposed to be here!” Dath hissed. “This is a trap!”

“No matter.” Kedemar said, pulling him to his feet and slinging Dath's bad arm around his shoulders. “Now we run!”

And run they did, as Ulrek and five men burst into the room, shouting, weapons drawn.

The race through the corridors of the warehouse was slow, with Ulrek gaining rapidly. Dath limped heavily and his breathing was labored. Not even Kedemar’s support helped.

Then the fugitives turned a corner and skidded into a dead end. A large closed door stood at the end of a large room filled with towers of crates. The sound of the river was loud here.

The three slipped in among the cover of the crates. Natalya dashed to inspect the door. Dath halted, pushing away from Kedemar to lean against a pillar of crates.

“I can’t go on.” He said, panting from pain and exhaustion. Natalya whirled toward him.

“What? No! Don’t say that!” She cried.

Dath refused to meet her eyes, looking instead at Kedemar.

“I have one last secret to impart, and a burdensome gift to give.” Dath said. He reached inside his tunic to the one thing on his person he’d kept hidden from Ulrek. He pulled out a gold seal ring, slipped its leather thong over his head.

He let it dangle in his hand a moment, feeling its weight and the weight of his burden.

“Dath!” Natalya pleaded, her voice breaking. “I need you! Please! Don’t do this!”

Dath fixed Natalya with a grave, sorrow-filled look.

"I have to." He said gently. He slipped the leather thong over the captain's head. Then cupped Nat's face in his hands and kissed her gently on her brow. Stepped back, tears rising to his eyes.

Kedemar felt the ring bump, cold and heavy, against his chest. Natalya stared at the place where it had gone. Her mind whirled, wondering where she'd seen such a design before, fitting pieces of the puzzle together. But too late.

"It's you." She whispered brokenly. "That ring, it's too lofty for a simple bounty hunter. And the seal, it's unlike any I've ever seen, but it's very similar to the crest on Gibethon's flag. You're the Shadow King!" She cried.

Dath inclined his head.

"Yes." He replied. "The prophesy foretold that I'd die soon. That time seems to be now."

"NO!" Shrieked Natalya, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around him. "No! I can't lose you, Dath! I can't--" she choked, "can't-- go through that again! Please!"

Dath gently pushed her away and took Kedemar's sword from its sheath. Nodded at the big door at the end of the room..

"The river is the only way out. My injuries prevent me from escaping with you. But I can buy you time." He said, looking Kedemar in the eyes. "You're my heir now, the rightful heir to Gibethon's throne. You carry my seal. Show it to the Ruling Council and they will know what I have done. Rule well, my son. And take care of Nat."

Kedemar nodded, his throat tight.

"I will." He said hoarsely, clasping his arms tight around Natalya's waist. Dath threw open the door.

The river rushed by far below, deep and roiling with the spring rains.

"NO!" Screamed Natalya again, fighting against Kedemar's unrelenting grip. Rain drummed on the wooden roof above. Cascaded down in sheets outside.

"Please, no! Dath...!" She wailed. Dath gave her a sad smile.

"I love you, lass." He said, reaching out to touch her cheek. His gaze traveled to Kedemar's sorrowful dark eyes.

"Both of you." Dath told them. "You are the children of my heart."

A crash and Ulrek's shout came from the other end of the room. Dath's head whipped toward the sound. He hefted his sword.

"Now go!" He cried.

Natalya writhed in Kedemar's arms.

"No! Dath, don't! Please don't! Don't do this! Please, Father!" She screamed, pounding against Kedemar's iron grasp. "Kedemar, don't you dare do this! Please, don't do this!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she twisted to appeal to the captain. "I can't lose him, Kedemar! I can't! He's all the family I have left! Please!"

Kedemar gave her no answer.

"Goodbye, Natalya!" Came Dath's grief-stricken shout over the river's roar, which seemed to be pulling them in.

"NO!" Natalya shrieked as Kedemar pulled her backward out the door.

Then Natalya's scream of terror met the young captain's ears just before they hit the water.

"I can't swim!"

***

Haeil galloped his horse recklessly down the dark streets. Thunder grumbled overhead and a moment later rain poured down in white, driving sheets. The torrential downpour plastered his hair to his face, soaked his clothes, ran in rivulets down what little armor he had on, and reduced visibility to nigh on nonexistent.

