The honey squirrel that sat on Ziana's shoulder was staring at the doorway just like Ashwin. But unlike the teenager, looking around in despair, the pet gently nibbled her owner's ear.

"Looks like we have to leave," the young woman noted calmly.

"Indeed, we must," said Gunner, placing his hand on Ashwin's shoulder. The teen tried to shake it off, but the man's fingers clenched tightly.

Despite the noise in the room full of people, Ashwin could swear that he heard footsteps approaching them. Pirates started to make their way through the crowd. Resisting at first, the teenager followed them as soon as he realized that they were heading towards the back exit away from the police. They broke into running when angry shouts filled the room, demanding to surrender and cease all attempts to struggle.

"Here!" Gunner, who was pulling Ashwin by the arm, was the first to reach the exit. He swung the door open and stepped outside, but then suddenly fell back right on his captive.

Fortunately, the man wasn't too heavy, and Ashwin kept his balance. The teen wanted to complain and opened his mouth already. However, someone pulled him back into the house just in time - the arrow bolt pierced the wall. Ashwin looked down at Gunner, who had slipped to the floor. The bald man was coughing and holding an arrow that had struck his chest. Both the wound and the corners of his mouth were colored in blood. With his hands still tied behind his back, Ashwin knelt before the wounded man.

Once again, he tried to get out of the rope, but in the end, all he could do was ask, "Are you alright?"

"Of course, he is not!" growled the long-haired pirate named Jin. The man tried to close the door, but the police officer from the other side pulled it open in an attempt to open it. "He is coughing up freaking blood! Damn, we need the doctor!"

Ashwin glanced at the room they were trying to escape from. Now, in addition to tobacco smoke, someone threw a smoke bomb. With screams, swearing and fighting, the whole space became so chaotic that it was impossible to understand who was winning and even what was exactly happening.

A white-haired guy knelt beside Gunner. Ashwin glanced at him, hoping he was the doctor Jin was referring to, but the look on the guy's face made this hope die instantly. The wounded man grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, whispering something in his ear. Then, Gunner took some folded paper out of his pocket and pushed it into the white-haired guy's hand.

"I get it," said the guy. His reply made Gunner smile weakly.

Ashwin watched them silently, not sure if he had the right to intervene. Was it some kind of last will, or was Gunner passing information about finding a Cheda member to Rajah? Before he could ask, the teenager flinched, feeling something fall on his shoulder. He looked up and saw a honey squirrel. The pet's proboscis touched his cheek, and the squirrel chirped briefly before curling its long tail around Ashwin's neck.

"Jin, I'll handle this," said the pet's owner. The pirate who was holding the doorknob nodded and let go of the door. Ashwin wanted to protest, but the young woman was already outside with a saber in her hand.

"Isn't this dangerous?" the teen turned to Jin. Even though they were lowly bandits, letting the girl risk her life was still below the standards of even such criminals, in Ashwin's eyes.

But the long-haired man just grinned. "It sure is. Right, Gunner?" Jin looked at the wounded man. His gray eyes were staring at the ceiling without blinking. The pirate clicked his tongue. "Oh shit, Gunner..."

However sad it was, the screams from outside and the danger to the young woman made Ashwin stand up and rush to the alley. With his hands tied, there wasn't much he could do, but the teen at least hoped to be a distraction for the police. However, he didn't go far and stopped after only a few steps.

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The scarce space between the houses looked like a battlefield. Several police officers were already lying on the ground in puddles of blood. Their colleagues tried their best to resist a single enemy, but one after another they fell under the blows of the saber. Ashwin knew how to fight and could distinguish between several styles of swordsmanship common to the eight kingdoms. However, this stance and movement was so different from what he was used to. Ziana's way of wielding weapons was more like a dance than an athletic technique. With both agility and speed, she avoided attacks and performed counterattacks, dealing precise, fatal blows.

Like enchanted, Ashwin watched the fight, forgetting everything around him. Even though the movements were unfamiliar, he recognized the stance from the first glance. It was the same one that he had seen only once, in the arena's pit on the day of his escape. 'So that's how she was able to fight off the apes...' thought Ashwin, unable to look away. The fierce fight was almost over, with the last policeman trying desperately to pierce his enemy. It was futile. Ziana avoided his sword and impaled the man with her saber. But when she pulled out the weapon, she stepped on blood and staggered.

"Oh darn!" with a single exclamation, the girl fell down. Ashwin gaped at the scene in bewilderment the whole time. The deadly dance that enchanted him ended in the most unexpected way. Ziana immediately jumped back on her feet, but the ominous atmosphere had already been completely lost. Jin hurried into the alley, searching for any survivors who could pose a threat. He only let out a sigh of relief when he was sure that their enemies had all been defeated.

"You didn't have to," the girl said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Even if I lack something, I wouldn't be so lax."

"Don't worry, mistakes happen," Jin assured her with a bright smile on his face. "It doesn't belittle the fact that you are a sword dancer."

"I told you not yet."

"They are dead, and you are alive. What more do you need?"

Ashwin watched the bickering, when he heard footsteps behind him and turned around. A scarred man approached, glanced at the teenager and the honey squirrel on his shoulder, then at his underlings.

"For starters, don't lose your balance at the end," he said in response to Jin's previous question.

"I slipped," muttered Ziana,

"On what?"

"I don't know, but I slipped," she continued to insist, without looking at the scarred man's eyes.

Staring at the entire scene, Ashwin wondered aloud, "A sword dancer? A girl?"

"What has swordsmanship to do with gender?" asked Ziana, cleaning her sword with a piece of cloth from the blood.

Before Ashwin could reply, Jin said, "Vardana don't let their women get their hands dirty."

"Oh, how noble of them! Should I move here?"

"Who would let you?" grumbled the teen when Jin laughed at her words. Ziana did not pay any attention to his words and stretched out her hand. The honey squirrel lost interest in its temporary host and jumped to its rightful owner. The pet's joyful chirping and eagerness to leave made Ashwin sulk. 'What am I, now, a perch?'

The scarred man shook his head in disapproval. "Let's go, we better hurry and set sail."

Ashwin looked at the dead Gunner. The white-haired guy was not around. The pirates should have noticed this too, but they only exchanged glances without any words. Jin grabbed the teen by the arm and pulled him.

"Looks like I'll be in charge of you now," he grinned, but there was no friendliness behind his smile. Ashwin sighed. He no longer resisted. The sudden discovery confused him and made him think of contradictory things. 'Should I thank her for opening dungeon door that day? But she wronged me so much afterwards. And does she even remember?' He glanced at Ziana, but her full attention was on the honey squirrel. The pet was enjoying another blueberry in its paws. The squirrel's life was much brighter than Ashwin's future.