Still he kept on.

Something had gone wrong, he just knew it.

And he wasn’t there to protect the people he loved most.

He reined in at the Obsidian’s lair, dismounting even before his mount had stopped moving.

“Something’s gone wrong!” He shouted, racing down the stairs into the feasting hall. Everyone looked up at him, startled.

“Anyone who’s willing, grab your weapons and follow me!” Haeil cried. “Kedemar and Natalya are in trouble!”

Warriors immediately surged to their feet. In less that ten minutes, Haeil led a full company of horsemen west to the River Reverse, hoping against hope that he wasn’t too late.

***

They plunged deep into the water with crushing force, Kedemar taking the brunt of the fall for Natalya. As soon as their feet touched bottom, Kedemar drove them upward. Natalya struggled wildly in his arms. Panic made her fight against him with all her might, and Kedemar didn't have the strength to keep her calm and them alive for long.

"I can't swim!" Natalya gasped in terror as their heads broke the surface; she beat at the surface of the river.

“Relax!” Kedemar roared in her ear. She abruptly stopped struggling and sagged against him. Her head rested on his shoulder and her breath rasped in his ear as he fought the river's greedy might. Fought to keep them alive.

Still, even with Natalya limp in his arms, it was all Kedemar could do to keep their heads above water as the roiling River Reverse carried them far faster than a horse could gallop, deep into the countryside of Kenrath. After a while, a kind of detached numbness set in, in their hearts and their limbs. Natalya was limp and silent against Kedemar, but he was too busy keeping them afloat to see if she was still alive. He couldn't count how many times their heads had bobbed beneath the surface.

There was a reason the river was called the Reverse. You see, instead of flowing to the nearby sea, as most rivers do, the River Reverse flowed from the sea, its deep, swift waters racing inland. This was the only reason why the river was Nat and Kedemar's salvation and not their doom.

The river's waters were salty for the first mile or so before other tributaries joined it and diluted the powerful ocean between its banks. Anything that fell in the river did not get back out again unless it made it alive to the place many miles downstream where the river finally widened and slowed enough for its current to give up its prizes.

It was at this wide place, countless hours later, that Kedemar dragged them to the edge of the river and they stumbled onto the bank. They fell to their hands and knees, then rolled onto their backs, closed their eyes, exhausted emotionally and physically.

Kedemar sighed heavily. He couldn't afford to rest now, he knew.

They were days from anywhere they knew, wet and cold, virtually weaponless. Ulrek, if he was smart, would be hunting them soon enough. Might even send boats down the river after the fugitives.

A couple of daggers and an assortment of throwing knives, that was all they had for defense.

No horses.

No food.

No water but what the river gave them.

He sighed again and rolled onto his side. Climbed slowly, achingly, to his feet. He stepped over to Natalya.

She lay, gasping and coughing up river water, too tired to do anything more. Kedemar reached down, grasped her hands, and lifted her to her feet. She opened her eyes and glared at him, then gave him a violent shove.

“You nearly killed us!” She screamed hoarsely.

“But I didn’t.” Kedemar replied gently, wearily.

“You killed Dath!” Nat cried back, turning away and stumbling to the edge of the river. Kedemar followed her.

“That’s not true.” He said, understanding her grief and anger. He'd felt the same grief once upon a time.

She wheeled to face him.

“It is! He was the only father I've known for years-- I told you I couldn't lose him-- and you left him to die! You might as well have ran him through yourself!” She screamed in blinding anger.

He took another step toward her. “Nat…”

“Stay away from me!” She cried. “I hate you! I hate you!”

Kedemar pulled her into an embrace instead. Alone-time was not going to be healthy for the grieving lass right now.

“You don’t mean that.” The captain said gently. Roland's face flashed through his mind.

“I do!” Natalya cried. "I do!"

Kedemar shook his head.

“No, you don’t. I understand what you’re feeling. I'm an officer and I’ve led and lost men. It breaks you inside, when you have to leave behind those you care for. It’s alright to grieve. Cry, Natalya. Cry.” He said, pressing her head onto his shoulder.

And she did. Great, heaving sobs that seemed in danger of wrenching her heart out of her chest.

Kedemar held her close, his own silent tears streaming down his river-damp face.

***

Kedemar and Natalya made camp in a nearby copse of trees, willing the rain to end. Kedemar coaxed a small smoky fire into existence.

"We can't go back yet and risk running into any pursuers. They'll be looking for us and we can't risk getting caught." Kedemar said. Natalya nodded. Then both were silent, shivering as they huddled on opposite sides of the blaze.

Dusk fell, chilling their damp bodies. Kedemar glanced over at Nat, wondering if he should make the extremely awkward suggestion that they should share body heat for the night. They were out here, nearly without supplies of any kind, without any real warmth but what the pitiful fire gave them, and the night promised cold.

But he decided against it. It would be too... soon. And a violation of his morals.

The night came on with more rain.

Kedemar leaned against a log and dozed fitfully, waiting for the time when Natalya's nightmares would break the silence of the wilds, as he knew they would.

Sure enough, he jolted awake as the first scream left her throat. He scrambled around the fire, clapping his hand over her mouth and drawing her against him.

"Hush," he soothed, humming a short tune. Unthinkingly, he'd chosen the tune he had heard Dath hum to the lass. His throat thickened and he choked on his grief.

But Natalya never noticed, never even fully woke, just relaxed against his warmth, her sobs dying in her throat. She was back in a deep sleep a minute later.

Kedemar sat back against a tree, leaned his head back against the trunk as his tears fell, and soon fell asleep still embracing Natalya.

In the morning Kedemar woke gradually, his cheek pillowed against something soft and warm. He blinked fully awake.

It was Natalya's hair.

He lifted his head and gazed down at her as she stirred and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Well, now you have to marry me." She said with a sad smile. "My reputation will be in tatters."

Kedemar sighed, and leaned his head back against the tree, a lump in his throat. He couldn't answer.

She was right, and the full weight of the burden Dath had placed on him crushed him, heavy like the ring against his chest.

Natalya rose, leaving a chilly void in his arms where she'd lain, and began rekindling the fire. Kedemar moved to help her.

"We need food today." He broke the silence. Nat nodded.

"I can hunt." She replied.

"I'm going to make some spears or lances." Kedemar said. "I dislike being without a sword."

And so their day progressed. Kedemar managed to cut down some study saplings, nearly ruining his dagger in the process. He sharpened both ends of each stick and hardened them in the fire, ensuring himself a decent weapon. Natalya ventured into the trees with on of the captain's makeshift spears and brought back a brace of rabbits.

They dined on rabbit steak that night. Fell asleep on opposite sides of the fire, willing the rain to not return.

The next four days were nearly just like the first, with the only blessing being that the rain ceased before night fell.

They went about their daily work, waiting for the time when it was safe to go back. Both kept their emotions in check when in each other's presence, but when alone Nat spent time weeping, and Kedemar paused his tasks many times to swipe at his eyes with the back of his hand.

But they made it through, somehow.

***

Midmorning on the sixth day found Kedemar cleaning a fish on the riverbank, a spear on the ground beside him as he divested the fish of its scales and innards. Natalya was frying fish fillets over their smoking fire a little ways away. The flames sizzled in the nigh-on constant rain, but didn't go out.

Both Nat and Kedemar suddenly looked up as the thunder of hoofbeats reached their ears. Kedemar, bloody knife in one hand, rose slowly from his crouch, wrapping his fingers around his spear as he stood warily.

A company of horsemen galloped into view and quickly rode up on the camp. Kedemar tensed, expecting Ulrek, until the captain recognized who led the horsemen.

Haeil reined in sharply at the camp and dropped to the ground.

With a glad little cry Natalya ran to him, flinging her arms around his neck. He staggered with the force of her embrace, smiling as he greeted her. Kedemar followed, his throat tight and tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Haeil!" Nat sobbed. "Dath-- Dath's dead!"

Haeil met Kedemar's eyes, his face unreadable.

"It's true." Kedemar said hoarsely. "Dath-- Dath's gone. We ran into trouble with Ulrek and he-- he gave us time to escape. He saved us. He--." Kedemar's voice broke and he covered his face with his hand.

Haeil reach out with one arm and gently clasped the young captain's shoulder, even as the assassin held Nat close and let her cry into his neck.